An early morning drive to Blackburn and I fail to find the station parking, so park at Aenam Wharf where I ended Leg 4, handy for the start but leaves an uphill walk from the station at the end of the day.
The departure from Blackburn is nothing really, no great vistas but a certain degree of detritus on the canal edge, symptomatic of running through a relatively run down area.
There has not been much repair work seen on these walks, I presume that’s due to the locks, bridges etc… are essentially in good order these days. However just as I exit Blackburn there is one lock under repair. A worker rather precariously perched on the edge of the lock.
Every now again the canal widens for a wharf area. This one is at the Hollins Bank area on Blackburn outskirts
The second major soccer stadium encountered, after Burley’s Turf Moor is Ewood Park, very visible from the towpath of a rare straight canal section.
After actually leaving the environs of Blackburn there is now a wonderful long stretch where the canal just passes through wonderful countryside. The weather was just glorious and made for a truly delightful walk
Having seen many birds and deer on the walks to date, surprisingly there have been few sheep. Now I do come across some sheep, they are an unusual variety no idea what!
A regular view – the rear of Sophie (always wants to lead!) and my lunch stop today – Top Lock at Heapey just before Chorley.
After lunch we arrive at Walton Summit which is where a branch canal linked with the Lancaster Canal. I read on http://www.towpathtreks.co.uk/ that the barges would stop at quaysides and their loads would be transfered to the tramway which would take the cargo down to the bridge and over to the Lancaster Canal. The branch canal between the junction with the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and the Summit terminus originally had a 259 yard tunnel which, following a collapse, is now two shorter tunnels with a cutting between them. The branch was last used in the 1930s and fell into disrepair. The building of the M61 and a housing estate has wiped out most of the canal but there are still parts of the canal remaining. The tunnel entrance, a culvert under the canal and some bridges remain. The signpost shows I still have 12 miles to go before I reach Wigan.
2 contrasting views at Chorley. The very extensively renovated and reinvigorated Botany Bay Mill and the remnants of a mill, which seems to make the rather more interesting photograph.
Talking of photogenic sights, this view under this bridge was stunning and when I got home the shot I got of a barge exiting a lock cropped to give an amazing display of canal barge colour.
The walk into Wigan is fantastic. The canal drops down 214 feet 7 inches into Wigan via 23 locks over about two and a half miles. This is the steepest part of the canal. Quite a wonderful experience, such a contrast from Bingley 5 rise, which climbs steeply up just a short section
I finish the walk at the Leigh junction, just a few hundred yards from Wigan Pier which I’m leaving for the start of the next leg. 35 miles of canal to go. Return to home is on the train from Wigan to Blackburn (and the previously mentioned uphill pull to the car) via as it turns out Bolton, I’d expected it to go north via Preston but it seems a few trains a day head to Manchester through Bolton.
Route Summary
