Diggle to Tunnel End, Marsden

Up early, we moved to the tunnel portal a little after 8am. With the water tank filling we had breakfast, there was hardly likely to be anyone turning up for a few hours and we knew roughly when they’d be arriving.

At 8.30 someone arrived from CRT to unlock the tunnel gates. They asked us once we’d filled the tank to move back so there would be space for the boat coming through from Marsden, they’d be setting off shortly and would arrive around 10.30. We did as instructed and then got on with preparing Oleanna for the tunnel.

Mick forgets the things we did last time. A similar conversation as the one we had before trying Froghall Tunnel. The pram cover and frame were removed. Cratch cover taken off and stowed inside. Poo buckets removed from on top of the gas locker and popped in the well deck, space was made for me to be able to sit there. Next the nav lights were removed just leaving the wires wrapped in lx tape sticking out of the cabin sides. Bags of coal flattened on the roof, all planks, poles etc put into the gutters. Top of the chimney removed, the stove had been left to go out overnight.

I got a message on my phone, could I please call someone back from CRT. I first thought it might be to do with our near miss yesterday, however it was about a closure ahead of us. There was a bridge at one of the Marsden Locks which engineers had deemed not safe. The bridge is the only means of getting to the offside to open and close the gates. It would be looked at again on Monday and hopefully they’d have us on the move again soon. The flight is kept locked to help conserve water and you have to book a passage down. Our journey down the east side of the HNC had been planned around various things. So hopefully they will be able to get us down on suitable days. The chap on the phone told me all the good things we’d be able to do in Marsden over the weekend. There are worse places we could get stuck.

At 10.15 I could see a light in the tunnel. At 10.30 the bow of a hire boat appeared from the dark. A lady stood at the front, three chaps in high-vis at the stern, a dog started to bark it’s head off inside the cabin.

David and Stuart came over to see us. David checked to see if we knew about the Marsden flight being closed, did we still want to go through the tunnel? Yes please, even if we have to wait a few days it would still be better than going the long way round to Yorkshire. Oleanna was measured, the top of the pan covering the removed mushroom vent deemed to be the highest point. Depth under the water. 1ft 4″! No chance!! They tried again, 2ft 4″, more like it. Across the top of the cabin at the bow, 4ft 11″, just under the 5ft we’d been told about for Froghall Tunnel. We’d fit.

Gas turned off, cuppas made for those who wanted one with the electric kettle. Safety briefing given. Tilly was noted, yes we would be able to climb a ladder if needs be and walk 1.5km. We passed, now we just had to wait the required 3/4 of an hour after the last boat had left before we could go in, this helps fumes to clear.

With all cabin lights on, we hoped Tilly would have a better journey through the tunnel than she did last time. I actually don’t know how she fared as I didn’t hear her or see her once in the 90 minutes it took us to get through.

On our first trip through on NB Lillyanne Mick had been at the helm, I sat at the stern along with the chaperone from CRT who gave us a good running commentary along with guiding Mick around the S bend in the middle of the tunnel. Three years ago there was still social distancing, Oleanna’s stern was just big enough for the chaperone to be with Mick at the stern, or the chaperone could be at the helm. Mick opted to sit at the bow with me so he could enjoy the trip through rather than spend all his time concentrating. This was quite a noisy affair, every bump or scrape could be heard, we winced quite a few times but were then relived when there was no noticeable damage.

Today Mick opted to be at the helm. David and Stuart would be with him at the stern and I would be alone at the front. There were two of them today as Stuart is in training for Tunnel Control, but needs to know the tunnel too.

A large lamp was positioned on our gas locker, fire extinguisher and various gas monitors were positioned at the stern. A large crate of stuff and a spare light were popped in the bow with me.

At the bow I had a cushion to sit on, camera and phone. I’d wanted to set up a time lapse, but because of yesterdays drama had totally forgotten about it. I’d also forgotten to give the cratch window a good clean! Oh well, at least we were here and about to go through!

At 11.15 Oleanna was pushed out. A chap who’d been walking up the Diggle flight yesterday had brought his family to watch us. I said we’d race them to the other end. Then we were in the tunnel, brick lined arched roof. Then the roof line flattens out where the rail tunnel crosses over head to travel for the majority of the way on our left hand side.

The tunnel was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1794. Construction began a few months later. Within two years cost saving measures and water levels pushed back the tunnels completion date. Thomas Telford took over and drew up a new plan for the tunnels completion and in 1811 it opened. By 1943 it was closed but with the restoration of the canal it reopened in 2001.

Three other tunnels head through the hillside. The first rail tunnel was built in 1848, a second in 1871 these were both to the east of the canal tunnel. The canal was used to remove spoil as the other tunnels were dug and adits were created between them. Then a third rail tunnel was made, this one crossed over the canal tunnel from the east, runs along side it then back over to the east side before resurfacing at Marsden. This was built in 1894 and is the one used today.

The interior of the tunnel varies so much. Arched brickwork, Brickwork with ribs giving it more support, several different types of rock. On some stretches you can see where holes were drilled to insert explosives, here there and everywhere.

There are ties holding up the roof, sections where concrete has been sprayed over the surface to keep it more stable. Stone block sections.

Small tunnels head off to the east, adits leading to the old rail tunnels where a CRT van follows your progress. Some of these are well lit, and a high-vis chap stood waiting for us, he could also be seen on one of the walk ways that cross overhead to the current rail tunnel. The accompanying van may soon be a thing of the past as new communications have been installed. On our roof we’d had a radio repeater added for our journey. Every now and then there would be something similar attached to the roof of the tunnel, glowing like a UFO as our lights caught it. At each adit the person in the van acknowledged us, but then David would radio Tunnel Control with our location. The system is still being tested, but once it is okayed the driver will no longer be needed in the other tunnel.

Our progress was steady. Quite a bit of bumping about. We discussed this later no, Mick wasn’t aware of as much bumping as I was at the bow, maybe on Lillyanne we’d done a similar amount but not been aware of it.

As with just about all tunnels there are wet bits. I’d put full waterproofs on knowing how wet I’d got last time. One spout of water pulsated towards the cabin side as we passed. Other water features were just a wall of water to pass through. At each one I would stand up and try to position myself under the cratch board, I still got quite wet! Mick at the stern had David and Stuart stand up at one time blocking his view.

Small pieces of wood could occasionally be seen on the roof. These were Leggers boards, they had numbers written on them so that the leggers would know where they were. I also spotted quite a few red plastic cotton reels attached to the walls, no idea what these were and forgot to ask about them.

David gave Mick instructions when we reached the S bend, slow, to the right a bit, don’t be tempted to turn just yet, go over a touch. All very helpful instructions and making sure we avoided any overhanging sections of wall that might get our cabin sides. Now Mick was asked to pick up pace, the trip boat was due to come into the tunnel at 1pm and it would be good if we were clear before then.

We popped out into the sunshine of West Yorkshire at 12.45 an hour and a half after entering.

All the kit was removed from Oleanna quicky and we pushed over to the off side for lunch. Over lunch we discussed what to do. We wondered if we could stay here on the offside, there’d be no boats heading for the tunnel over the weekend due to the Marsden flight being closed. Mick went over and chatted to the volunteers (they have 100 on this side of the HNC), he was told it would be fine to stay.

As we put Oleanna back together we waited for trains to come past. An educated guess on a train from Manchester was waved at, Josh was most probably on it heading to York for a weekend with Andrew and Jac. I’d sent him instructions on where to look as soon as he was through the tunnel, but it being his first time on the train route he almost certainly missed us.

The Cat H&S committee looked round. Perfect for Tilly apart from one thing, the railway line. Yes there is a good fence that she’d not be able to get through. But the fence was certainly climbable, it also has several trees very closeby which she’d be up like a shot. So very sadly cat shore leave wasn’t going to be on the cards.

Mick swept the chimney and cleaned the stove out before relighting the fire. I prepared a beef and beetroot curry, starting it off in the oven. We think the thermostat has got problems in the main oven, after an hour the curry had dried out and starting to burn around the edges. More water was added and it was then moved to on top of the stove to carry on cooking slowly. A very nice meal in the end with enough left over for a meal in a day or two.

0 locks, 3.3 miles, 5677 yards underground, 2nd boat moving on the HNC (excluding trip boats), 2 volunteers 1 cat in amongst the washing, 1 sodden cushion, 1 soggy pair of pants, 1 wave to a nephew, 3rd time, 1 flight ahead closed, 90 minutes in the dark, 0 3rd edition wanted, 1 much better day than yesterday.

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