Canal Walk: Maghull

After a visit to the Pierhead to check on the dock link construction, I went to Maghull for a short walk. I parked on the road in the residential streets near to bridge #17, Dicconson's Bridge. Stood on the bridge you can see the boats of the Mersey Motor Boat Club, the first leisure boating club on the canal. I went down to the towpath and headed towards Liverpool. It was a lovely sunny day and there were lots of people on the towpath enjoying the canal.
This stretch of canal has enough swing bridges to mke a boater wonder whether its worth geting back on board. There were a grand total of three boats on the move today. A cabin cruiser, a narrowboat and one of the tradtional converted lifeboats. At one time most of the boats belonging to th MMBC were these converted lifeboats.
There was a fishing competition but no one had any trouble getting past their poles. It is posible for cyclists walkers and anglers to use the towpath together.
I havent been down this stretch for a while and wanted to re-photo the blockhouse by the railway bridge 12 miles oout of Liverpool. The blockhouse is different to the one at Heatons Bridge, it only has loop holes on the upper level. It would have given a view of the fields opposite the canal, alongside the railway embankment. It turned around before the canal reached the M58, and headed back.
Its worth having a look at the boats of the MMBC, there are a couple of intereting ones as well as the classic cruisers. There were two converted lifeboats, one of which was manovering with a very musical engine.
This is a popular place for walkers and cyclists and is, in part, a bit of the traspennine trail.