~Oswaldtwistle to Burnley~
8th January 2011
Much of Friday evening was spent looking at local maps, seeking inspiration. A late decision was made to use the local railway to take me away from Burnley and then walk back. I took the train from Burnley to "Church & Oswaldtwistle" railway station, a small station on the line between Accrington and Blackburn.
Leeds & Liverpool Canal
Scroll down for photos and a description of the walk....
Church & Oswaldtwistle Railway Station
My train departs for Rishton and then Blackburn. Before embarking on the main part of the walk, I decided to have a look at the town of Oswaldtwistle, feeling sure there must be something of interest therein.
Oswaldtwistle Town Hall
I was disappointed, this is the town hall. There is also a fine war memorial, but little else to capture the imagination. They have an information board which tries to talk things up, but it only persuaded me turn around. James Hargreaves, inventor of the Spinning Jenny, was born in Oswaldtwistle.
Eleven Non-Interesting Places in Oswaldtwistle
The Canal
My route back to Burnley would be along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, a twisty, contour-hugging towpath keeping out of the rest of the towns. The canal is still frozen in most parts.
The Canal in Church
Church is a small "town" between Oswaldtwistle and Accrington. It's another dull day.
Crossover Bridge near Chruch
A pipe uses the bridge as support to cross the canal.
More Canal
The canal follows a contour about 400ft above sea level. Accrington is not directly served by the canal, the architects must have had some tough decisions to make. Burnley does host the canal and carries the water along the elevated section known as the "mile straight" - another long embankment would have been needed to take the canal through Accrington. And besides, the railway's in the way. (!)
Canal Bridge, Clayton-le-Moors
Something caught my eye, there's a blue plaque over there. It indicates that there is a memorial on the bridge to Moorfield Colliery. Ah well, I'll look that up when I get home. Briefly, on November 7th 1883, 68 men and boys were killed in an explosion in the mine, just 20 yards away from the canal. Isn't that a sobering thought? All that's left is a blue plaque and a plate on the bridge above.
Another pipe uses the bridge for support, or maybe two if you look carefully.
Icy Canal
A feature of the whole of the canalside walk was rubbish and vandalism. Look carefully and you will see a damaged wall on the left. Many of the stones have been thrown onto or into the canal. Compare the lives of these miscreants and dolittles with those of the men and children who built the canal or worked in the mines.
Four Large Pipes
I think that this is the Haweswater Aqueduct taking water from Haweswater in the Lake District to Manchester.
Won my award for "Pipe(s) of The Day", an occasional award given to pipes that are almost interesting.
Across the fields to Pendle Hill
No Fishing
Men with long, extending rods need to take care.
Doh!
Keeping up with the Jones's
If your neighbour buys a new car, you might update yours; but here near Hapton, if your neighbour goes for decking, you need to act quickly. The one nearest the camera shows "double-decking". The canal would have collected coal from the nearby Hapton Colliery. In 1962, an explosion in the mine killed 16 workers and three more died from their injuries. Closer to home and much more recent. All local coal mines are now shut, that may be stating the obvious.
Railway Bridge
M65 Bridges, Burnley
First there was the river, then there was the town, then there was cotton, a canal followed, along came the mills, then came the railways, then away went the cotton, the mills are disappearing, the rail line goes nowhere (sorry Colne), but at least we have a motorway so we get in and out quickly.
Gannow Tunnel, Burnley
This is far as I can go on the towpath. I could rejoin the canal 500 yards further on, but this time I'm heading in a slightly different direction.
Burnley
I'm stood on Accrington Road looking across town. Burnley is a much more interesting place than Oswaldtwistle. James Anderson, bowler and tormentor of Aussie Cricketers is a Burnley man.
Bellevue Mill, Westgate, Burnley
Burnley Railway Viaduct
This more or less ends the walk, my timing should allow for a lift home from Sainsbury's. Burnley Central railway station (nowhere near the centre of town) is at the far end of the viaduct, that's where I caught the train from. Sainsbury's is just out of shot in the top right of photo.
If I ranked my walks by degrees of interestingness, this would be 1 star, with 5 being the most and zero being the least. But I don't, so it isn't.
Walkers: Just Me
Time taken: 4hr and 20 minutes over about 11.5 miles.
Route: Train from Burnley Central to Church & Oswaldtwistle, walk back along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
Weather and conditions: Cloudy and dull. Sunshine on Burnley at the end.
Greetings Count: A few dog walkers and cyclists on the towpath.
Richard's Refreshment Review: Brew in Sainsbury's whilst the shopping was finished.
All photos copyright Richard Ratcliffe 2011 ©
Take me back to the start ....