Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 15th January, 2024)

Brilliant picture Thomas . Not easy to capture with the sun directly in front.
Such a joy to be out and about so early .

Well at least there are still areas that WMC can't tamper with....can they ??
That is one great photo Thomas, really good.

This is one of the best canal photos ever in terms of scenic views and walks.
Thanks Thomas for portraying a lovely part of Gathurst.

One of the best parts of Wigan and very well taken. The place where the sun always shines.
Your on a winner with this one Thomas.

Lovely serene picture Thomas, you have captured the moment perfectly.
The walk along the canal from Appley Bridge to Parbold provides some stunning views and photo opportunities.

The amazing view from the Gathurst viaduct must have been admired by many millions of drivers over the years as they drive along the M6 motorway.
The photo also takes me back some years when I read in one of the Wigan newspapers about a Shevington resident and his family who just happened to be walking under the viaduct when high above them on the motorway an accident happened and a articulated lorry came crashing down, landing in the river Douglas beside them.
It must have been a terrifying experience to witness the accident, in which I believe the driver died.
Good photo Thomas, its a lot easier to walk and cycle along the towpath now, they have completed it to Parbold.

What a beautiful photo. with the morning mist.....gorgeous! May I ask what the small rectangular light is to the left of the photo , which is reflected in the water? I doesn't for one moment detract from the photo but I can't make out what it is!

A lovely picturesque scene with the rolling mist hanging about. Brr

Now that the towpath work is complete I expect there will be many more people who live in the built up areas of Wigan using it this year.

If you mean the squarish sign Irene, its says warning there is a north sea gas pipe line running under the canal.

Irene The "light" is the painted end of the beam to open the lock

Today I'm being Nora,aka many other things !

When driving over the bridge you don't actually see properly what is below with the shoulder and high crash barriers, though that stretch from Standish to Orrell certainly does provide a good range of views and a welcome optical relief from those tedious embankments. The Heinz '57' on the factory doesn't seem to stand out now like it once did from the motorway, the numbers I'm sure were a lot bigger than they are now, didn't they fall foul of the council planning?

Nora says the sun always shines there, funny that, as many times I've been there it's been raining heavily.
Nora: https://youtu.be/wiBqQJcDooc?si=ivbyZN1ICuJFwKOu

They up there where the radios blare
As they fly across the valley at 70 miles a hour
Cannot hear us down here .

Down here we have no clue who they are
Or where they're going up there
In their lorries and cars ,

Some may catch a glimpse of us in our Lilliputian retreat
If they look down for a fleeting second ,
But never the twain will meet .

Poet

Thanks for the answers to my query.

The square image on the very smooth water is a reflection of the
underside of the motorway support section, showing the sunshine .

Great picture Thomas.

Tommy, two lorries crashed on the M6 Viaduct at different times some years ago. One a Creda Ford Cargo single axle artic and the other a Bedford carrying Youngers Tartan beer. I think the Creda artic came off the bridge and landed at the bottom recovered later by crane.

A very good photo Thomas

It just goes to show, you can take a lovely photo in winter, as well as summer. Very good Thomas.

Alan, I remember the brewery lorry coming off and it was said that it came trailer first and the barrels cushioned it's landing.

That's a fine photo Thomas.

The sign says, Cyclists On Tow Path Must Give Way To Pedestrians!

Tommy Pyke, the 'Shevington resident' you mention, who saw the lorry come off the M6,, was no other than Wigan Mick. Probably. So he says.

I can't remember any names James, but I've now remembered that I saw a photo of the truck being winched up, that was in a Frank Orrell book