The rain started yesterday evening and I think it has been a constant for a least 24 hours. Our current schedule has days off built into it, but they are just about all spoken for. At least the wind had subsided a bit this morning.
We waited to see if the rain would ease. Maybe it would, maybe we’d get a soaking. An early lunch with hope of moving on afterwards. Waterproofs donned. Engine on. The yellow water needed emptying, that was none negotiable.
Mick came in doors, he’d been thinking, so had I. The rain was very big drops, after five minutes out there he’d got pretty soaked. The plan was to do 8 locks today, we’d be dripping wet before the second lock. Could we do an extra long day tomorrow instead? If the weather eased off then we’d head on, but we both knew that wouldn’t happen, even so we both kept our padded waterproof trousers on for much of the day.
Well that’s pants!
Tilly agreed, the weather was SO bad even I didn’t get to go out! You wouldn’t have got to go out anyway, we’re in a car park!
The day was spent doing a blog writing master class with Mick. Writing a post is one thing. Adding the photos, changing fonts to black and bold to make them easier to read is second nature to me now, but it all takes time.
Quality control.
In between giving guidance I watched A Million Little Pieces2018. A jolly little number about an addict who after injuring himself ends up in rehab, he falls in love and battles his past to save himself. As I say a jolly film, not. But good to knit in front of.
Ready for the oven
This evening (still raining), I had a go at my own version of the chicken, ham, leek dauphinoise pie I bought in Northwich the other week. It turned out pretty well, very tasty. Not too healthy, but then dauphinoise potatoes never have been with all that cream. Very indulgent and not a standard midweek meal and I did manage to use nearly every pan we have! I’ll write it up when I have time, and next time I’ll see what it’s like using soya cream instead to reduce the fat content.
Ready for our tummies
Mick had spied that a new series of The Traitors started tonight on BBC 3. It’s also available on demand, so that’s our viewing sorted for the next ten nights. But what a measly prize pot $70,000, that’s just over £33,000 a third of the UK prize pot!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 wet Mick, 1 dry Pip, 1 dry Tilly, 1 very nice meal, 1 long day tomorrow, 1st NZ season, it’s not the same without a castle!
Dukinfield Railway Bridge to Tescos, Stalybridge, Huddersfield Narrow Canal.
Turning our backs to Manchester
Dr Zeus, Baby Shark, Recorded Commentary and Ceonothus were topics on the Geraghty zoom this morning as well as the trip on the PS Waverley. There is a post being written about Mick’s trip, hopefully it’ll be posted soon.
What’s happening here?
Time to move onwards. Right at Dukinfield Junction, under Asda and out the other side. Only what was that? Was there someone in the water behind the white thing. A fridge freezer and a fisherman who had an inflatable seat, said he can go where others can’t. He can also keep boaters on their toes!
Squeezing in to Lock 1W
Below Ashton Lock 1W of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal there are two signs, one welcoming you to the HNC the other to the Ashton Canal. There is also a very small sign under the bright blue one saying that the HNC is a SSSI. I only know this as I zoomed in with the camera.
SSSI
Mick headed up to empty the lock. The locks all have bridges over the bottom end, but no walkway at the top gates, so you need to walk all the way round to lift paddles. We soon got into the routine that once Oleanna was high enough I’d step off on the off side to lower the paddle whilst Mick opened the top gate, saving his legs.
Dark and narrow
Above the first lock there is a very narrow channel with several bridges over it, the going is very slow along here, very slow.
In the depths of 2W
2W and 3W are quite close together. Mick emptied the bottom one, then I was a little bit surprised that the bottom gates didn’t close behind Oleanna. Where had he gone? Nearly 11ft down I couldn’t see much. I called out to check he was okay, no answer. I waited. Maybe if I stood on a locker I’d be able to see more, but I really didn’t want to hoik myself up there. I waited, still nothing, was he alright. I called his phone. Of course he was alright, he’d headed up to the next lock to set it emptying. He had signalled to me what he was doing but I hadn’t seen.
These locks have what look like pepper pots by the top gates, these are posh air vents from the paddle gear.
A tree hung low over the canal. A broken branch or two, some sawn, some just broken. Our higher chimney would be a problem. We slowed, reversed so that Mick could take the top off, all the time Oleanna drifting and doing her best to get her own back on a particularly annoying branch. It snapped but didn’t come off! Mick tried too as we went under it, it cracked a bit more, hopefully no longer a big pointy sharp thing ready to attack paintwork.
Pretty impressive
On the side of a building now used for thai martial arts there is a great mural by AKSE-p19 a Manchester graffiti artist. This one was painted in 2022 and is of Kru Steve Moore a senior instructor at the Sitsiam Centre.
Over the River Tame Aqueduct, the narrow channel flowing pretty speedily below us.
Now in Stalybridge, the lights and railings dating from when the canal was reopened in 2000, all more grown over than when we were last here, only the official towpath side has a clear path, despite there being lights along the offside too.
Are they coming down?
As we rounded a bend towards the next lock we could see a bow of a blue boat sitting under the road bridge. A community boat from Dukinfield. No sign of movement, were they having their lunch and was this why all the locks had been full in front of us? Soon a head popped out from the bow doors, another at the stern. It was a training day and yes they’d winded and tied up to the railings under the bridge to have lunch. Wonder how many times they do this and find themselves in the way, not many I suspect.
Pebble dashed lock walls
The next few locks into the heart of Stalybridge were rebuilt. The first has pebble dashed sides and an emerging view up to the hills ahead. The next is still original stone work, followed by a full concrete lock. The newer locks have both top paddles on the one side, saving walking round.
Pennines ahead!
We popped up much to the delight of a little girl on Dads shoulder, so many questions, just at the age where Why? or What? start every sentence. Surprisingly there were no boats moored outside Tescos. We pulled in on the off side by the car park, then quickly remembered about the goose pooh! Mooring rings sat in pools of the stuff, eerk! But this side would have less foot fall and is easier to get a supermarket trolley to even if you have to climb through the railings!
Up into Stalybridge
Late lunch followed by a big shop. Yesterday we’d made sure we had everything we needed for a meal today just in case we didn’t manage to get to Tescos in time. It turns out we were here in time but we had to rush to beat them closing.
Last lock of the day
A very nice roast chicken enjoyed, Oleanna nice and cosy. Then the wind started to howl and rain started to pour. Mick checked the ropes before bed, leaving us with some slack should the level rise overnight, but this did mean we’d get rocked to sleep by the wind. Here’s hoping it’s not too wet tomorrow!
Quarter of an hour earlier than of late we managed to push off, a small achievement but at least it was in the right direction.
Trees trees trees
Once down the Marple flight the Peak Forest Canal is just flat, there are two tunnels and a lift bridge for a bit of interest, but no locks. We pootled along, tunnel mode engaged for Hyde Bank Tunnel all 308 yards of it. I then bobbed below to give Tilly’s pooh box a refresh as I could tell she was desperate to go, wanted to use shore based facilities, wouldn’t be allowed onto the outside, her pooh box smelt! I can tell these things easier now I spend half an hour every day at her level on the floor!
A touch of autumnal knitting at the stern as we made our way along the tree lined canal. At Woodley Tunnel a Dad was cycling with his two kids along the towpath which goes through the tunnel. His daughter wasn’t peddling, just pushing herself along with both feet, making her Dad’s progress behind quite difficult. As soon as we passed there was no light in the tunnel and the daughter really wasn’t happy! I’m not sure how Dad coped with it all, I suspect the easiest way would have been to reverse out of the tunnel, but his son was way ahead. I hope next time they’ll equip their bikes with lights!
A rounder O would have helped
Past Joseph Adamson and Co, Est 1885. I wonder if originally they had planned for a rounder O than was used Or was the company actually Jo Seph Adamson and Co?
Under a couple of roving bridges. One with metal sides. Going under this it looked like the bridge has been expanded several times, I think we counted five different archways
Under the M67
The next bridge was under the M67, I think this is just about as close as we can get to Fallowfield where my nephew Josh is currently living at Manchester University. 5.3 miles as the crow flies.
Lifted just enough to get under
Who would wind up the lift bridge? I remember doing so on a hire boat, this I’m pretty sure would have been the first lift bridge I ever worked, unless I got the job on the Llangollen way back when! First thing was to remember what would be needed to unlock it, a handcuff key, not a Key of Power! I remember making the same mistake last time. 31 turns up and 21 down, it was hard work, maybe I’m loosing all my windlass lasspower.
I suppose it’ll do!
We pulled in a short distance on, enough outside before the drop down to the River Tame for Tilly to have some shore leave and not too close to the railway bridge. Before sitting down for lunch I gave the nettles along the bank a trim, intentions to do more to the grabrail.
Over lunch it decided to rain, this along with the bank not being right alongside Oleanna put me off getting the attachment of doom out to grind back the rusty bits. I just hope that I get a suitable mooring and suitable weather to get more done to them and the mushroom vent before too long.
Ashton Old Baths
A walk up to Lidl then Asda to do a ‘just in case’ Sunday roast shop and to buy a newspaper in the wet kept us busy. Three buildings caught our attention. The first not very architecturally significant, Ashton Primary Care Centre. This is where nine years ago a lovely nurse practitioner redressed my missing finger despite them not being allowed to do such things.
What lies inside the old baths
Next was Ashton Old Baths. Opened in the 1870s, Ashton Old Baths is one of the finest example of a former public swimming baths in the North of England. The building has housed concerts, held tennis matches and closed in 1975, the building remained derelict for 40 years until Tameside Council and Oxford Innovation decided to reinvent the space for the digital age. It’s a grand Victorian building from the outside, inside it holds a wooden pod. More info can be found here.
Cavendish Mill
The other building is Cavendish Mill a former cotton spinning mill. It was built between 1884 and 1885 to a fireproof design and was the first mill in Ashton to be built with concrete floors and a flat roof. What stands out though is it’s octagonal staircase around the base of the chimney. The mill ceased spinning cotton in 1934, then was used for various purposes until it was converted into housing in 1994.
0 locks, 6.4 miles,1 lift bridge, 2 tunnels, 1 great looking outside, 1 mediocre outside, 2 many woofers, 1 plan postponed, 1 Sunday roast purchased just in case, 1 dormant pizza boat neighbour.
Bullocks Bridge to almost Hyde Bank Tunnel, Peak Forest Canal
We really need to get better at getting a move on in the mornings, we didn’t get going until 10:45, we’d a bit of catching up to do from yesterday, plus a flight of locks along with other things.
Three miles to Marple, it was windy! We were glad to see the chap still has his collection of things at Bullocks Bridge, spotted a boat that had come up Bosley ahead of us a few years ago, it doesn’t look like it ventures far now. A cat got a chin rub from a passerby, then had a serious grump on at a woofer on the towpath. Passing Goyt’s Mill a gust of wind caught my cap and very nearly had it in the drink!
A message came through from our house. A leak had manifested itself overnight following feral weather on the North Yorkshire coast. Some time was spent trying to talk to someone who’d be able to at least go and have a look to see what the problem was, all we got were answer phones to talk to, hopefully someone will call back.
Sylvester and Peter keeping an eye open for fly tippers at the services
There was one space left in Marple, we tried pulling in, the wind making it hard so an Andy manoeuvre was required. All very well except the local ducks were convinced I’d have several slices of white sliced and were positioning themselves right in the crush zone. I waggled my hands to try to get them to move, but they just thought it was pre-dinner entertainment and Mick thought I was suggesting he brought Oleanna in further. No ducks were harmed in the end and all they got from us was the weed on Oleanna’s hull.
Mick had a prescription to pick up and a pint of milk to buy. Then it was lunchtime. Then we could push off again. The new services in Marple have opened, big fanfare! They have been closed for years whilst some new housing was being built. But now there is a stone built building with elsan, water, toilet and if you go around the corner behind a locked door is a room filled with red Biffa Bins of all varieties! I should have hung onto our recycling. There are also many bird boxes, bird feeders and a rather nice bench all provided by Marple Men in Sheds. There are also five EV charging points, each space was full, no car was charging up though.
They saved the best till last
Under THE Macclesfield roving bridge and the end of the Macclesfield Canal. Left please! The top of the Marple flight of 16 locks, a drop of 207ft 10″ that’s very nearly 13ft each. Mick hopped off and topped up the top lock. Then we were on our way down.
Going down
A chap stopped to chat, as the water dropped I had to excuse myself as I’d no longer be able to hear him as Oleanna descended into the depths. He went to chat to Mick who had now come back having set the lock below filling. In Lock 15 I had quite a wait, Mick came back saying there was a boat coming up. With the pounds here being quite short and the wind blowing a hoolie we swapped over, he could do the do-ci-do.
Mick waiting to move across the pound
The lock below us had it’s bottom gates open, I could see the interested chap chatting away to the man from the uphill boat, the lock ready, but just chatting. They moved over into the next lock, once the bottom gates were closed I lifted a paddle so our locks worth of water would help fill their lock rather than just run round over the bywash. I opened our gates, the lady from the boat below opened her gate, the chap ignored the fact that the lock was ready and carried on chatting on the stern. Come ON!!!! Wake up smell the coffee!! The lady shouted repeatedly to him, I was about to join in and Mick had the back door of Oleanna open ready to give a blast on the horn. He looked up, ‘oh it’s ready, are the next gates open?’ Yes and there’s a boat that’s been patiently waiting for you to get a move on. The lady and I smiled a knowing smile at each other, we were on our way again.
Gate beams overhang the lock bridges
There’s always gongoozlers down Marple. There’s always pissers coming out of the lock walls going down Marple. In the next lock we paused so I could go below to close all the windows to save having puddles inside. The wind blew, the bywashes flowed making some hovering a little difficult. Mostly Mick walked on ahead to set the next lock filling whilst I closed the top gate and dropped paddles before waiting for him to return. One gongoozler said Mick was walking three times as far as the boat was moving. True.
Sunshine!
The sun was out. In a couple of weeks the flight will be filled with golden trees, today it was still pretty.
New stonework on the right
One of the locks had very new looking paddle gear on the top gate, a recent stoppage this last week. Then as the water level dropped in one lock we could see where it had been rebuilt recently. New stone work with dints in it to try to mimic the older stonework. The Marple locks have had a tendency to narrow and several have had to be rebuilt in the last few years as they have narrowed too much. Quite a lot of the stone work overhangs in some of the chambers, stepping out by a few inches!
Fancy stone work either side below the lock
The bottom gates overhang the lock bridges, meaning you can operate the gates from the bridge, you just need to climb up to the top to operate the paddles. I’m a little bit short for some of the gates, but Mick didn’t seem to have a problem with them.
Closing the top gate
From above
A boat was heading up, a lady appeared with a windlass. ‘They don’t half take time to fill these locks’ she said. As I passed NB Somerton the chap at the stern made mention of Tilly, I think his dog sat on the roof was Hannah. Nice to meet you even though very briefly.
Rows of Chocolate Fingers to help you get your grip (just humour me)
We descended the next lock, Mick said we’ll see how well the next few retain their water and I said to myself how nice it was that all the pounds were full, no struggling to get over cills today.
Where’s Mick?
Then at the next lock we discovered why the uphill boat had been taking their time to ascend, a bottom paddle a good few inches up, there was also a top paddle partly open too. Some of the paddles won’t close fully if the gate is open, Mick had had to return to a few himself as we came down the flight.
Across the aqueduct to the viaduct
Under the railway and across the aqueduct, views out towards the north east. Through Rose Hill Tunnel, no longer with a roof. We were now at our preferred mooring, but so were quite a few other boats. It took us a little while to be able to find a place to pull in close enough to the bank, only slightly on a list!
16 locks, 4.6 miles, 1 left, 1 new service block, 2 look outs, 1 months pills, 1 pint, 1 hat saved, 1 aqueduct, 1 very slow man, 1 hire boat catching us up, 0 time for shore leave.
A late morning waking up, it must have been all that sea air. No time for a cuppa in bed, we’d places to go, a new outside to tie up for Tilly. But it was raining! It had been dry virtually all the time Mick was away, now it just rains! Radar checked, it might be dry by 11:30. Time to edit more socks.
Old Hovis Mill
By 11:45 we were bored of waiting and made ready to push off, full winter waterproofs today, have to say I prefer my padded waterproof trousers , my summer ones need replacing. Through a couple of bridges to the water point by the C&RT yard. Here we could also empty the yellow water into our big container ready for an elsan. It rained.
Now how far would we get along the summit pound. Our aim was not far from Marple, but would we last that long? Thankfully the rain started to ease and with a locker lid mopped down I had somewhere to sit down.
Lovely bridge
One boat on the Macclesfield pontoon with a git gap in front of it! The pontoon isn’t straight so maybe they didn’t feel the need to nudge up as maybe there wouldn’t be enough room for one behind. Onwards towards Bollington. Under Bridge 29, a roving bridge which is always picturesque even if you can’t fit it all in the frame. Up on the hillside I could see a tower, I zoomed in. WC in it’s brickwork at the top a little white door next to it. Just what could it be. Mick checked the OS map and nothing was obvious. Was it a folly, a water tower, a ventilation shaft, a toilet?
What is it?
On an old 1923 map the hillside shows several quarries and Turret Cottages, the tower had turrets. The cottages, now three, used to be two cottages, a smithy and an explosives store. More info can be found on the Happy Valley website Sadly I can’t find anything about the tower.
Click photo for details
Under Bridge 28. The house right by the bridge for sale. This is where the Bollington zoo commences. Giant turtles, Crocodiles, Gorilla, a Panda and her baby, Giraffes everywhere if you look hard enough through the town.
Opposite the Adelphi Mill is Bollington Wharf the home to NB Alton the coal boat. Paul must have just stoked the back cabin stove as it wasn’t being a very good advert for the smokeless fuel! We waved and said hello to Brian and Ann-Marie busy filling the back of a van with 20 litres containers of red diesel, these most probably headed to boats in the area but not reachable on Alton.
Clarence Mill
The embankment would have had room for just one more boat, but we weren’t anywhere near ready to stop for the day. Earlier in the year the embankment sprung a leak. Clay was puddled a couple of times to stop the water escaping. New stop planks sit close to bridges either end of the embankment, just in case.
Curves on an angle
Past Clarence Mill where we slightly spooked a hire boat coming towards us. Then on under the wonderful Sugar Lane Bridge 26, built on a skew but retaining all the curvy attributes of the Macclesfield Bridges.
Past Lime View Marina. Would the same boats still be there? Was there still a phone in a pramhood, yes! The hedge alongside the towpath a touch too leafy to be able to see across towards Stockport. At last the Blue Boat, NB Jubilee Bridge whom we’d met on the Huddersfield Narrow back in our yellow days on NB Lillyanne.
That’s my Boat!
Hang on! That boat, it’s mine! Well it’s got my name on it. Handy size for a theatre designers studio and it has a stove too. I wonder how many feet long it is? Wouldn’t need the outboard if we towed it. Hmmm.
Click photo
A modern house is for sale overlooking the canal on the way into Poynton. A boat had just pulled up on the water point, taking their time in tying up. We wanted to drop off our rubbish, hoping that the bins were still there on the way to the car park. They were. So was the little conveyor belt in Bailey’s Trading Post that we’d seen back in 2020. Three boats nestled together behind the arched bridge at Braidbar Boats, two new boats being fitted out for excited boaters, the other we’ve seen about.
Exciting times for someone
The wind was building up, rain couldn’t be far behind. Should we pull in opposite the moorings where the Del Boy boat now resides. The fencing now just about Tilly proof would stop her from getting lost for hours, but might not leave her with enough interest. Onwards that bit further and a space showed itself before Bullocks Bridge. We slotted in playing dog shit hopscotch as we tied up.
One job left to do, light the stove, we’d gradually got colder and colder outside, time to get Oleanna all cosy again.
Obligatory
I mastered some popcorn bobbles on pair 39 of my socks, these look a touch like autumnal berries. Unfortunately when I’d got so far with this pair I’d checked my gauge and it all seemed a touch too big, so I’d reduced my stitch count to four less. Now it was finished it seemed to have shrunk! I should have stuck to my instinct and kept the extra 4 stiches. Well at least it will allow me to add in a red line or two to help tie in the berries better when I re-knit the first sock tomorrow!
0 locks, 8.3 miles, 1 hour short of planned mooring, 1 full water tank, 1 Pip boat, 1 better than expected day, 2 hours, only 1 taken, 1 Tilly proof fence, 20 x 20 litres, 1 smoking boat.
Tilly had the right idea this morning. I then had a better one.
To help use up some yoghurt I hunted out a recipe for some pancakes. It sounded good, light fluffy pancakes made with yoghurt, eggs and gf flour. I added in some blueberries too. They were nice, but I wouldn’t say they puffed up that much to be classed as fluffy though.
Yoghurt pancakes
More sock editing, by the end of the day I’d managed to get half way through the photos, reducing the space they use up to about a fifth. I’ve also added apage to start showing off the socks I’ve knitted. This will gradually get added to, as and when I have the time.
Thank you John
I considered walking into Macclesfield to have a look round, but that would have meant a walk down a hill, to then walk up a hill, then the same on the return. My left knee suggested that my time would be better spent editing photos instead.
Quite a few boats have come past today, plenty of hire boats doing the Cheshire Ring, all bundled up to keep warm.
The ash bucket was moved to the stern of Oleanna for ease of access and the fire lit. Tilly only popped out a couple of times today then she just settled down on the sofa, being cosy. Much better than having an altercation over who the towpath belongs to with another boat cat two bows away. I’m sharing it nicely with them today as you suggested.
The wetness returns
Mick’s train journey was a lot easier back from the south coast, this time via London, his final train arriving back into Macclesfield 7 minutes late. He managed to bring back the rain with him and some strong winds that make the nappy pin on the cruiser in front squeak in a really annoying way! I think tomorrow we’ll have to move on.
Left over campfire stew tonight with mashed potato. Just as nice as it was first time.
0 locks, 0 miles,10 more socks edited, 9 added to the blog, 357 photos deleted, 1 stove lit, 1 Mick home, 7 minutes late, 1 handy mini glass dome for model making, 1 rainy evening.
1 An outside that Tilly hopefully wouldn’t use up within one afternoon.
2 Somewhere not too far away from civilisation and shops to keep me occupied should I need supplies.
3 Near to a train station for Mick. Bollington had been considered but that would have meant a bus ride, here was just a walk down the hill to Macclesfield Station.
Monday.
Mick packed a bag after breakfast, then checked the status of his train, a direct service to Southampton. It was cancelled! Thankfully there was a train an hour earlier, so the packing had to be a touch quicker and off he went. Thankfully Tilly was far too busy to follow him along the towpath.
Here she comes
His trip? A belated 65th Birthday present from Marion and John, a days cruise around the Isle of Wight on the PS Waverley. Last year they had been booked on a trip from Portsmouth, but a storm meant it was cancelled and the PS Waverley ran away around the coast before the winds arrived. He is under instruction to take photos, even been sent with my camera, I’m hoping he’ll write a post about it.
Why haven’t I gone too? I don’t like lumpy water and the thought of being on a boat that might be lumping around all day is something I simply wouldn’t enjoy, I’d feel quite trapped, so I’ve opted to stay on board with Tilly.
All stocked up.
My main job today was to wait for NB Alton to arrive. Out on their fortnightly run along the summit pound, we’d placed an order for some coal and a diesel top up. At 1:30 I heard the hooter as they came under Holland’s Bridge. Brian at the helm and Paul lugging the coal about. 2 bags on the roof and one in the well deck. Then they moved up to top us up on diesel, £1.04. Good to see Brian out on NB Alton, it’s always good to support the coal boats.
My knees were complaining today after working the locks on Saturday, but I managed a walk to the nearest post box and then around the block before returning to get on with some knitting. Pair of socks 38 had the top finished off. Yarn for pair 39 was selected, Autumn Golds. I may add some berries to them too as up on the Macc the trees are filled with them at the moment.
Golds
The afternoon was spent knitting in front of On The Basis Of Sex 2018. A film based on the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg who was the second woman to serve as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She specialised in sex discrimination and the law, and takes on a case where a man was unfairly discriminated against because of his sex in a tax case. If she won then the case could be used as precedent challenging laws that discriminate against women.
Tilly did a good job of keeping my knees nice and warm. It’s a very important job
Tuesday.
Mick was guaranteed to be having a cooked breakfast in his hotel this morning, so to be fair to myself I cooked some mushrooms on toast, very nice they were too. This was to give me enough energy to start weeding out photos. Our storage is constantly filled, so some time editing photos was needed.
I didn’t need lunch today
Long gone are those days when you took a camera on holiday with you, a roll of film, maybe two if you could afford it. 36 frames if you were extra flush. Photo opportunities had to be considered, you couldn’t go wasting that film or flash cubes! Twelve years ago I took it upon myself to scan all my Dad’s slides and I was surprised at how few were rubbish! Maybe he’d wheedled them out, but knowing him they would have been there to keep the numbering system correct. I had to edit them, so scanned any with people and places that meant things to Andrew and myself. This gives us a wonderful resource to look back on when ever we want without having to arrange a dinner party, dig out the projector and a screen, then spend hours sorting the slides into order (that’s where the numbering system came in).
Now we have digital cameras, phones, all so easy to press the button three four times to get that one good shot. On a day like today I’ll take just a handful of photos, but on big days when ascending the Anderton Boat Lift I took getting on for 120, the night time flotilla on the Thames, well it could have been 3 to 400! As I go through them I edit out the bad ones, but there is more editing needed. Mick has already moved a couple of years of boating photos to a different Onedrive as we keep reaching our storage limit and we don’t want to pay for more space.
Socks socks sock coming out of my ears!
I had an idea when I started this years sockathon, a means of showing all the socks off. So as I finish a pair they need recording. Not just one photo, but several, hopefully one day I’ll find enough time to compile them all together. So I have a LOT of photos of socks, several of each. Today I sat down thinking I’d manage to get through the big folder and make it considerably smaller. Well after 4 hours of auditioning photos, I needed a walk.
The Old Hovis Mill
Along the canal, past the Old Hovis Mill and the basin. The collapsed wall just by Black Road Bridge has been rebuilt, for years the rubble of the wall lay across the closed towpath. Now open, but big cracks are showing, it looks like someone has hoped that adding more mortar in places will help. I fear it’s only a matter of time before big chunks collapse again.
Not looking so cleaver
The pontoon moorings were full. I turned up Buxton Road to walk to the Co-op. A few new shops/cafes/bakery. Tommys Bar and Pizza looked interesting even though there was a big shutter behind the windows. Then a couple of doors up was Early Bird Bakes. Not open today and sadly they are unlikely to sell anything for me, but it looked very interesting. They are open four days a week and their bread takes 48 hours to make, lots of tasty sounding pastry labels sat on the empty shelves. I suspect it’s a place well worth a visit if you come this way.
Maple Pecan Buns!
This evening I’ve had a go at stuffing some peppers. The outcome was tasty, but I should have got the peppers cooking before I stuffed them! Next time! There’s two left over for lunch in the next couple of days too.
Reports from the south coast came through all day. Lots of every exciting things to look at, an hour of lumpy water, I was right not to go. I could track PS Waverley as it made it’s way round the Isle of Wight, even visiting a garden in Portsmouth!
By the end of the day I think I’d achieved editing 1/3rd of my sock photos. Guess what I’ll be doing tomorrow?
Cheryl’s socks
As a reward I turned on The Great British Bake Off, it must be autumn. Maybe I should have a go at the technical challenges each week as I’m not going to be busy with panto this year. But maybe our waistlines would like it too much!
0 locks, 0 miles, 2 sausage days, 0 one told me they were sausage days!!!! 79 litres, 3 bags coal, 2 short walks, 253 photos of socks down to 74, 53347279 left to edit.
There was an hours worth of shore leave whilst we had breakfast and joined the Geraghty zoom. Subjects included Blue Peter badges, pig swill, Tuesdays or Thursdays, copper nails and chicken costumes. Everyone was present today apart from Sean who hopefully wasn’t wearing a green trouser suit!
A few brave boats had come past us already. The wind and quite a lot of rain in the air. We’d have to brave it too as we needed to move nearer to Macclesfield or Bollington today. Winter waterproof padded trousers came out to go with waterproof coats and we pushed off a little after 11am.
Sheltering from the wind
Back in our NB Winding Down days we’d headed up this way one bonfire night hoping to be able to watch other peoples fireworks over looking Macclesfield. We didn’t manage to get far enough, so moored up close to a house and enjoyed our sparklers and a couple of fireworks of our own.
Today on the offside there was lots to glimpse at between the trees. What looked a bit like a bike track with ramps etc, all covered in plastic sheeting. Some of these have been made around trees and sections of walling have been added. Is this a hobbit town in the making on the steep bank? I’ve tried to find out about it but to no avail.
All worked with a key and finger
No locks today, just two swing bridges. Royal Oak Swing Bridge behaved itself and I managed to catch two cars as Mick brought Oleanna through. The Fools Nook pub is still for sale and a canal side house is coming along nicely with a very large glazed room which currently looks like it’s being used as a carpenters workshop. Wonder if they are aware that the end wall and french windows are leaning out at the top?
A line of armco right next to a great stretch of wood, perfect for Tilly, but too far away from shops, we carried on leaving a lady washing her roof down in the rain.
Pull the handle up and push
Broadhurst Swing Bridge was closed. I hopped off with the key of power to do the honours. This bridge is manual, pop your key in, turn, lift the handle to release the bridge, then push. It’s always been tricksy to find the right place to turn your key to, but someone has marked the position on the lock, very handy you just need to know to turn your key anti clockwise.
Them there be hills!
Now the big swing round to the Gurnett Aqueduct, views opening up to the hills even on a very wet day. There were a couple of spaces on the aqueduct, but what lay behind the fence was a little worrying for the cat health and safety committee, so here was rejected. NB Amy Jo and NB The Boat were moored up together at the far end, we’d last seen NB The Boat on the New Junction Canal in March.
Looking down the houses at Gurnett Aqueduct
Under Foden Bank Bridge 43, one of our favourites with it’s canal roving bridge hugged by a road bridge. The bridge builders had perfected their curves by the time they got to this bridge. Then we made our way along the side of the big wall that holds back the land east of the canal.
She’s got curves
Between bridges 40 and 39 there is a stretch of mooring, we’ve once managed to pull in here. Back gardens open out into a wild field just perfect for cat exploration. Enough to keep Tilly occupied without needing to venture near to roads. We pulled in, adjusted our position a touch to avoid something under the water. Now we could settle down and get out of the rain. That’s when they open up the doors for me, so that I can get wet!
Click photo for recipe
After lunch I put together a pot of Campfire Stew, so that it could slowly cook on top of the multifuel stove. I’d seen the recipe a week or so ago and fancied a go at it, you are meant to do it in a slow cooker, but it worked well on the stove. Jacket potatoes cooked in their too to accompany it, plenty of left overs for another meal next week. Very tasty, I’ll be making that again.
0 locks, 4.3 miles, 2 swing bridges, 2 held up, 1 wet and windy day, 1 ideal mooring 4 cat, 4 Mick, 4 Pip, 1 big vat of campfire stew.
Supplies were on board for a breakfast, best to use them up before they go off, plus it would give us fuel to work up the Bosley flight this morning. Tilly was given an hour to explore, returning in good time for our departure. Several boats arrived to go up the flight. Two ascended the first lock, here there is enough space to wind and then descend back to the long pound below. When we arrived one such boat was just starting to come back down, they’d had to empty the second lock to have sufficient water to wind. They were planning a cooked breakfast too, the lady stayed to help with gates and paddles leaving the men on board to put the frying pan on.
Such a lovely mooring below the locks
I opted to work the first few locks, knowing there would be some problems with levels on the flight, we could always swap over should we need to. The Bosley flight have double gates both top and bottom, meaning no heavy gates to push, you just have to do a bit of walking round as there is no walkway across the top gates.
Turning under the bridge for lock 11
Today would be spent trying to estimate whether there was sufficient water to get Oleanna over cills. At Lock 12, the bottom lock, it didn’t look too promising, I walked up to run some water through. Half a lock and the wave it created helped to get Oleanna out of the lock and into the pound on the corner.
The next pound also looked a touch low, we’d not see any by washes flowing today on the flight. Third lock up there was a boat coming down, that would help with levels. They were taking their time, so when Mick could step off Oleanna I walked up to lend a hand. As I went to lift a paddle I turned to check the chap on the boat was ready, his partner said, ‘you won’t get anything from him!’ Oh well, if something happened as the boat descended I’d be blaming it on the bottle of red at the stern.
We thankfully seemed to meet downhill boats at most locks, bringing down water with them, rather than us robbing Peter to pay Paul. People kept mentioning the pound between locks 6 and 7 being really low, but they also mentioned that it was most probably sorted by now, but keeping to the middle would help.
Touch and go to get over the cill
At every lock I’d gauge how far down the cill was before the water raised over it. Trying to work out where the level would need to be for Oleanna to get over the cill, every pound looking a good 18″ to 2ft low.
I requested my walking pole. I’d rather be operating the locks than trying to get Oleanna out of a fix due to low water. The A team were needed both on the ground and at the helm, if my knee complained I’ve a few days rest before anymore locks.
Oleanna and Katy getting up close
Up lock 7, I could see a boat just coming into 6. I lifted the paddles at 7 and up rose Oleanna, the level stopping a good couple of feet low. Mick brought Oleanna out of the lock, enough water, and then reversed back in so as to avoid any affects from the building wind the higher we got on the flight. Water came down from above and then both boats headed across the pound. Oleanna had already grounded by the time the downhill boat got close. They got closer still just about nudging one another before the other boat could continue.
Lots of mud moving about, but not Oleanna
Oleanna didn’t slide back into the channel as hoped as the other boat headed away. Plenty of revs, swilling up the mud, it took some time to get free and back heading to the lock. Then she stopped again. We’d need more water no matter what. The pound above looked okay, hopefully a wave of water would lift her and get her moving again. I wound up a paddle, it had the required effect, Oleanna started to move again, only to stop short of the lock. More water required enough to help her in over the bottom cill. Here’s hoping there was enough water in the pound above to reach the next lock.
Stuck again
Was that a boat ahead coming down or going up? I’ve been fooled heading to lock 5 before as it’s actually lock 4 where you can see people moving. Which ever lock it was they were heading away from us.
I walked up to lock 4, leaving Mick to close the gates behind as he exited. Only the wind caught Oleanna’s bow, pushing it towards the towpath and leaving it there on the bottom. Mick reversed back to the lock and tried to straighten her out, to no avail. The boat pole was needed to give her a big shove, this took time for her to start moving, then it was get back on board quickly before it could happen again.
The Cloud taking up the view
The higher you get on the flight the better the views. Today the sun was out, only a few clouds in the sky, just a shame that the wind was getting stronger. In the past we’ve had fog, we’ve had murmuration’s of birds, we’ve had very hot days sandwiched between two single handers, plus we’ve had lots of mud. But every time we’ve enjoyed the flight.
Not bad looking the other way either
A downhill boat came into view, but they were pinned against the bank by the wind below Lock 2. The lady went to help. Pole and engine together got them moving and into the lock, more water for the pound below. I warned them about the levels further down, the lady warned me about the level up to lock 1!
Big 2 Little 2
I walked on ahead, not wanting to end up with both of us on the boat stuck in the middle, not being able to let water down. But the pound was pretty good, just about on the bywash, the only one that had been!
Under the last bridge
We rose up to the top. The A team had succeeded bringing Oleanna onto the summit pound of the Macclesfield Canal. Low levels hadn’t stopped us and Mick being at the helm giving her some wellie helped too and thankfully the lock gates were light enough not to cause me problems.
Sadly the beautiful day wasn’t to last much longer
Water, rubbish and yellow water were sorted. Then we fought our way off the bank and gradually cruised our way past the line of moored boats without the wind pushing us into them. Time to moor up. Thankfully there was some armco a short distance on which would do us. Tilly was given three hours shore leave, most of which she used despite rumbles of thunder rolling around the hills.
The wind got stronger. The rain came, thunder, lightening, a few good cracks. The upturned pan over the mushroom vent PINGed as rain hit it. One or two rogue drips made it inside, but it was far far better than it had been with a rusty bottomed mushroom vent. Here’s hoping the pan is still there in the morning!
12 locks, 1.7 miles, 1 bottom cill, 4 top cills, 0nly just enough water, 6 or 8 downhill boats, 2 poles, 1 attempted push, 1 full water tank, 1 empty wee tank, 27 cracks of thunder, 1 very very close, 1 upturned pan pinging away.
This morning a notice came through from C&RT, the locks at both ends of the Macclesfield Summit were to reopen this morning at 9am the level on the summit pound having been restored. Volunteer Ken had been right yesterday, in that it wouldn’t be long before they opened up again. Cruising Plan A31 could now be put into action. Just a shame that by early afternoon we’d had another notice from C&RT saying that due to vandalism and pounds being drained the Huddersfield Narrow was closed between locks 4E and 6E. We hope this will have been sorted by the time we get there.
Last uphill lock on the T&M
We pushed off a little after 11am, there was just one more of the Cheshire locks to ascend. I decided to work the lock and let Mick bring Oleanna up. Then it was the 90 degree right hand turn at the junction.
Last time we came along here, we still had covid restrictions, a group of friends sat outside on their balcony bundled up in coats. Today as we turned towards the Macclesfield Canal autumn arrived. Wind and the fluttering of leaves from the trees, we’ll soon be commenting on leaf porridge/soup.
The boat yard just before you turn to go over the Trent and Mersey has gone, the buildings look quite dilapidated and no boats are moored outside. Looking down across to where we’d come from, no-one had taken up our mooring yet. A giant weed island was tethered to the offside bank by rope, just where we were to pass an oncoming boat.
A Heritage Hire boat was just going up Hall Green Lock, all 1ft 3″ of it. With double gates at the top the chap walked round to the other end of the lock to open both gates and then when closing them he did the same. A very long way round when you can just walk over the stern of your boat to close the other gate, but that’s one of those things you pick up. They had difficulty moving off, would we?
Now on the Macc
I reset the lock, the woofers in the lock cottage woofed away as I clicked the paddles up. Should we stop for water here, no we’d do that in Congleton instead.
The first Macc bridge
Hall Green Bridge 92 is the first with the Macclesfield shaping. The bottom of the arch curves inwards towards the water and the sides of the bridge curve outwards to meet the ground. Lovely, just annoying that someone has moored their boat right in front of it!
Click the photo for details
Teapot Hall is for sale, and Rosie the boat that used to moor close by is nestled on a mooring a touch further away. I wonder if the tea pots are part of the sale? The first time we ever came this way we had another boat right up our stern, they soon asked to over take us hire boaters. We didn’t catch up the Heritage boat ahead, they were returning to base anyhow and I suspect our progress through bridge holes would be slower than theirs.
Tilly railings came into view, so did Ramsdell Hall. There was space for one more boat at the 2 day mooring, but we’d not travelled far enough yet to stop for the day or lunch. We carried on another mile or so before pulling over for a quick lunch, our stern not wanting to meet with the bank. Will this be the way of the Macc?
Onwards slowly. We always forget how slow the Macc is for us. Coasting through bridges is often quicker than under power. The big white wall of Congleton came into view, only two boats moored up. Over the aqueduct.
Do you ever feel like the odd one out?
Now we had boats coming towards us, just as the bridges increased in number. These must be boats that had come from the locks this morning. I think by the time we’d moored up I’d counted ten.
The first and second roving bridges of the Macc. The first has a little grace with one path curving round. The second tries but has two corners to it’s shape, a touch too blunt. Maybe these were the first roving bridges on the Macc and they got better and better the closer they got to Macclesfield and then excelled themselves at Marple.
Too many corners
We refrained from topping up with water on the long straight and continued onwards under bridge after bridge after bridge.
Straight on forever
We passed boats on moorings with views, we passed boats with reputations made this summer, we passed the mooring we’d stopped at for a trip to York Hospital in 2020 which was cancelled at the last minute. We were checked out by cows. The Cloud hill now in view, dark moody clouds surrounding it.
Moo!
Did we dare carry on to the aqueduct, or should we stop before, there might be lots of boats wanting to go up the locks after they’d been closed for a few days. We chanced it and found plenty of room to pull into. The sun even came out and so did Tilly for an hours shore leave. Washed bedding hung on the whirligig making the most of what was left of the days warmth, then the stove was lit and we got cosy inside whilst wind blustered around us.
