Rufford

Today's Canals - Leeds and Liverpool, Rufford Arm

We set off as usual to complete the section to Lathom Junction where the Rufford Arm goes off towards Tarleton. 

In between comes a swing bridge. As this is a public road it is a powered bridge even if it is a rather minor road.

We wanted to fill up with some water - not quite enough left to let Christine have one more washing load. The easier water point is on the main,one alongside the Junction Bridge but a boat was already occupying it - the owner was washing it as well as filling the tank. Consequently we turned under the bridge to tie up at the other tap. This place used to have a full set of services but all but the water tap was removed in 2007 - not sure why, but there are others a short distance along at Burscough itself but this would have meant us going another twenty minutes to find a winding hole. Elsan and rubbish can wait until we are in the marina tomorrow. However, it is rather awkward access when going down as the hosepipe has to be string across the overflow weir.

The top two locks have had new gates and been renovated recently and the small swing footbridge across the top of the first lock was rather easier to shift than we recalled from past trips.

There are perhaps a couple of dozen cottages scattered around the junction - alongside where we tied for the water point was once a dry dock so we can imagine this being a really busy place with all sorts of craftspeople earning their living from passing boaters. Two of the cottages seem to have had a corner cut back to allow larger wagons to pass that when they were first built.

The top two locks were especially difficult to operate. Each lock has different paddle mechanisms - or rather a choice of four in varying combinations. Here, at lock 2 as well as at lock 5, the top paddles use these wooden lever devices which are more frequent on the remote parts of the main summit.

Lock 2 was especially tedious as the tail bridge was closed off with one of the handrails broken away. Since there is no way across the top gates, it is really only possible to empty the lock using the nearside paddle.

It is also strange that each lock has a different rise and fall, the shallowest perhaps only half of the deepest. Surely this must be wasteful of water?

The more popular paddle design is that above and is used on some top and some bottom gates. Sometimes they turn very easily but others are really demanding.

We stopped below lock 4 for a late coffee but the time led us to turn it into a lunch break instead. When we saw a boat coming down through the lock we set off so that we could share the locks.

There are two rail lines through Burscough. Although many places, even just villages, once had service like this but very few remain. This line, on its way to Preston (this was the one Mike used last week) crosses the short arm twice.

Our lock companions were very pleasant - they are quite new to canal boating (even if he spent many years in the merchant navy) - and have only had their shiny new boat since this Spring. As it happened, they moor it in the same marina where we are heading but they need to get there tonight as they are then off on a cruise from Liverpool docks around the UK, This was booked for 2020 and it is only now that they are able to fulfil it!

At the next swing bridge we let them go ahead as we needed to find a mooring before the final lock - the marina entrance is immediately below lock 7.

3.3 Miles - 6 Locks