Another glorious day weatherwise, even before we left our overnight mooring in Maghull.
It was not far to the first swing bridge of the day. It is just a farm accommodation bridge but still in use - we knew that as we saw a tractor pulling a trailer loaded with bales from a field on the side opposite the farm.
It had an unusual security device - two stages. The first needed a handcuff key to open a fold down flap that covered a Watermate Key operated mechanism to withdraw a locking pin from the lift up latch! It took a little while to make it open as it was a bit worn and unwilling to let go.
On then to the better-known Bridge 9. Until this year, this and Bridge 6 had to be operated by CaRT staff with limited time windows. Boats heading towards Liverpool had to moor overnight just before this bridge and wait to be let through. It has now been fully automated but is closed to boats during rush hours. Still plenty of cars around so just as well it is speedier that most.
Bridge 6 has also now been amended to allow boater operation. as part of the program of making this canal easier for single handers, new landings have been built either side but for some reason they have been fitted with padlocks.
As this photo shows, there is a rapid growth of lilies and in places even more extensive than here with just a single boat channel carved through the middle. Shows how quickly it would become a choking mass of water plant if boating ceased.
Several stretches into Liverpool are quite green and at this point there is a country park to one side. There are plenty of footbridges, most of which replace former swing bridges - this one gives access to the open space from a housing development on the other bank.
As we came nearer to the end of the canal, we could see the cranes of Seaforth Dock, a busy container place.
We stopped to use the service block at Litherland - the last on the canal although there is water at Salthouse on the pontoons. A swing footbridge remains in the shadow of the newer road bridge. Mike had help with closing it from a very small girl out with Granny! Once on the service mooring, Christine popped to the nearby Tesco for a few items as well as the weekend paper.
Most of the land alongside the canal has now been redeveloped for housing but this site is only now being prepared. Until a couple of years ago it was home to a number of rather ungainly small industrial activities such as car breaking.
The landscape gradually became more urban than suburban - three bridges close together (pipe, turnover and road)
We spotted only one former canal basin which fed large warehouses that still remains unfilled-in. Perhaps next tome we visit Liverpool it too will have succumbed to developers but it would be nice if just one public open space could be kept.
This imposing warehouse, with a loading wharf the other side of the bridge, dates from 1874.
We understand that this wharf was used for loading nightsoil onto barges for disposal outside the city. Old fashioned sewage systems (the good old days, anyone?)
Nearly there, one mile to go.
The least few bridges are more substantial than earlier ones and result from extensive Victorian improvements undertaken by the local Health Committee. This one also marks what was then the city boundary.
We continued to the turning for the Stanley Docks locks but they are for tomorrow although a following boat did go down. Our booking was based on what slits were available as it seems that Peel Ports (which still own most of the docks) impose the time and number limits whioch might well otherwise be widened.
Instead we continued into Eldonian Basin to find a night mooring. The offside is supposed to be a secure mooring according to quite a few sources but was clearly not sufficiently well defended to prevent .local youngsters from gaining access. Two young men were attempting to fish from that bank (seemingly unsuccessfully) but argued vociferously that boats are not allowed to moor when there are fishing rods out! Discretion prevailed so we retreated to the towpath side. Quite a few other boaters' reports have spoken kindly about the neighbours.
The bridge at the basin entrance is known as Vauxhall Bridge, named after the adjacent area which was once a notorious industrial slum at the time when a large number of workers came over from Ireland. We have read a suggestion that it was officially opened (as part of the Eldonian Village development) by Cilla Black.
Late afternoon, Christine went for a walk around the basin. She discovered that the off side site once had several buildings on it together with the remains of typical retail park lists of shops - but with just the frame remaining. Later, on older Google street views we could see that once of these buildings, perhaps the last one not demolished was, in 2009, the home of Hope City Church. Its web site now locates it in Brittannia Aldephi Hotel, nearer to the centre of the city.
She also spotted the latest scheme for environmentally transport for city centres. Not sure about how it will work out when it rains . . .
11.5 Miles - 0 Locks
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