Hest Bank |
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Bridge 125  |
Bridge 121  |
Bridge 120  |
Bridge 119  |
Hest Bank  |
Bridge 117  |
South of Hest Bank  |
Bridges 113 & 114  |
The canal runs northwards into pleasant countryside with views across to Morecambe Bay. At Hest Bank, the canal runs very near to Morecambe Bay. Before the Glasson branch was built in 1826, goods
were transhipped between sailing boats in Morecambe Bay and canal barges. The Hest Bank Hotel lay on the coaching route from Grange-over-Sands on the opposite side of the bay. A light in the window facing the canal would guide coachmen across the sands.
After Hest Bank, the canal passes through Bolton-le-Sands, a pleasant village close to the sea. The Packet Boat Inn was one of the stopping points for passenger 'packet' boats. There would have been a landing stage on the offside and steps up to the inn.
From 1833, a special swift packet service was run, completing the round trip between Preston and Kendal in a day. The service was withdrawn in 1846 when the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway was opened.
Hest Bank was once busy with canal boats and inland vessels, the town has now become a suburb of Lancaster and Morecambe. This is the nearest the canal comes to the sea, which is only a few hundred yards away at high water. The sands are uncovered at low water and in summer there are guided walks across them to Kent Bank, 6 miles on the other side of the Bay.
Bolton-le-Sands is an attractive village which takes pride in its canal, with many gardens landscaped down to the water.
