Our Lucky Day, Despite the Date! - Monday 13th 2019

Pennington Flash to Crooke

8.5 miles, 6 locks, 1 swing bridge

Pennington Flash is a truly delightful and very peaceful place to moor up overnight, but imagine our surprise to be woken up by a motor bike speeding past around 4am.  We assumed it was someone taking a short cut to or from work, but they came back again about 1.5 hours later.  The question has to be ‘what on earth were they up to?’.  All sorts of things spring to mind, but I am sure that is the first time we have been woken by a motor bike on the towpath.  I have just read Carol’s (from still Rockin) blog from the link she posted in a reply to my post yesterday and she mentioned seeing police motorbikes on the tow path of this canal, so maybe it was a good guy rather than a bad one?  We will never know.

Monty and I walked the short distance from our mooring to the first big event of the day – Plank Lane Swing Bridge.  We went past an entrance to Pennington Flash where there are these enormous lock gates

And a path we could have used! We will know next time we come this way

Even when you think you might be in the middle of nowhere, your rarely are.  This charming row of terraced houses were only a few hundred yards away from our mooring

And there is Plank Lane Swing Bridge and the ‘button of power’ in the small silver box on the left.  You need a water mate key to start the procedure, then you hold down the ‘Open’ button until the barriers descend and the bridge then lifts.  A brief respite for the thumb whilst the boat went through and then it is time to hold in the ‘Shut’ button until the process has been reversed and the bridge is locked into place.  Until that is done correctly you cannot retrieve your key.

It is quite a busy road (you cannot use lift the bridge during morning and afternoon rush hours), so quite a lot of traffic and people were held up

We had proceeded on about three quarters of a mile when Chris reminded me to switch off the "walkie talkie".  That is when I remembered I had left it on top of the bridge control box!  Chris pulled over, Monty and I jumped ship and went back hoping it would still be there.  It was – first stroke of luck today.  As I retrieved it two boats were coming through the bridge.  Would I get back in time for us to still be ahead of them both?  Thankfully Chris had spent the waiting time reversing and I made it in time for us to remain in the lead.  With double locks ahead, the last place you want to be is behind two boats.

The canal running up to the locks is quite rural with yet more flashes to the left and the right

And so to the first of the six locks of the day and something completely new to me  - a large handle and chain to help close the gates.  It certainly worked.

Our locking partners were to be Alan and Linda on Aladin (look at their names). The second stroke of luck – they were turning left after the first two locks, so we would be with them for all six – it is so much easier with two boats.

Safely through lock one to find two boats coming towards us with the information that two others had just gone into the second lock of the day

Looking at this notice and the C&RT symbol – I suspect it has been in place well before this summer

So two out, two in to the second lock of the day

After thid lock we both turned left, right would have taken us towards Leeds

Here at the third lock there is something else new to me – the only way to open and shut the bottom gates is by turning the big handle on the black post.  Also please note the footbridge – a boater waiting to come up told me they had campaigned for about 15 years to get it put in place – until then one had to walk all the way round over the road bridge to get from one side to the other

Dead ahead after this lock we came to Wigan Pier and The Orwell public house which sadly seems to have served its last pint in 2009. Someone told me today that they are planning to redevelop this area.

On again past the DW stadium – the Home of Wigan Athletic FC and Wigan Warriors RLFC

Both boats were aiming to moor at Crooke – the third stroke of luck – we had the pick of the moorings

And the side hatch view is not too shabby either

Just after we had moored up a 20 month old BC came along with his owner.  Max and Monty really hit it off and had a good romp – quite unusual for Monty.  There are a lot of photos as Max’s owner commented that she was sorry she had not got her camera with her.  I promised to add mine here, so she can copy and save them.  They were a handsome pair.

If we get our timing right tomorrow we will be travelling with Linda and Alan again to share both locks and swing bridges.