Portadown to Scarva

Portadown to Scarva

Today's start the Bann Bridge in Portadown.
It's a great off-road 18 mile run from here all the way to Newry but, thankfully, we are only going half way.

A gloomy institution, aka Portadown College - my old school.  Don't remember much about the place apart from innovations typical of the 1960s - daily lunchtime discos, a smoking room for senior pupils and R&B music legends The Interns playing at a school dance. 
Those were the days to be young.

The Point of Whitecoat, where two rivers and a canal meet.  Nobody knows how it got its name.

Moneypenny's Lock House - not much has changed here since the early days of the Newry Canal.   Lightermen allegedly used to swap coal for food with the woman who lived here.... bad news for the Portadown coal merchants who were paying for the cargo. 

The old Madden Station.  Not in a town but once a very busy place dealing with linen from the massive Gilford Mill, porridge from the factory in Tanderagee and live cows from local farmers.  The waiting room had the perfect combination of a coal fire and a machine selling the original (ie big) Frys Chocolate Cream bars.  Nowadays, no trains stop and the Dublin Enterprise zooms through at great speed.

Terry who?

The old canal basin at Scarva.  Try an afternoon here on a sunny summer Sunday, when they have brass bands and the cafe is open. 

In the vault of Fraise et Chocolat cafe in an ex-bank in Tandragee.  Subject to good behaviour, they are going to let us out in three weeks.  So the next run should be in early December.