Wigan Flight

 

 

We moored in the centre of Wigan last night and set the alarm for an early start up Wigan Flight. We were up the first couple of locks by 08.30. I’d planned to take the boat up the first 11 locks and then swap over. However, several passers by had told us the canal was empty a few locks up. So we moored up and John went up to investigate. It appears a pound had been deliberately drained and one of the lock keepers reckons it was done so someone could steal all the fish easily. In addition a lock keeper found a collapsed person on the tow path, so an ambulance was called and the person taken to hospital. The emergency services also had another call, probably regarding the same person from a school as one of the pupils had seen someone on the floor, obviously the details were less specific, so there were lots of police, several ambulance crews and a water rescue unit looking for a person!!

 

While we waited for the go ahead to move further up the locks I changed the bed, did the washing & cleaned the kitchen. The CRT lads and volunteer lock keeper couldn’t apologise enough for the delay in our journey. One just can’t plan to hurry, when canals are involved.

It was Heather’s day off & she came to give us a hand, but had to leave to pick the kids up from school before we reached the top, due to the delays.

 

Just about all the pounds were pretty low and both John & I run aground and needed the Wigan Flight crew to run some water through so we could get floating. Such fun.