Thursday 21st November
Hopefully, this will be our last trip in the car. We have one more walk to do in Yorkshire (Leeds to Apperley Bridge) which we can reach by train. The remaining walks are from Burscough to Liverpool which are local.
As it wasn't long since our last walk, we were prepared this time, like proper experienced walkers. We remembered the map as well as half a loaf of Warburton's bread to feed the ducks.
We really enjoyed this stretch of the canal. There was a lot to take in, Salt's Mill at Saltaire, lots of bridges and locks and the well known Bingley Five Rise locks. A great day that I wouldn't mind repeating again.
During the walk, we came across a body. For a moment we thought this chap was dead, possibly murdered. Scary? Yes, very. I was shocked and so was my son, and we approached cautiously. Turned out he was a tramp, out of it, fast asleep. It made us think though. It also crossed my mind how many walkers and cyclists (and there were lots) had passed us and this chap without a second thought. I felt so guilty having walked past him - will have to make amends.
Luckily, the weather was on our side. It was a glorious day and I caught the sun. Apparently, it was raining in Wigan. ;o)
When we eventually reached our destination we had a short stroll downhill to the bus stop to catch the 760 bus back to Apperley Bridge. A computer screen in the bus stop showed that we had 18 minutes to wait for the bus so we went to the Co-operative Shop for more water. As usual with the Co-operative, it was terrible service but we made it back to the bus stop just in time.
When we got on the bus I asked the driver if he could give us a shout when we reached our destination as I hadn't a clue where we were. A lady passenger behind us (along with half the bus) must have heard us and we got a running commentary all the way back. "Only 3 stops to go"... "I'm off at Apperley Bridge, I'll tell you when we get there.." - brilliant! These Yorkshire folk are a friendly bunch.
