Johnson’s Hill Locks

Going up

 

We ascended Johnson’s Hill Locks last Saturday with the help of Ada & Dale and shared the 7 locks with another boat, which makes life much easier. We squeezed onto the 48 hour visitor mooring outside Top Lock Pub. After a quick lunch we headed into the pub for refreshments and then back to the boat for a roast dinner. It was a cool sunny day. 

Walton Summit Branch

End of Walton Branch

 

 

Sunday we strolled along the Walton Summit Branch, which heads off at the bottom of Johnson’s Locks. It was built by the Lancaster Canal Co, as was the stretch of the now L&L from there to the top of Wigan flight, however, there were not enough funds back then to construct an aqueduct over the Ribble Valley, so a tramway, which you can see from the Ribble railway bridge, was built to join this part of the canal to the rest of the Lancaster Canal at Preston. We carried on to do a short circular walk ending in Wheelton, as Heather was on call for work and we’d have the kids if she was called. We walked through several fields of sheep with their lambs, saw pygmy goats and crept up what I understand people in these parts call a ginnel!! Again the views were fabulous, we could see the wind farm in the Mersey Estuary and Blackpool Tower. When we got back our friends Jayne and John, whose wedding we attended back in October were moored behind us. 

 

Cut & cover aquaduct Withnell Fold

Monday we headed off and winded just after Withnell Fold a village that built up around the paper industry. While we were cruising we spotted a viaduct, but we couldn’t see which disused railway it was from when we looked at a map. The chap moored behind us explained it’s a Victorian gravity fed water pipe line (so an aqueduct) from the Thirlmere Reservoir in the Lake District constructed in 1890’s to supply water to Manchester, an impressive 96 miles. He suggested we explore the village. So off we strolled, visiting firstly the paper mill’s disused reed beds below the canal which is now a nature reserve, where we saw millions of tadpoles. Then over the canal bridge and up the steep cobbled street passing the restored mill chimney. Withnell Fold is a tiny village built to house the mill workers, similar to Bournville & Saltaire.

Thirlmere Aquaduct

Withnell Fold papermill

Mill pond now a garden

Reed beds

Tadpoles

I finished knitting John’s ‘mallard socks’ and started a pair for myself with yarn I solar dyed last year on the roof, with onion skins. We’ve sat out a lot to make the most of our idyllic rural mooring while watching- the crows frighten off the buzzards, several families of Canada geese parading their tiny goslings and being serenaded by a song thrush.

Wednesday we headed back down Johnson’s Locks. We breasted with a smaller boat as they had gear box problems & it wouldn’t go into reverse when the engine’s hot. We’ll spend the weekend at Cowling on the outskirts of Chorley.

Going down