Lancaster Canal Trust Volunteers

Wigan Locks. A very interesting site
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/ll76.htm

Lovely to see. Must visit one day.

Crooklands Hotel from our tripboat.

Sunday 18th August 2019.

Have you never been to Wigan Flight, Admin? You don’t know what you’re missing

I heartily recommend the History Walks.

The next is on Sat 7th Sep, starting 10am from Wigan Dry Dock.

As a kid, jo-anne I would bike to the top lock to fish for gudgeon. I loved it but have never been as an adult for walking or anything. Must try it then.

This is a pic taken today on the Lancaster Canal at Crooklands which shows our tripboat, based at Crooklands passing by the hotel named Crooklands. I was asked to take this pic for a postcard showing the two 'Crooklands' in line with each other.

Today we had a busy one of three on the bank holiday weekend. So sad that summer is disappearing, albeit, slowly....

Sounds like you had a great weekend. Great pics

Great photos, Admin; looks like visitors & volunteers had a tremendous time alike. The duckweed almost looks like grass!

It’s Wigan History Walk tomorrow, Sat 7th Sep, from 10am - www.meetup.com

Sounds like a nice walk, jo-anne. Are you going?

Not this time, Admin; I’m off to the opening of the Diggers Festival today.

Great photos Admin.

We walked up the Wigan Flight to Top Lock this arvo.

Thankfully there were a couple of work boats dealing with the duckweed,

it has become a real eyesore, not seen it so bad before.

Ray,

Apparently the duckweed has been more intrusive this year compared to other years.

I heard that C&RT have removed tons of the stuff from the Lancaster Canal in recent weeks.

We still have lots of it though..

Guess what.. today I saw a Kingfisher flash along in front of the tripboat as we returned to base. Just beautiful. Last week I saw a Cormorant by the canal. How lovely is life?

We don’t see kingfishers and cormorants in Ince Admin.
but it is a nice walk up to Top Lock.

I've seen Kingfishers in Ince, the trick is to look in winter when the background is drab compared to the Kingfisher

Jack Perks photo.  Canal and rivers trust on twitter

Lovely photo. I’ve seen a kingfisher twice along Wigan Flight; well, one was flying just past Top Lock & the other near Lock No.73 in Lower Ince.

Beautiful birds, so vividly coloured!

I’ve seen a cormorant a few times near the Nice Pak factory, too; it kept disappearing on sudden dives under the water, only to reappear a short time later a distance away. Wonderful to watch.

Never seen a cormorant dive, jo-anne, so well done you. Apparently they are coming in from the coast to fresh water and there is a society, (Can't remember which one) that is tracking them to see why.

What a treat we had today on the Lancaster Canal at Crooklands.

I took this pic of a Cormorant, a Swan, and a Heron on the canal bank opposite. Later on I saw a kingfisher on a branch, he then flew upwards and hovered over the water, dove down into the shallows, grabbed a fish and flew off down the canal.

Wow...something only seen once in a while.

ramiejamie wrote:We don’t see kingfishers and cormorants in Ince Admin.
but it is a nice walk up to Top Lock.

Did you know...

That the stretch of canal from Top Lock through Chorley and onto Johnson's Hillock is in fact the original southern end of the Lancaster Canal?

It was ten years later, in 1791, that work re-started on building the canal west from Gargrave. In 1794 a new Act was passed, changing the route to run via Burnley and Blackburn instead of Whalley and Walton-le-Dale. Foulridge Tunnel was opened in 1796 making the canal navigable from Leeds to Burnley. The section from Burnley to Blackburn took a further 14 years to construct and the missing link west of Blackburn to the Lancaster Canal at Johnson's Hillock was not complete until six years later in 1816.

The plan to continue the canal as planned from Johnson's Hillock to Parbold was abandoned through lack of money. An arrangement was made to use the section of the Lancaster Canal between Johnson's Hillock and Wigan, and to incorporate that and the Wigan "branch" into the main line of the canal. It was not until 1816 that the through route opened between Liverpool and Leeds.

Source... History of The Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Thanks, Cad,

I did indeed know that and this year, being the 200th year celebration of the completion of the canal to Kendal, this stretch of the canal has been renamed the Lancaster Canal.

Next year it will revert to the L&L canal.

If left up to me it would remain The Lancaster Canal - L&L Link Canal. Retain the history.

Canal Boat Diaries has been a cracking little series on BBC Four, all about Robbie Cumming’s life, work and travels onboard his narrowboat, Naughty Lass. (BBC iPlayer)

Last night’s episode featured Robbie’s journey from Leigh to Liverpool, with Pennington Flash, Scotmans Flash, Poolstock Locks and Wigan Pier all appearing along the way.

Series 1: 5. Manchester to Liverpool (In Leigh from 10:50)