Heading North - Spring 2023 Week 4

 Monday 27th March - Wigan to Wigan Top Lock

A stunning start to the day, brilliant blue skies and warm sunshine, we couldn’t ask for a better day to go up these locks at Wigan.  We left our mooring at 8.30am and cruised gently round to the first lock.  Although the locks are large, double locks and quite deep the first one went quite easily.

However, the second lock had this rather odd arrangement in order to open the lock gates.  Where space is restricted the lock has a winch to operate the lock beams, Dave found working the winch harder than using a windlass!  At the third lock we met a Canal and River Trust volunteer, John, who stayed with us and worked us up the locks.  We were very pleased to see him!

We were soon joined by a second volunteer, Peter, who was amazingly knowledgeable about the canal network.  This is a mobile phone mast, built to be in keeping with the history of the area, looking like a mill tower.

This is John, he owns and lives on his boat and was very helpful with an unfortunate incident between a couple of the locks.  The pound was very low, down by about 2ft and I followed his instructions to stay in the middle of the pound whilst he emptied the lock above me.  For some reason, the force of the water spun the boat almost 180 degrees and I was almost facing the wrong way, nothing I could do to stop it happening and it took John and Dave to haul the boat back round using the stern rope.  No harm done except to my confidence, but there another steep learning curve!

This grassy heap overlooks Lock 73, it is slag heap made from the waste material of Kirkless Iron and Steel Works which occupied the neighbouring wasteland between 1858 and 1931.  It is known locally as ‘Rabbit Rocks”.

On the side of this building is a rather splendid mural depicting the industrial history of Wigan, painted by Robert Tedaldi, it is on the side of a disused pub called The Commercial Inn.  

Here is Ella exiting the top lock on to what appears to be a T-junction.  We were very happy to see that we had come up the flight in 4hrs 15mins, and we took a perverse kind of pleasure in having achieved it!  We turned right and moored up at the facilities to top up with water and empty rubbish.  To the left is bridge 59, which crosses what was supposed to be the line of the Lancaster Canal on its way to join the Bridgewater Canal near Worsley before the money ran out.

As we were mooring up we met friends from Preston, Paul and Pat Gilkes, who had come to find us on the Wigan Flight, unfortunately they had walked past us when we were in a lock and had walked all the way down to Wigan Pier before turning round and walking back up the flight!  Anyway, we spent a couple of hours catching up over lunch, which was lovely.  

2 miles, 21 locks, 5hrs 0mins.

Tuesday 28th March - Wigan Top Lock to Adlington

We woke this morning to light rain which just got heavier and heavier throughout the day, so we decided to stay put until it began to dry up.  At about 2.30, it became a very light shower, so we set off for a short cruise to Adlington.

Gradually the rain stopped completely and we had  a very pleasant short cruise.  This is the first time we

have been on this canal and it was lovely to cruise slowly, looking towards the moors in the distance.  

A short aqueduct over the River Douglas, unfortunately you can’t  see over the wall, but after heavy rain the river tends to gush down between the high banks with great force.

Once we arrived in Adlington we moored up in front of Bridge 69 and spent a quiet evening there.  The photo is of White Bear Marina, just the other side of the bridge.  Another Aquavista Marina, owned by the same group as our Diglis Marina.

4 miles, 0 locks, 1hr 36mins

Wednesday 29th March - Adlington to Riley Green

After a pleasant night in Adlington, we set off this morning and headed for Johnson’s Hillock Locks.  We were given a QR code for these locks, a new system being trialled by the Volunteer Lock Keepers.  You enter the name of your boat, date and time you want to use the locks and the team will turn out to help you through.  Dave had booked our passage and we were hopeful some one would be there to help us!

On our way out of Chorley we spotted a water point and a boat moored on it going the same way as us.  We confirmed with them they were going up the locks and they agreed to wait for us.  We pulled in, filled up with water, emptied rubbish and then Paul appeared having decided to come and help us up the flight of locks.

We cruised on to the Locks and John and Mandy on nbMouseketeer were waiting for us and amazingly a whole team of volunteers to work the locks.  We were so pleased to see them and they were so pleased that someone had used their booking system successfully.  Apparently we were the first boat to have used it!  John and I steered the boats together through all the locks and it was a most enjoyable experience.

Paul putting his back into opening a lock gate, he says he enjoyed helping with the locks.

The team at the top of Johnson’s Hillock   Locks, a big thank you for turning out to help and we shall find out more about the QR code system and see if it is something that can be used on our own locks at Diglis.  We continued cruising towards Riley’s Green, collecting Pat along the way and moored up there for the night.  In the evening we joined Paul and Pat for a meal at The Royal Oak, and Paul surprised Dave with an extra couple of guests from Stockport, Anne-Marie and her husband Phil, Dave and Anne-Marie were students together at Royal Holloway 53 years ago. As you can imagine there was a lot of catching up to do!  Many thanks to Paul for organising it all, food and company was brilliant!

10miles, 7 locks, 4hrs 36mins

Thursday 30th March - Riley Green to Rishton 

We arranged with nbMouseketeer to meet them at Blackburn locks, and we set off just before 9am.  The weather was grey and wet, which was unfortunate, but we made good time and enjoyed the cruise through Blackburn.  This is the embankment with the view of the City ahead of you.

To our right was Ewood Park, home to Blackburn Rovers.

Then we get to the locks, there are 6 locks altogether and the heavens opened as we came up to them.  NbMouseketeer was just heading into the lock and we slid in alongside them.  We were told that the flight is locked between 4pm and 10am each day because of vandalism and they are constantly having to increase the strength of the padlocks to avoid the locks and pounds being drained on a daily basis.

The two boats entering the lock, all done in driving rain, and without hitting the sides of the lock.  However, the rubbish in the canal was quite awful and several times I felt something clanging against the propeller.

Barbara was one of our Volunteer Lock Keepers, I was most impressed that 3 of them turned out to man the locks, but she did say that they were waiting for a working boat that was heading up the canal and we just got lucky!

In the distance are the minarets and dome of Blackburn’s Central mosque, standing out against the grey skies and black architecture of the town.

I think this is Daisyfield Mill.  Built in the early 1870’s and located on the banks of the Leeds Liverpool canal in Blackburn, this former corn mill and grade II listed building has been fully restored and refurbished to the highest standards.  The building accommodates training facilities on the first two floors, with 36 high quality offices on the four floors above.

We continued cruising out towards Rishton where we moored up to do some shopping and decided to stay overnight.  We were joined by two more boats so we felt it was pretty safe.

10 miles, 6 locks, 4hrs 6mins

Friday 31st March - Rishton to Rose Grove

After a quiet night in Rishton, we set off under leaden skies and headed for Rose Grove.  Toby and I walked for a little while, and took this photo from the towpath, Pendle Hill in the distance shrouded in mist, most fitting!  Pendle Hill rises above this ancient hunting ground, once the home of wolves and wild boar and to this day dotted with tiny hamlets and farms. It is still an untamed place, full of mystery and infamous as the home of the Pendle Witches who were tried and executed for witchcraft in 1612.

As we came through Church we caught up with the CRT working boat that had come up through the locks at Blackburn after us.  It was making its way from Wigan Dry Dock to Burnley Dry Dock, but it was going very slowly so I indicated that I wanted to pass.

The boat pulled across to the offside and we passed it safely on the towpath side.  

Soon afterwards we came across a set of  4 swing bridges, Dave opened this one but I got blown into the side and it took several attempts to get off the side.  However, I soon got through by which time the working boat had caught us up and Dave stayed with the bridge to let them through.  He ended up walking the towpath to the next swing bridge, where we met a CRT employee looking for the working boat, she was going to work the swing bridges for it.  It meant Dave could close the bridge and get back on the boat.  At the third swing bridge a team of CRT employees in 2 vehicles were waiting for the working boat, no attempt to help us with the bridge, but there, I guess that isn’t what they are paid to do!

This marker and iron work marks the halfway point of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, an exciting moment - we have now completed exactly half of the canal, Wigan to Liverpool in 2017 and Wigan to here in 2023!

The fourth swing bridge was actually open and looked as though it had been that way for sometime!

We continued to Rose Grove where we stopped for water, rubbish and Elsan and stayed on the secure visitor moorings on the offside of the canal.  A wander around the town, spy out the fish and chip shop and  a quiet evening on the boat.  Dave went to get fish ad chips for our supper, but returned empty handed.  They were doing a roaring trade but they didn't have any fish - how can you be a traditional fish and chip shop with no fish???

9.5 miles, 0 locks, 3hrs 42mins

Saturday 1st April - Rose Grove to Top of Barrowford Locks

A bright sunny start to the day and we set off through Rose Grove until we got to Gannow Tunnel, a very straight tunnel this time, and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Toby is sitting on the roof of the boat for a change.

Out the other side of the tunnel and we begin to go through Burnley.  Here is another mill masquerading as a mobile mast.  Unfortunately the clouds are beginning to roll in and it is getting colder.

Burnley Wharf and the Inn on the Wharf pub next door which is closed. A remnant of Burnley's industrial heritage as a world-leader in the production of cotton cloth during the Industrial Revolution. The Inn on the Wharf used to be warehousing space and stables when the wharf was functional.  On the towpath before the wharf are a large number of bollards where the boats would moor up waiting to load or unload their cargo.

The canal toll house was probably built in the 1820s and has a door onto Manchester Road and another onto the canal bank. Its windows command a view of the wharf which was teemed with cargo laden boats. The canal company official in the Tollhouse could watch what goods were loaded and check that the correct tariffs were being charged. A gate across the towpath was opened to allow the barge horses through when the appropriate toll had been received.

This is Turf Moor, home of Burnley Football Club known as The Clarets.  There are a lot of good sized football stadiums around here.

I love this photo of the terraced housing, back to back separated by a narrow cobbled back alley known as a ‘ginnel’ and each with a small backyard.  Built for the ever expanding workforce for the mills.  By the 1830’s this type of housing had gained a reputation for spreading disease and gradually the practise was abolished.

Burnley Dry Dock, the working boat we passed yesterday was heading here, however there was no sign of it and we hadn’t seen it pass us, so not sure what happened to it.  I guess it could be inside the dry dock?

The first of the Barrowford Locks, the by water was vicious, so I stayed well back whilst Dave set the lock, to avoid its effects on the boat.  We worked the flight of locks on our own and Dave says they were very hard work with many of the paddles being incredibly hard to open.  Gates would swing open/shut on their own and by the time we had got to the top, Dave was exhausted and we moored up for the rest of the day.

9.5 miles, 7 locks, 6hrs 12mins

Sunday 2nd April - Top of Barrowford Locks to Salterforth

We woke to a dull start but then the sun gradually appeared.  We left our mooring at 10am and passed nbMouseketeer moored further along from us, giving them a cheery wave.

We cruised slowly down to Foulridge Tunnel and waited alongside a high wall.  The tunnel is a mile long and is operated on a traffic light system, with 30 minutes available to get through the tunnel.  Our green light turned on at 10.30 and we set off through the tunnel.  It is very wet inside, lots of water cascading from the roof and sides.  

The tunnel is 17ft wide, plenty wide enough for us and wide beams, but not wide enough for two boats to pass each other.  It also has a height restriction as the tunnel can be rather low in places.  After the initial bend at the beginning of the tunnel you could easily see the end of the tunnel, love this picture of the inside with all our lights on.

Once out the other end we cruised through Foulridge as the Visitor Moorings were full and we couldn’t get safely into the side.  The scenery is amazing, we are now on the Yorkshire Moors, an absolute delight after the industrial landscape we have been through so far.  It is hard to believe this is the same canal!  We moored up at Salterforth and walked back along the towpath to have a look at Foulridge.

A pair of Mandarin ducks, I spotted a male last week but this is the first time I’ve seen a pair, the female is much dowdier than the male, and smaller but has similar tail feathers.  Delighted to see these two.

The County border between Lancashire and Yorkshire, we really are on the moors!  We called in at the Wharf Cafe at Foulridge, but they were overwhelmed by the number of people visiting and weren’t doing any more food for an hour, this was 1.15!  The sunny weather had brought lots of people out and they were struggling, what a shame!

3.5 miles, 0 locks, 1 tunnel, 1hr 36mins