This year marks the bicentennial celebrations of the opening of the Lancaster Canal in 1819. For most of its working life, it was unusual in that it was NOT connected to the rest of the UK inland waterway. However, it provided a useful route from Preston, north-west England, into Kendal, in the Lake District and was certainly much quicker than travel by road. The advent of the railways, and then better roads, meant that by the middle of the 20th century it was all but abandoned and large sections were drained and shut down. However, determined efforts by enthusiasts over the latter part of the century led to the restoration of much of the length, and, in 2002, it was finally connected to the rest of the inland waterway network via a river link.
This is the canal at Garstang, a dozen miles or so north-east of Blackpool.
That's a great photo, the reflections work amazingly well and a nice reminder of our industrial heritage. Colours a bit reminiscent of a Constable to me....
A lovely shot of a canal that is a lovely place to explore. One of my favourite walks is along the Lune estuary from Lancaster, then along the Glasson Dock canal branch and back into Lancaster along the main line. An interesting bit of trivia is that the Lancaster Canal has the longest stretch of canal in the UK between locks (43 miles). I love the reflections in this shot. - fav!
Thanks for the info - so glad it's been restored
fav
Ian