Wednesday June 13th, Rose of Lancaster Public House, Chadderton - Littleborough

If yesterday was hard work, today was worse. More or less the same number of locks and miles, 2 swing bridges, a problem with grounding, rain and Rochdale…..

It was so all right when we set off after a good meal and a quiet night. Our two companions from yesterday had arrived 2½ hours after we had bemoaning a horrendous journey through Newton Heath with tyres, tarpaulins, jogging bottoms and Lord knows what else round their props. They tied up round the corner in front of us, but when we set off at 7.55 they were already long gone which meant that unlike yesterday the locks would be against us.

Walkmill Lock - 1st of the day

Round the corner the canal completes a horseshoe bend as it crosses the little River Irk and then enters greenery – the first proper fields we have seen for well over a week! Four attractive locks raise the canal nearly 40 feet. I’m sure they would have been even more attractive had it not been for the fact that it had started to rain quite heavily, rain that would be with us more or less constantly until we reached Rochdale.

A short lock free length (whoopee!) through more attractive countryside precedes the 6 Slattocks (or Laneside) locks. Slattocks I hear you say? And the same to you too! It is apparently a Lancashire corruption of South Locks.

These are most attractive climbing through a wooded landscape and crossed by the railway that had first announced itself soon after starting (and will be with us all the way to Sowerby Bridge) and a busy road.

At the last but one lock, the towpath goes under the road bridge and then rises through its own little tunnel and alley before emerging lockside. A notice exhorts boaters to empty the lock when you leave it and as Elaine went back to raise the bottom paddles we could see why. Water was cascading down the towpath alley and tunnel, presumably because the lockwall leaked like a sieve. The two young lady walkers who had just passed looked a bit nonplussed when they saw the tsunami gushing down their path!

Above the locks are attractive moorings which we will utilise on the return journey to break up the long day between the Rose of Lancaster and Littleborough.

The rain was by now teeming down and the first good views of the Pennines ahead of us didn’t amount to much, they were a murky grey colour. At least they were until they disappeared completely under the mist. So much for “There is a Green Hill far Away”!

Old & new lines and new Lock 53

Another length when we could actually open up the throttle follows Slattocks as the canal curves round to head for the M62 and Castleton/Rochdale. Just before Lock 53, the old line of the canal veers off to the left whilst the new line (created during restoration) heads for a similarly new lock before diving under the motorway.

Culvert under M62 with 'floating' towpath

The M62 was constructed well before restoration was even thought of, let alone under way and as such it severed the canal line completely. Fortunately a culvert carrying a farmer’s access track was available and Lock 53 was moved to the south side of the motorway to create the right level, and the canal diverted through the culvert.

There is a sharp bend to get into the culvert and it is only wide enough for a narrowboat as it comes with its own “removable” towpath which BW can tow out to allow a widebeam boat through. Needless to say we met two Shire Cruisers hire craft reaching our end of the tunnel as we got to the bend forcing us to reverse and no doubt upsetting two of the most unsociable fishermen it has been our misfortune to meet. Good.

Castleton Church with its i-Pod headphones

Narrows at site of old lock 53

Once through, we headed through the narrows of the old lock and the other two of the Blue Pits flight which took us into Castleton. Castleton Church had been a landmark for some time and it's spire and spirelets at a certain angle made it seem as if it was wearing headphones - perhaps listening to its i-Pod!

Castleton and Rochdale appear to merge seamlessly into each other and I think I can safely say that in nearly 38 years cruising I have not passed through such dumps. They have done nothing to acknowledge the time, effort and money that went into restoring the canal and give the inhabitants of these benighted places a wonderful asset. An asset they have totally misused. The locksides are covered in dog shit and the canal (especially around the two Moss Locks in Rochdale) is strewn with rubbish ranging from chairs to road bollards and from footballs to Leylandii cuttings. And when I say cuttings, I mean whole branches casually dumped in the water. It is disgusting and a disgrace.

No, we didn’t like either place.

Passing through Edinburgh Way Tunnel

The only thing of note was to inspect at close quarters how the restoration dealt with the Edinburgh Way roundabout where the A627(M) meets the A664. Here the canal had been obliterated many years ago and it took a brave decision to rework the road intersection to allow for a rebuilt canal. Local motorists had to put up with a considerable amount of delay over a long period as the changed road routes were constructed. A long tunnel now takes the canal under the road intersection.

Remains of old Town Arm, Rochdale

Also worthy of a second glance were the remains of the old arm that once led towards Rochdale Town Centre. All that is left is a length of about 100 yards which ends at the first bridge.

Near the northern edge of Rochdale we came across the first of two swing bridges of the day. I got off at the front of the boat as there wasn’t much of a landing to pull the boat into. The bridge swung open easily enough, but after closing it Elaine couldn’t get the boat in for me to get back on, despite a stone towpath edge (for about 5 feet) and a bollard. So much so that as she reversed to try and get closer, there was a “CLUNK” and the engine cut out with the rudder jammed to one side.

We were aground.

It took us ages to get free, involving the help of a passer-by. What an appalling excuse of a landing for a swing bridge. It wouldn’t be tolerated anywhere else on the network, so why here?

I have made my feelings known to the BW Regional Office.

Fortunately, by now the rain had stopped and the hills could again be seen ahead in a wide arc across the line of the canal. What’s more, they were now green! They looked really attractive and inviting and we hope that after the hard slog of yesterday and today, we can look forward to some more relaxing days on the eastern side and get to see the hills close up as we traverse the summit.

By now we were back out into open country with views of hills opening up all around us. Just before the second swing bridge is a most attractive complex of buildings. Clegg Hall, dating from the C17th and fully restored), a lovely old mill, again fully restored and some old weavers’ cottages all add to a charming scene.

The second swing bridge almost caused the same problem, but this time Elaine was able to reverse back into the bridge hole to pick me up after almost going aground at the “proper” pick up point.

Mooring at Littleborough

Through Smithy Bridge we were now in sight of our destination. A short wooded length with hills closing in all around brought us under a new bridge (rebuilt as a result of the restoration) and into Littleborough. It had been our intention to climb up the first two of the twelve locks in the Littleborough flight, but frankly, we couldn’t be bothered. There are moorings available at the foot of the flight and despite a very shallow edge (again!), we managed to pull in and tie up after over 8 hours cruising.

A much easier day awaits us tomorrow – we hope! Just 11 locks in 1½ miles to the moorings one lock down from the summit where we will await our booked passage into and over the summit level on Friday.