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lovely Trent and Mersey canal

shafts of sunlight

The rain finally caught up with us. It was raining steadily at 6.00 and the clouds were heavy and low. It brightened briefly but continued to rain. The boat hound (who has demanded to go out early every morning) showed no sign of needing the toilet and waited until the rain stopped hammering on the roof. For the first time it was after our breakfast before she ventured outside.



Rugeley power station from the canal

We set off under blue skies but more clouds were blowing in. The Captain helped a single-hander with an injured shoulder through the lock and then operated our last lock this trip. On the 8 mile journey back to the marina it rained briefly on me but the Captain had hailstones splatter around him. A boater cast off as the Captain cruised past nearly causing a collision, you’d think they would have seen us as our boat is bright yellow and blue.

cruising through Rugeley

Heron

That was the last boat we saw moving before we turned into the marina and moored up. The Captain nipped down his pit to tighten the stern gland and mop up a small amount of water that had dripped in through it. Unfortunately he knelt on the diesel pipe. He has done that before but it wouldn’t top leaking. He had to release the fuel pressure to stop it. That made him irritable and means a repair job before we cruise again.

Because of that delay we ended up travelling on the M25 after 4.00, something we normally avoid. That meant a longer journey home and a very hungry Captain on reaching it.

When will we cruise again? Even the Captain doesn’t know.



Hansacre

Almost back



Heron going

going

The weather was still bright and sunny but with a biting wind destroying the Captain’s faith in the  
weather forecasts. We followed a single-hander down the first two locks but the lady was cheerful, efficient and did not slow us up and thanked us nicely for closing up after her. She stopped at the Stone Canal cruising company so may have been one of the family running the business. It has been open 60 years and run by three generations of the same family.

gone

 

After we disturbed one heron it flew away however within a mile we were fortunate to see another heron in action. It posed like a statue then dived at its prey spearing it with its razor sharp beak. I find it amazing that they can see anything to catch in the muddy water.

swans



We found another single-hander descending Sandon lock and helped another one up. Finally after twenty minutes helping it took us five minutes to descend and leave the lock. We passed dredging works in operation and then were amazed by the number of swans congregating between bridges 89 and 87. I counted thirty but there may have been more. They all seemed to be young swans, many of them still had some brown cygnet fluff clinging to their snowy feathers. I’ve never seen so many swans together on a canal before. Unfortunately we were past them before the Captain grabbed his camera so he only snapped the last few. Where were they when we came up? I think they must have been down on the river which runs parallel and lower than the canal making hidden for much of its course.

Shrugborough House

We passed the marina without incident though the gusting wind would make it tricky for anyone exiting it and filled with water at Great Hayward. A Biffa lorry was emptying the bins next to the water point making our normally placid hound quiver with fear at the strange bumping and banging.

We worked through Great Hayward lock and moored up for the night with a splendid view across to Shrugborough. Where else can you just turn up and stay overnight outside National Trust houses like you can on a canal and enjoy their gardens?



The Tower of the Winds in Shrugborough grounds







Slow, slow, slow

Help at Stoke Locks

The fire went out late last evening because the Captain fell asleep. He relit it and stoked up with coal. At 1.00 he woke and found the fire overheating so that the nearest wood surfaces were hot. Even an enclosed fire can be dangerous in the tight confines of a narrowboat. He shut it down and opened the door to cool the boat down. In spite of that in the morning it was still burning, which was just as well as it was a hard frost last night.

Locking under the railway

It was sunny all morning but the cloud built up quickly midday. We reached the Stoke locks to find volunteers operating the top three. It was a lot easier with their help but actually took longer than working it by ourselves. This was partly because we were following a single-hander who wanted them to only open one paddle half way which lets the water out very slowly.



passing the Britannia stadium

The Captain and the boaters behind began to get frustrated and it was like watching paint dry waiting for his boat to inch down when I helped him ant the lower part of the flight. Even though I closed the gates for him we still caught up before he had entered the last lock. And the boat behind arrived when he was only half way down.

Where did these come from?

He had just started descending when a cheeky walker crossed the rear of the lock and vaulted over the gate into the old lock keepers garden in spite of it saying PRIVATE NO ENTRY. A German shepherd dog rushed out of the house and chased him across the yard. I’m not sure if he was bitten but the walker shot head first over the wall and landed with a heavy thump on the other side. He got up an hurried away with the dog barking over the wall at him. I doubt if he will take that short cut again.

Trentham Lock

As we cruised by the deserted towpath by the Britannia Stadium I noticed unusual canal furniture. The benches appeared to be attached to some kind of railway rolling stock. were they the remnants of a factories trolley line?

locking down into Stone

We caught up with the single-hander at Trentham lock where he told me his story. His newly bought old boat’s steel had grown wider with age and had jammed in one lock so he was letting the boat down slowly in case it happened again. Before that he had been ‘helped‘ by some hire boaters who had whizzed both paddles up. The boat had shot forward in the lock, slammed into the gate and cupboards had burst open leaving smashed cups and glasses on the floor. No wonder he was extra cautious.

locking over

We moored up behind him before the next set of locks but had a short dinner break to move on ahead of him. In spite of the threatened rain it stayed dry all afternoon. We got down the first four locks at Stone quickly as we met boats exiting the locks and moored up as black clouds built. However it didn’t rain but the Captain felt he had done enough locking. As his back is much better he was probably wise not to push on. 


time to moor up

Daring duck

strolling along our roof as we cruise along

Please feed me

attacked at bridge 91

The morning looked autumnal with heavy mist rising from the canal. It was beautiful but cold. We set off enjoying the eerie beauty. The mist soon cleared to clear skies but it was not hot. We had not gone far when a pair of ducks took off from the water as the boat approached. The female duck flew up and landed on the front of our roof. Boldly she waddled to the rear end quacking to be fed. She posed while the Captain took photos then I threw several handfuls of duck seed onto the bank. She flew off and helped herself to the meal having quacked for it. This is the first time a duck has landed on the roof demanding food. She wasn’t even put off by the dog barking at her. I’m sure it is the same duck that kept quacking to be fed last night.

In the mist the stone mile markers looked like grave stones. On other canals the mile markers are small metal  affairs but these were huge.

lovely cruising weather

The only other incident in our peaceful cruise back to the stop lock was when a brick flew over our heads onto the towpath. When we were some distance away four kids leapt up from behind the parapet of bridge 91 and ran along the towpath laughing and shrieking. The most shocking thing was their size- they couldn’t have been older than eight years old. It appeared to be three girls and a boy. Where were the parents?

bridge snaking over us

Lottie took herself for a walk while I fiddled with the stop lock but came back when I followed her over the bridge. We arrived at the tunnel at 2.55 five minutes before the cut off to ensure passage through the tunnel today as the last boat must enter before 4.00. The tunnel operator thought we would have a 45 minute wait as boats were just entering the tunnel from the other end.

mirror-like water

you can't miss the mile markers

Within minutes another boat pulled up which we had spotted locking up from the aqueduct. Unfortunately when they went through the safety checks their spotlight did not work. We were allowed to enter the tunnel while the other crew tried to fix the spotlight. After 10 minutes the boat followed us into the tunnel. Their light seemed bright and they were catching us up, halfway through the  tunnel their light started to fade and it was quite dim by the time we exited. However they made it through and moored up behind us at Westport Lake.

I took Lottie for her lake walk while the Captain moored up and prepared her dinner. I was amazed by the people still bustling round the lake. Many seemed to use it to power walk round overtaking me as Lottie was intent on checking every interesting sniff. I was overtaken by a gaggle of ladies in the full hibjab – poor women it must have been stifling in that heat but they kept up a stiff pace showing their fitness. 
 
 
 
 

rest in peace Macclesfield Canal

 
 
 




Ducking the Downpour!



All's well - so far

dodging showers

The day started overcast but bright with gusts of wind. We set off to see how far we got before having to moor for lunch or rain as the barometer has dropped back to wet. The forecast makes today wetter than yesterday (easily done) and tomorrow horribly wet so we hope to get through the locks today. We made it to Gurnett aqueduct then moored as the sky blackened.  

brightening up

After some rain it brightened so we set off again and managed another mile before a black cloud blew over. We moored just as it dumped its contents on us and sheltered as it lashed down. Half an hour later it was sunny again so off we went. This time we cruised for over an hour before mooring up and diving inside. The rain soon passed over and we headed to the top of the locks.

Weather closing in

As we passed the last moorings we were committed to the flight of locks even if the weather turned nasty. We have done the Hatton flight in the rain and never want to do a half day of soggy locking again. The equipment is harder to use and the ground is slippery making locking harder and more dangerous.

looking up again

The first two locks down were fine. We chatted to some walkers and all was well but as the boat entered the third lock the rain lashed down. The walkers fled for cover but by the time we cleared the lock the rain stopped as suddenly as it began.

I want BREAD

The rest of the descent was incident and rain free apart from a brief shower half way down. We moored at the bottom at the visitor moorings with good views across the fields. At least we have a pleasant mooring if the weather is awful tomorrow. Two ducks came quacking for food outside our window even though our dog barked at them. They were so persistent that I threw out some duck food - a mixture of seed and special pellets. For a minute the drake looked at me as if to ask "where is the bread," while the female tucked in eagerly clearly knowing that too much bread is bad for a duck. The drake soon caught on and even seemed to be enjoying the seed once he had got over his first disappointment. It is sad that ducks get so much bread thrown for them when seed would give them more nutrition.

Climbing up the Marple flight

repaired aqueduct side and railway viaduct

Although rain had been predicted for today we cast off under cloudless blue skies. Then had to wait...a work boat was blocking the Marple aqueduct. The men were using it as a base from which to repair the concrete along one side of the channel. The Captain took Lottie for a wander and a work man came over, explained what they were doing and said, “it should take twenty minutes.”

looking down to the river Goyt from the aqueduct

The Captain agreed to wait at the far end of the aqueduct and I made coffee. Before we could drink it the workmen had moved their boat for us. Obviously politeness and patience pays.

As we entered the third lock we caught sight of the boat we had moored with entering the bottom one. The locks were still heavy but it was easier to work them uphill as the lock slave could go ahead to set the next lock while the steerer opened the lock gate to get out and lower the paddles. True there was a lot of walking backwards and forwards between locks as the lock slave had to close up but it was not as bad as on the way down.

looking back towards Manchester

Halfway up I caught up with a single hander who had been moored at the base of the flight. He told me he had set out at 7.00.- It is a lot slower on your own and more tiring. However I only caught up with him because that lock had a broken paddle so took twice as long to fill.

The Peak District

While we were working the lock a local teacher came up with a group of boys from a nearby school. The boys were well behaved, polite and asked sensible questions about the boat and canal.

As we approached the top of the flight clouds started building but they were white and fluffy not rain bearing. The boater ahead of us walked back to meet us when we were in the penultimate lock.

No rain - yet

“There’s a work boat blocking the canal,” he complained. “Last time that happened I had to wait for hours.” The Captain explained that we had already had that situation that morning and how quickly the workers had moved.

By the time we had entered the last lock he had gone so the blockage was short lived. We have always found the CRT staff helpful and friendly. It can’t be easy trying to mend things when boaters keep coming along and interrupting the work. We went through the bridge onto the Macclesfield and moored for a much needed lunch break.

old factory loading bay

An hour later we were off as the Captain decided to have a pump out even though the holding tank was not full in case we got caught by rain as the next facility available at the weekend was in Stone. When we cast off with an empty tank the sky had clouded over and it had grown colder. The air felt damp but we were glad to have done our locking for the day.



old snake bridge

By the time we moored it was sunny again so what happened to the predicted rain. I’m not complaining – the forecast is sometimes wrong but the barometer had pointed to rain too and it had never been wrong before. There were more boats moving on the Macclesfield canal but maybe that was because the closure on the Peak Forest Canal had just finished. It rained briefly while we were moored up. I hope we don’t get today’s predicted downpour tomorrow.

Not that tunnel!

heading towards Standedge Tunnel

last views over 1 hour later minutes before turning around

lovely views as we lock back down

The weather was lovely when we got up but the forecast said rain was on the way. The Captain's back and legs still ached so he decided we should turn round at the next winding hole four locks higher as the canal is so narrow our 40 foot boat will only turn at the designated winding holes. He felt we couldn’t do the last three miles to the last turning point before the Standedge tunnel with me tackling all the remaining nine locks then having to come all the way back again. He had also heard from our fellow moorers that the locks get harder to work as you climb and some pounds get shallower.

“Enjoy the tunnel,” one boater called as we set off.

“What is there to enjoy?” the Captain muttered back. “No way am I spending three hours underground searching for jagged rocks in the tunnel.”

remains of canal-side industry

He had always said no way would he drive through Standedge. Not only was it the highest tunnel above sea level the deepest underground and the longest it was also know to dent boats as it was roughly hewn out and huge boulders stuck out into the boats path. One boater told me that he had two windows smashed when the current sent his boat against the rocky tunnel side.

back where we started 3 hours later

We climbed four more locks, and a couple were stiff. One pound was very low and the sill warning depth was on amber. If the pound dropped any further we would be unable to go back through.

Amazingly by the time we turned above lock twelve after passing though Scout Tunnel (205 yards instead of Standedge’s 5686 yards) lock 12 had emptied. That is some leak! The plus side was that the pound below rose an inch from the leakage and lock use so we managed not to run aground.

back through the Martian's legs

It took three hours to go to Scout Tunnel and return and it was four hours before we moored right beside the supermarket. We only had two rings as the other boat that filled with water last night was in the centre of the mooring. The Captain thought it was a good time to stock up on heavier items such as beer.

The other boat headed off just before us so we will follow them back to the Peak Forest Canal. We enjoyed a super sunny afternoon with no sign of the weather changing for the worse.

reflected blossom

We managed the locks out of Stalybridge fine. As I approached the lock with a self opening lower gate a man looked up from a bench and said “Great I’ve often wondered how these things work.”

nature versus industry

Cheekily I asked him to shut and hold the open gate until I had some water flowing into the lock, grateful for the help. Well it beats running up and down the lock trying to do both things at once! He obliged leaving his sandwich half eaten. Lottie kept her eye on it until he reclaimed it and I explained how the lock worked to him. As the boat sank down he got a call from work and set off in a hurry.



keeping her eye on the ball

As we turned onto the Peak Forest Canal we passed the boat we had been following moored up in front of the marina. They seemed settled in with drinks in their hands. By the time I worked the lift bridge which seemed to take a hundred or more turns to open and the same to shut I was aching. The boat from Huddersfield appeared as I walked back to the boat. However by the time we had gone a mile they had caught us up and appeared to want to cruise much faster than us. At a wide stretch we let them past and found they cruised slowly when in the lead. How can that be when they caught us so quickly?

There where several geese nesting, spaced out evenly along the canal but one lonely goose sat on a shallow nest with only a deflated football for a companion.  

impressive church

At the first tunnel the boat we were following stopped for the crew to put extra fenders on the front corners of the roof. I can understand the need to do that in a tunnel like Standedge but not the167 yard Woodley tunnel. We went past and held the lead until they moored up. We carried on through Rose Hill tunnel (another short affair)and moored up before the Marple aqueduct, joining one other boat.