Monday 7th June
Castlefields to Wigan
5.45am, almost finished breakfast when a hire boat crept past; a good time to start on the Rochdale nine locks and probably the Ashton 16 to follow. We moved off ten minutes later and headed in the opposite direction for waters meeting junction and the northbound Bridgewater canal.
On and passing the huge complex that is the Kellogs factory, were it not for the name writ large on the building; you could be forgiven for thinking that it was a chemical works, with the mass of pipes and 44 tonne tankers. Soon were lining up to cross the Manchester Ship Canal by means of the Barton swing aqueduct. This wonderful piece of Victorian engineering was designed by Eric Leader Williams, who designed all of the locks and swing bridges on the ship canal as well as the Anderton boat lift.
Onwards through the suburb of Patricroft,(26f engine shed code) we stopped for a bacon bap at Dave's butty wagon which is handily placed in a layby next to the canal. Close by is one of the canal items necessary for safe navigation - a lighthouse, no, I do not know why either.
Through Worsley, where the Duke of Bridgewater pioneered the whole idea of canals; a new housing development of extremely small, executive style housing crowds the centuries old working boatyard. I wonder how long it will be before complaints from new neighbours of the noise levels force the closure.
Across the open spaces of the former extensive Leigh coalfields; all the visible remains of one colliery was one a pair of cottages. Through the town of Leigh with it's massive mill buildings, where we saw a novel use of a Land Rover hard top as a rear cover on a narrowboat: next door neighbour Paul would approve!
On to Plank Lane lift bridge where we had a good chat to the bridge keeper who remembered Myra, but was too much of a gentleman to say why! The dry winter had led to water restrictions at the next locks, on the outskirts of Wigan, where we were joined by Douglas Nethercleft on his boat Summerlee. We stopped for the day just outside the security fence surrounding the BW offices with Summerlee breasted alongside. A quick visit to Go Outdoors superstore ended with the purchase of two pairs of long leg trousers and a sale pair of size 12 sandals at £9.99.
The rain set in as we reached Martlet, a wet day is in prospect for tomorrow.
