Farewell Manchester and the North.

0 Locks, 14 Miles. Now moored at Lymm. I think it's time this sign was taken down!Manchester's Metro link trams.Manchester United Football club.

As much as we have enjoyed our time in the North of England the time has come to start heading back to the Midlands before the winter stoppages kick in and cut us off. Not too bad a day for cruising but it was a trifle cold.

A least it still floats which is more than be said of the fibreglass hull on the bank.

The cold didn’t stop several rowing crews from the Trafford rowing club getting out on the water for a Sunday training session,hardy souls.

Training session for the coxless 4's from Trafford Rowing Club. I don't think these 2 will keep the grass down.

At the Ye Olde No3 pub at Little Bollington we stopped to take on water but there was very little pressure and it was painfully slow. We had our lunch while it was filling and as soon as we were ready to cruise again we just disconnected the tap even though we had only taken on perhaps 100 litres. Just before this that we found narrow boat's Caxton and Matilda Rose moored up. The only person aboard was Joe on Caxton who we stopped and chatted to for a wee while. Sorry that we missed the rest of the crew, Lesley, Jill and Graham.

Matilda Rose Joe on Narrowboat Caxton looking out the side hatch

We have now seen how popular the Bridgewater Canal is because we haven’t seen so many boats on the move since we went onto the Leeds & Liverpool Canal back in July. Admittedly with no locks or swing bridges it makes for easy but perhaps boring cruising. From what we have seen it is deep water all the way making mooring just about anywhere along the towpath very easy, unlike some canals where they are so shallow along the bank mooring is impossible.

Already for bonfire night at Little Bollington.

1964 locks, 3825½ miles, 72 tunnels, 129 swing bridges and 54 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Hold up at Canal Street.

9 Locks, 1½ Miles. Now moored at Grocers Warehouse.

Lock 84 Rochdale Nine.

We all opted for an early start this morning to get through the Rochdale Nine ASAP to allow time for some shopping at Castlefield. Once again Richard volunteered his services to assist us which was very much appreciated.

This mural was new since our first visit despite the date.

Everything was going well until we reached lock 87 where we found a police cordon around the lock. Richard being the only man ashore at this point spoke to the constable on duty and was told that he couldn’t let us through until CID and Forensic had examined the scene of a serious assault overnight. Nothing for it but to moor up alongside the floating bar and wait.

Richard using the old boatman's route from one lock to the next.

We had been told BW had been informed and it was about an hour or so before a BW representative did grace us with his presence. Apparently he had locked off the flight but not before we had started our descent. He realised that we had beaten him through lock 84 but his main concern was to lock off lock 92 before a handful of boats in that area tried to ascend the flight. After a two hour delay we finally got underway again but not before water levels in the flight had risen . With some locks only having one working paddle on the lower end and water flowing over the top gates it took a long time for the water level to equalise and a bit of extra muscle power to open the gates.

After our delay at lock 87 the water levels had risen to the extent of having excess water.

We eventually emerged from the bottom lock with quite a large crowd of gongoozlers taking note of our progress.By this time the boats that had been waiting to ascend the flight had all given up waiting and presumably gone off somewhere to moor up because we saw no sign of them.

Lloyds Bank Building in Manchester.

Oh dear, is it that time already? Christmas decorations with a difference.

1964 locks, 3811½ miles, 72 tunnels, 129 swing bridges and 54 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Phew! That was Close.

“The Wheel” in Manchester City Centre.

While checking our emails etc this afternoon we found several notices from Waterscape advising us of any problems on the waterways. The one that caught our attention was one for the Rochdale Canal which stated

“That due to a collapsed wall caused by fire in a mill building between locks 76 & 77 the canal and towpath will be closed until further notice with a review on Monday”

Boy are we glad we are through and off that section of the canal as of yesterday afternoon.  Here is a link to the news on the BBC from Paul.

A glazed tile frontage on Langley building in Manchester. Note the Welsh dragon on the top recess.

A cool but very sunny day was the catalyst for a trip on Manchester’s “The Wheel”, the equivalent of  The London Eye. The view at the top was magnificent although the wheel does travel a wee bit too fast not giving you much time to search the horizon or focus on a particular view. Although we did get a bonus in that we were told we would get 3 revolutions of the wheel when in fact we got 4 before alighting.

Views across Manchester and the Pennines from “The Wheel”. The white posts in the distance are a wind turbine farm.  The Printworks as seen from “The Wheel” in the centre of Manchester. Fountain in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester.

After some shopping and sight seeing it was time to head back to the boat before it got too cold with the sun disappearing behind the tall buildings and the home time rush. Tomorrow morning we head down the final nine locks on the Rochdale Canal down onto the Bridgewater Canal.

Ducie Street Junction.

20 locks, 7 Miles, 1 Lift bridge and 1 tunnel. Now moored below lock 83

Dis-used canal basin at Chadderton, Rochdale Canal.

Last night we were visited by the local idiots who set loose the hire boat behind us and managed to loosen 2 of our 3 ropes before they were disturbed. The hire boat crew were off the boat but we managed to get a rope aboard using our sea searcher magnet (boy those things are strong) and pull it back to its mooring and secure it again. We suspect that the cheeky young brats even came back to see what mayhem they had caused taunting us from the tree’s on the opposite bank. Still small things amuse small minds.

Grimshaw Lane lift bridge. Rochdale Canal. This is an unusual bridge by lifting on 4 hydraulic rams.

We were up very early this morning to meet BW workers at lock 65,so early in fact we travelled for about half an hour in darkness due to sunrise not being until 7.38am. Our appointment with BW was for 8.30am with an hour and a half to travel before that, so that we had access to the locks down to Manchester.

Beautiful autumn colours at lock 76 Rochdale Canal.

With a crew of 6, due to the unexpected arrival of Paul Balmer of Waterways Routes with windlass at the ready, we made good time with just a few lock gates playing hard to get and not opening easily', especially one that had been mutilated by having the end of the balance beam sawn off. (What some people do to get their firewood?). Both skippers had to make several visits down the weed hatches but it was a hire boat following us down who had the biggest problem fouling some sort of lounge furniture.

Anthony Lock which is a drop of 9' 8“.  Note the added height to the lock on the restoration of the canal.

Along the way we met 2 boats heading up in the opposite direction and they had been instructed, as we had, to leave the locks set open to speed up our progress. After discussion with the BW workman it was decided to moor just below lock 83 on the mooring rings rather than travel around to the Piccadilly Basin at the start of the Ashton Canal.

No shortage of water below lock 78 with the tow path flooded in many places.

The bywash needs serious alterations here. Victoria Mill Park.

Once again a big thank you to Paul for his assistance today especially as it was not planned.

1956 locks, 3810 miles, 72 tunnels, 129 swing bridges and 54 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Irk Aqueduct.

10 Locks, 1½ Miles. Now moored at Irk Aqueduct. Lock 54 Watering up both boats.

A leisurely start to the day where we had both Nb’s Gypsy Rover and Epiphany in lock 54 filling our water tanks from the tap of the old lock keepers house. Once this was completed we were away with a hiss and a roar as the lock’s are close together and the first 4 were set in our favour. Unfortunately our luck ran out after this with most locks being empty. On the good side was the fact that there is plenty of water along this stretch of canal.

A beer named Coronation St.

Before we set off we had been talking to Andrew the BW Lengthsman  who has been following us for the last 2 days while inspecting all the lock structures. He warned us about bridge 69 which had part of the parapet removed and BW had repaired it with a steel structure. Not long after this the whole parapet on the opposite side was stolen and removed, can you believe it? It would have had to be stolen to order and a builder would be involved with it somewhere.

First one side and then the other!

1936 locks, 3803 miles, 71 tunnels, 129 swing bridges and 53 lift bridges since Nov 2006

Civic Pride or lack of it.

5 locks, 7 Miles, 1 Swing bridge, 1 Tunnel. Now moored at Slattocks

As  it was going to be an easy sort of a day we didn’t leave Littleborough until after 10am. Again another fine day but a lot of high cloud as we set off on the first leg of the journey which was a 3½ mile cruise with only the swing bridge before we reached the first lock.

This was a lock prior to the M62 cutting off the canal. Deviation tunnel under the M62, Rochdale Canal. Reduced to single file with the floating towpath.

The canal through Rochdale unfortunately tends to still be used by some of the locals as the rubbish dump. We had to remove some rubbish to be able to get the gates to open on locks 49 & 50. Talking to some locals while waiting for the locks to fill we got the impression that the local council don’t care about the canal saying it’s BW’s problem. When are these councillors going to wake up to the fact the canal’s are a multi million £ tourism industry and they could be bringing some of that money into their own community by encouraging boaters to visit not stay away. WAKE UP ROCHDALE. Enough said!

The new lock 53 Rochdale Canal and Trub bridge, wouldn’t it be great if more looked like this?

Once through Rochdale the scenery improved and the rubbish abated. Between locks 52 & 53 we were on the new deviation which came about due to the M62 motorway cutting off the canal. There was an old lock chamber below lock 52 and the motorway tunnel now has a floating pontoon towpath through it reducing it to one way traffic. Just after lock 53 the course of the original canal can be seen still in water up to the motorway but blocked to boaters by a floating island across the entrance.

Floating island blocking the old course of the Rochdale Canal below lock 53. Castleton Branch library building. Rochdale Canal.

The moorings at Slattocks tend to be a bit on the shallow side so we have breasted up to a BW work boat moored here, well he is on what is supposed to be visitor moorings and the canal is plenty wide enough.

1926 locks, 3801½ miles, 71 tunnels, 129 swing bridges and 53 lift bridges since Nov 2006

A sign for today!

You know what they say about “Red Sky at Night……………….” Lets hope it’s right for today.  These were taken at 6.30pm last night at Littleborough.