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.

Never mind the view, feel the depth

We have moved away from Whaley Bridge on the Upper Peak Forest canal and turned off on to the Macclesfield. We had stopped near New Mills for the view before leaving.

Passing other boats seem to encourage the bottom of the boat and canal to meet each other!

It has been slow going with several bridges to lift and swing on the way. Some difficulty stopping to get off to operate the bridges with the shallow edges. The mud seems to suck the boat back to the side what ever you do with the prop and rudder!

A shallow mooring near Hawk Green

Perhaps we should encourage C&RT to do a lot more dredging and repair of both sides of the canal system. It has been five years since we have been up on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest and have noticed much deterioation.

Back to Bugsworth

Oh that canal Basin is so attractive we just had to get there one more time.  So quiet now, but back in the 1900s it was very industrious and noisy.  Gritstone and Limestone quarries were up in the hills and being transported in wagons down a tramway to be processed.  Coal was bought in and the products taken away by narrowboat on the Peak Forest Canal.

We found Rock n Roll round the back near the lime kilns so turned round and moored nearby.  Then we went for a walk round to find Seyella had arrived for another weekend.

Later that evening Alton arrived and filled all our diesel tanks.

Geoff had placed an order with Tesco and when it arrived we moved alongside to pass the goodies through our side hatches.

Hanging around

We moved out of Bugsworth Basin and stopped just past Carr swing bridge. The mooring was a bit shallow and the boat often leaned over on the mud when a boat passed.

It is worth staying a while to admire the view among the hills of the Peak Forest.

The occupants of Seyella, Rock n Roll and Moore 2 Life spent time together climbing up hills and down in the Goyt valley. Perhaps needless to say I did not manage the hills! Roads cross the River Goyt on huge stone viaducts.

The river flows over its rocky bed and a number of dams create waterfalls where the old mills extracted the power.

The mills have gone now and the power is used to generates electricity. An Archimedes Screw is mounted in a trough with water flowing down, turning the screw slowly. There is plenty of water flowing over the dam but no power was being generated when we saw it.

Marple Locks

Our friends moved back to Whaley Bridge while we set off for Marple. Ann to collect train tickets and me to get medication. While there we had fish n chips sitting outside the shop in sunshine. We returned to the moorings just before Carr swing bridge. We arrived at about five o'clock having travelled for nearly six hours that day.

Rings, rocks and moorings

Many moorings on the Macclesfield canal looked inviting but there was usually too much mud preventing the rear end from getting near the bank. There were a few spaces at the visitor moorings in Marple for Rock n Roll and M 2 L. For once the boats were in deeper water and tied to rings.

We found some good shops down the hill at Marple. Having done the shopping we all enjoyed refreshments from Greggs the baker while sitting on a street seat and watching the traffic!

Back at the boats we set off to turn right at the junction of the Peak Forest canal.

It is many years since we were here and it is sad to see the visitor moorings in such a state with those rocks in the water.

It is only 6 miles to Whaley Bridge but there are a few bridges to swing or lift on the way.

George did Higgs.

And Ann did Wood End while Rocker and Lifer cruised past.

Although it was a bit misty we could see across the Goyt Valley.

Baz and Al were on their way out on Micky Jay and Al was kind enough to open this bridge for us.

We went on to Whaley Bridge for water, facilities and post while Rock n Roll went into Bugsworth Basin.

When we arrived at the basin we did a tour by boat before backing up to join the others.

Seyella and Pilgrim were also there and Malcolm and Barbara invited us all on board for tea, cake and a chat.

We intend to stay a while so felt obliged to volunteer a donation to the Inland Waterways Protection Society which maintain the moorings. This is better than getting a fine from C&RT for staying too long at these lovely moorings.

Locks n mills

All twelve locks at Bosley were climbed up in a morning. We left after breakfast with Geoff setting the locks for us. The wind made it tricky when leaving the lock because the boat was blown into the shallows. It was then difficult to get off the mud.

Half way up we were meeting boats coming down as expected. The top lock is 518 feet above sea level. While there we topped ip with water and lost the unwanted at the facilities.

Next day we continued our journey north round the hills passing several swing bridges that Geoff had opened.  

The canal is noticeably shallow at the edges and in the bridge holes. With the problems at the locks as well, the prop picked up some rubbish. The boat slowed to a crawl and reversing the prop did not help.  Having got past a swing bridge we stopped. 

The weed hatch is under the back deck and difficult to get to so it is always a trial of determination. The water was so cold that my arm almost went numb. Geoff offered to help and managed to remove the old rope and weed. 

A convoy of three boats went through while the traffic waited for us.

Gurnett

The Hovis mill in Macclesfield. That town was well known for producing silk.

There are a few old cotton mill buildings to pass.  This one is Clarence Mill.

An ancestor on my mothers side was Henry Platt who was a blacksmith in Uppermill by the Huddersfield narrow canal. He invented many textile spinning and carpet weaving machines in Oldham.

We set off heading for a mooring at Bollington but found the popular spot full of boats. Several aborted attempts were made due to the shallow edges before finally stopping at Whitley Green.

George and Carol had hired a car and offered to take us shopping in town. A chance to get away from the boat and travel at speed on four wheels. Thank you both for the trip.

Bridges

All canals have their own character and the Macclesfield is no exception. This one cuts through the hills and fills the valleys with embankments or aqueducts.

This bridge is a 'cross over', 'turn over' or 'snake' bridge. When the towpath changes sides to avoid falling down the hill a horse can go through and over without unhitching the tow rope.

This is what I wrote back in 2002 when passing Congleton- 

Canal, rail and road cross each other here. The old stone canal bridge is almost lost under the iron railway bridge and the high concrete road bridge dwarfs both. They show some lack of respect for each other.

The bridges have their own style, Geoff calls them 'Hobbit Holes' because of their shape.

Even the milestones are unique. They were all buried during the war and have been restored to their upright positions.

We were getting low on diesel so were pleased to see Brian and Ann on Alton.

Geoff got some coal.

Despite approaching the High Peaks the canal manages to stay level for most of its 25 odd miles. Only at Bosley does it climb 118 feet through 12 locks in a mile.

Moving boats

Before we set off two boats went past! They were Kangeroo and Australia. The lock was not far ahead and by the time we got there Seyella was already going up.

 While we were waiting another two, Jaguar and Northolt drifted past us. Their engine had stopped and they were almost along side! Ann had set the lock for us so I had to back up to get past them.

The towpaths were covered in snow but at least the locks were clear as we went up the four of them. 

Although it was bright with warm sunshine the bridges still had icicles hanging from them.

About a mile of towpath was being improved on our way to Barlaston.

Next day we set off to tackle the 14 lock miles through Stoke on Trent. More snow fell from the sky accompanied by sunshine and a cold wind. It took us both a while to recover from that trip having got to Westport Lake.

In the morning sunshine we walked round the lake with Geoff and the two dogs. The local wild life were so tame it was possible to get close and personal.

After a refreshing cup of tea we set off for Harecastle Tunnel. Our previous trip through was with Sue and Vic back in 2010.

This time Seyella followed us through. We turn off while the Trent and Mersey goes down to Middlewich.

A short while later the canal crosses over to join the Macclesfield. 

We have been this way only twice before in 2002 and 2005.