Day 48 of the End to End the target is Wigan Pier. I was doing my O levels when I read George Orwell ‘s book, which he had written in 1936 after travelling to Wigan. However today, 80 years later, the best road to Wigan Pier is a canal and first I had to get onto it.
The Vulcan Village where I started was, as Bob mentioned on his blog yesterday, the place where Vulcan engines were made, not a place related to a well know TV sci-fi franchise.
I walked into Wargrave. The Emmanuel church as open for visitors. In the corner of the churchyard is the CWGC headstone remembering a young man of just 19 who died as a result of wounds received at the Battle of Loos in 1915.
The next landmark was the Harrow Inn, marking the beginning of mile 473, one of my sponsored miles. We had a small picnic and then Bob came with me on the next bit as the path was not very clearly marked. It went across a common which was covered in wildflowers. On the other side of the railway it went through a small wood.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal came up and the path along the canal was as usual very good. It was covered in fluff, seeds from the goat willow and dandelions that were flowering. In some places it formed a deep blanket. The route was through the Wigan Flashes, a series of large areas of open water that now form a nature reserve.
Unfortunately just before the disused railway bridge the path was closed and I had to retrace my steps to the last footbridge and take the path on the other bank of the canal. This allowed me to see Scotsman’s Flash close up (and provided me the opportunity to write about it here).
Bob had met me on the path and as we walked up towards Wigan Pier we stopped at a pub for a cold drink.
Wigan Pier is a now restored coal wharf on the canal. Nearby there are other buildings from Wigan’s industrial past and new retail areas. Local news confirms that while time passes, child poverty rates in some Wards in Wigan affect more than a quarter of children. I wonder what Orwell would make of that?
It all seems a far cry from the Wigan Flashes. We returned to Delamere Forest campsite for double Snugburys on a hot afternoon.
From Psalm 137
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
The exiles are expected to sing happy songs in the place of their captivity. They remember the songs but don’t have the heart for them.
We do not always feel like singing happy songs.
As the years go by the divisions in our society seem to be as deep as ever:
Children grow up in poverty,
More families rely on foodbanks.
I cannot sing happy songs about these things.
Lord have Mercy.
Grant us justice for all and a quiet night and a peaceful end.
JAL 23.05.2019
Day 48 of the End to End from Vulcan Village to Wigan Pier