The mystery of the Skull in Appley Bridge

 

We had so much fun with this tiny village we even didn't know we had.

Appley Bridge is just off Junction 27 of the M6, nestled north of the River Douglas and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, running parallel to each other from Wigan to a little place called Parbold. 

The name of the village sounds tasty and the canal location promises interesting features. We were not disappointed.  

Finch Mill swing bridge (above, left) caught our attention - it is a man-handle operating system. We approached it slowly and wondered if it worked and it clearly did. The lock was unlocked to our surprise and joy. 

We stopped there for quite a while, having fun swinging the bridge back and forth, back and forth. Then, some guy on a bike came and wanted to pass across the canal. Killjoy ;)

We spotted a few canal boats which is usually a sign of tender care of the boat people who may receive it in the area. 

The Boathouse Pub (above right) was in full swing, having such a spacious outside sitting area. The Bridge Inn, and further down the road, The Star Inn, were closed due to covid restrictions.  

On the Apple Lane South we were attacked by a fervour of colour:

A proper fairy-tale place. It is worth mentioning here an opposite, grim story living in the village, of which we found out about later, and regrettably missed a photo-visit. 

The third main road in Apple Bridge is called Skull House Lane. It takes its name from a human skull that is adjacent to a fireplace mantelpiece in one of the cottages. Apparently, it is impossible to get rid of it, because the owners over the years had suffered strikes of misfortunes in an attempt of doing so.  We hope to investigate further. 

In the meantime, we found a few more gorgeous front gardens of the terraced cottages.

Taking a walk in the Apple Bridge Meadows, between the river (which is really a brook) and the canal, we had learnt about a toxic plant that likes to grow there (above left and right). 

The board says 'Do not touch' unless your hands are covered, then you are more than welcome to take the hogweed out of the soil, the little bastard. 

A very pleasant walk for an afternoon time.