Runcorn and a Restoration Project

 Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July 2023 in Runcorn.

 A very cool, damp morning. We set off after breakfast towards the Preston Brook tunnel. Northbound boats, like us, can start through the tunnel for ten minutes from the top of the hour and southbound boats can start through for ten minutes from the half hour. We timed our arrival just right and started through just after 10:00am.

M decided to stay on board and took this photograph of the inside of the tunnel with MM's lights illuminating her geraniums. You can just see the dot that is the tunnel exit.

Shortly after leaving the tunnel, we turned on to the Runcorn Arm that goes for five miles into Runcorn. Once it went down several locks to the River Mersey but those locks have been filled in, so sadly now the canal is a dead end. Our original plan had been to stop at the "Norton Priory" about half way along the canal but there was no good mooring there so we went on towards the end of the arm where we were rather surprised to find very pleasant moorings outside the newish Brindley Theatre.

A cheerful notice welcomed boat visitors and another notice announced that the Theatre Cafe was open, so we paid a visit and looked around the Theatre. It turned out to be very nice indeed inside and the cafe area was full of light, overlooking the canal.

The theatre was named after James Brindley, who supervised the building of this canal and all of the Bridgewater canals. A notice by the theatre entrance indicated that the name had been chosen by popular vote.

On Sunday morning, we walked to the end of the canal a few hundred yards further on. The canal is truncated by the appropriately named "Waterloo Bridge".

We decided to follow the path of the old locks down to the River Mersey. The locks are a scheduled monument and are therefore protected but they have been filled in with sand and a footpath built over them, so that they could one day be restored. There is an active restoration group called "Unlock Runcorn" that has recently obtained £3m for the first phase of restoration which will extend the canal beyond Waterloo Bridge as far as the railway bridge.

On the footpath, the lock sides of some of the original ten locks are clearly in evidence and some of the old coping stones have been left as seats.

The bottom lock used to open out on to the tidal River Mersey, but later the Manchester Ship Canal was built between the locks and the river, after which the canal went out into the Ship Canal.

Next to the bottom lock, The Duke of Bridgewater had a "small" house built so that he could keep an eye on the building work as it progressed.

 It is a beautiful house that is clearly well looked after but we couldn't find out what it is currently used for.

A very handsome suspension bridge joins Runcorn in Cheshire to Widnes in Lancashire by crossing the Ship Canal and the Mersey.  A walk across it was irresistible!  The view of the Ship Canal and the river was superb. Then we took a bus back over to the Runcorn side and after a brief stop back at MM, we went for a walk on the other side of the canal where (surprise, surprise!) Robin had discovered there is a Costa Coffee. In the photo below, you can see in the bridge in the background and MM in front of the theatre..

We will stay moored here until Tuesday as M is going home by train just for Monday night.

On Saturday: 7 miles, one stop lock (4in deep) and 2.8 hours.

Trip: 57 miles,53 locks and 38.4 hours.