Old Quay Lock - Runcorn - May 2011 -

[georgie]

originally the plan was on this to try and ride across the mersey from runcorn to widnes on my mountain bike while the tide was out ,it was a roasting hot day and looked fairly dry, however i didnt get very far, the dry mud which looked dry wasnt very dry underneath......anyway it seemed a good idea at the time.

the back brakes completely locked with this sticky mud
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9162.jpg


anyway on returning i noticed the old walkway from the disused lock just near the underneath of the runcorn bridge could be kind of....do-able.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9562.jpg


anyhow i returned a few days later without mountain bike and with some wellies this time
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9565.jpg

however i didnt get very far, once id got down the walkway ,this lock was a breading ground for geese,they started snarling at me then as i proceeded past there nests they started to charge at me nearly knocking me off the edge.....abort mission rambo!!!

anyhow a week or so later i was down that way and it was a nice day so thought sod it ill see how far i can get this time providing there wasnt any geese about...anyhow there wasnt but what i did see before i went walkies across the mud was the tide starting to come in, it looked a bit like a tsunami, id never seen the tide come in before so i was quite impressed and filmed a little


click on the picture to play the vid
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/th_20052011005.jpg (http://s255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/?action=view&current=20052011005.mp4)


right so heres an old pic during construction (all saints church tower can be seen i both pics)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/K002902.jpg

and a recent one (sort of in the same place and slight hdr ,as any local person would know its took from the top looking down through the palaside fencing near the old quay swing bridge)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/bridge.jpg

anyhow across the mud the main lock is palasided off....its at this point the tide was getting quite fierce
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9580.jpg

up onto the lock itself approaching the gates
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9582.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9584.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9606.jpg

these gates were fooked,attempts were made to walk across but they were very weak
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9593.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9598.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9599.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9609.jpg

2 geese stand guard at the end (you can see the white ripples where the tide is rushing in)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9595.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9602.jpg

some sort of solar device (again the tide rushing past)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9600.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9590.jpg

the next 2 were taken on a previous visit with my other camera (the tide is out and it is dry)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9269.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9286.jpg

behind the palaside fencing at the the end of the old quay bridge,the old steps going up to street level
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9285.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9284.jpg

old lifebuoy
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9618.jpg

a few random shots
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9639.jpg

my tyre tracks from the original mission
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9159.jpg

fiddlers ferry power station
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9642.jpg

the quay bridge moving
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9620.jpg

to make way for the snowdrop,liverpool
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9627.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh142/fortboyardo/runcorn%20lock/DSCF9630.jpg