The Lune Aqueduct

Some time ago, the Minx's mum mentioned that on a cycling holiday along the Lancaster Canal, they'd crossed over the Lune. I realised that in all the time I'd lived up here, it had never occurred to me that the canal had to cross the river and that there must be an aqueduct.

I worked out where it was and also where the canal also crossed the road into Lancaster and I have been meaning to investigate for ages. Well, today was my opportunity; Dan was driving down to go to gym, so I'd have maybe an hour and a half to take a tentative walk on my sore toe.

Even walking from the gym along to the bridge wasn't easy but I stuck with it and found the stairs up onto the bridge.It was worth the effort! The bridge itself is an amazing feat of engineering - more of that in a moment - and the view along the river is wonderful.

I took a slow walk north along the canal past some houses and then came back, recrossed the river, and followed the canal around to where it runs alongside a golf course, where I stopped to rest my toe and do some German.

Perhaps the most staggering thing I read about the bridge on the information board (I love an information board!) was that when they put down the foundations for the bridge, THEY PUMPED THE WATER OUT OF THE RIVER! In 1797! Isn't that amazing? I always wondered how they put down the foundations for bridges but I would never have guessed that's what they did.

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Reading: 'Meet Matilda, Rocket Builder' by Dom Conlon.