These d... locks!

Monday, 20 July 2009 19:11

Part 2 of our Wigan Flight saga - not so smooth from now on!

I left you contemplating the view of Wigan - gladly left behind us!

We continued battling with low water levels in the pounds and unpredictable locks. The real plus was that the sun was blazing down and I had to resort to factor 30 to look after my delicate skin!!

We were both beginning to fell pretty tired and our feet felt as if we had been walking miles. Well, I suppose John had, in fact he reckons he walked about 8 miles back and forth to locks! I just had to stand on the stern, but my feet were suffering too.

We arrived at lock 69 with Kirkless Hall bridge (55) just before it - shame about the pipe

Like all the bridges up the flight it is dated 1816. this was the date the flight was completed, linking Leeds and Liverpool and Yorkshire to Lancashire. The 127 mile length has 200 bridges 93 locks and 2 tunnels, and we are doing all of them over the next couple of months!

What may be forgotten now and not known by many boaters is that the locks were originally numbered differently. if you look closely at the tail of some of the locks you may see the original numbering.

Like this, L.No.V

The locks were numbered from the top, not as they are today - from the first lock in Leeds. We spotted a couple of these reminders of 1816 as we progressed up the flight.

Lock 67 was our nemesis. Remember that the water in the pounds was very low - I approached the lock in my normal manner but found that I was unable to get in. I felt Epiphany ride up and stop, even on full throttle. Oh joy, I was aground in the tail of the lock!

"I saw something down there" says John (thanks for warning me, thinks I!). "Reverse - full throttle" came the shout - hmm I was doing so and not moving! Eventually she came free and I reversed back into the pound. John opened the other gate too and I tried again, with the same result.

"Let BW know" came the yell and I juggled with the phone as Epiphany dragged herself back off the obstruction at full throttle! I reported the problem and they said they would alert the team. We pulled back into the towpath side and John came aboard for some lunch. I suppose it was convenient timing from that point of view! John found a pair of jeans around the prop; we really have no need of those thank you!

John then went off to let some water down and with a ground paddle fully open I managed to get Epiphany in. Who should appear just then but the BW guys - nice timing! There were boats coming up behind us and they were seeing them through. (Why not us, we ask!). They said that they were glad to see we were OK and went off to set the next lock for us!

Hooray - the penultimate lock! By the time I got there the BW guys had moved up to the next one, so I waited for John to catch up and shut the gate. The pound above was still a bit low when we were in the full lock but I had no trouble with the next lock!

You will notice there are no photos of this escapade - I was far too busy!

I did snatch this one as we finally arrived at the Top Lock

This one of the view back was taken with a sigh of relief

We had an audience and a very keen helper with his Dad! The BW guys disappeared back down to the other two boats and we turned left out of the lock onto the water point and sani-station.

On the right of the top lock there is a short arm and Monks Hall Bridge (59) straddles it

This was originally the Southern stretch of the Lancaster Canal and it continued until Johnson's Hillock Locks - 10.3 miles away. The Act allowing the link to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal meant the Lancaster Canal was able to charge tolls on this section. In 1851 the Lancaster leased these tolls to the L and L and the arrangement became permanent in 1864, when the stretch became part of the L and L.

Part of the southern section was still in use in 1932 (albeit by canoes and light craft)  but the building of the M61 (the curse of the car again) in 1962 finished it all off and much is now under the motorway. The Lancaster Canal really has had a raw deal. I just wish that some visionaries in the past had seen the potential and fought to keep it all open.

As we took on water the heavens opened, but by the time we had finished, it had stopped and the sun came out again. We continued on a bit, as we were looking for a quiet country mooring - I have had my fill of towns for a while!

Shedfield Bridge 59B and a day boat approaches

Haigh Park Bridge

Haigh Hall has an interesting history - look here for the story and link with Wigan Parish Church. It is on the right but hardly visible through the trees.

This bridge is over the entrance to a disused colliery - Longhurst shaft, part of the Haigh Estate

We finally moored opposite the golf course. "Fore", "watch out for the balls"!

I like this! (John took it for our good friends J and C!)

Wigan to Haigh Golf Club - 7 hours 14 minutes, 3.68 miles, 22 locks