The LANCASTER CANAL - N.3 - NORTHERN REACHES - Tewitfield to Kendal

THE NORTHERN REACHES of the Lancaster Canal,became seperated from the rest of the canal during the building of the M6 in the 1960s.Unfortunately the M6 work was carried out at a time when no leisure or tourism future was foreseen for the then virtually disused sections,only some of which were left partially in water,culverts today carrying the supply flow in several road crossings.Since the M6 blunders the A591 and others since have crossed the dry line making restoration even more complicated and expensive.However all the issues have been assessed and full details of the restoration plans can be seen on the Lancaster Canal Trust website (see link on photos).Meanwhile please enjoy looking at the beautiful course of this pretty section running through Cumbria's lovely South Lakes countryside to Kendal.

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The trip boat WATERWITCH of The Lancaster Canal Trust

SEE THE LCT WEBSITE FOR DETAILS of RESTORATION PLAN:

http://www.lctrust.co.uk/

SEE VIDEO of PRESTON END RESORATION:

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LANCASTER CANAL - N.2 - GARSTANG to TEWITFIELD

We leave the Tithebarn Basin behind and proceed around Garstang,Nateby,Cabus onwards to Ellel and Galgate.Here we meet the Glasson branch,and follow it westwards to Glasson Dock,allowing access to the Lune Estuary and Irish Sea.This was built for large craft so some smaller coasters could enter the canal.The six locks were built to take craft of 72ft long and 14 ft beam.4ft draft.This branch was very busy in it's heyday as it opened up a new connection with the sea.

The impressive LUNE AQUEDUCT at Lancaster

We then move on to Lancaster,over the Lune Aqueduct passing Hest Bank,Bolton le Sands,to Carnforth.Then on via Capernwray and Borwick to Tewitfield,where presently navigation ends,until restoration is complete;SEE:-

http://www.lctrust.co.uk/

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The LANCASTER CANAL from PRESTON to GARSTANG

Swillbrook Marina near Catforth
The Lancaster Canal as we know it today begins 1km out of Preston City Centre at Tulketh Basin.We are presently campaigning to restore the canal into a new terminus at Maudlands(see link in photos).From Tulketh,the canal winds out of Preston past Haslam Park under Tom Benson way to the junction with the Millenium Ribble Link(See Album).From there the canal follows the contour right out around The Fylde Loop,passing Lea,and turning at Salwick round the Hall.North under the M55,turning sharply east by Catforth and Swillbrook.On to Woodplumpton,then turning north west up towards Barton, crossing a superbly built aqueduct over Broughton Brook.There the canal turns to the north and we come to Billsborrow.Leaving the busy village we cross the superbly built Brock Aqueduct ,beyond there is now a new marina nearby.Once under the A6 to Catterall,Bonds,a limekiln and castle at Greenhalgh .We cross John Rennie's majestic aqueduct over the River Wyre,and come to the basin at the south of Garstang.

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Tithebarn Basin,south Garstang,from Wyre Aqueduct

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LEEDS and LIVERPOOL CANAL - E.4. - KEIGHLEY to LEEDS

The famous Bingley Five Rise staircase Locks

From Riddlesden, up the hill NE out of Keighley,over the Aire,the canal winds along the contour above golf courses and parkland into quiet countryside.After quite a few swing bridges,suddenly there is a great staircase of locks,the BINGLEY FIVE-RISE,each running in to the next like steps-a masterpiece of engineering,built in 1774.Not much further on is a THREE-RISE staircase of locks,right by the impressive Damart mill with chimney seen over the Five-rise before.Leaving urban Bingley behind,through the green Dowley Gap locks stretch,then crossing the Aire over a huge stone aqueduct.We then see a smart mill with township,built in 1850 by Sir Titus Salt - called SALTAIRE.On through Shipley passing the junction with former Bradford Branch by Gallows Bridge.Then we drop slowly down beside the Aire passing Apperley Bridge,Rodley and Kirkstall.A branch went to a power station there,today full of boats moored in quiet woodland. Finally arriving at River Lock at Granary Wharf,we reach Leeds.

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Barry arrives at River Lock,Granary Wharf,LEEDS.

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LEEDS and LIVERPOOL CANAL - E.3 - BARNOLDSWICK to KIEGHLEY

Probably the most scenic stretch of this canal;leaving the summit pound at Top Lock Greenberfield near Barnoldswick,the descent through the Yorkshire Dales begins after having climbed through Lancashire to 480ft above sea level.Through rough and rugged countryside the canal winds around Gargrave,locking down over the Aire to picturesque Skipton.The Springs branch runs off here behind the castle,well worth a look - maybe on a trip boat....At canal turn the canal meanders above the Aire up on the shoulder of the valley.There was flooding, so there were freak expanses of water.At Bradley Ings only the Railway embankment was visible at one stage(2007).Then on via Farnhill,Silsden to Keighley following the contours with not many locks but several swing bridges.A very hard ride in places,but breathtaking scenery.Many people were also enjoying their leisure and holidays all along this beautiful stretch of canal.



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LEEDS & LIVERPOOL CANAL - E.2 - Blackburn to Barnoldswick

BLACKBURN was a grimy, smokey,noisy town in the days of the Industrial Revolution;there were 200 chimneys belching smoke and fumes out...but not so today.Enjoy cruising into the East Lancashire countryside,view full album on:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Bazizfoters/LEEDSLIVERPOOLCANALE2BlackburnToBarnoldswick#

Leaving Blackburn the canal has few locks but many winding bends through Rishton towards Hapton.There are brick kilns and big holes left by clay mining;in the Industrial revolution there was massive production of Accrington brick exported by the canal to build canalside mills and their housing.Towards Padiham and Burnley there was much quarrying with heavy cargo carried by barges.The Gannow Tunnel goes under a hill emerging in the Weavers Triangle mill area,along the massive embankment out to rural countryside.Thence begins the climb beside lovely Pendle views up Barrowford locks via Foulridge Tunnel to the summit pound some 480ft above sea level .At Barnoldswick we are crossing the Pennines out of Lancashire down into Yorkshire.
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LEEDS and LIVERPOOL CANAL - E.1 Top Lock Wigan to Blackburn

White Bear Marina at Adlington

At the top of Wigan flight,we meet the level pound dug as the Lancaster Canal but later leased and becoming used by The Leeds and Liverpool Co.For details Haigh to Chorley see album:Lancaster Canal Southern Section:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Bazizfoters/LANCASTERCANALSOUTHERNSECTIONS1HaighAdlingtonAndChorley#

At Johnsons Hillock the canal turns off leaving the former Lancaster line towards Blackburn North-eastwards up the seven locks to Wheelton,quite an exhausting task.The Top Lock pub is a very welcome respite at the top and a good mooring point with BW sanitation and watering facilities.There is then a level pound passing Withnell Fold, and Riley Green.The Contour canal winds through rural countryside to Cherry tree,where the Industrial buildings of Blackburn and several locks begin after an aqueduct over the river Darwen.

The canal was very important to the Blackburn mills and factories in years gone by,many have been adapted to modern uses preserving the canalside character between modern retail centres superceding decrepit parts demolished.More on Blackburn later...

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LEEDS and LIVERPOOL CANAL - W.1,Liverpool to Junction Bridge,Lathom.

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From the Mersey,the canal now begins with the new Liverpool link through the Docks area,recently completed and opened.From Stanley Docks the canal rises sharply up 4 big locks,turning behind Bootle,Litherland and Aintree.In it's heyday this part of the canal was once VERY busy ,but in 2007 was in quite a derelict state prior to the new Dockland link improvements.
Hooking round to Melling, Maghull,and Lydiate.Then winding on to Haskayne,Scarisbrick and eastwards towards the busy junction at Junction Bridge,Lathom,near Burscough.Here the Rufford branch to Tarleton leads off northwards,locking down towards the Douglas tidal lock at Tarleton.Eastwards from Lathom,the main canal picks up the line of the original Douglas Navigation via Parbold,Gathurst and Crooke towards Wigan and on towards Leeds.
A big thankyou to Joe Neary,exacta2a on Flickr for allowing me to use his superb photos of the link section,he holds copyright to them C2009 exacta2a.See his album on:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/exacta2a/sets/72157607249994929/

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LEEDS AND LIVERPOOL CANAL - W.3 - Lathom Junction Bridge to WIGAN Top Lock

This section running Eastwards from Burscough Junction was originally the course of the River Douglas in most part;a river made navigable by modifying the original channel and adding locks.This was done on a budget and not very well so was soon troubled by silting up.Because Wigan produced so much coal,the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Co built a better canal alongside and around most of it adapting and using some of the river locks to handle the busy traffic and conserve water,as the Douglas's original source is reservoir overflow and much water was used by industry so the navigation could run short.A branch runs off from Wigan to Leigh meeting the Bridgewater Canal,then the main line climbs the 21 (exhausting) locks up to meet the Lancaster South end pound at top lock,near Bark Hill.

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LEEDS AND LIVERPOOL CANAL - W.2. RUFFORD BRANCH - Tarleton to Lathom Junction

This canal now known as the Rufford branch of the Leeds & Liverpool,was historically part of the Douglas Navigation that ran from Wigan to the Ribble estuary,carrying millions of tons of coal along a poorly constructed river navigation that quite soon suffered from silting.Because of the importance of the route,from the tidal Douglas entry lock at Tarleton southwards,the Leeds & Liverpool Co adapted parts of it,namely from Sollom to the A59,and dug a fresh channel with better locks down to the main line Liverpool-Leeds near Burscough at Junction Bridge.The River Douglas was rerouted and banked up to assist drainage and land reclamation - the whole area had originally been under meres and lakes so changing levels also affected the plans.
Rufford now has two large marinas,always quite full of boats since this branch became a main access route linking the Leeds-Liverpool and other canal systems across the Douglas and Ribble estuary to the Millenium Ribble Link.The link's opening in 2002 enabled visiting the previously isolated Lancaster Canal making the Rufford branch quite popular recently.The canal complex at Lathom junction near Burscough,built C 1812, features cottages, a dry dock and an unusual stone towpath bridge amongst lovely original buildings and structures.

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Millenium RIBBLE LINK (Savick Navigation) to LANCASTER CANAL

The millenium Ribble Link is Britain's newest inland waterway,the first to be built for over 100 years in fact. The four-mile long Ribble Link connects the once-isolated Lancaster Canal with the main navigable system via a canalisation of the tidal Savick Brook. The Link runs conveniently around the outskirts of Preston and flows into the River Ribble Navigation, which itself - via the River Douglas Navigation - connects with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal's Rufford Branch at Tarleton lock. Opened in 2002 the lower section of the Link is tidal, which governs its operating times. It contains nine locks (seven canal, one river and one sea lock) and channel widening to allow navigation by 10ft 6in beam boats. All boats are assisted through the Link and advanced booking is required for this very popular waterway.If however a slot is missed,boats can proceed to PrestonDock Marina awaiting a revised entry time.This has meant we now have more visitors to the marina and more leisure users on the Douglas and Ribble Navigations.

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RIVER RIBBLE NAVIGATION and PRESTON DOCK

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The Ribble Navigation was for years a very busy shipping lane right from the days of smaller wooden craft which carried coal round via the Douglas from Wigan to power the mills and factories,and Bricks from Hesketh Bank.In the age of steam bigger and bigger vessels neccessitated the building of Preston Dock,a massive project involving redirecting the course of the river to a more navigable walled channel we see today at the Penwortham Bridge.The Dock is situated where the original bend of the river was.Roll on Roll off ships to and from Ireland,Banana boats and all manner of others were all loaded and offloaded at this second biggest dock in the UK at the time.

There are some films made by a docker in the 1960s showing life at Preston Dock

See Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71lfXFm5fZs

Although the dock closed to freight traffic in 1982,the dock complex now serves as a marina and as a large retail estate with leisure area.The Ribble navigation is today increasingly used by canal and sea-going pleasure craft since the opening of the the Ribble Link to the Lancaster Canal;once isolated boaters have started uprating their equipment and crossing the estuary from the River Douglas and Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Tarleton.As the tidal entrance to the link(also called Savick Navigation)is limited to tide times,if a slot is missed the boat makes for Preston and catches a later appointment to enter.

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THE DOUGLAS NAVIGATION,Lancashire UK

The RIVER DOUGLAS NAVIGATION from Ribble estuary to Leeds & Liverpool Canal,Tarleton



The tidal Douglas Navigation as we know it today runs from the sea lock of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Tarleton downstream past Hesketh Bank to meet the Ribble Navigation at Asland Lamp.It has become more important recently since the opening of the Ribble Link(Savick Navigation)connectin

g also to the Ribble Navigation by locking up to the south end of the Lancaster Canal pound running from Preston to Tewitfield-thus linking these two canals together.The Lancaster was previously isolated because the Preston aqueduct was never completed linking Preston Basin with Walton Summit.So now many canal craft have been uprating their equipment and venturing into tidal waters from Tarleton to Preston Dock Marina and the Ribble Link.In yesteryear the Douglas Navigation ran all the way from"Old King Coal" WIGAN via several locks,but became silted quickly and the Leeds & Liverpool was built beside and round it.The Brickworks at Hesketh Bank created much traffic historically too for the Douglas.

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