Our walk starts at the Canal Bridge in Rishton, crossing the Rishton-Clayton Road, ( marked Start on map ). Proceed down from the main road to join the towpath. Notice the excellent work done by the Rishton Prospects Panel, which includes an artistic metal screen, small garden, information boards. As you start your walk towards Church/Accrington a mooring has been built by the Panel.

The walk takes one past the Rishton suburbs to the open fields, with wide reed beds coming up on the far bank. Going over the new bridge carrying the canal over the M65, the land slopes away towards the Dunkenhalgh Estate on the left, with the wide greens of Accrington Golf Club looming up on the right.

As on approaches Bridge No - , the steep railway embankment can be seen which takes the line over a small valley. This embankment is in fact a wooden viaduct filled in to ensure the safety of the line.

Continue on towards Church and we come to the coke ovens, which were used to turn coal from a local colliery to coke. Walk on and you come to the Church warehouse, which has a central arch leading from the wharf to the road. The warehouse was built in 1836 by the hargreaves Brothers, and was later taken over by the Canal Company. The canal now makes a sharp turn, really the responsibility of Peel Bank Print Works, which requested a deviation from the original route so as not to interfere with their works.

We turn left here to go through the Dunkenhalgh, but if one walks a little further along the canal one can see the Peel Arm Branch. The entrance is a hump backed bridge, built so that the towpath could pass over the branch. This branch connected Church bank Printworks to the canal, and is said to be the oldest industrial site in the district, originally the site for a corn mill.

After our detour, walk through the old Dunkenhalgh Estate to where it joins the main road to Rishton, walk up this road to the canal bridge which was our starting point.

 

 

 

Moorhen