Leigh to Burscough

Tue 28th June  Leigh to Scotman's Flash

We visited Aldi for some supplies before setting off in the direction of Wigan.  Rain was forecast later.

At “Plank Lane Swing Bridge” we discovered it was a lift bridge. So we thought either the bridge has been changed since 2006 or Nicholson’s got it wrong.  It is no longer manned, but is fully automatic, operated with a key. Later research indicated it was built in 1977, replacing the previous swing bridge, but the locals still call it the swing bridge.  There also used to be a lock here.

Approaching Plank Lane Swing Bridge

The Swing bridge lifting

Through an old lock near Dover bridge

  

As we moored up at Scotman’s Flash, there was a mouse running across the path and into some vegetation by the edge of the canal just in front of our boat. We didn’t fancy its chances when Hugo was out and about later.

As predicted, very heavy rain started in early afternoon.  There were several boats still moving despite the downpour.  Two wide beam boats arrived late and moored in front of us.

Evening view across the flash to Wigan

0 locks, 6 miles, 1 lift bridge, 1 mouse

Wed 29th June  Scotman’s Flash to Wigan

Once again there was rain forecast later, so we made an early start hoping to get to Wigan in the dry. We tried not to disturb the people on the wide boats.

The two widebeams at Scotman’s Flash

The two Poolstock Locks are at the end of the Leigh Branch, taking the level up to join the Leeds and Liverpool main line at Wigan. We soon realised that these might take some time, as the pound between the locks was dry.  James walked up to the next lock to let some water down, and found a CRT man already on the case. Apparently this happens every morning, because the top lock has new gates and doesn’t leak, whereas the bottom lock lets a lot of water through, draining the pound every night.

Poolstock Lock 2 and the dry pound

Dry pound looking back

 Leaking lock gates

After half an hour we were able to proceed, by which time the CRT man had disappeared. To turn right at the junction would take you up the 21 Wigan locks towards Blackburn, Skipton and Leeds. We turned left, in the direction of Liverpool.

Wigan Junction

Almost immediately there is Henhurst Lock, which has no footways across the lock gates.  Instead you have to walk up a ramp and cross the canal on the road bridge to get to the other side.

Henhurst Lock

Lock gate mechanism

Having gone through the lock, we discovered an Elsan facility above the lock, so we trundled the cassettes back.

The rain had started by the time we moored up on rings just beyond.  We were by a low wall so Hugo could find a refuge.

We wore our wet gear and took brollies as we went to explore Wigan.  We both had haircuts, and then went to a Chinese Buffet for lunch. We bought a small peaked hat for James, plus a cushion for his back, hoping this would help his back pain, which he has had for nearly two years.

The sun came out later when we were back on board.  James went for a walk to see who was there, and took some photos of the old parts of canalside Wigan.  Some of the buildings were sadly boarded up, including the Orwell pub, which was busy last time we came through here.  A Bantam Tug was also languishing in the undergrowth.

Water art

Our mooring in Wigan

Short boat Kennet

 Trencherfield Mill

Bantam Tug

Wigan Pier, the Orwell and Trencherfield Mill

The Orwell

3 locks, 1 mile

Thu 30th June  Wigan to Appley Locks

As we were preparing to leave we noticed a boat coming down through Henhurst Lock behind us, so we went ahead and set the bottom lock no. 87 and waited for them to join us.  This was Bullfinch and we shared four locks with them.

Dry dock

Pottery Changeline Bridge

 Past the Orwell

Forgotten wharf crane

We did not see any sign of facilities at Bridge 50, which were marked on our Nicholson’s Guide.  We did see somewhere to moor by Bridge 49b, if we need to visit the retail park on the way back later on. ASDA, Aldi, Pets at Home and a cinema are there if we need them.

Sharing Pagefield Lock with Bullfinch

The canal went alongside the infant River Douglas at times. It is hard to imagine that this was once navigable, with several locks, from Wigan to Tarleton to connect with the Ribble Estuary.  At Crooke the river passes under the canal, and our route took us through a wooded valley and under the M6.

Short boat Ambush

Dean Locks are paired, with one set derelict. This leaves a place to moor on the lock bollards, but the M6 is too close for us. There is a water tap here for use on the return if we need it.

The old lock cut has floating pennywort, and James made use of his plantTracker app to report it. There was an article in the most recent IWA magazine which discussed invasive species and mentioned this app which is linked to a nationwide survey being undertaken by the Environment Agency in partnership with others.

Finch Mill Swing Bridge is the push and shove variety, needing a CRT key to unlock it.

 Finch Mill Swing Bridge

We stopped for the day at Appley Locks, where the original two locks have been replaced by a deeper single lock alongside.  The old lock cut makes a great mooring, with bollards to tie to. We guess it is sometimes used by a boat club, as some fir trees by the lock have had their lower branches removed, creating a good grassy area where we imagine boaters sitting round in a circle discussing gear boxes and boat toilets.

Appley Locks mooring

As James was looking at the old locks, a whitethroat was hopping from branch to branch chivvying him. Perhaps he has a nest nearby.

There was some deep bracken, and Hugo quickly found a place to hide.  He even stayed there when the rain started later.

Later still a man with a boat pole was going down through the bracken to the new lock cut below to push off a boat that someone had carelessly left badly moored and it had drifted over to the off side.

4 locks, 5 miles, 1 swing bridge 

Fri 1st July  Appley Locks to Burscough

We went to have a look at the old locks, which, according to our 2006 Nicholson Guide, had recently been restored.  We were hoping that the path would continue, but it ended in brambles and nettles.

The old lock

Because Saturday was forecast wet we decided to leave this lovely mooring and complete the journey into Burscough today.  Appley Lock was very slow to fill and to empty as there were two paddles out of action.

Appley Lock to the left, mooring to the right

Appley Lock

A wooded valley

Parbold windmill

The route took us through Parbold where there is a large windmill by the side of the canal. Then came Spencers Swing Bridge where the bridge is motorised but the barriers need to be pushed into place.

Spencers Swing Bridge

A rubbish bin marked on the map by Bridge 35 turned out to be a large skip that hadn’t been emptied for a while.

Rubbish skip

There was one more swing bridge before we reached the junction with the Rufford Branch, which leads north to Tarleton and the Lancaster Canal.  Here we stopped to fill our water tank.  There used to be an elsan point here but it was closed in 2007.

Rufford Arm

Taking on water at the junction

It seems that all the moorings are marked as permanent moorings, and there are none labelled as visitor moorings. We asked one permanent moorer where the visitor moorings were, and he said “Wherever you can find a space.”

We chose a spot between the junction and the railway bridge. After James had banged in some mooring spikes, we found that there were some rings, hidden in the long grass. We used one for a spring.

Hugo caught a small bank vole before we had finished mooring the boat. The hood went up again as rain was forecast later.

Moored in Burscough

We treated ourselves to a pub meal at the Ship. It was packed out, so it was just as well that we had booked. The food was very good, although a little more expensive than usual pub prices.  Black pudding featured on the menu quite a bit, harking back to an old custom whereby locals used to bring a bucket of pigs blood to exchange for a bucket of ale.

1 lock, 5 miles, 2 swing bridges, 1 mouse

Next:  A day out in Southport, Church in Burscough and the voyage to the rendezvous point for the journey into Liverpool.