PATIENCE AND HER TRAVELS: Friday May 25th, Melling to Downholland Cross

Ah! “The Bridges of Maghull County”…… Doesn’t quite have the ring about it as does “The Bridges of Madison County” and I doubt whether Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood have ever been seen in a romantic clinch on the banks of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

However, in today’s hot bright sunshine even these commuter villages/small towns for the metropolis of Liverpool looked attractive. Since we passed this way a couple of weeks ago, the hawthorn or May Tree blossom has blossomed, so to speak, and with the spring flowers and shrubs in the gardens it was rather pleasant.

It was nice to be able to get back to our normal cruising mode with not much distance covered and a bit slower than the mad dash out of Liverpool yesterday, and we took the opportunity to top up the suntan.

Bell's Swing Bridge, Maghull

Methodist Swing Bridge, Maghull

Once in the built up area of Maghull, the swing bridges come thick and fast, four in the space of a mile and a half. Each has a different method of opening and closing and you need your wits about you to remember which bits of equipment you need for each one.

Shaw's Swing Bridge, Maghull

At Shaw’s Swing Bridge, an elderly gentleman of the road managed to swing his legs (and tinnies) out of the way before I started to open the bridge – he even leant on the bar to help me open & close it. Despite being drunk out of his skull, he was perfectly charming and helpful.

Mooring at Downholland Cross

Once through the bridges, it was a nice gentle cruise to Downholland Cross where we tied up for showers, a salad lunch and a nice relax in the sun.

Only found out today that fellow blogger & Facebook devotee John Slee was in Salthouse Dock on ‘Epiphany’ for the last few days we were there. He managed to get some good piccies of us as we mawmbled around in Canning Dock waiting for BW to arrive, and also as we left Mann island Lock. Thanks, John.