Fecitt's memorial

Opposite a couple of mills on the way to work there is a stone mason's yard. It's been there many years and served the local community in providing memorials and stone products. Recently the stone saws and jib crane have been idle. It's a very basic place and would be quite tough to work there in the winter. First thing in the morning on cold days, I would see the fire stoked up as the mason prepared his daily work. Often he'd be there on the way back. He's not there now and most of the stone has gone. All that's left are the 40ft jib and the peeling paint. This can be their memorial because no doubt someone will come along and squeeze a few flats in the space it occupies between the road in front and the railway behind.

Vive la vélorution!

Today is a special day. As well as Bastille day, Parisians can celebrate having over 10,000 bicycles at their disposal for travel across their city. Link.

Cycling schemes

One of the features I thought would be good to include is to show you some of the improvements to the 'cycle network' that make up part of my route. Then I realised, there are none. Between Brownhill and Blackburn town centre or Little Harwood there is not one initiative that helps cycling.

In its cycling strategy Blackburn with Darwen council states:

"The Council plans to develop a number of schemes to link residential areas to the whole
range of needed facilities including employment, leisure, education, retail and health in a
traffic free environment. Such schemes are essential in widening choice for citizens and
promoting alternative sustainable travel”

None of the schemes include the A666 Whalley New Road or Bastwell, which is my shortest commuting route. It is acknowledged in their strategy document that there are shortcomings to on-road cycling facilities and that the busy A6119 Whitebirk Drive, which is my alternative, is not suitable for cyclists.

One scheme that has seen some activity in recent years is improvement to the canal towpath alongside the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The canal was opened in 1816 and now a section past Blackburn makes up part of National Cycle Route number 6. This provides a through route from east to west across the town. As an excuse to warm the muscles in the incessant rain we're having this July, I decided to forego the normal route home and explore this path towards Rishton. In the photo you can see we're quickly into the countryside on what is a reasonable metalled path. Commuting from Rishton to the east side of town at Whitebirk is easily achieved in 15 minutes although mudguards (fenders for our American readers) are advised, since there are some areas of standing water and the occasional pothole to contend with. From Rishton you can continue to Accrington or take a disused railway line to Great Harwood.

I've no idea how many cyclists use this route. I didn't encounter anyone apart from a couple of walkers exercising their dogs. From these communities, this route provides a great way to get to Blackburn without too much effort since it is flat all the way.

It's that time of year

These coaches outside St. Stephen's school this morning probably mean it's that time of year again, when the summer term runs down and the children get the chance to go on the school trip. For most, it's a day trip to a museum or other attraction. For year six students in some schools they get the chance to do something more adventurous like a short break at PGL (known by the kids as 'parents get lost'! Where did you get to on your school trips?

It's not there now, the ground's all flat...

An update to the earlier post: Today was the day the material arrived. I was reminded of the Bernard Cribbin's song, 'Hole in the Ground':

"Well there we were, discussing this hole
Hole in the ground so big and sort of round it was
It’s not there now, the ground’s all flat
And beneath it is the bloke in the bowler hat
And that’s that"

And nearby, earlier in the day, three official sort of gentlemen were seen taking stock of the situation.

What situation? Not obvious, but has anyone seen them since?

So that's about a 3 week lead time from getting a hole acknowledged, to getting it filled (based on a limited sample size of 2!)