After our day in Preston we thought we had better actually navigate some more of the Lancaster so off we set. However before that we had to proceed towards Preston to get to the winding hole.
When built in 1905 Tulketh Mill was one of the largest in Lancashire. It was opened in 1906 and at that time it was surrounded by green fields and there was no public transport to get the workers there. Unfortunately WWI intervened and spinning took a big hit and the mill never reached its peak again. It closed in the 1960's. The chimney is one of the highest points in the area but it was originally built much higher. It was lowered in the 1930's and again in the 1960's. The building was gutted and Littlewoods Catalogue took over the building. By 2005 this company was struggling but a new life was found for the mill by Carphone Warehouse who still use it as the call centre etc. At it's peak the call centre employed 2000 people, possibly as many as when it was a mill.
The winding point for longer boats is in the mouth of Ashton Basin where there are moorings and a couple of day boats too. I'm not sure whether it was a coal wharf in a past life. As the wind was blowing down the cut from the end I put the stern in the bridge hole and let the wind do the work. The loclas told me to watch out as there was a sunken tow path in the hole too. We were soon round with no trouble.
We were soon back at where we started the morning at the services. It is actual 14 days on this end of the services that has all the services including showers. There are secure parking bays for 48 hours too. This also used to be a coal wharf.
John Rennie was the canal engineer who buolt the canal and these are his original bridges. Some of them have pointed tops like that and some have a more rounded style. Some do not have the railings.
As you leave Preston behind there is a sign on the canal that states if you hear an air raid siren you should stop your boat and go inside, shut the doors and windows and shut off all heating, ventilation etc, and then tune in for further details. This is due to the proximity of the Westinghouse Springfields Fuel Co. It was a munitions factory until 1946 when it started making fuel for nuclear reactors. It now makes oxide fuels, uranium hexaflouride, process fuel cycle residue and decommissioning and demolition of nuclear assets. It is scheduled to continue in business until at least 2023. If you hear the siren on the first Tuesday of the month at 1400, don't panic it is just a test!
The canal passes through some small woods and the mist of bluebells in some of them was a fine sight.
As there are no locks on the canal the cut follows the contour and swerves about a bit. There are no major cutting but this cut is reminiscent of the Shropshire Union.
This looked like a nice pub, the Hand and Dagger. It seems that the canal manages to skirt most of civilisation so a pub makes a welcome sight, a bit of a gastro place if you want to eat too.
The Forest of Bowland, or Bowland Fells, start to appear to the east and give you a thrill,of excitement as you feel you are heading into the unknown, despite knowing that it is a contour canal! In the 'old days' the wilderness forest was intact from here to Sherwood Forest, the New Forest and Savernake Forest.
The closeness of the coast is shown by the fact that there are many oyster catchers to be seen in the fields. It is noticeable that there are hardly any Canada geese on this canal. There are a good few greylag geese but unlike further south where every field seems to have the canada geese in chomping on the grass.
We stopped near Swillbrook in the middle of nowhere and it was lovely and quiet, but with the murmur of the M55 in the background. The moon was full and it was clear as a bell, and so very cold overnight. We were glad of the fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment