Questions Answered

Last week Clyde Hinton told me that he had seen (from a train window) a new path under construction alongside the Trent & Mersey Canal.  At the time I could not think where this could be, but the question was answered today as I cycled home along the canal towpath.
It is of course at Findern, and the construction had been held up due to the partial collapse of Canal Bridge no.20 between Stenson and Findern, caused by a farmer's tractor and trailer demolishing the parapet a couple of years ago.
The bridge is now repaired and the new bridleway almost complete. It makes a useful shortcut from the canal bank into Findern village, being on the North side of the canal, whereas the existing towpath along the canal is on the South side.
The path passes underneath the railway line as can be seen in this photograph.

This raises another question, namely what on earth are these ugly concrete steps for?  Well. the answer to that is that they are there for horse riders to dismount before entering the underpass which has very little headroom.

There is another set on the other side of the underpass, so that riders can remount after leading the horse through. Very tall horses are advised to duck, and giraffes are advised to find an alternative route.

But the mystery doesn't end there, because the bridleway appears to end a few yards further on, although cyclists can get through by carrying their bikes up another set of steps, and on to pass beneath the A50 trunk road and follow a lane into Findern village.

A view here taken from further back towards Bridge no.20 looking toward Findern.

And finally a view of the complete path taken fron Bridge 20.