Monday Jun 11th, Castlefield Basins, Manchester - New Islington Marina, Ancoats

Mooring at Castlefield Basin

Apart from a short trip last Thursday to empty the loos, we haven’t budged since we got to Castlefield Basin 8 days ago.

Last Thursday also was Elaine’s birthday. Don’t let it ever be said I don’t spoil Elaine for her birthday. Two years ago we were getting seriously stuck up the Wednesbury Old Canal in deepest West Bromwich. Last year it was Walsall and this year it was the sanitary station at Castlefield in Manchester.

Seriously, we also went at her request to see the Lowry Centre at Salford Quays where we saw the wonderful collection of Lowry’s as well as a great exhibition devoted to all things Annie Lennox, followed by lunch at Pizza Express. Definitely an improvement on the Black Country.

We have also walked miles, shopped to our heart’s content, visited Old Trafford (wonderful), seen the fantastic Gothic Revival of the John Rylands Library, visited a family ancestor’s grave at the incredible Weaste Cemetery at Salford, collected the post including my new toy – a Kindle Touch 3G with which I am very pleased and thoroughly pigged ourselves in the restaurants of the city.

Having said that, it’s good to be moving again (and climbing – about 75 feet today). We set off about 8.15 and made our way to the sanitary station again to ensure empty loos and a full water tank before winding and heading to the mooring below Duke’s Lock, lock 92 from Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire where we are heading over the next few days. That’s 92 big broad locks in 32 miles, including today, the infamous Rochdale 9.

Duke's Lock 92

We waited below the lock for some time to see if there was any hope of another boat appearing with whom we could share the work. Sadly, all the moving boats we saw headed in the opposite direction. So we girded our loins and entered Duke’s Lock on our own.

The Rochdale 9 is the only part of the Rochdale Canal that remained open, even though the Canal Company (the canal wasn’t taken over by the state on nationalisation in 1948) wanted to close them down to navigation in the 1960’s. A concerted public campaign saw them remain open (just) until the restoration and reopening of the Ashton & Lower Peak Forest Canals saw the vital link of this single mile of canal with its 9 locks become an integral part of the newly named Cheshire Ring in the early 1970’s.

It remained notorious though and you even had to pay a fee of about £32 to the Canal Company for the privilege of negotiating arguably the worst flight of locks in the country. Not only did you have to contend with almost derelict (but still very heavy gates) and fearsome paddle gear, incredible amounts of rubbish (baulks of timber being particularly prevalent), but cascades of water pouring over the top gates ready to at best drown the unwary crew member or at worst flood the boat.

The Canal Company sold the whole of the canal to The Waterways Trust in 2000 to enable the restoration to be completed, and the canal reopened throughout in 2003. With British Waterways now in control the 9 have been improved. Gates have been replaced and are easier to shift, paddles are largely much easier (but see below) rubbish is now almost non-existent but if you are unfortunate you still can meet cascades of water.

So that is what awaited us today. Elaine didn’t like these locks at all when we came down them in 2005, and wasn’t looking forward to doing them again. As a result (and knowing the heavy gates and paddle gear), we reversed our usual operating procedure of Elaine working the uphill locks and me steering for Elaine steering and me working the locks.

Progress was slow but steady. All but one of the locks were full and had to be emptied before we could enter and thus taking more time. However, you can’t fail to be entranced by the wonderful cityscape that literally surrounds you – towering over you. The canal almost seems overwhelmed by the high rise buildings (old and new) and feels insignificant.

Former Tunnel

The first section is through an opened out tunnel until you pass through the more modern tunnel that takes you under Deansgate and railway tracks. A curious mousehole opening on the left just before the tunnel is the remains of a tunnel cut at a lower level from the end of the Castlefield Basin Arm, through the former Grocer’s Warehouse (where goods were lifted to and from boats by a water wheel driven by the subterranean River Medlock) to a long lost unloading point.

Tib Lock

Former railway goods yard arches have been transformed into a two tier collection of nightclubs and bars before some new development brings some respite to the closed in atmosphere around Tib Lock. Who or what Tib was I have no idea. Just beyond is an arm leading to a small basin. This is all that remains of the former Manchester & Salford Junction Canal that once led to the River Irwell and gave access to the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal on the other side of the river – itself under restoration now. Sadly the basin ends against the brick wall of the Bridgewater Hall, home of the Hallé Orchestra,

Entrance to former Manchester & Salford Junction Canal

Oxford Street Lock is dwarfed by the huge 9 storey office block that spans and surrounds the lock. And then we reach Canal Street – home of Manchester’s apparently thriving Gay Quarter. At the next lock – Princess Street Lock the towpath disappears completely. Canal Street itself became the towpath, and access to the next lock – Chorlton Street Lock – was by climbing over a wall and negotiating two large steps down. Since someone leant too far out over the wall, fell in the canal and drowned the City Council have now built a steel & Perspex addition to the wall that makes it impossible to get to the lock by any way other than by boat. All this under the chattering extroverts that frequent this area!

Looking back to Princess St Lock, Canal Street on right

It was at Chorlton Street Lock that I almost met my Waterloo. The top paddle was a right bugger. It was exceedingly stiff and I had to keep taking the windlass off the spindle to replace so as to get better pressure as it was impossible to turn completely through 360°. Having finally vanquished and collapsing onto the balance beam for a swift 40 winks, I was greeted by cheers and applause from the onlookers from above (as well as Elaine, bless her!).

Piccadilly Tunnel & Lock

The final two locks of the 9 take us underground. The Rochdale Canal Company wasn’t too concerned about selling off parts of the canal line to make money and when someone wanted to build a monstrosity of a 1960’s tower office block above Piccadilly Lock, they weren’t too concerned if it made it difficult for boaters. So the lock is now situated in the Stygian gloom of a cave which the arc lights hardly penetrate.

This cavern at one time had a reputation for unseemly behaviour in the past – it was the haunt of local prostitutes, and being close to Canal Street, other “things”. However, the former open area have now been blocked off, lighting installed and CCTV is highly visible.

Ironically, one of two prominent notices from Manchester's finest – the Police Force - warning of “lewd and obscene behaviour” has now been joined by a graffiti painting of two policemen in a tight clinch and enjoying what can only be described as a passionate kiss!

Finally we emerged into the light and through the top lock of the 9. Bloodied but definitely not unbowed. It was hard work, particularly a couple of the top paddles, but the gates were easier than I remember them, and we must have picked a good day as only 2 or 3 locks had water flowing over the top gates and they weren’t as bad as they could have been.

We then passed Dale Street Basin – a basin no more since the Canal Company filled it in in the 1960’s and made it into a car park (although there is a surviving warehouse) – and the junction with the Ashton Canal (which we will be cruising on our return from Sowerby Bridge (175 locks in 63 miles for heaven’s sake) and headed for the first two locks that featured in the restoration – Brownsfield Lock and Ancoats Lock. With their more modern paddle gear these were thankfully easier to operate and we were soon cruising into New Islington Marina and our overnight stop.

Mooring in New Islington Basin

The next long section to beyond Failsworth is one where you have to book with British Waterways and be escorted by them – rather like the Liverpool Link, although not for the same reasons. The BW gang are now met below Lock 81, hence our mooring at New Islington Marina where we are more or less on the spot ready for the morning.

However, BW doesn’t make it easy for you to understand the arrangements. The waterway guides as well as BW’s own website Waterscape with its supposedly highly detailed Boaters’ Guides advise you that you are met at Dale Street Basin, below Lock 83. However Waterscape’s Stoppage site tells you to meet the gang at Lock 81. Confused? You will be even more in a moment.

All the notices refer to boaters being escorted up 18 locks out of Manchester up to and including Lock 65. Everything refers to the Manchester 18.

However, if you met BW at Lock 83 (as you used to) that would be 19 locks counting inclusively as you have to work locks 83 and 65. Now that you meet them at lock 81 that’s 17 locks.

Yet they still call it the Manchester 18……

That’s BW  for you!