Rimrose Country Park

Today's Canal - Leeds and Liverpool

As expected, the day began very overcast and before we set off there was a period of rain, sometimes heavy, mainly drizzly.

If we had still been on our overnight mooring, you could just make us out in the far distance - but we weren't so you can't!

We passed under the first of two motorways this morning - this one the M58 and the next one the M57. About a mile further on they converge before funnelling all their traffic into the main roads in to the centre of Liverpool.

We were so intent on working out which motorway was which that Mike completely missed seeing the remains of a former swing bridge. Alas this meant that he did not miss the abutments - just.

Then comes Holmes Swing Bridge which is manually operated. Back in 2013, we showed a picture of the unusual double locked bridge release mechanism. This required the use of both the anti-vandal (handcuff) key as well as the standard Watermate key. The bright new blue instructions board describe quite correctly how this worked.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the sign maker that the lock has been change back to a more conventional design and almost all of the steps listed are now wrong, including the direction in which to turn the Watermate key!

There is little remarkable about this picture of a newish housing estate just before Ledsons Bridge. Were in not for random Googling and studying old OS maps, we would have taken no notice at all.

However, where this apartment block now stands was once an important pottery - The Midland Pottery - which produced what became known as the Melling Jug. (It seems that the origin of the pottery name is not known) It was founded in 1872 by two gentlemen from an existing pottery in Scotland who brought skilled workers down with them. For many years it was managed by Edward Service who became an important figure in the local community.

He died in 1915 and by 1922 the pottery was bought be the Hartley Jam business who had a major factory in Aintree. They wanted to use it to produce the pottery jars which became the hallmark of their jams. Production of  Melling Jugs ceased almost immediately. Unfortunately there was a disastrous fire in 1929 which destroyed almost all of the works which were never re-built. As far as we can see, the site remained waste ground until it was bought by developers and this housing estate was the outcome. (Details from here and here)

Handcock's Bridge is known for the amount of traffic it carries as a vital communication route. As a result there have for some time been restrictions on the use of the bridge at peak rush hours (7.30 - 9.30 and 2 - 6) This was one of the reasons (as if we needed any) for not making an early start today. The bridge is much faster in operation that the busy one yesterday but even so we held up at least 35 vehicles by the time it was re-opened.

We also noticed a new sign indicating that delays may be made at non-peak times. We had not heard about this before but we were not subjected to any and the warning lights (wig-wags) started as soon as Christine pushed the Open button.

Just after the bridge we started to pass the famous Aintree racecourse. But first this section which looks nothing special, just scrub land. In fact, again from old maps, there used to be a very large set of sidings which have long since been taken up, although the main line they linked to is still in use. Just beyond the sidings were several significant institutions, a Poor Law Union workhouse, a Model Village of Cottages - essentially a Children's Home,  and two isolation hospitals. The larger site remains a hospital today.

The owners of the racecourse seem very determined to make sure that towpath and canal users cannot get free views of the proceedings on race days. These are two of the very few glimpses - further on the a very solid wall is even more opaque!

We managed to pass this very wide beam boat, just avoiding touching either it or entangling in the reeds and weed on the opposite bank. We really did not know what would happen if another boat of the same dimensions came along, especially if both were moving. (Not sure how often this is an experience for this boat)

When we came here in 2019 we noticed that at Bridge 6, the last swing bridge for today, a new landing had been constructed on the off side to make it easier for single handers, as the operating mechanism was located there. Mike, thinking that he would be clever, dropped Christine off on what was beginning to look a rather neglected landing. We soon discovered why as Christine could not get out through a locked gate and, in any case, a new control pedestal has been installed on the towpath side!

We continued a little further until lunch time and moored alongside the Rimrose Country Park. We found before that this is one of the last quiet and more secluded places before the start of the Liverpool Link - which we are scheduled to tackle tomorrow. There followed a rather lazy afternoon although Mike did check the prop and discovered a quantity of rubbish, mainly plastic, that needed to be removed. Christine then demanded, nay insisted, that he tidy his toolbox which was much in need!

6.5 Miles - 0 Locks