From our overnight mooring we were pretty well straight into Burnley. The canal does a long loop around the town which is built in the Calder Valley, crossing the valley on a mile long embankment which affords fine views of rooftops.
More algae near Burnley
Back to back terraces entering Burnley
Burnley Embankment
Chimney pots and rooftops
Heading back out, the canal cuts through the Weavers’ Triangle. This is a preserved 19thC industrial area demonstrating the business upon which the town’s prosperity was built.
Weavers’ Wharf
From Burnley the canal crosses the M65 for the first time, in fact the first of 6 crossings today, 2 over and 4 under, as the motorway heads roughly east to west over bridges and embankments and through cuttings, while the canal loops around the hills, tenaciously following the 410 foot contour.
Over the M65
Gannow Tunnel takes the navigation into the suburb of Rose Grove, which has a useful BW sanitary station and moorings at the depot there.
Gannow Tunnel
Rose Grove BW depot
There’s a sort of rural section for a while, just odds clumps of recently built houses coming down to the canal.
We pulled in at Hapton Marina for diesel (at 58ppl) and solid fuel (at £6 for 20Kg) and a chat, then pushed on through a couple of miles of open country before running into Clayton le Moors, Church and Rishton.
Moorland near Clayton
Old mill in Church, looks like an abandoned development project.
We pulled over in another green zone between Rishton and Blackburn, near Bridge 106.
No locks today, but the long pound ends in the middle of Blackburn at the 6 locks that drop the canal down another 55 feet. But that’ll be tomorrow.
We’ve picked up quite a bit of rubbish on the prop today, as expected when running through urban areas. I’ve been head down in the weed hatch 3 times today. I reckon it’ll be pretty much the same tomorrow.
Locks 0, miles 15½
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