Boothstown

Here I am Rune

Distance 14.1 miles

Total 1136 Locks 62 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1606.9 miles

Once again we have reached our ‘target’ of Boothstown having skirted around Manchester to continue along the Bridgwater Canal, Leigh Branch. I continue to be impressed with the construction of the canal, it seems that when they built this one it was the Rolls Royce of the system (which probably helps to explain why it was still used for carrying freight until 1974) but afterwards the decision was made ‘Canals are a good idea but we can make them cheaper than that’ which is why most of the rest of the system suffers from silting up.

We passed across the swing canal bridge which is quite impressive considering the year it was opened (1894) and it appears that it is the first, and only, swing aqueduct in the world. From accounts it very rarely opens but it would certainly be worth seeing in motion since it is a pretty big construction (101 metres long). The only means of crossing the aqueduct however is aboard a narrow boat since there is no towpath for pedestrians.

We would have preferred to have stopped off in Worsley to view the old mine entrances which was the original purpose of the canal, to transport coal from Worsley to Manchester, with later extensions to Leigh and Runcorn. This wasn't possible however because all of the moorings were taken, or to have a bit of a gripe, two moorings were taken up by one boat that had moored in the middle of the available space (you could have got a 40 foot boat in front and behind it but no space for a 60 foot boat!).

Tomorrow the intention is to have a slightly shorter day and go as far as Leigh where we leave the Bridgewater Canal and enter the Leeds and Liverpool.

The approach to the swinging aqueduct....

.....going onto the bridge...

...The view up Manchester Ship Canal from the bridge......

....and the view as you leave the bridge.