TNC On Tour 2002 Page 28

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2002

28 - Dunham to Broken Cross - Bridgewater Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal.

Thursday 25th July 2002

08.25 start from our pleasant moorings at Dunham School Bridge. This was of course going over previously travelled ground until Anderton. We managed to get through Preston Brook Tunnel without having to wait, but ended up with a large queue to get through the strange Dutton Stop Lock. This of course has a wide pair of gates at the northern end, but a restricted exit trough a single narrow gate.
Beyond Anderton Lift and the Alvechurch Anderton base is the area of mass subsidence caused by the salt extraction industry. The banks can be seen to have been built up repeatedly with poured concrete, some sections being now an embankment flanked by pock marked waterlogged wasteland. In Marston the preserved Lion Salt works still survives, but at the present time I do not think it is open to the public.
Just beyond the next Bridge No 189 is Wincham Wharf - boat builders and narrowboat brokers. The next section is dominated by an ICI Chemical works, straddling both sides of the canal, with many pipe bridges crossing.
We stopped early for the night (16:40) at Broken Cross, a bit away from the noisy bridge. Linda got provisions in a handy nearby shop. That night we ate ate out at the Old Broken Cross pub. This venue was a bit quiet and described as reasonably priced "OK", but nothing special.

Passing the Daresbury research centre. Bridgewater Canal.