The Northern Reaches of Lancaster Canal, Cumbria, Spring
A wet Bank Holiday weekend finally gave way to a glorious evening.
With little time off left, we decided on familiar jaunt that nevertheless is always a pleasure to do: Lancaster Canal’s Northern Reaches.
The Northern Reaches is a part of Lancaster Canal that’s cut off from the rest of the UK’s canal network. In the 1960s, the construction of the M6 motorway north of Carnforth bisected the northern section of the Lancaster Canal, isolating the Tewitfield terminal and leaving the disconnected remnants of the canal to be reclaimed by the natural environment.
For this simple hike we elected to take the route south from Millness Bridge to where the M6 cuts off the canal near Duke’s Bridge. This route offers foliage galore, waterfowl, insect heaven, and fantastic views towards the imposing shape of Farleton Knott.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Sony 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS zoom lens. RAWs developed in Lightroom, tonemapped in Photomatix, and finalised in Photoshop.
The Northern Reaches of Lancaster Canal, Cumbria, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The section of the trail between Millness Bridge and Moss Side is rather muddy and greasy, especially after all the rain we’ve had. However, once you emerge from the tunnel at Moss Side, this lovely view to Farleton Knott finally opens up.
A swan couple, busy feeding from the bottom of the canal, their fresh-faced cygnets milling about aimlessly.
Across the canal, this horse impassively stairs at us.
Nearer Duke’s Bridge, a load of local cows have found their way to the canal for a wee drink.
I zoomed in tight on this beaut, giving us The Eye.
My favourite view anywhere on the Northern Reaches of Lancaster Canal. I managed to capture this reflection of Farleton Knott as the sun started to dip behind us.
A little further up a small gap in the overgrown foliage allowed for another composition of Farleton Knott.
The low evening light catching the tops of the foliage and the bridge. A delightfully idyllic scene.
This dark and shaggy horse posed for me near Marsden Farm underneath Farleton Knott. Couldn’t say no, really.