It was just a short walk from our cottage to the river Lune. The one thing I was really really looking forward to doing in Lancaster was a boat tour on the Lancaster canal and over the Lune Aqueduct – carrying the canal over the river. But all boat tours were fully booked – so I just walked to the aqueduct.
I just walked along the river Lune, first enjoying a beautiful view of the city and later on a “wilderness” I know from the Auen along the Danube.
Lancaster Canal links Kendal to Preston and follows the coastal line. It´s the longest one in England without any locks. It was build in the 18th century to transport coal north from the Lancashire Coalfields, and limestone south from Cumbria.
In 2002 the new Millennium Ribble Link was opened and linked Lancaster to the national network via the River Ribble, the River Douglas and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal’s Rufford Branch.
The Lune Aqueduct was designed by civil engineer John Rennie and completed in 1797 at huge costs. But it soon got famous for its beauty and got painted by Turner who seemed to be fascinated with it.
And beautiful it is – even so, I kind of missed the perfect photo opportunity to show it sitting over the river. I wanted to do it on the way back but then there were trees. But it´s also amazing to walk over it and seeing the canal over a river – somehow it doesn´t make sense.
River Lune from above
I followed the canal back into the city, which is a beautiful walk by itself! On the left side the usual golf course.
View of the castle from the other side of the city.
Old mill houses along the canal.
