Bridgewater, Trent & Mersey and Shropshire Canals

We had estimated that it would take us between 6 & 7 hours to complete the Wigan flight.  The flight consists of 21 locks (plus an extra 2 locks on the Leigh arm) over a distance of roughly 2 miles, which on the day we completed in just over 5 hours.  Well done Flo.  For us, this marked the end of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, a canal that seems not to have a very good reputation, but from our point of view had become one of our favourite trips.

We were now heading south on the Bridgewater Canal on a route we had travelled 2 years previously on our way to Liverpool.  Moored just short of Worsley we got to chatting with a couple of guys that were carrying what looked like a pair of expensive cameras.  They were keen aircraft buffs and were waiting for a Vulcan bomber that had flight path that should take in over our location.  What a bit of luck when, at the exact time they had predicted, the Vulcan flew at reasonably low level directly overhead.

Vulcan Bomber

We passed through the small village of Worsley the day after the Vulcan fly pass.  Today it’s a conservation area with many buildings scheduled as ancient monuments.  If you are not a canal user you probably won’t realise that Worsley is considered as the birthplace of the ‘transport revolution’ at its height of the ‘revolution’ it was a busy, noisy, industrial area.  The Bridgewater Canal was the brainchild of the Duke of Bridgewater, who after visiting the French canals, wanted a system that would move the coal from his mines throughout the area.  Rather than bring his coal to the surface he had built underground canals, from the coal face and onto the Bridgewater Canal. In total nearly 52 miles of underground canal were built by pick and shovel.

The Packet House Worsley

 Note the colour of the canal - it's water draining from the old mines that makes the canal orange.  This is because water seeping through the rocks collects small particles containing iron hydroxide, called ochre. The particles are washed into the canal giving it a 'rusty' colour.

Passed Manchester, down through Sale and Altrincham and onto Lymm, possibly one of the most picturesque canal villages on the network, stopped for shopping and an excellent lunch at the Golden Fleece before moving down the cut and mooring close to Higher Walton.

Lymm

Lymm

 

Lymm

Lymm

The weather was very hot, sunny and humid.  We had a lovely walk around Moore Nature Reserve then back to the boat for a well-earned glass of wine and BBQ.  We stayed put at this mooring to enable a walk to Walton Hall Gardens which were very pretty.  As the hall was no longer a residence only the outside features have been maintained as a period property. That evening produced a spectacular display of heavy rain, thunder, lightning and hail.

Walton Hall

The next day took us on to the Trent & Mersey Canal and on by the Anderton Boat Lift.  Constructed in 1875 it connects the Trent & Mersey with the Weaver Navigation 50ft below.  We’d  used the lift before so we didn’t stop, continuing to chug to the evening’s mooring opposite a broad flash (wide expanse) of water.  Which once again showed its best during the evening after another warm day.  Really magical, even if our photos don’t do it justice.

Anderton Lift Bridge

Anderton Lift Bridge

The Flash

We left the Trent and Mersey Canal at Middlewich and joined the Shropshire Canal heading for Nantwich.  It was important that we stopped at Nantwich as the first test against Australia starts in a week’s time and our radio as given up the ghost.  Ken desperately needs to replace it and is considering DAB reception.  Advice is required.

Left Nantwich to go through 15 locks and passing by the Shroppie Fly at Audlem before mooring after lock 3. Once again weather is kind to us and is bright and sunny.  Next day through 7 more locks to Market Drayton and moored for the night.

Shroppie Fly

Stopped at Norbury Junction for diesel and then continued until reaching Gnosall Heath. By this time the weather had turned wet and we decided to moor for the day.  Next day dawned bright and sunny and after shopping in the village we did a 6 mile circular walk along a disused railway and then across open country.

England won -  thumping Australia with a day to spare in the first Ashes Test.

Next Brewood.  

Still on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Still in Gargrave and as it was still warm and sunny  we decided to walk one last time on the Pennine Way before heading on down the cut.  A short route of about 5 or 6 mile up onto Eshton Moor, then dropping down into the valley near Bell Busk and following the River Aire for a short distance before  returning  to Bacchus via the Moor. A welcome shower and glass of wine was the order of the day.

On the Pennine Way

Trig point 206 - Eshton Moor.

River Aire

The Foulridge Tunnel soon followed, being 1500mtrs long and famous for the tale of Buttercup, a cow who in 1912 fell into the canal at the southern end and ‘swam’ through to the other end where she was revived with brandy from the local pub.  Due to its width passage through the tunnel is one direction at a time and is controlled by traffic lights.

Foulridge Tunnel showing traffic lights

After the tunnel our journey took us through the Lancashire towns of Nelson, Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn.  These towns grew up on the back of King Cotton;  for example Blackburn, during the 19th century had 200 chimneys and a landscape of factories and mills.  In 1910 there were 87,377 looms in the town employing 42,000 workers, many of them were children as young as 12.  Though most of this industry has now disappeared much of the Victorian and Edwardian architecture is still evident from the canal.
 

Burnley Wharf

 Burnley Wharf is a fine collection of 19th century stone and grey slate canal side warehouses and workshops.  The Inn occupies the former Toll and Wharf Manager's House built in 1878.

Daiseyfield Mill Blackburn
 

Eanam Wharf

Eanam Wharf, Blackburn was one of Leeds & Liverpool's most significant depots.  Twenty-five thousand locals gathered to see its opening in 1810.



This picture was taken from the bow of Bacchus at our mooring at Riley Green.

It was nice to leave the industrial towns and return to the countryside and we moored  at Riley Green, not a village that you would be expected to know, but a good mooring and ideal for a circular walk we had planned that took in a visit to Hoghton Tower.

Our circular walk from Riley Green took us along the canal towards Feniscowles where we turned northwards and followed the River Darwen for some miles.

River Darwen

Waiting for Flo to catch up - again!

River Darwen

Hoghton Tower.

Hoghton Tower is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family.  650ft above sea level this ancient fortified manor house has remained unchanged since its restoration in 1565.

Drive way leading to Hoghton Tower.

Hoghton Tower courtyard.

Progress - it seems to have taken for ever since leaving Leeds.  The Leeds & Liverpool Canal has become one of our favourite journeys.

 

Next the Wigan flight of 21 locks and onto the Bridgewater Cana

 

Gargrave.

It’s Monday 22^nd June, the temperature in London 23deg and the sun’s shining.  We’re moored at Riley Green, near Blackburn in Lancashire and the temperature is 12deg and it’s raining.  This seems to have been the story of the summer so far, we’ve had some nice days but more dull than sun. Tomorrow shows an improvement, its forecast to be dry with sunny periods, so we’ve planned a walk which includes a visit to Hoghton Tower, but more of that on another day.

We left Skipton on one of those sunny days following the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park for five miles to Gargrave, a picturesque village on the Pennine way split in two by the River Aire.  Iain Macleod (1913-1970) Chancellor of the Exchequer for just three weeks before his untimely death, is buried in the village church. 



Chugging to Gargrave
The hills of the Yorkshire Days National Park in the distance.

The village of Gargrave, taken during our walk on the Pennine Way.

Crossing the River Aire in Gargrave.

We stayed in Gargrave for three days.  On the first day we walked southwards on the Pennine Way in glorious sunshine and on the second day we caught a bus to the village of Malham and then walked to Malham Cove.  Malham is a small village in the Pennines, at the southern base of the Yorkshire Dales.  It's a pretty place, surrounded by dry-stone walls with a stream running through the centre of the village.


 

Malham

Dry-stone wall country surrounding Malham

The walk-in to Malham Cove, which can be seen in the distance.

Malham Cove is a huge curving amphitheatre shaped cliff formation of limestone rock.
The cliff is 250ft high.

Unbeknown to us there was a pair of breeding peregrine falcons on the cliff.  The peregrine is the largest resident falcon and hunts birds in high-speed chases.   The young had f ledged in the previous few days and we were extremely lucky to see parents and young flying around the Cove.  It made our day.

Flo watching the peregrines from the top of Malham Cove.

Lunch stop in Malham

Next Foulridge Tunnel.

Skipton

If there’s one place you should visit when travelling the Leeds & Liverpool Canal it’s Skipton.  A picturesque market town, the ‘gateway to the Dales,’ located amidst gently rolling Pennine hills.

Our mooring in Skipton

We spent three days enjoying its company.  Skipton’s main attraction is its castle, built in 1090; Skipton castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in England.  Title to the castle was granted to Robert Clifford by Edward 11 in 1310 and it was his descendants who withstood a 3 year siege during the Civil War.

Castle Entrance - The following is displayed on the castle entrance.

The Civil War Siege of 1642-1645.

On 24^th December 1645 this very gateway withstood a remarkable site: the massive gates, which had remained closed against the Roundhead besiegers for three years, were thrown open; and out of the castle through the ranks of the enemy rode Sir John Mallory at the head of his staunch garrison. 

The long siege had failed to take Skipton castle.  It held out for the King until it was the last resisting castle in the North.  In the circumstances wise counsels prevailed, and the parliamentary, (Roundheads) forces agreed to most honourable terms for surrender. 

The Royal garrison marched away down Skipton high street ‘with colours flying, trumpets sounding, drums beating, matches lighted on both ends and bullets in their mouths, every trooper and every foot soldier with three charges of powder’ and was permitted to disperse with safe passage.

Outer Castle Walls

The Tudor Conduit Court with yew tree planted in 1659 by Lady Anne Clifford.

Skipton Town Hall is home to the impressive Craven Museum & Gallery.  The Museum’s exhibition of costumes, life on the Dales, archaeology and memorabilia is better than many museums of larger towns.  We really enjoyed it and were lucky enough to visit when there was a special exhibition of paper cutting art, which we’ve never come across before, we were very impressed.

Market Day in Skipton

The Whiskey Shop

The Whiskey Shop proved interesting for two reasons. Firstly the shop boasted 1200 wines and 900 whiskeys, making it a pleasure to wonder through and secondly a sign on the outside of the building which stated:

Near this place John Wesley preached to the inhabitants of Skipton 26^th June 1764.

Gargrave next.

Keighley. East Riddlesden Hall, Steam Trains and Bronte Country.

Half way to Keighley we reached the famous Bingley Five Rise Locks.  Officially opened in 1774 each lock is connected to the next with no pound in between so the lower gate of one lock forms the upper gate of the next chamber, 5 chambers, 6 gates.  With a gradient of 1 in 5, a rise/fall of 60 feet over a distance of just 320ft they are the steepest lock flight in the UK.

Bingley Five Rise Locks

Bingley Five Rise from the top.  Bacchus is the second in the queue.

We spent 3 days at Keighley, having decided to take a steam train along the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.  Very close to our mooring, was East Riddlesden Hall,  originally the Hall was the home of a 17th century cloth merchant and later the estate was a hive of farming activity. We spent a pleasant couple of hours there.

East Riddlesden Hall

The Great Barn is one of the most impressive in the north of England.  It is largely unchanged since it was rebuilt in the 17th century.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway line opened in 1867 its purpose to provide coal to the local mills. Now it’s a heritage railway and is the only complete preserved standard gauge line anywhere in the world.  Now running heritage steam and diesel trains through what is now known as Bronte Country.

The five stations on the line, including the platform used at Keighley station, still maintain their Edwardian splendour, one of which Oakworth, was the station used in the 1970 film The Railway Children, most famous for the “Daddy, my daddy” scene. The museum has many carriages on display and shows details of all the film and TV programmes they have been used in. End of the line is Haworth, where we spent the day visiting the Bronte parsonage and the village.  No shortage of wonderful cream tea shops.

Oakworth Station

The steam train on our journey to Haworth.

Haworth Station.

Haworth High Street.

Haworth Parsonage. The Bronte's Home.

The Old School Room Haworth.
Patrick Bronte (1777-1861) built this school for the children of Haworth. Charlotte, Bramwell, Emily & Anne all taught here. Site of Charlotte's wedding reception in 1854.

When the Bronte family lived in Haworth this was the druggist's house and shop.  Here Bramwell Bronte purchased the opium which was the indirect cause of his untimely death.

Skipton next.