Arrived Wigan Eventually

At the top of Johnson Locks I discover that the diesel return line has come loose and four or five litres of derv have ended up in the sump.  The problem is the joint is a piece of rubber pipe joined to a brass pressure joint.  Tried several methods to rejoin it but ended up repeating the original method.  Hopefully I can get a permanent repair done when I get back to Thorne.  

A quick transfer of sides and the facilities get used while the workboat comes up the flight.

Havent got a clue what this is.  It looks like a cross between a large church with a spire and a power station.

Swing bridges - no comment!

I am surprised at the amount of decent moorings that are along the L&L

ffwe go down the long flight into Wigan. A good start but then it starts raining.

and only a couple of locks down and we find an empty pond. However by the time we get to the long pound in the middle of the flight we have had enough and decide to stop.  After a couple of hours a boat with a pratt at the helm comes up and we find later that he has left sluices up and gates open all the way up. Consequently half the pounds end up empty and we end up on the bottom with rather a large list.  Six in the morning I am up trying to bring water down from the top to get us afloat.  Happily the Pratt is stuck at a lock above us and has to wait for the lock gates to be sorted before he can carry on.  We struggle down through the next pound and at last a decent bit of water.

One of those delightful Victorian touches.

Just another lock and we moor up.  This is the junction - straight on to L:iverpool or turn left for Lllangollen.

Bits of machinery from the past.

Its a lovely place and not like the usual city centre with many small shops

There is the occasional statue leaning up against a bridge.

That was leaning looking over the bridge at The Orwell.  Somewhere here is Wigan Pier made famous by Orwell and George Formbys dad.

Yet another good mooring with the CRT offices on the left.

On to Blackburn

It has taken an age to get this blog sorted due to the intermittent access to the Internet.  Usually a signal could be picked up on the bank but inboard it was rubbish. 

Anyway here goes - can I remember where we were  :-)

Foulridge Tunnel has a delightful village at its start. There are .moorings right next
 to the cafe.

Just checking to see what the footpath over the top. A really nice walk with a reservoir to walk around.

The path runs along the back of some houses and they have a great view.

Back In the  Village there are some houses that seem not to have hardly changed in a hundred years.

There are a few large places we go through. Its hard to see where one ends and another starts. The first large place is Burnley. Lots of mills or remains of them.

But just outside and its countryside with long views down the valley. With so few locks the winding canal goes around the hills and sometimes a radio mast that you are going to pass is on the left then right then left again. Some of the turns are almost 180 degrees.

This must be Burnley. The cars on the left hide the fact that there are a couple of blokes on the pavement sat on a settee :-)

Very close to the canal and a business park and supermarket

More unused mills. Massive places and full of Victorian ornamentation

A wharf with moorings and a pub. This is part of the Weavers Triangle. A small charity has a cafe and small museum.

Upstairs is the toll office as it once was.

I wonder how much this view has changed over the years.

There is also the home of the workers

Gannow bridge is coming up.

We moored for the night at the village of Hapton. Yet another derelict building.

The views keep coming.

Even up here there are derelicts.

Some of the other disused buildings.

Including this one that has a preservation order on it. Bits falling off so if its to be kept......

On one side of the board is Church and on this side its Oswaldwhistle and includes a large map of the canal Leeds to Liverpool.

Moored for the night and it seems that its greyhound owners day out. Dozens of  dogs out for a walk.

From the mooring the canal can be seen going around the hill.

You can see for miles up here.

Some dry stone walling going on. Anyone good at jigsaws.

Looking very much the moorland and it feels as though we have reached the top.

There are plenty of moorings everywhere. It is noticeable that the banks that have been built slant underwater so you need to be able to drop the fenders down low enough to stop the hull banging all night.

On the approach to Blackburn and this huge building. Disused.

More mills and wharfs all over the place.

Up quite high above the  town.

Every so often something new. Here the gates are opened with a winder.

In the middle of Blackburn locks we find this bloke. Last time I saw him I am sure he was riding a white horse called Binky. :-)

The small ponds soon fill up and this one is starting to go over the towpath

Ah civilisation.