And onto Wigan

We left Stockton Heath on Friday and headed onto the village of Lymm where we moored up for the night – about 1/3 mile on the ‘Manchester’ side it’s very quiet and peaceful.  We walked back into the village for supplies but there was nowhere to buy a newspaper and no milk available.  Not until Sainsbury’s opens on 26th August!

Lymm Village in the rain.

Canal side cottage at Lymm Bridge.

The stocks in the centre of Lymm – perhaps they should be used these days!

On Saturday we carried on up the Bridgewater Canal through Altrincham and Sale, and turned left at the Waters Meeting junction.  We are now on virgin territory for us.  We passed the gigantic Kellogg’s factory (so big we couldn’t get a proper photo but will try on the way back) – the smell of sugar was amazing and you could almost see it in the air.  We also passed the equally massive Trafford Shopping Centre and then across the Barton Aqueduct.  This is a swing bridge that carries the canal across the Manchester Ship Canal.  We are told by one of the locals that it still operates around 5 times a week – the canal water is sealed in a huge caisson and then it is swung round so that ships can pass up the MSC.

Entering the Barton Aqueduct.

Crossing the Manchester Ship Canal on the Barton Aqueduct.

Leaving the Barton Aqueduct.  Don’t look so worried James it’s been there since 1894!

We then passed through Worsley, another lovely Cheshire village.  Quite busy with tourists and moored boats Worsley was the centre of the Duke of Bridgewater’s coal mining empire. At it’s peak there was a system of underground canals totalling forty miles with an inclined plane connecting them to the surface canal.  The colour of the water is bright orange which is the ironstone leaching from the old mines the entrance to which is just next to the half timbered house in the photo.

Finally mooring on Saturday night at Bridgwater Marina which we can highly recommend (£8 per night including electricity)  the owners are really helpful and the Moorings pub in the distance does a very good pub food menu.  We spent the evening chatting to a family from Manchester who were telling us what to visit when we get there next week.

On Sunday morning, we left the marina mooring and headed onto the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.  An extremely dull section of canal all the way to Wigan where we arrived at about 3 o’clock. We had a look around the town after first securing ourselves on the 48 hour secure mooring outside the British Waterways Offices.

Moorings at the British Waterways Office at Wigan.