2009 Walk Day 2 Maghull - Burscough

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Got myself up at 6, and the leg was not really feeling any better but as I was due in Maghull at 9 I figured I had plenty of time to at least reach Burscough and see how the leg was holding then.

It was nice start to the day in Maghull with plenty of sunshine and the town certainly looks very nice from the canal point of view. The birds were out in force again and I got my first sight of Geese on the canal.

Maghull also seems to be very popular with the boaters, the previous 12 miles had seen just two moving boats and one moored.




The route from Maghull to Haskayne was very pleasant with trees lining both banks for a lot of the way, and with the days sunshine looking to be limited, I took advantage, the only blot en route was to see the Scarisbrick Arms all boarded up.


At first I didn't realise at first this black duck had any young and was going to grab her picture anyway but as I moved closer she seemed ok with my presence and let me get a few close shots. All the previous birds so far have got their young in the water before I get near to them, so thank you for your trust Mrs Duck.




Gradually the trees gave way to hedges and fields and the rain clouds started to get the upper hand, having said that it never drizzled for more than a minute at a time all afternoon.



Along the way, I came across this lone chick hiding in the bushes. I hope its just having a wander and not orphaned.


After officially entering Lancashire my eye was caught by a small plane flying to Southport, possibly the tackiest garden ornament I have seen and the Pride of Sefton which is a charity that takes disabled people canal-boating.






This part of the canal was also noteworthy for plenty of pubs as well as a substantial new marina







Nearing Pinfold, I passed an excellent looking death-swing, don't see many of them these days.

I finally had the welcome sign of Burscough Bridge, which was to be the end of the journey for today, having met a friendly horse and a load of cabbages.



So that's another 12 miles done today, but my leg has got worse and is in definite need of resting, as I'll be looking to stretch the days distance covered in the next few stages, so the journey will continue next Saturday.

2009 Walk - Day 1 Liverpool - Maghull

This morning I started my 127 miles journey in Liverpool. Having seen a fairly apocalyptic weather forecast for the morning, I decided to delay my start by a couple of hours, which became three when a hopeless ticket clerk caused me to miss my train. It all workout OK though, when I left Lime Street at 11 it had stopped raining and stayed dry for the rest of the day. I picked the canal up in front of the Liver Building where there is newly completed link connecting the canal to the south docks

There is no footpath along the canal until the other side of Stanley Dock, so I followed along the nearby road - passing this crazy-looking ventilation building for the Mersey Tunnel - until I finally found the rather non-descript gap-in-the-wall entrance to the start of the footpath.






As expected, this part of the canal was not particularly spectacular, like most inner-city canals with plenty of high red bricked walls and bland modern industrial units, but the wildfowl were quite varied - with plenty of young and the odd architectural gem from back in the day.


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Yearning for some greenery, I quickly made way through Kirkdale, Sandhills and Bootle, catching a distant view of the dock-cranes.

Reaching Litherland, the canal is caressed on one bank by Primrose Valley for a couple of miles and I found a spot for lunch, which i shared with this lady who wandered over for a chat.

Enjoying the lush backdrop, I pressed on towards Netherton, encountering the first swing bridge. I'm guessing these were added when the canals were in decline and barely used. I do like the idea of cars having to stop for a passing barge.





Next up was the first gem of the canal for me - Aintree Racecourse, never been before- it does look fantastic.



Open fields were now order of the day now as the canal first skipped over the River Alt then ducked under the M57, before I met a couple of Herons. At first, I thought they were sculptures as they were both stood perfectly still and I was a bit surprised when the first one suddenly took to the air.








Shortly after the M57, came the M58 before I arrived at the day's destination Maghull which was a welcome sight. 12 Miles down 115 to go, the left leg is feeling a little stiff but hopefully after a good night's sleep I'll be good to go again tomorrow.