UK Canals - Journey reports

Trent and Mersey Canal:Westport Lake

Not a good day.  It was raining to start with.  The first pound on the flight was low and the boat wouldn't go over the cill, so needed water letting down.  Although we could see no reason for it, progress seemed slow.  We were not waiting for locks.  Pat was always ahead and almost always had the next lock ready. Then the front button fell off.   In the narrow locks on this flight, the boat is always dragged forwards as the lock fills.  It is a feature.  The bow, therefore needs to be on the upper gate and kept there as the boat rises.  If it isn't it will run forwards at speed and ram the gate.   So the button takes a bit of a hammering.   After the first makeshift repair it dropped again, this time losing the chain link that is built in to it.  This required a cut off coat hanger repair.   It took us 6 hours to reach one lock from the top where we stopped for lunch and shopping at the nearby Tesco store, and it was still raining.   Then came Harecastle tunnel.  This is a narrow one way tunnel and is controlled by tunnel keepers who keep a log of boats entering and leaving with interestingly a note of the number of people on board.  So we had to wait for half an hour.  About 5 boats came out, 4 together in sequence and then a laggard.  Once in, the tunnel roof is quite low in places and you need to keep your head down.   Best wear a hat!    Our destination today was the good moorings at Westport Lake about a mile beyond the southern tunnel entrance.   Everything seemed wet, so we lit the fire.

Trent and Mersey Canal:Wheelock

The digital clock had one of its occasional blips this morning and we got up half an hour early thinking we were half an hour late.   So we left a bit earlier than usual, useful because we had a clear run up Middlewich locks, often a real pinch point.   To get there however we had about 3 hour's cruise.  Worried about the air draft clearance for the wind turbine in its horizontal state on the roof a study of the data for the Trent and Mersey suggested that there would be problems and indeed the first bridge proved to be 0.5mm too low.  So it has to be reversed for the duration with the tail in the hatch.  This is OK so long as it doesn't rain because the slider has to be fully open. The state of the canal and towpath varies considerably.   The towpath is generally narrow and clearly grass cutting is difficult because the bankside is almost unifornly overgrown and collapsed in a few places.  Some effort has been made to keep a central path clear but even this appears to have been a struggle in places.  As above Anderton, reeds have taken over on some stretches and offside vegetation is prolific turning the canal into a single track.   This is particularly evident around the 14 milepost from Preston Brook.  It's easy to be critical, but considering that the canal has only been open for a few weeks after the breach repair, one has to recognise that the prolonged closure would have had an impact.   After Middlewich Kings Lock we were following another boat always seeming to get to the next lock just as they were leaving and inspite of a short convoy of nicely spaced opposite direction stuff.  Nonetheless, Wheelock was reached in good time and after taking the waters a mooring was ready for us on the straight before the first lock of the climb tomorrow.   Curiously, although we are in a sheltered spot behind a hedge, the wind generator is humming in the wind blowing over the hedge.

Trent and Mersey Canal:Marbury Park

The canal all to ourselves until just before Preston Brook.  There is a very useful canalside post office and village stores at Moore, but having stopped there we missed the window for Preston Brook Tunnel by 20 minutes. Going south one can only enter between 30 and 40 minutes past the hour.  This tunnel as well as the other two before Anderton can best be described as curly.  It was seeming chaos at the other end of the tunnel and the stop lock was busy, with one boat opposite direction just entering the lock, an old boat with a Bolinder blowing smoke wanting to reverse through with a bunch waiting for the tunnel.   Our delay was short, however, and we set off on the Trent and Mersey proper.   The canal is shallow in places with clumps of reed growth beginning to turn it into a single lane canal with passing places.   The site of the recent breach looked good, but elsewhere collapsing concrete bank capping in places suggests to me that there will be problems in future.   On this section the threatening thunder clouds finally played their hand and we were pleased to reach Anderton, mooring up near the facilities to take shelter before the second deluge.   Still we had no decent phone signal and no TV, but otherwise we have to give the mooring a score of 5/10.  We decided once the rain was over to move on a bit further and at least got a phone signal at the end of Marbury Park - a popular spot it seems.   Tomorrow Wheelock, which will put us in good position for a run up Heartbreak Hill.

Bridgewater Canal:Lymm

After a rather noisy evening, a Manchester Rugby Club stag do involving among other things frolicks in the water, finally ended on cycles down the towpath they way they had come.    Rain came soon after and continued all night and stopped in time for us to start the long 20 mile motor to Lymm.   We made good speed seing nothing moving until past Waters Meeting.   There, just after the junction, we found a small new marina (Stretford) which offered all the services we needed - diesel and pumpout.   Excellent friendly service, so good that I bought two new side fenders and 10 litres of engine oil in case I get the urge to change the oil soon.   After there is the long stretch through Sale where we encountered novice rowers, one pair turning across our bows suddenly requiring an emergency stop.  Could have been very nasty.   Then we began to notice a lot of boats coming opposite direction - almost a constant procession.  No apparent reason, perhaps a weekend thing.   Thinking that Lymm would be bursting at the seams we stopped short at Ougthrington, but finding no phone signal decided to move on.   Fortunately we had stopped in one sense because there was a torrential rain shower before we did move.   Then at Lymm, a mooring space was waiting for us in perfect position, but still no phone and pixellated TV not worth trying to watch.

Bridgewater Canal:Lymm

After a rather noisy evening, a Manchester Rugby Club stag do involving among other things frolicks in the water, finally ended on cycles down the towpath they way they had come.    Rain came soon after and continued all night and stopped in time for us to start the long 20 mile motor to Lymm.   We made good speed seing nothing moving until past Waters Meeting.   There, just after the junction, we found a small new marina (Stretford) which offered all the services we needed - diesel and pumpout.   Excellent friendly service, so good that I bought two new side fenders and 10 litres of engine oil in case I get the urge to change the oil soon.   After there is the long stretch through Sale where we encountered novice rowers, one pair turning across our bows suddenly requiring an emergency stop.  Could have been very nasty.   Then we began to notice a lot of boats coming opposite direction - almost a constant procession.  No apparent reason, perhaps a weekend thing.   Thinking that Lymm would be bursting at the seams we stopped short at Ougthrington, but finding no phone signal decided to move on.   Fortunately we had stopped in one sense because there was a torrential rain shower before we did move.   Then at Lymm, a mooring space was waiting for us in perfect position, but still no phone and pixellated TV not worth trying to watch.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Astley Green

nb Clements Clan was passed fairly early in the cruise.   This boat left Liverpool with our convoy and we seem to have been leapfrogging since then.   Pat wanted to get shopping in Wigan at the large ASDA store on the outskirts, so we moored up by Seven Stars Bridge and Clements Clan passed us there.   Due to other traffic, when Pat returned and we got moving, we were right behind them at the next lock, so they waited at Henhurst Lock for us.   Then there were just two more in the Leigh Branch to go.   Plank Lane lift bridge is now user operated so we were surprised to see what we though was a bridge keeper operating it for us.  No! It was a convoy of 3 boats coming the other way and then letting us through.   Pat would have hated this one being on a busy road, so we were in the end well ahead.  At Leigh we join the Bridgewater Canal.  Passing through Leigh, busy with towpath traffic we reached our destination, Astley Green.   There is a busy canalside pub here, but more interestingly a Mining Museum with the prize exhibit of the largest stationary steam engine in the country, once used as the pit winding engine.    It truly is massive and can still run, although only on compressed air.   The 15 Lancashire boilers which once fed it with steam are also gone and so, of course is the pit, so it has little work to actually do, just turn.   In many ways, apart from this the Museum is rather sad resembling a scrap yard of rusting equipment, although there is a small historical exhibit telling the story of coal mining in general, and some stationary small engines of various sorts which can also be run, again on compressed air.   It is all maintained by voluntary effort and of course money is very short.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Appley Bridge

As we stopped short yesterday, today we start early.  Besides, we need to transit a number of busy swing bridges and this is best done before the main rush hour. All in all a straightforward day retracing our steps in the direction of Wigan.    The weather is still pleasantly warm and no rain so far today.   The canal is still quiet with no more that half a dozen opposite direction boats and we passed almost all the boats moored that we shared the journey with yesterday.   However, school holidays have just begun and it will get busier as we move south.   Our schedule today takes us to Dean Locks.  However, although this is a nice spot we had no phone signal there on the journey out and Pat prefers to remain in touch, so we have stopped just a mile short today at Appley Bridge.  A small hamlet, the book says, with a couple of pubs and a railway station.   (Mooring score 3/10)

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Bridge 10

Today we were booked out to depart Liverpool. The instructions were to be at Mann Island Lock at 9:00am. It took us 7 minutes from the mooring to reach the lock entrance, but with other boats waiting we had to hover in the middle of the dock. No boats had come in yesterday which was a bit strange and when we reached the lock we found out why. One of the bridges had broken down and the boats due yesterday were waiting below Stanley Locks for our batch to pass. There were at least 10 boats departing. We were 5th in line and shared the locks with a beautifully restored traditional boat, Rose. On the main canal, he two of us soon caught up with the previous lockings and found the queue moored up by Netherton Bridge.

The queue builds up at Bridge 6

The queue got longer as more boats joined. The hydraulics had failed on the bridge and had been removed. The bridge had now to be swung by hand and it took 45 minutes of hammering and co-oercing to get it open. Not a busy road, unlike the next swing bridge, the last to be worked by the Canal Trust for us. This is a very busy road and worked one way with traffic lights, so there is always a pile of traffic waiting without having to let 10 narrowboats through. By now our schedule was broken and rather than continue on to our intended mooring for the night, we stopped short along with 4 others. An early start tomorrow.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Salthouse Dock

We remain here until Thursday.  This has been definitely worth the trip.  There is so much going on in Liverpool and so much to see.  The Liverpool Museum majors on the history of the city and docks with a very good section on the now non-existent Liverpool Overhead Railway. The Maritime Museum has a lot on the major passenger liner disasters and wars at sea.  The weekend saw crowds in Albert Dock following a Pirates' Convention with a mock battle in the dock firing small cannons.   Street performers all over and the large pedestrianised shopping centre, Liverpool One, is nearby.   The mooring here is secure without being overly rrestrictive  and rubbish disposal is well catered for.   The only downside for some might be the lack of green space for exercising dogs.  They are not allowed in the Albert Dock complex, although the rule was being widely broken yesterday.   

 

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Liverpool Salthouse Dock

Leading up to the appointed hour of 9:00 am boats gathered.   We expected 6 in total, the maximun allowed, but we made 7.   We had the correct paperwork, so that was OK, as far as the boys in blue were concerned it was good enough.   At 08:55 the bridge 9 was opened causing a huge pile up of traffic.  Seven boats went through in convoy as fast as possible.   On then to Netherton Bridge, a lesser road.   Then we moved on again, Nuggler at the rear, until the services where Pat chucked rubbish off on the fly into a moored flat, and one boat stopped for Elsan emptying.   So we were no longer last.   Reaching near to the top of the Stanley flight we had out first serious prop fouling.  The boat wobbled sideways and there was an ovbious oscillation with wash confusion.  So weed hatch up X1.   Then reversing to stop at the top of the locks all manner of rubbish was stirred up.  Visit No 2.   Thereafter no problems.   There was help with the locks and brief directions given for the docks, but actually as I suspected it would be, all very obvious in the end.   There was a little bit of wind in Salthouse dock which meant a second attempt at reversing in from up-wind, but soon we were established.   Exploration of our immediate environment took place, though no Wetherspoon very near!

Boats gather at Bridge 9

"Aim for the clock tower"

Approaching Princes Lock

Salthouse Dock

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Bridge 9

No rush again this morning.  As usual we need a few groceries and Maghull seems a good spot to try.  On the way a few decent places to moor were spotted, then once in Lydiate, the start of the swing bridges again.   All sorts.  Fully automated, automated barrier and push bridges, manual barriers and automated swing and even a nostalgic handcuff key variety.   Local intelligence pointed out a Morrisons near Shaw Swing Bridge which was helpful.   Continuing on, as we got nearer to bridge 9, we passed a few boats obviously holding back till the morning, one even taking the opportunity of us passing the last swing bridge to slip through and moor the other side.    Bridge 9 is the meeting point for tomorrow's assisted passage into Liverpool.  It is a swing bridge on a busy road and may have a history of malfunction.   So CRT Staff operate it and Netherton Bridge.   We will travel as a convoy.   The mooring here before Bridge 9 is reasonable enough.  The towpath has been very busy this afternoon on which has been a warm sunny day, and we have been happy to sit out.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:New Lane

Bright blue sky this morning.   A hot one in prospect.   Set off quite late for us at around 9:00.   Just dawdled along with a few swing bridges to negotiate.  We passed the junction with the Rufford Arm and were then in new territory looking forward to finding the pumpout facility advertised in the guide at Burscough Bridge.   It wasn't there, so while Pat went to the shops for a few things, I did the unthinkable and put some polish on the side.   Then we moved on and found a grassy spot we liked.  It had sufficient depth of water, a phone signal and TV and there was a place nearby for Alfie to swim.   Just no convenience store but we can live with that.   Although there had not been a breath of wind all morning, I erected the wind turbine otherwise it shades the solar panels.  Much to my surprise it started generating straight away.   It seems our position sits in a natural funnel between hedges and we are getting a breeze coming straight off a flat plain.   Very interesting!   It's all about position.   A similar wind generator on a boat within sight is not doing a thing.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Wigan

Another sunny day in prospect.  We set off with the intention of reaching Wigan Top Lock ready for the descent tomorrow.   We arrived there at about 10:20 and to our utter astonishment there are only moorings there for about three boats, all taken.   The bank leading up to the lock is shallow with rocky underwater obstructions, so the only way to moor was to stand off a couple of feet with the risk of the boat heeling over everytime the lock is filled, or with passing boats.    We thought we would take a look down the flight a short way and came across nb Wilhelmina in the third lock just going down.   This is the boat that had joined us at the bottom of the Blackburn flight a couple of days back.   As it was still fairly early we wondered if they might allow us to join them, so with two boats in the lock above going up, we did just that.  For us leaving at 10:50 we were wondering why they were not already further down the flight and it transpired that there was a widebeam ahead taking a very long time over each lock, so even though they had waited for us, this boat was still just ahead.   The widebeam crew were new boaters, just two persons, and it was always going to be a problem for them.  It took us about three hours to get down to the longer pound in the middle and we all stopped for a rest, but with the understanding that we would go on ahead.  This speeded things up for us and we went our separate ways at the bottom around 15:45.  

leaking top gates can easily swamp a boat in the shorter locks

The locks are not in good condition which makes this very much more difficult.   Some so leaky that they will empty quickly with all paddles closed, inoperative paddle gear and leaky top gates threatening to inundate the boat.  Help was needed to get some gates open.  We were glad of the company.  We moored up in Wigan on the CRT secure moorings.   A boater already there warned us, however, that they are not as secure as they seem.  He had his bicycle stolen from the roof of his boat while he was still aboard.  It is easy to swing round the end of the fencing at the waters edge.   The best advice is surely not to stop in Wigan at all.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Chorley

Went on a recce first thing to get a newspaper, but the place was dead.  Just a few takeaways and obviously closed at 7:15 am.   Seconds after starting out it was evident that the prop was badly fouled.  It was shallow where we moored and the boat spent the night a couple of feet away from the bank, half aground.   So we stopped and removed a bunch of plastic and fishing line (which cut my finger).   We made good progress.  There are nice plentiful moorings on the Wigan side of Riley Green bridge.    Finally we reached the top of Johnson Hill Locks where we bought gas (£25) and took on water.   Now full sunshine and getting hot we set down the 7 lock flight.   No real problems although with the full length boat we still have to be careful with the leaking top gates where there is definitely the potential for flooding.  To avaoid going right back in the lock to get the gate open we are using our Calder & Hebble experience to open the opposite side gate and then move the boat over.  Easy enough with the bow thruster.  Our aim was Botany bridge moorings, listed in the CRT internet canal guide.   What a disappointment.   There is space for one boat on the offside,

The marked visitor mooring at Botany bridge

but is part of the CRT maintenence yard and piled high with sand & ballast.

Lovely looking moorings, but we are not allowed

 Next is the water point (1 boat) and then a line of permanent moorings which appear only partly used.   On the towpath side repeated attemts at mooring on a beautifully kept grass bank failed due to shallow water.   So we went on and found excellent moorings just past the wiggle at the southern end of Chorley.   This was original concrete bank, not piling.   We have learnt by experience that metal piling seems to hide a lot of underwater rubble as if the contractors got rid of all their rubbish there.    The older concrete is generally fine.

Our final mooring. Best of the lot.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Cherry Tree

Today we expected mostly a long cruise with three swing bridges.   The cruise gave us huge panoramas over the valley.  The swing bridges were a new variant needing the windlass to raise a peg securing the bridge through some gearing.   We were expecting to complete the day at Blackburn Top Lock, but there are no moorings there.  The best place would have been Eanam Wharf, except that we blew by without understanding.   The top lock had no formal moorings and underwater obstructions near the bank.  It was also frequented by characters sitting around with nothing else todo, although we did get regaled with a story of a decaying body found there previously.  So we were compelled to descend the locks and stopped for lunch in the longer pound above the last one.   The nearest mooring appeared to be Cherry Tree, so we moved on.   The actual visitor moorings appear to have been decommissioned.  The sign has been removed and the concrete wharf with rings is collapsing and not really usable.   We moved a bit further on and found some metal piling, but as always, shallow.  There is a recreation field nearby but little sign of the shops.  At last the sun is shining and it is warm.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Hapton

A quiet night, except for Alfie running amok in a field of sheep.  Another boater asked to make up a pair, so at 7:30 with Pat ahead setting the locks we went down the Barrowford 7 in an hour with nb "Web of Dreams".   Not bad really, although a 60 foot boat such as ours is full length for the canal and being right back in the lock is at risk from water leaking through top gates.   Even with the back doors shut we were still getting flooding in the semi-trad area.   Obviously could be a real problem.    Gathered intelligence forwarned us of the Morrison's at Pendle Bridge 141b with its own offside moorings, otherwise we would have missed it!   The wind was getting quite strong by the time we finished there and the gray skies eventually gave us a light shower or two so by Burnley Embankment it was time for lunch.

View from Burnley Embankment

   Not much further on to Hapton Bridge with some decent moorings on the Liverpool side.  There is a convenience store and a Chinese Takeaway not far a way and some half decent views over the valley.

Countryside view from Hapton Bridge moorings

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Barrowford

Rain was promised today but we only has a few very light showers.   Highlights were the three locks to the summit pound and the Foulridge Tunnel.   All the while the canal is clinging to the hillside one way or another so the views really are magnificent.   We reached the tunnel services just as a trip boat of pensioners from Crayford off loaded, so we were a little bit of waterside activity for them.   Still looking for somewhere to buy a pint of milk we moved on the the tunnel mouth where we had the red lights, so a waiting game but useful for a spot of lunch.  

Barrowford Moorings

Not very far further on we came to the extensive Barrowford moorings above the seven lock flight leaving down to the Burnley pound.

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Bank Newton Top

Today a sequence of 9 Locks.   Believe or not this took us the best part of 3 1/2 hours.  Not our usual style.  Well the locks are on the big side and the L&L style ground paddles are too much for Pat to lift.  They are sticky and need a jolt to get them moving, so I am having to climb the ladder at each lock as there is no easy lockside access from below which would be blocked anyway by the footbridge.   Then there is no access over the gates.  Eack lock has a footbridge at the lower end, so there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing round from one side of the lock to the other which takes time and the ground paddles when they do work are not as fast as GU Locks.   So there are my excuses!

So when we got to the top of Bank Newton and rounded the first few corners to marvel at the views we decided it was lunch time and stopped for the night.  

Click photo to enlarge

 I have talked to Wigan regarding rescheduling a visit to Liverpool and they have very helpfully arranged some new dates, so that is our destination and we might have to speed up!

Leeds and Liverpool Canal:Gargrave

We needed first to move a few yards to get water, then the remaining 4 swing bridges.  At bridge 175 Pat found it very stiff and only got it part way open.   I went up with the pole to help from the towpath side and a van driver took pity and went to help Pat.  

Is this our last swing bridge?

Gargrave bottom Lock

The first lock of the Gargrave flight was slow as we were rather feeling our way to work out the water flows using the various paddles.   Ground paddles here were of the capstain on a turret variety.   The second lock had the old style sliding ground paddles worked by lifting a wooden beam about a pivot.    Too hard for Pat to cope with.    After the third lock we reached our destination for the day, Gargrave.     A compact little village with a Co-op store in the main street, a pharmacy and post office.   The moorings are on rings with well cared for grass verges, altogether attractive surroundings.

Gargrave moorings