Mum died 4 years ago today. I cycled to Pleasington Crematorium to view the Remembrance Book then to Withnell Fold where Mum's memorial bench is.

Lettice Harris 1916 - 2010

Remembrance Book

Withnell Fold memorial bench

The railway bridge at Harper's Lane, Chorley has been removed for
the electrification of the line. A new higher bridge will replace it.

Drove to Biggar in Scottish Borders to visit the Biggar Gasworks Museum. On the way called at J.38 Tebay for early lunch. Biggar had its own gasworks by 1838. Over the years, the works were altered and expanded to keep up with the increasing demand. A major reconstruction brought Biggar Gasworks into more or less its present form. After North Sea Gas arrived 1973 the works closed down. Biggar Gasworks is the only preserved gasworks left in Scotland.

Early lunch.

The Retorts

William Murdoch (1734 - 1839) an early
pioneer in gas production and gas-lighting

One of The Retorts

Made in Leyland.
Centurion tanks were made in the Spurrier Works, leyland from October 1953 during the Corean crisis. The all welded 53 ton Centurion is divided into three compartments; driving at the front, Fighting in the centre and engine and transmission at the rear.

Ben Cummins and crew passed along the Leeds and Liverpool canal this weekend on their way to London via Leeds. Their craft is the Kon Tiki, named after the raft used by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in his 1947 expedition across the Pacific Ocean. The unique craft was featured in a Liverpool art exhibition in 2012 and was due to be scrapped. Ben decided to rescue it and give it, and him, a voyage of purpose. An upright piano was fixed to the deck and his objective was to deliver it to London, via Leeds.
Ben’s blog reads:
"I headed north to escape a storm. In my head I took to the canals. I was aboard a raft playing a piano open air. Broke, wondering how I could sustain this way of life. I would eat and sell foraged food along the way whilst delivering a piano…"
All I can say is bon voyage and good luck.
You can check his blog here:

Ben Cummins

The cargo, an upright piano.

The Kon Tiki moored at Johnson's Hillock this morning.

The Kon Tiki moored at the Top Lock Wheelton this evening.

The Kon Tiki moored at the Top Lock Wheelton this evening.

The original Ribchester Parade Helmet on loan from the British Museum.
 

Refurbished milestone at Blackburn Road/Gorse Close, Whittle-le-Woods

The Milestone on Blackburn Road, Whittle-le-Woods by Gorse Close 2 miles north of Chorley has now been refurbished. The stone base had been straightened and the iron marker plate repainted by Whittle-le-Woods Parish Council. It is one of only a few on the Chorley to Blackburn route that have survived. The next one towards Blackburn was at Whins Lane near the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The stone remains in the verge but the marker plate was stolen around 2003.

The Whins Lane milestone plate in 2002
before it was stolen.

Morning view of the North Sea at camp one on the cliffs near Filey, east coast.

Evening view of the Humber Bridge

Overcast and colourless view of the bridge in the morning.

York Railway Station. After arriving from Blackburn I was waiting for the Scarborough train.

The second man through.

The second woman through with motorbike and TV camera.

Some very colourful weed in the old reservoir at Lower Kem Mill, Cuerden Valley,
Clayton-le-Woods.

Cow and Calf Rocks.

Eric Idle and Michael Palin as Hermits.

Had a lovely walk across Ilkley Moor this morning. Above the Yorkshire town of Ilkley are the ‘Cow and Calf’ rocks by an old quarry. For me it is most notable as the filming location for the Monty Python – Hermits sketch. The photo is where were Eric Idle and Michel Palin discussed the best way to insulate a hermit’s cave.

The Chorley Photographic Society outing this evening was to a very wet and windy St Anne's Pier. The place was closed and the car park almost empty. When one of the members got out of his car to talk to another member a car park attendant appeared from nowhere and started to take a photo of the car ready to 'do' him for parking.

Brockholes Centre

The rain stopped eventually and I was treated to this
wonderful sunset across the reservoirs.

This evening Astley Park, Chorley was the venue for a Vintage Fashion Shoot by members of Chorley Photographic Society. The Hall and Fountain were popular backgrounds for the many photos taken. Many thanks to the beautiful models who made it all possible. The Society is one of the oldest in Chorley with documented meetings going back to 1895.

Weaver's Brow, Heath Charnock and Cowling Road, Chorley.
A lovely boundary marker refurbished by Heath Charnock Parish Council

This 700 kg memorial was flow to the crash site by an R.A.F. Chinook helicopter in 2013 to replace and earlier memorial that was deteriorating.
The granite memorial now marks the spot where Pilot Officer William Drew, Sergeant Jack Emery, Sergeant Harold Arthur Tompsett, Flying Officer James Henry Steyn, Sergeant Charles McPherson Mitchell and Flight Sergeant Thomas Brendon Kenny lost their lives when their aircraft crashed.

One of the two Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engines. Both are still on site

Wreckage is strewn around. The original gun turret was removed several years ago to be fitted to a refurbished aircraft.

Anson N9857 was on a night training flight from No 19 Operational Unit, Kinloss when it was reported missing on April 13th 1941. Despite an extensive search nothing was found and nothing was heard of it for six weeks until a chance siting on Ben More Assynt at 2,200 feet by a shepherd was reported. As there were no Mountain Rescue Team (They were not organised until 1943) a recovery squad was sent out to recover the bodies being guided by two volunteer guides.

The turret used to be at the crash site.

As six weeks had passed the six bodies of the crew and trainees were in quite a state of decomposition and it was considered dangerous as well as very unpleasant job to bring them down from the mountain to be buried in the nearest Churchyard. The decision was made and carried out that the bodies should be buried near where the aircraft wreckage lay. The bodies, seven in all were laid side by side on a communal grave and a cairn of peat and local rocks was built over them. A small cross was erected and the gun turret had been placed next to the cairn.

Turret photo and text from the Website of Peter Fairweather

Morning view from my tent on Iona.

At the south end of Iona is St Columba's Bay. This is where the monk Columba is supposed to have landed after being exiled with 12 companions from Ireland. He founded the Abbey in 563.

St Columba's Bay

Before 850 the Viking ships
would raid the abbey.

Cairn of [turning the] Back to Ireland.

To the east of St Columba's is an abandoned Marble Quarry.
The Iona Marble quarry has a very long history.
The quarry was first officially opened in the late 1700s by the Duke of Argyll but did not operate for long because the marble was difficult to extract and transport was uneconomical.
A final attempt was made to reopened the quarry in 1907 and closed for the last time at the end of World War I.
Today all that is left are the very rusted remains of a large winch and cable, a cutting frame, water tank, gas engine, wheeled platform and white cut stone blocks. These are listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

There are several hotels on Iona as many people come to visit and stay for longer periods of retreat. This is one of the top quality kitchens producing top quality food.