This canal is famous as the first of the industrial revolution canals built in 1765 by James Brindley for the Duke of Bridgewater. Despite its age the canal is wide and deep so we were able to make good progress.
We passed through the industrial outskirts of Manchester, right by Man United football ground, and then turned northwest towards Wigan. All along this section of the Bridgewater we were surprised to see many wild flowers on the towpath, the most notable being wild orchids.
We stopped for lunch at Worsley where the Duke of Bridgewater had his coal mines for which the canal was built. These mines used underground canals stretching about 50 miles into the surrounding hills to reach the seams. The coal was then brought out by boat.
After lunch we moved on out of the Manchester conurbation into the countryside, stopping at Astley where the last remaining pithead gear in Lancashire can be seen. This site is a mining museum which we plan to visit tomorrow.
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