Skipton'S Alan and Judith Hughes might have skippered their two boats over 50,000 miles in 11 years but neither boat has gone further than Leeds or Gargrave.

The couple has recently retired from running Pennine Boat Trips, in Skipton, having taken 320,000 people on leisurely trips up the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.

Alan, who has skippered 30,000 miles of trips on the canal, said in that distance he could have gone from Liverpool to South America, round Cape Horn, across the Pacific to Sydney, back to Liverpool and on to New York!

The couple moved to Skipton in 1990 and took over the boat trip business. During their first full season in 1991 they carried 17,000 people and by 1993 this went up to 19,000.

By 1993 the number of people booking trips on the boats for private functions had also risen so much that the couple decided to build a second boat to run alongside the Cobbydale.

"Everyone thought we were mad because it was in the height of the recession," said Judith.

Nevertheless the "Dalesman" was built in memory of Alan's father who had been a skipper on the Wallasey Ferry across the Mersey. Alan's love of boats also began there, starting as a deck lad before becoming a tug skipper.

Their risk paid off and last year the couple had their most successful year ever when the boats went on 901 tours between March and November.

The couple have many fond and proud memories of their work in Skipton. They were one of five finalists in the Group Travel Awards along with P&O and Stena, they received an award from the RNLI for fundraising, and particularly enjoyed a trip with a group of youngsters from Chernobyl.

Day trippers will remember Alan's wicked sense of humour as he tried to keep everyone laughing on their journey. He once told a group of people not to use their mobile phones on board in case they interfered with the boat's navigation system!

The couple both said they would not miss the hard work and were looking forward to taking their holidays in the summer instead of November when the tourist season had ended.

"We have had a lot of fun, but it has been hard work," said Judith.

They added that they would also miss seeing the swans and moorhens, which they fed on their trips. But they have bought themselves a narrow boat so they do not have to stay on dry land too long.