Actually we didn’t need to, as we don’t really need to be in Manchester until tomorrow, as we’re meeting up with Kathryn, Bob & Freddie in Heaton Park on Tuesday.
But, being half-term and the Jubilee weekend, we thought we ought to get there sooner rather than later, and so set off this morning in heavy drizzle, under lowering skies and in a cold, cold wind.Most of the journey I’ll gloss over, as it was a case of gritting your teeth and getting on with it rather than taking in the scenic delights of your surroundings and thinking up bits and pieces for the blog.
Leigh passed in a blur – not because we were going too fast – more because my glasses were covered in rain spots that were being inexpertly wiped as my hanky was by now rather damp. In good weather the Leigh branches (both BW’s and the Bridgewater’s) are bearable scenery wise as you think back to the ravages the hundreds of years of coal mining had wrought, but on a wet cold June morning as only Lancashire could provide, nothing was going to make it attractive.We eventually reached Worsley and a slight sense of relief as the wide open spaces of the landscape was to be replaced by bricks & mortar. I never thought I would be glad to see the built up area. Normally I’m only too glad to get out of it into open countryside. But today, even Eccles and Patricroft looked appealing.
Mind you, the straight lengths of canal that take you through Trafford Park’ ubiquitous and endless Industrial Estate were mind-numbing. Just as you feel you might be getting to an end of it, along comes a slight curve necessitating a twitch on the tiller and a whole new straight length appears.Our cup overflowed when we came across a fishing match going on outside the Kellogg’s’ factory. I hope the location has nothing to do with the disposal of their catch. Carp flavoured corn flakes….. On second thoughts!
Eventually we reached Waters Meeting (where we had turned into the Leigh Branch from the Warrington direction a few weeks ago) and prepared for the turn – this time to the left towards Manchester City Centre - by a long blast on our hooter.Hearing nothing in return we upped the revs and started the turn into the blind corner only to be virtually mown down by another narrowboat suddenly appearing out of nowhere and turning into the Leigh Branch from Manchester. I had to take swift avoiding action to prevent a collision.
Didn’t he hear the horn? Was he blind? No, he was completely encased in a plastic pram cover that he probably couldn’t see out of with the rain. No, they don’t have windscreen wipers. IDIOT! We eventually made it out into the main line of the Bridgewater and headed onto waters that we hadn’t cruised for 7 years.The main highlight was passing right by the North Stand of the Theatre of Dreams. That’s Old Trafford, home of Manchester United to all you non-footie fans. Exactly one year and one week ago I, with Kathryn & Emma (daughters 2 & 3), was part of a large crowd watching our beloved Peterborough United take part in the League 1 Play Off Final at Old Trafford against Huddersfield. We won 3-0 on a never to be forgotten afternoon. Ah….what dreams are made of.
The high rise modern architecture of Salford Quays appeared a short distance beyond the off side of the canal, with the Metro Link coming alongside at Pomona Station before it rises to cross over the canal and join the Sale and Altrincham line that we had paralleled on our inward journey a few weeks ago.Waste land, modern high rise apartment blocks and old industrial buildings now combined with a succession of ornate and colourful railway bridges to herald the approach to Castlefield Basins. It had been our intention to turn left into the Staffordshire Arms to moor as we had done on our last visit.
However, the preferred arm had a “No Mooring” sign just as you entered it, and the other was blocked by one of the trip boats. So we had to reverse, wind and head back across the canal to the opposite arm and follow that until we found a mooring.Except we couldn’t as it was full of boats. Not a space to be had. We managed to wind again at the far end in front of the twin “lift bridges” that guard “Grocer’s Warehouse”. The inverted commas show that the warehouse and bridges are modern recreations of the long demolished and scrapped originals. They couldn’t even rebuild the warehouse properly, only to first floor level!
We were a bit depressed as we started to crawl back up the arm to the main line of the canal. It was still raining; we were cold and hungry……Ahhh. Fortunately fellow RBOA members (Residential Boat Owners Association) members on ‘Best O’ Mates’ took pity on us and invited us to breast up against them. We were so grateful.As the afternoon wore on, they seemed to be the only boaters to offer double breasting and several more boats have crawled to the end, turned and then crawled back out again without anyone else offering the same courtesy.
So now it was get the TV aerial up, get out the bunting (again!) and have lunch. What was it, I hear you ask? Something nice? Exotic even perhaps? No, Heinz Tomato Soup and bacon butties. And delicious it was too!And then it was time to sit back and watch the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant on the Beeb. Needless to say there was too much chat, too much celebrity nobodies and as for Anneka Rice and the artists…. Don’t get me started.
There was far too little information about the historic boats taking part and as for the narrowboats (including ‘President’) - hardly anything. At least we heard ‘President’s’ whistle as she passed the royal party on ‘HMS President’. Apt name for a naval ship…We will be here for several days now. I’m not sure if there is a mooring limit on the Bridgewater – there are no signs anywhere to say one way or another, but we will be here probably until Wednesday or Thursday.
By then we will have to move to use the sanitary station on the main line and then perhaps move back in again as we are not booked for the journey out of Manchester on the Rochdale Canal until a week on Tuesday. We will move up the infamous Rochdale 9 locks to the Piccadilly area on the Monday, so have a week or so to explore Manchester, something we haven’t really done before.After lunch, Kathryn phoned to say that in view of Tuesday’s weather forecast (same as today – p*ss awful), they decided a day in a park wouldn’t be a good idea, and we’ve postponed the visit until, hopefully, Father’s Day when we shall be going down the other side of the Pennines between Todmorden and Sowerby Bridge.
Sorry there aren’t any piccies today. It was raining too hard to get the camera out! But I've found one taken in 1977 or 1978 when my mate Derek & I cruised the Cheshire Ring both years. The view has changed a bit since then and I will hopefully get some more piccies up in the next few days, |
| Entrance to the arm leading to Grocer's Warehouse, Castlefield Basins, Manchester in 1977 or 1978 |
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