Photo Left to Right: Phillipa Roberts, Suzanne Rigg (President) and Karen Sutton enjoying the cruise with their Angel friends

The Salford Angels got a taste of afternoon tea on the canal last week, as they set sail on the (very appropriately named) Emmaline Pankhurst. The barge was a ‘restaurant canal boat’ that took us down the old Bridgwater Canal route, from Worsely to Salford Quays, with afternoon tea served as we reached the Barton Lane Bridge aqueduct. We braved the four seasons on our journey up the canal, with lovely sunshine, battering rain and even a bit of lightening, but we were perfectly happy on our little boat, with our tea and scones.

There is no better way to learn a bit about the history of the canals in Salford, a very important part of the cities heritage; traversing the old canal routes, used so many years ago for travel and the coal mines. You will learn lots of interesting facts along the route, courtesy of the boat’s knowledgeable crew, such as the fact that miles and miles of underwater canals sit under Worsley, a legacy from the coal mines.

Delicate sandwiches and cakes, scones and quiche were the order of the day, making us all feel very pampered during our very smooth ride. Seeing the locks undone and the boat being lowered and taken through different sections of the canal was fascinating. As a lovely finish to our trip, we were even treated to the sight of Cormorants along the Quay, a very positive sign of the improvement, and continued maintenance, of the water in this area of the canal.

So take a step back in time on a heritage canal cruise, we can recommend it for the views, the relaxing journey and of course…the cake.

To find out more about the Salford Angels, please visit www.salfordangelswi.co.uk, or call Suzanne on 07581 471 530.