The Leeds Liverpool Canal: Rufford Branch


The Rufford Branch
Cherry Tree - Johnson's Hillock 54 -47 miles	Blackburn 59 -54 miles	Rishton, Church, Hapton 59 - 71	Burnley 71-75	Foulridge Tunnel - Burnley Lane 82 -75 miles
Former Lancaster Canal South Section 47 -37 miles	The Rufford branch is about 7 miles long and links the Leeds - Liverpool main line canal at Burscough to the River Douglas at Tarleton via the town of Rufford. The towpath on the Rufford Branch is not maintained as on the main line. It is therefore not recommended for cyclists. The canal is not far removed from its origins as the River Douglas in character and has high rushes on both sides in some sections. There was an idea in 1773 to build a branch from Rufford to Crossens near Southport as a short-cut to the Irish sea. Had William Palmer's plan been carried out Southport could have had a very different future as a sea port rather than a seaside resort. The houses at the top of the Rufford Branch belonged to boatmen who worked this stretch. Unlike the boatmen of other navigations the boatmen who lived onboard their narrowboats and barges the boatmen around Burscough had houses they returned to. There is still a dry dock at the junction. The Ship Inn (or Blood Tub) is nearby.			Greenberfield - Foulridge 87 -82 miles
				Gargrave - Greenberfield 93 -87 miles
Wigan 37 -34 miles				Gargrave - Skipton
Wigan -Burscough 34 -25 miles				Skipton
Rufford Branch				Skipton to Keighley 99 - 109miles
Burscough -Maghull 24 - 12 miles				Keighley to Shipley 109 - 115
Melling -Bootle 12 -3 miles
Liverpool 3-0 miles	Liverpool Dock Link	home		Leeds 127.25 miles

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Large carpark by Ship Inn, parking at Rufford marinas, few spaces by Sollom Lock

the Rufford Branch is not open to cyclists and in my experience not suitable for bikes.

Burscough and Rufford

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Aerial Photo of Rufford Branch	Rufford Junction	Bridge #1	1816 the year the canal was completed

the graving dock	View from Bridge #1	Boatmen's cottages and graving dock Cottages are dated 1797	Boatman's cottage

Top Lock Cottages	Paddles different to the usual lock	drained for maintenance	The Ship Inn

Empty Pound	Rufford branch ground paddles.	A clough without water	looking up the locks towards the junction

Runnel Brow bridge #2	a boat comes down lock #3	View down the Rufford branch	#2A Railway Bridge

#4 Moss Lock	a mile from the junction	stone with bench mark possibly a milestone?	Mile Post Junction 1 mile

#3 German's Bridge	#5 German's Lock	BWB Boat with new lock gates and balance beams in Germans Lock	Germans Bridge, note the tunnel in the right side of the bridge for the over flow

Chicken Lock/Baldwin's Lock #6	Chicken Lock #6 from #4 Baldwin's bridge	Baldwin's Bridge and lock	Ground paddle

View towards Prescott bridge	# 5 Prescott Bridge	View along Canal	Mile Post Junction 2 miles

Railway Canal Bridge unusual shaped skewed bridge	View from the Causeway End railway bridge towards Marsh Meadow Swing Bridge	View past Marsh Meadow Swing Bridge #6	Rufford Lock #7

St Mary's Marina	wooded canal	Rufford Old Hall

View from Spark Bridge #8A	bank pilling	the towpath can be a bit wet here	crenulated towpaths

Fearn's Swing Bridge #9	view from Fearn's Swing Bridge #9	Mile Post Junction 5 miles	Former Sollom lock where the canal met the river Douglas before the canal was extended to Tarleton River Lock.

large stone gateposts are all that remain of the canal side buildings	stone and metalwork where the hinge of the lock gate once was.	The lock is remembered in the road name	view beyond Strand Bridge #10

Strand bridge #10	a boat on the branch	view from Bank Bridge #11	Bank Bridge #11

A damp towpath, seldom if ever used	Warehouse between the canal and the river	The tidal River Douglas flowing inland, the canal can be seen on the right

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