This canal marker post is beside the Leeds-Liverpool Canal quite near the centre of Saltaire. It would be a day's hike (for me) to Leeds and it would take me more than a week to get to Liverpool. I gather that a horse pulling a loaded barge could manage a speed of about 2.5 miles an hour, plus extra time to get through all the locks on the canal. They would work for long hours and change the horses frequently but it was still quite a slow mode of transport. Modern day narrowboats with engines still cruise quite slowly, partly out of respect for other users and also to avoid eroding the banks with the wash of water in the boat's wake. Even walking fast, however, I can rarely keep up with one for long. (I've tried!)
Hi Jenny - lovely canal marker .. and so much has changed hasn't it .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize they used to be pulled by horses! The marker is charming, though! Lovely photo.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to see these old markers!
ReplyDeleteI like it!
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