After Stoka researched this, and found the entrance, we paid a few visits.
The first one was a bit of a washout, with what looked like a wier from a T section, with water deep enough to go over our wellies, even with the water proof pants gaffer taped to them :S
So, waders bought, we headed down again to find that it was a series of brick walls, laid across the tunnels. Not sure why they would be there, and in true Bigjobs style, I forgot to take any pictures of them
In the end, the main tunnel is just over a mile long, and heavily blocked at the inflow, so it's a walk up, then a walk back
There are two smaller side tunnels, one is a lovely brick construction, which we think leads under the main town itself, the other is a round concrete pipe, but more about that later.
It starts at the outflow, where you have to go 20 foot or so under a brick rail bridge, then on into the square concrete culvert.
It doesn't look tall enough to stand up in, but it is. Just, and it gets taller the further you go in.
There's a pipe that lets out very warm water just before the concrete section starts, but that's not unusual there, it's right by pilkington's, whose hot water discharge gave the canal next to this the name "the hotties", cos it's always warm.
It changes construction between the square concrete sections and brick arches, I prefer the brick, even if it did kill my back :s
There's a few interesting features, and just some things that i thought were comical.
I need some new scales as well
We tried to call home, but there was no-one in
The brick tunnel that shoots of it is just about tall enough to stand up in, if you bend you legs at 90 degrees and double over. I couldn't go up stairs for a week after going up it, my legs just wouldn't work :s
the entrance to it with a couple of tramps.
Which turns into this
and carries on for ages
We're planning on going further up that one, as we think it leads onto bigger and better things, but we're waiting till we have proper transport.
We didn't give much thought to the concrete pipe at first, it was only after reading a few threads that I realised that there was a lot more detritus further down the stream from it, had an idea what might have been up there, so last night, new 300D in hand, we headed on in again.
Over the jam rag wall
Around some twists and turns, and you come to this
A solid separator, or so i think it is, there were a few more pipes leading off this, but it was getting late, and we decided to call it a day (or night whichever way you look at it). There's still loads to explore though, and as soon as I've made the go-kart, we'll be down that brick tunnel.
As for the name, we couldan't think of one, but seeing as we saw so many of our "friends" down there, it seemed appropriate.
Ratty the rat
Eelie the eel
Spidey the spider
Fishy the fish
Wiggy the earwig
and a pair of ducks called George & Mildred (who were not pleased with Stoka)
Sorry about the quality of some of the shots, the ducks for instance would not stand still, no matter how much we shouted at them, and I am still trying to get to grips with my new camera. Any advice gratefully recieved.
The first one was a bit of a washout, with what looked like a wier from a T section, with water deep enough to go over our wellies, even with the water proof pants gaffer taped to them :S
So, waders bought, we headed down again to find that it was a series of brick walls, laid across the tunnels. Not sure why they would be there, and in true Bigjobs style, I forgot to take any pictures of them
In the end, the main tunnel is just over a mile long, and heavily blocked at the inflow, so it's a walk up, then a walk back
There are two smaller side tunnels, one is a lovely brick construction, which we think leads under the main town itself, the other is a round concrete pipe, but more about that later.
It starts at the outflow, where you have to go 20 foot or so under a brick rail bridge, then on into the square concrete culvert.
It doesn't look tall enough to stand up in, but it is. Just, and it gets taller the further you go in.
There's a pipe that lets out very warm water just before the concrete section starts, but that's not unusual there, it's right by pilkington's, whose hot water discharge gave the canal next to this the name "the hotties", cos it's always warm.
It changes construction between the square concrete sections and brick arches, I prefer the brick, even if it did kill my back :s
There's a few interesting features, and just some things that i thought were comical.
I need some new scales as well
We tried to call home, but there was no-one in
The brick tunnel that shoots of it is just about tall enough to stand up in, if you bend you legs at 90 degrees and double over. I couldn't go up stairs for a week after going up it, my legs just wouldn't work :s
the entrance to it with a couple of tramps.
Which turns into this
and carries on for ages
We're planning on going further up that one, as we think it leads onto bigger and better things, but we're waiting till we have proper transport.
We didn't give much thought to the concrete pipe at first, it was only after reading a few threads that I realised that there was a lot more detritus further down the stream from it, had an idea what might have been up there, so last night, new 300D in hand, we headed on in again.
Over the jam rag wall
Around some twists and turns, and you come to this
A solid separator, or so i think it is, there were a few more pipes leading off this, but it was getting late, and we decided to call it a day (or night whichever way you look at it). There's still loads to explore though, and as soon as I've made the go-kart, we'll be down that brick tunnel.
As for the name, we couldan't think of one, but seeing as we saw so many of our "friends" down there, it seemed appropriate.
Ratty the rat
Eelie the eel
Spidey the spider
Fishy the fish
Wiggy the earwig
and a pair of ducks called George & Mildred (who were not pleased with Stoka)
Sorry about the quality of some of the shots, the ducks for instance would not stand still, no matter how much we shouted at them, and I am still trying to get to grips with my new camera. Any advice gratefully recieved.
