This is the fascinating story of an epic journey by the narrowboat Hyperion and her butty, Kestrel. The journey begins in Langton Dock at Liverpool.
The boats lock out on to the tideway and follow the Liverpool waterfront, crossing right in front of the Old Pierhead. They work their way across to the Birkenhead side, avoiding the treacherous Mersey mudbanks before entering the Manchester Ship Canal at Eastham.
The journey continues up the Ship Canal as far as Ellesmere Port where we join the Boat Museum's Annual Rally of working narrowboats. Hyperion and Kestrel were escorted by the his?toric ICI Brunner "Cuddington", to which the film crew transferred out on the tideway for a better view!
We gain a fascinating insight into the heyday of commercial shipping on these Mersey waters by talking to a retired Manchester Ship Canal pilot. We see an altogether different picture when we discover among the crew a former Mersey flats deck-hand. Finally, we meet the woman who worked Kestrel throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and who gave birth to her twin children in the tiny boat cabin.
This thoroughly researched programme is a real collectors item and a valuable educational resource.
DVD Info
Region: 2
Running Time: 57 minutes
Release Date: 01/10/02
