Thursday 30th July, 2015 in Leigh, Lancashire.
We're back on board MM after three weeks at home and up in the Lake District at Hope Farm. The Lake District was as beautiful as ever and one thing that the Lake District and the canals share is magnificent sunsets! This one was at Hope Farm. Magic!
Yesterday we took the bus-train-train-bus journey to Worsley just west of Manchester, where MM is moored up. After settling up with our hosts, we reversed out and looked back down the arm where MM had been moored for the past three weeks. Note the colour of the water! This is due to the ironstone leaching from the nearby mines.
After only a few yards, it became obvious that we had picked something up on the propellor, so we had to stop for R to remove it. More plastic bags!
Just opposite where we stopped is the much photographed "Packet House" and to the right is the entrance to the Duke of Bridgewater's mine and the 47 miles of underground canals. It was the success of his new "canal" carrying the coal to Manchester that started the whole "canal mania" movement in 1761.
The Bridgewater Canal proved to be wide and surprisingly little used; we passed only two moving boats all day. Gradually after leaving Worsley, there was a dramatic change in the water quality. The bronze soup-like colour and consistency gave way to water so clear that we could see the bottom!
After a couple of miles, we stopped at a marina to use the facilities and departed feeling very pleased with ourselves with a full diesel tank, a full water tank and an empty "poo" tank. Perfect! Meanwhile, M busied herself giving some TLC to the geranium pots after our three weeks' absence.
Astley Green, a former colliery, is now a museum and its winding gear over the pit shaft is the last remaining in Lancashire. It used to have two shafts but at least the winding gear and engine house of one has been saved.
The pit closed in 1970 and became derelict, but 25 years of volunteer labour has restored the steam driven winding gear to full working order and it is run (using compressed air) occasionally. The steam engine and winding gear is absolutely huge. The two two-stage steam pistons are on either side and the cable drum in the middle. The engines could drive the cages up and down the 873 yard deep shaft at 55 mph!! Amazing, given the weight of the loads (men and loaded coal trucks). Each of the two steel cables weighed 18 tons alone!
We were lucky enough to meet a volunteer who had been a miner himself and was a fount of knowledge on the site and mining history in general.
There is a mass of equipment all over the site in need of restoration, so we are sure that the museum will be even more splendid in another 25 years.
The approach to Leigh in Lancashire was heralded by impressive former mills, some resembling mosques with towers and shiny domes; and the customary supermarket trolley in the canal! At Bridge 11, in the middle of the town, the Bridgewater Canal unobtrusively becomes the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. There was no fanfare to accompany the change, so we settled for a "high five" together.
Just after the bridge is a former mill, now the Waterside Inn, which offers 48 hour mooring on the non-towpath side and we were lucky enough to slip right in and moored up for the night all of 50 yards on to the Leeds and Liverpool!
As night fell, a full moon rose in the sky, shining through our bedroon window.
In fact it was a "blue moon", being the second full moon in the month.
Today: 6 miles, 0 locks and 3.8 hours.
Trip: 141 miles, 53 locks and 83.7 hours.
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