Whittle

In April this year my wife Barbara and I went on a guided walk led by Nigel Hardacre, a volunteer for the Inland Waterways Association. The walk was entitled exploring The Old Lancaster Canal in Whittle-le Woods. The walk, we found very interesting and I resolved to lead a Meanderthals walk along the same  route. We set off from Top Lock, following the tow path down. This particular lock is in need of some care and attention.

Alongside the towpath as we travelled down, there were three cast metal information plaques in brail explaining the workings of the locks.

    

With the last lock behind us, it was only a short distance to the bridge that takes us over the start of the Lancaster Canal.

Looking east, this is where the two canals depart. The Leeds- Liverpool on the right and the Lancaster on the left.

Looking across the Leeds Liverpool. The first large house with the red painted narrow boat alongside used to be Whittle Springs Brewery.

None of the remaining part of the Lancaster Canal is now navigable. It is now silted up and looking very much unloved, although the tow path is kept in good order.

A bench at the end of this short stretch of canal gave us a good excuse for a sit down and a brew. From here on, until we get to Whittle-le Woods a certain amount of imagination is needed. 

Brew time over we crossed a stile onto Town Lane. The canal went diagonally across to the right, crossing some private land. We have to do a detour to rejoin it further along it's route Being distracted I missed this excellent signpost and we had to retrace our footsteps a short way,

As we neared a farmhouse we were diverted over a stile on the left. Climbing an embankment, which was the original embankment of the canal, looking to our left there was a long swathe of meadow which was the route the canal took.

Crossing another stile the footpath led us up onto the embankment where the footpath was overgrown on either side for a distance before opening out again. The footpath then led downhill from here into a valley which in times past had been a brickworks. The bricks were hauled up the hill to the canal, to be transported to the towns along it's route.

               

We crossed a small river then through a tunnel under the motorway.

Immediately after the motorway tunnel was another long tunnel with a narrow footpath where care had to be taken due to the uneven roof height and also it being dark.

Our path came out onto Hilltop Lane with a couple of lovely houses on either side. We walked up the lane, passing Whittle Hill quarry on our right.

At the junction at the end of the lane we turned left. After about 150 yds a gate on our right led down some steps to what had once been  Whittle tunnel which collapsed in the middle in1837.

At the bottom of the steps looking to the right is one end of the remaining tunnel, although it is quite silted up.

Taking the path to the left we came to the other remaining part of the tunnel. All the rest of what had been quite a long tunnel has been excavated out. Going through it we came out in the village of Whittle-le- Woods. A perfect place for a dinner stop.

                                              

                                                      Mikes feathered friend.

I have to apologise. I cannot finish the rest of this blog. The settings on my camera have been accidentally got moved out of position, spoiling the rest of my pictures.

                                                       Hooray I hear you call.                                                                                                                                 DK

 Alon