June 1

I’ve finished the Bridgewater Canal, having passed the western part of Manchester and headed northward to Wigan. The Bridgewater canal served the many now derelict mills along the way- both to carry raw cotton inward and finished goods outward, but also to supply the coal that made the mills work. There are many of these still standing. A few have been converted to other uses, but unlike in Canada, if a property is unused, there are no taxes payable, so places can just be left abandoned, without incurring ongoing costs. An interesting difference.

I spent Saturday visiting the Salford Quays. This was the port of Manchester, where ships came up the Manchester Ship Canal, and unloaded raw materials, some for transshipment by the smaller canal boats, and some to directly supply Manchester industries. The docks are mostly vacant now, and getting my boat into the area would have been a bureaucratic hassle- the Ship Canal is still in use, and privately owned, so there are major complications to arrange passage. There really isn’t much point, either, as I was just 2km away, so an easy cycle. I visited the Lowry center: a major theatre and art gallery, the art being mostly by the iconic Lowry: search L. S. Lowry in images to get an idea of the matchstick men that is some of his best known work.

Today is for trying to arrange passage through the city of Liverpool, into their docks area. This requires pre-booking so I’ll see whether it is possible. In the meantime, I am enjoying some great weather (yesterday was fantastic).