Easter weekend

[Ange]

Well the weather's looking pretty rubbish for Easter (surprise surprise) so our choice between whether to go boating or hiking has turned into what we can do indoors (unless the forecast, which seems to change every day, gets better). I know - I can hear the cries of "fair weather boaters" but we've just spent our first winter aboard and have had to travel for water/pump out in some very inclement weather - there's no way we're boating in the rain unless our water tank's dry or our pump out's full!

 

We're based near Chorley at the mo - we've got lots of industrial towns on our doorstep - can anyone recommend good museums - particularly ones that involve canal history / anything driven by steam / anything driven by waterwheels? I'm planning to do a fair amount of googling tomorrow, but local knowledge can find some rare gems. We have the use of a car at the mo so we're looking at say a 20-30 mile radius.

 

Thanks folks

[soldthehouse]

Well the weather's looking pretty rubbish for Easter (surprise surprise) so our choice between whether to go boating or hiking has turned into what we can do indoors (unless the forecast, which seems to change every day, gets better). I know - I can hear the cries of "fair weather boaters" but we've just spent our first winter aboard and have had to travel for water/pump out in some very inclement weather - there's no way we're boating in the rain unless our water tank's dry or our pump out's full!

 

We're based near Chorley at the mo - we've got lots of industrial towns on our doorstep - can anyone recommend good museums - particularly ones that involve canal history / anything driven by steam / anything driven by waterwheels? I'm planning to do a fair amount of googling tomorrow, but local knowledge can find some rare gems. We have the use of a car at the mo so we're looking at say a 20-30 mile radius.

 

Thanks folks

Anderton lift/

[Ange]

Anderton lift/

 

Twould be a lovely idea if we had a week rather than a weekend!

 

Seriously we're really looking forward to doing the Anderton Lift one day - we've visited it three times by car - it's so frustrating how little you can see from the bridge or towpath. Nice cafe though

[Pluto]

Helmshore Textile Museums has a working waterwheel driving fulling stocks as well as working mules for spinning cotton, while its sister museum, Queen Street Mill, near Burnley, has a steam engine driving a weaving shed full of Lancashire looms. Bancroft Shed steam engine in Barnoldswick is also in steam I think on Sunday, and if you are over that way, I may be working on heritage boat Kennet on Monday at the top of Greenberfield locks.

 

In the other direction, Trencherfield Mill steam engine, in Wigan, may be open, as could the winding engine at Astley Green Colliery. Steam railways are Rawtenstall-Bury and a narrow gauge line near Tarleton, as well as the centre at Lytham if it is still operating. You could also visit the nearby windmill.

 

For a more canal-related trip, you could try following the old Lancaster Canal from Johnsons Hillock to Walton Summit and then along the trackbed of the tramway to Preston, or try to find the former colliery canal in the woods to the west of the canal near Haigh Hall.

[Tim Lewis]

Well the weather's looking pretty rubbish for Easter (surprise surprise) so our choice between whether to go boating or hiking has turned into what we can do indoors (unless the forecast, which seems to change every day, gets better). I know - I can hear the cries of "fair weather boaters" but we've just spent our first winter aboard and have had to travel for water/pump out in some very inclement weather - there's no way we're boating in the rain unless our water tank's dry or our pump out's full!

 

We're based near Chorley at the mo - we've got lots of industrial towns on our doorstep - can anyone recommend good museums - particularly ones that involve canal history / anything driven by steam / anything driven by waterwheels? I'm planning to do a fair amount of googling tomorrow, but local knowledge can find some rare gems. We have the use of a car at the mo so we're looking at say a 20-30 mile radius.

 

Thanks folks

 

There's always the Easter Boat Gathering at Ellesmere Port, its a bit further (48 miles) but it's Motorway all the way.

 

Tim

[Debby]

"There's always the Easter Boat Gathering at Ellesmere Port, its a bit further (48 miles) but it's Motorway all the way."

 

Two and a half hours by train for us, but we'll definitely be there on Saturday.

Edited April 1, 2010 by DaveandDebby

[buccaneer]

Not far from where you is Rivington Pike near Howich, this was part of the estate of lord Lever of Port Sunlight fame he also had a house here and developed Chinese gardens these became overgrown but in recent years have been cleaned up.

On the walk upto the pike is also a cafe/tea room.

For more info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivington

[magpie patrick]

Well, on Monday the mighty Magpies play Bamber Bridge in a local derby, if I was in Chorley I'd be at that :lol:

 

There is Astley Hall, as well, in Astley Park. A short train ride away is Blackburn, which has an impressive cathedral, and will at least have different shops and cafes to those you know in Chorley. I'm not sure if there are trains to Clitheroe, but that's a nice little town to visit.

[Ange]

Thanks for all the suggestions folks - I'll go through them with Dave this evening. There's plenty there to keep us occupied for the weekend!

 

[Ange]

Well we had a great weekend - thanks mostly to the suggestions on this thread.

 

Friday we walked up Rivington Pike - it turned out that there's a tradition of the locals walking up there on Good Friday every year so there were loads of people and a cup of coffee at the top! The downside was the coffee was crap and it pee'd down - I haven't been so wet through since the last time we biked in the rain!

 

Saturday was Ellesmere Port. We took the train from Chorley to Liverpool, then (after wandering around the station looking for a train, finally asking at the information centre) discovered that Liverpool has an underground network. Took said underground train to Ellesmere Port (passing through Port Sunlight on our way - somewhere else to investigate on a future date). Loved the museum (though we left if £7 lighter after spending £2 on an IWA raffle and buying a wheelbarrow full of stones from the Montgomery Restoration people).

 

Met up with CWDF friends, some old and some now new acquaintances and stopped off in Liverpool for a superb Chinese buffet on our way home.

 

Sunday was boaty stuff - our diesel and water tanks are full, and our pump out is empty - plus we had a nice little cruise as the weather turned out good (we passed Kate and James' new boat and waved hello to it).

 

Today we visited the Queens Mill in Blackburn, taking a short detour on the way to meet Pluto at Greenberfield locks who was kind enough to let us have a look aboard Kennet. We were really lucky at the mill, they fired up the steam engine about 5 minutes after we arrived, so we got to see the whole process. The volunteers there are amazing, we had a good chat with the chap running the boilers, and the chap running the engine - both incredibly knowledgeable and more than happy to share their knowledge.

 

Back to work tomorrow - still it's a four day week this week

 

[Kate and James]

Aww, sounds like a good weekend! when did you go past? We were doing the rounds with family and didn't get there tll nearly 4 on Sunday... here's hoping next time you pass we're around and we can put the kettle on!

K

[Ange]

Aww, sounds like a good weekend! when did you go past? We were doing the rounds with family and didn't get there tll nearly 4 on Sunday... here's hoping next time you pass we're around and we can put the kettle on!

K

 

We missed you by only a couple of hours by the sound of it - we went past at about 2pm, then waited for what seemed like an hour but was probably less for another boat to fill up with water. We're currently moored on the towpath at Adlington just past the marina opposite the playing fields

[Smelly]

Not far from where you is Rivington Pike near Howich, this was part of the estate of lord Lever of Port Sunlight fame he also had a house here and developed Chinese gardens these became overgrown but in recent years have been cleaned up.

On the walk upto the pike is also a cafe/tea room.

For more info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivington

 

I was horrified at the clearance of the Rhodedendrons in the Chinese Gardens; that and the fact that all the outbuildings have been caged in; both necessary evils maybe but Rivi is a place of childhood idyll and adolescent adventuresand how it's run down made me sad when last we visited.

 

Dan, who was raised in Halliwell at the foot of Smithills fell and regularly hiked into Rivi, camping along the way.