Saturday July 14th, Roaches Lock, 15W - Uppermill

For once, we were able to cruise today without being swathed up in jumpers, fleeces and full wet weather gear – the first time for nearly 10 days. The sun actually shone, and, apart from a few odd spots in the late afternoon, it has been dry and warm. Let’s hope it’s the start of some better weather.

We have now moved from the outer entrails of Manchester’s built up suburbs and, following the River Tame have climbed into countryside with fine views of the high moors on both sides of the canal.

Mooring at Lock 15W - see how far out the boat is.

The only downside to today’s journey was the continuing and appalling lack of depth in the canal, even in centre channel. It really is difficult to keep from going aground. At one point, even though I was about 5-6 feet out from the towpath, I could hear the boat’s bottom scraping on the canal’s silted up bed.

It is not necessarily lack of water, as water was gushing over most lock overflow weirs, just a general and longstanding lack of dredging. It’s sad, as the canal is getting very pretty and the best bits are up ahead, but we will be glad to retrace our steps to Dukinfield Junction and, hopefully, the relatively deeper waters of the Peak Forest & Macclesfield Canals, not that that’s saying much usually.

View from Royal George Aqueduct

At one point, between locks 17W & 18W, as the canal passes over the River Tame again on the Royal George Aqueduct, I could not get the boat to go any faster than tickover. It was an age before I could get into the upper lock; indeed I was worried if I could even get over the bottom cill.

View from Greenfield

So much so, that most concentration went into keeping the boat moving, however slowly, rather than looking around and soaking up the views. When we were able to look up and around, the views were fantastic. It’s so sad, in a way, that because of the long term blockage part way down the eastern side we are having to curtail our visit to this canal here at Uppermill.

Arriving in the village (or small town) which more or less acts as the focal point for the surrounding settlements of Dobcross and Saddleworth through a lock with an absent bottom gate balance beam (due as usual to a road widening), we turned at the winding hole and reversed back through a bridge to what we felt were the better moorings – much lighter not being overhung by tall and leafy trees.

Mooring at Uppermill

Once again we had problems getting in to the side and we have ended up again with the back end stuck out a few feet from the towpath. Fortunately, the bow is against the towpath, so we can get on and off with a bit more ease than yesterday.

Uppermill is a delightful place with characterful local shops that has managed to evolve from its former cotton weaving industry into being the focus for the local tourist trade. Judging by the property prices in the estate agents’ windows, it is evidently part of the stockbroker belt for Manchester and Huddersfield.

Uppermill

So tomorrow we start our return down the Huddersfield Narrow. It is the first time we have admitted defeat and not completed the journey we have planned. That it is largely as a result of forces outside our control (rain & flood) is of little matter. Even had it been open throughout as normal, I think we would still question the advisability of continuing any further given that the shallowness seems to extend most of the way through to Huddersfield according to several people we have spoken to.