TRIP boat Waterwitch has made her first outing of 2016 on the Lancaster Canal's Northern Reaches.

Frank Sanderson, of Lancaster Canal Trust, said that 'a party atmosphere" developed at the Crooklands landing stage as passengers waited in the warm sunshine on Sunday for their free ride.

"Our photographer accepted a lift in a dinghy and saw things from the water level for the first time; scurrying water-hens, pairs of ducks, some reluctant to move, cattle drinking and shading beneath trees, the occasional fish breaking the surface as it fed on an unwary May fly," said Frank, the trust's public relations officer.

"Further up the canal, duck weed had begun to carpet the surface in patches, and trees dipped towards the water.

"A father was teaching his young son to fish; the boy had a smile that never left his face, even when admitting “not yet” - words all anglers have used when asked if they had caught anything.

"Down at the Millness wharf, two work party stalwarts laboured over removing last year's bracken and brambles.

"What a lovely waterway this is, built at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, moving coal, limestone, gunpowder and all manner of interesting cargoes, and now left for our enjoyment."

To find out more about trips on Waterwitch, visit www.lctrust.co.uk

Pic 1. Trip Boat Waterwitch 2. Swans nesting. 3. Crooklands landing stage.

Frank Sanderson. Public Relations Officer, Lancaster Canal Trust.

015395 66967.