Moving out

Ann went off on the tram to catch a train from Piccadilly.  The same Cross Country train that we often get from Stafford or Banbury to Southampton.

Geoff and I moved our boats away from Castle Quay after taking on water.  I then endured a damp trip on my own of about fifteen miles.  Thankful that our Bimini could stay up to keep me dry!

I stopped opposite Dunham Massey Hall with a view of the gardens and a green tree lined tow path.

Back to Manchester

Oh what a windy day it was. We left the Trafford centre, headed down to Waters Meeting and turned left to head for Manchester.

It was a wonder that things stayed on the roof. As it was our aerial nearly took of. Another boater had to stop to remove his plant pots that had nearly gone overboard.

The trees and factory buildings provided some shelter from the cross wind but where there were gaps the boat changed direction and at times leaned over alarmingly!

Moments before arriving at Castle Quay, Geoff rang to say we should turn left under the railway arch. He had gone right to find all the moorings taken!

As it was we went along side Seyella when Geoff arrived near the Museum of Science and Industry.

There are so many boats here obviously overstaying their welcome but there are no wardens to control the situation.

Geoff has seen NB Pilgrim and invited Malcolm and Barbara for meeting on board Seyella. 

The boat turned

While we are travelling with Seyella, Geoff's blog would have kept you all up to date with our travels and problems! 

 

We got as far as joining the Leeds and Liverpool canal near Plank Lane and the Pennington Flash. Now we head back to Manchester so that Ann can catch the train south to visit family being a long way from home.

There are plenty of places to stop on the Bridgewater canal with its well kept tow paths. Even the off side can be used as here at Boothstown. 

Technology ?

Did you know that Google Reader is to stop working soon?  I cannot add or change the subscriptions now.  Checking the latest unread blogs is what we do on our smart phone and we shall miss Reader.

There are alternative RSS feeders for that is what Reader was.  I have tried 'Feedly' on the computer and it enabled me to add and edit my existing subscriptions.  'Freedly' also has an app for Android but it did not work for me.  It just crashed.

Any body know of another to be recommended?

Now 'Smart' TV's are not so smart.  They can display internet pages but they do not have a full browser!

Just a splendid way to the shops

We moved up the Bridgewater canal a few miles north of Manchester.  There were some wonderful moorings with rings to tie to and a 'shopping centre' to explore nearby.  The tow path was excellent.

 This was the way in across the road!

This is the way to live.  Such splendour up north.  The shops were busy taking our money and everybody else's.

No cut backs up here!

All down hill to Manchester

From our mooring near the Marple bottom lock it was only 6 miles to Dukinfield Junction. Geoff had warned us about the low bridges so we put down our Bimini.

The majority of the Lower Peak Forest canal is tree lined and pleasant in the sunshine. After the Marple locks it was good to travel the long pound.

We squeezed under the low bridges and pushed through the dark tunnels.

Just one bridge to lift before our mooring for the night.

At Dukinfield Junction the Huddersfield narrow canal heads east while the Ashton canal heads west. Both canals were abandoned and left to rot when commercial traffic failed. The Ashton was reopened in 1974 and the Huddersfield in 2001. Both canals have proved to be a struggle to navigate ever since.

Now we face up to the trip down to Manchester and an early start on the Ashton canal with its eighteen locks.

The first two miles are tree lined and flat to the top lock where we topped up our water tank.

Geoff and Margaret in Seyella led the way down setting locks for us to follow. All the lock gear are vandal proof locked so they take longer to operate.

Because the canal had been abandoned many new road and rail bridges were built lower than the original canal bridges. It is a wonder that boats were able to navigate when it was reopened.

Beswick locks

It had been a cold windy day that made the seven hour trip almost too hard to complete.

The last bridge on the Ashton canal.

We finally arrived at the bottom and joined Seyela on the Rochdale canal at Picadilly above lock 84.

Ann went up to lock 83 to find the pound above it dry!

Next day when it stopped raining we moved down the Rochdale nine locks. Locks 84 to 92 pass through the city centre and we see many buildings covering and enclosing the canal.

The canal age was built of stone while the Victorians used red brick. Now we use metal, glass and concrete. The contrast could not be greater and they do not mix well in this city.

Lock 92, the bottom of the Rochdale 9.

We came down together in those wide locks and found a mooring in Castle Quay on the Bridgewater canal.

Going down the locks

We have got back to Marple and turned on the Peak Forest canal. Found some deep moorings on a bend for the long weekend.

The diesel boat Alton came by and filled our diesel tank again. Having got rid of our unwanted and filled the water tank at the junction we were all set for our decent of the Marple locks.


We went first followed by Seyella. It was a lovely sunny day as we went down 214 feet in a mile through 16 locks.

We were lucky to have several volunteers helping our two boats down with several coming up as well. 

Seyella arriving at the bottom.

At the bottom we found a quiet spot opposite a field of sheep n lambs just past the aqueduct.

Self Indulgence

We are just enjoying not doing much but reading, listening to music and not moving very far. We go for occasional walks and shopping. Geoff had hired a car and kindly offered to take us to Tesco in Macclesfield.

I am still trying to finish editing our book while discovering and converting home movies, sorting pictures and watching TV.

The news has just got so booring. There must be something else to report other than the activities of naughty old men. We seem to pay too much attention to what celebrities get up to.

The world of finance is more interesting. (If only we could get more Interest!). Money is just a concept and goes round and round. But if we do not trust it, the concept will fail. I thought that the welfare state and taxation was supposed to level off the highs and lows.

We seem to value housing too highly then cannot pay for it. Is that where the money has gone? How much does housing actually cost to build? We live on a boat and value it highly but we only paid for its cost.