Friday June 29th, Hebden Bridge - Todmorden

Stranded boat from Todmorden direction

Well, we’re finally on the move again! The boat that was across the canal was removed by a massive crane on Wednesday evening and on Thursday we saw the first boats come down the locks from above the blockage, albeit they did it unofficially. This included the boat that was the focus of so many photographs.

Boat stuck on overspill weir

The owner’s insurance company paid for a crane to move it, but as there was no nearby access to get to the canal, a 300t crane had to be used with a long, long jib. It had to park on the road (done late at night so road coulod be closed) and swing its jib across the river, towpath and, for one of the slings, across the canal and there was a concern whether the weight of the boat at so far a distance from the crane might unbalance the vehicle that proved not to be the case; the only remaining difficulty being that the crane driver in his cab couldn’t properly see what the boat was doing and so had to be guided by walkie-talkie!

Boat being lifted out Wednesday night

An update was posted on Thursday evening on the British Waterway’s stoppage site on the internet to say that the canal was open between Hebden Bridge & Todmorden, but because of the damage caused by the floods, primarily to the towpath, caution had to be exercised at the lock landings as the approaches were likely to be badly affected by debris.

Indeed, two of the locks could only be operated by BW staff as the lock landings were completely out of bounds. These locks were only open between 12 noon and 2pm and, as we were only a mile or so and three locks below, meant a much later start for us.

Heading out of Hebden Bridge

Looking back across aqueduct to Black Pit Lock

Terraces and chimneies at Hebden Bridge

So it was gone 11.00 before we untied and set off up Black Pit Lock in the centre of Hebden Bridge. The canal through the town passes through a mixture of old mills (some still in industrial use and some converted to residential apartments) and terraced housing and is most attractive.

It is only a short distance then to the two locks and pub at Stubbing Wharf. The pub had been as far as boats could initially travel after the floods, but as there was no winding hole above, most stayed where we had been, handily placed for the sanitary station opposite to our mooring. Our friends on the cruiser with whom we had journeyed up from Sowerby Bridge last Monday were tied up here, but they could turn round in the width of the canal and were going to retrace their steps back to the Calder & Hebble.

A major problem hit us below the upper of the two locks here. We had been told the only locks included in the BW escorted passage section were locks 13 & 14, but the gates of this lock – lock 11 were padlocked and there was a notice saying this lock was now included in the escorted passage and a chap from BW would be here at 12 noon. However it was just about 12 noon and 15 minutes later there was still no sign of anyone from BW. It was at this time that the heavens opened and we were treated to a 10 minute torrential rain storm!

Getting rather fed up I rang the BW office at Red Bull near Kidsgrove in the Potteries (the area office for the South Pennine waterways to find out when anyone would be there. Apparently the guy was a bit further up, escorting two boats down.

In the end it wasn’t long before he appeared and removed the chain and padlock and started to work us through. It turned out to be Ray, the Summit lockkeeper who had had to come down to do the escorting. As he told us, he felt like he was “Mr Rochdale” as there was no-one else available!

As we exited lock 11, the other two boats entered for Ray to work them down and then replace chain and padlock. One was called “Yes Dear” – surely one of the best boat names ever!!

Ray left in his car to get lock 12 for us and we settled down for a slow cruise. Slow, because we had been warned that there might be sandbars across the canal in places that they hadn’t yet identified. The damage caused by the floods was soon evident. Lengths of the wall separating the canal from the river had been broken down and the towpath surface had been stripped.

Towpath wall between canal & river broken down

Below Lock 12, Rawdon Mill Lock. Electric cables exposed

As we arrived at lock 12 even more damage was evident with the whole towpath area below the lock having been ripped up, even to the extent that buried electricity cables were now fully exposed. There were stone blocks and rubble everywhere.

After working is through locks 12 & 13, Ray left us. We will see him again in a few days’ time as we recross the summit.

We took the remaining 2½ miles and 5 locks very cautiously indeed. Whilst Elaine would normally have walked between some of the locks that were closer together, the worries about the lock landings and the fact that the towpath was officially closed with wooden barriers across the accesses from bridges, meant that we had to keep slowing down to get her off and back on again to work the locks.

Getting into the sides to let her off was a bit fraught as we didn’t know how much depth there was beneath us, indeed several times the boat’s bottom started to grate as we started to encounter the debris washed into the canal. Getting back on again didn’t prove too much as I could keep the boat in the head of the lock whilst she shut the gate.

Below Rawdon Mill Lock

Rawdon Mill Lock, again

and again........

Each lock had large areas fenced off as the flow of the water had gouged out mini-ravines and craters, moving huge piles of rubble and debris into the canal.

We didn’t encounter any major problems, but we were taking things very slowly. What had taken us just less than 4 hours to cruise going towards Hebden Bridge over a week ago now took us nearly 6 hours.

Lobb Mill Lock

But finally, the mills, factories and houses of Todmorden appeared alongside and we breathed a sigh of relief.

WRONG!

Just between a bridge and the small Baltimore Marina, we ran firmly aground. No amount of reverse and/or poling could budge us, although the bows slowly swung towards the towpath. Fortunately, a young lady from a nearby moored boat took pity on us and was able to take the middle rope which I was able to throw across the gap. With her pulling and me swinging up and down on the “unaground” side, we were able to shift her.

It’s at times like these that you appreciate the helpful nature of most boaters, who are more than happy to go to another boater’s aid. I know, as I’ve done it myself before.

We passed by the mooring of our downward journey. We had asked Ray where he recommended us to moor and he said to tie up on the bollards at the Sanitary Station above Shop Lock, which we moored below over 10 days ago. Whilst on a sanitary station mooring, it is also a 24 hour visitor mooring as well, and we will stay here tomorrow as well as it was nearly 5.00pm when we managed to tie up.

We’re not normally this knackered after cruising, even for 5-6 hours which is more than we usually do. But I think it was the combination of the later start, the frustrating wait below lock 11 and the worry of what we might encounter on today’s journey that all combined to tire us out.

Mooring at Todmorden

Anyway, we’re safely through the flood affected area. We really feel for British Waterways. Perennially hard up for funding, it will take a lot of time, effort and money from them to restore the towpath and dredge the flood affected length of canal between Todmorden & Hebden Bridge.

Thought I'd finish with a few piccies of the floods of the 22nd June....

Fielden Square moorings - where we are now!

Charlestown

Halifax Road, Todmorden

Clearing up in Hebden Bridge, our mooring was just through railings on the right!

River Calder near Callis Mill - the canal is just to the right. Easy to see how the towpath walls were demolished & the towpath ripped up

Monday June 24th, Sowerby Bridge - Hebden Bridge

It appears the canal is still blocked between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden by what we understand is a boat that came adrift from its moorings during the floods and ended up spread-eagled across the canal with one end on the towpath. We also believe access is difficult for British Waterways to get access.

Mind you, on the automated alerts we get by e-mail (for problems all over the network), BW do not specify it is boat, just “blockages”, plural.

Battered footbridge over river and debris left by the floods

Anyway, having spent Sunday doing nothing very much (apart from enjoying an excellent roast beef dinner at The Moorings and seeing at first hand the violence of the river in flood) we have turned round today and retraced our steps to Hebden Bridge.

First though we cruised round the corner into Sowerby Bridge Basin (the end of the Calder & Hebble Navigation), winded and tied up at Shire Cruisers base to empty the loo, get rid of the rubbish and fill up with diesel.



Sowerby Bridge Basin

This appears to be the only place close to the Rochdale Canal where you can get fuel and I was distinctly unimpressed by the price. If you are 100% propulsion (and therefore get no relief by having some red diesel) it is £1.58 a litre!!!!!

Even for us with an 80% domestic and 20% propulsion split is was still £1.08 per litre, and with 150 litres going into the tank, it was a total cost of £162! I don’t think I’ve ever paid that much for a boat refill before. Just over a month ago we paid Liverpool Marina 97p a litre. Don’t think we’ll be filling up at Sowerby Bridge again!

Dewatered pound below Tuel Lane Deep Lock

Having turned back into the Rochdale Canal again, we made contact with Billy, the lockkeeper at Tuel Lane who asked us to come up the first lock whilst he sorted out refilling the pound between the second lock and the deep lock.

We teamed up with a pleasant couple on a Norman cruiser who didn’t mind sharing a lock with a steel narrow boat, although their small fibreglass cruiser did look a bit lost beside us!

Billy soon appeared to get the second lock ready, but told us to wait once we were at the upper level while he ran more water down. We had to wait for him to blow three loud blasts on a whistle; the signal that everything was set for us.

We entered the curving tunnel and entered the deep lock, and once the gates were closed behind us felt rather insignificant being so far down in the cavernous depths. Front & back ropes had to be threaded through the plastic coated steel hawsers set into the lock wall at intervals to hold the boats steady.

As we neared the top, Billy told Elaine that the lock holds 190,000 gallons of water between its outer gates, and 140,000 gallons if the intermediate gates are used. Add to that figure the additional amount needed to fill the dewatered pound below, and something in the region of 300,000 gallons of water is needed to see boats into and out of Sowerby Bridge.

Once through the top gates and having waved our farewells and given our thanks to Billy, we had a straightforward and enjoyable cruise back to Hebden Bridge. Here we waved farewell to our fellow travellers who were travelling a little further to a pub at Stubbing Wharf on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge and three locks higher.

We pulled in just a little beyond where we had spent 72 very wet, exciting and nervous hours last week. We may be here for a few days!

Saturday Jun 23rd, Hebden Bridge - Sowerby Bridge

What a truly awful couple of days in Hebden Bridge! After a pleasant Wednesday afternoon when we explored the town centre, it started to rain that evening and went on to rain continuously for 48 hours. And when it rained, it poured. Rain of almost like Biblical proportions sheeted down non-stop.

At about 8.00pm last night we heard a klaxon blare out its undulating wail for about 5 minutes. It later transpired it was the town’s flood warning. And it was needed.

By the time of our normal bedtime the canal level had been raised about 4-6 inches and was flooding the towpath. The park situated adjacent to and below the towpath was just one entire sheet of water. Opposite our mooring, beyond the paved area surrounding the old basins, the main road was flooded completely. Needless to say we stayed up much later than normal just to make sure everything was OK.

When Elaine went to get a paper this morning, she found council road sweepers and JCB’s clearing the muck off the roads and the fire brigade in attendance in big numbers. Shops were sweeping out the flood water and debris from their premises and one assistant told her it was the worst flooding she could remember.

Wow!

With just the last lap to do to complete the 32 miles and 92 locks from Manchester, we were understandably pleased to see a dry morning when we awoke. At the first lock – Mayroyd Mill Lock – we got chatting to an elderly couple who lived on their boat just above the lock. They had had to move their car as it was already axle deep, and said that cars in the town centre just had their roofs showing! They also told us that Todmorden had had it much worse than Hebden Bridge so Lord knows what it was like there!

Approaching Fallingroyd Tunnel

We had a pleasant cruise down the remaining 5 miles and 8 locks (7 really, but Tuel Lane is so big that it counts as two, which it once was before roads intervened). Fallingroyd Tunnel is really the only tunnel on the canal and is notable only for having a broad curve throughout its length so you can’t see one end from the other.

Floods near Mytholmroyd (river on extreme left)

Above Brearley Locks the river (running high and very fast) showed the effect of the rain as it had flooded adjacent playing fields to some depth and area. In a nearby field, a solitary bull had to make do with the grass from a small corner as the rest of the field was beneath a fast flowing sheet of water.

Brearley Top Lock - plenty of water!

There was also plenty of water running over the top gates of the locks.
The second of the two Brearley Locks has been renamed Edward Kilner Lock after a former canal company employee.

The scenery is still of the highest quality although is now a bit softer with more trees and houses on the hill tops which have now receded to form a much wider valley for the river, road, canal & railway to thread their way through.

Indeed, on what must surely be the longest pound on the canal at just over 2 miles, it is difficult to realise you have actually entered Sowerby Bridge because the canal is in a well wooded cutting and screened from all development.

There are still some fine old mills along today’s section – some still in use, some derelict. Sadly Walkley’s Clogs factory at Mytholmroyd, formerly a popular tourist attraction, has now closed and the building is empty and up for sale. The small village of Luddenden Foot has some particularly fine examples.

No Mooring - but who for?

Also here is the smallest section of official No Mooring I have ever seen. It is only about 10 feet wide. Who is it meant to apply to I wonder?

Once through the trees and Sowerby Bridge announces itself with some fine views to the south and a particularly fine mill. There is a winding hole and some moorings adjacent to the market and a car park before the massive Tuel Lane lock intervenes.

This can only be operated by the resident lockkeeper who is on permanent duty from Friday to Monday (presumably to cater for the Shire Cruisers in and out days), but can be pre-booked for other days. It is right that only the lockkeeper can work it as not only is it 19’ 8½” deep, but immediately after you plunge beneath a road junction in another curving tunnel before arriving at the last two locks.

One of the major obstacles to restoration of the canal was the blockage at Tuel Lane where the canal had been infilled and blocked by lowered road bridges. The canal ended in a supermarket car park and was separated from the other side by 50 yards of infill.

The only way the canal could be reinstated could be by tunnelling under the revamped road intersection and by combining the rise (or fall) of locks 3 and 4 into one massive lock. It is to the local authority’s credit that this was one of the first major blockages to be cleared and reopened to boats well before the Lottery Funding that enabled other obstacles to be overcome,

One other reason why only the lockkeeper could work the lock is that the length through the tunnel and up to the next lock has to be kept empty, as otherwise the cellars of The Wharf pub flood and cut their electrics. When England played their game against Ukraine last Monday evening, the regulars were not amused when 17 boats went through and they lost their TV coverage!

We had to wait a good 30 minutes for the lockkeeper to set everything before we entered the lock. There is no need for ropes when you are going down as the descent is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. However, thin plastic-coated steel wires are inset into the lock walls at intervals for crews to wrap their ropes round to keep the boat still when ascending.

Intermediate gates are also provided if a shorter boats (or boats) are in the lock so using less water.

Leaving Tuel Lane Lock

Leaving Tuel Lane Lock

It is a real experience being worked through this cavernous lock and then immediately plunging into the curving tunnel. It was also an experience when we ran aground in the centre of the channel between the tunnel’s further portal and the next lock as there was insufficient water for us to get through. The lockie had to go and let more down, before he helped us through the last two locks.

Mooring at Sowerby Bridge

Once through and onto the bottom pound of the canal, we wound our way through the moorings before we found a suitable mooring just shy of the canal’s junction with the Calder & Hebble Navigation.

To the left are the C&H’s basins and warehouses all now splendidly restored and turned to new uses. Shire Cruisers have their busy hire base and boatyard here.

Made it! 92 locks in 32 miles.

To the right is the C&H which combines lengths of canalised river and pure river sections on its way to Wakefield and to a junction with the Aire & Calder Navigation at Castleford. We are just slightly too long for the locks on the C&H which is a pity as we could have travelled just over 8 mils and through 15 locks to Cooper’s Bridge where we could turn onto the Huddersfield Broad Canal (another one with short locks) and so to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal (HNC). Instead we have to retrace our steps all the way back to Ancoats in Manchester, ascend the 18 locks of the Ashton Canal and then enter the HNC from the west. Hey ho!

One thing the lockie at Tuel Lane did tell us was that the Rochdale Canal has been ‘closed’ in West Yorkshire due to the flooding and we are likely to be here until next week. We had intended to stay here in Sowerby Bridge until Monday anyway, but we may have to stay longer.

Wednesday June 20th, Todmorden to Hebden Bridge

We have had a most enjoyable stay in Todmorden, a welcoming town that offers everything for the boater. It has also been quiet, the number of boats that we saw passing us in 2½ days could almost be counted on the fingers of one hand, and easily on two.

In glorious warm sunshine we untied this morning determined to get some hard graft under our belts as, after all, it is all of 4 miles to our next mooring at Hebden Bridge (and another 9 locks).

However, one thing is noticeable. I could actually get on the boat today in a few of the pounds rather than walking the whole way!

We also saw a lot of walkers dressed in proper walking gear with their Ordnance Survey maps in plastic covers round their necks. This is a popular area for walking and there are plenty of signposts offering walks in all directions.

We did meet a couple of Shire Cruisers’ hireboats climbing up towards Todmorden in different locks. Both were having their first ever cruise on the canals and even though they chose a hard canal for novices they both seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Old Royd Lock

The scenery continues to delight. Views of open moors and hilltops were more restricted today but the canal is surrounded by thick woods tumbling down the steep slope on the offside, whilst on the towpath side, the infant River Calder, which at Todmorden joined the little stream that had kept us company down from the summit, again ran close alongside.

Between Old Royd & Lobb Mill Locks

The river historically provided the power source for a number of scattered mills along the valley bottom, many of which have survived, looking quite incongruous amongst all the sylvan greenery. They are always accompanied by a small collection of former millworkers’ cottages, the original owners of which would be bemused to see the transformation of their former cottages into attractive modern and very desirable residences.

The busy road and railway that have also accompanied us from the summit are kept at bay by the river and never become intrusive.

Leaving Lobb Mill Lock

Lobb Mill Lock is set in a glorious situation amidst the hills and a wonderful railway viaduct with the mill building that gave the lock its name now converted into luxury apartments. Here, Elaine got talking to a chap who had just walked down the towpath to take his granddaughter to school. He often sits on the bench by the lock and chats to boat crews. He didn’t have to walk far to get home as he lives in a substantial house (the former mill owner’s perhaps?) adjacent to the lock.

At Callis Lock, the Pennine Way tumbles down from the high moors beyond Stoodley Pike to cross the canal, river, road and railway before climbing up the other side to head towards Blackmoor Edge and near Heptonstall, above Hebden Bridge.

Geograph image of the old Callis Mill, the weving sheds beyond

The next lock, Rawden Mill Lock, is the nearest to Callis Mill. This is a famous name in canal restoration circles. In the early days of the restoration of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, the Canal Society, who at that time were undertaking most of the work themselves using the old Manpower Services Commission scheme, set up another MSC scheme in 1982 to manufacture the many lock gates their canal (and the Rochdale Canal also) would need at the old weaving sheds at Callis Mill (the old mill having been demolished by "property developers").

Although the Canal Society had to give up their direct involvement due to a change in the rules of employment creation schemes, the former employees carried on for a spell under their own resources until the business was taken over by Hargreaves of Halifax, who continue to manufacture and install lock gates all over the country. They are currently working on 22 pairs of lock gates for the Cotswold Canal Restoration.

The canal now passes under the railway as it crosses to the opposite side of the valley and reaches the two Stubbing Locks – Upper & Lower – and the two closest spaced ones today. These herald the approach to Hebden Bridge, our destination for the day.

Between the locks, short rows of terraced houses spill down the slope to the towpath wall. The back yards between each pair of rows vividly bring home the cheek by jowl nature of life for the mill working families. A narrow alley is all that separates the back yards of the rows, and comes replete with dustbins, bikes, children’s toys, washing lines and sunbathing cats. All very Coronation Street’ish!

The canal passes some converted mills as it enters the town and crosses over River Calder, immediately after its confluence with Hebden Water. Following immediately after the aqueduct and Black Pit Lock are the main official visitor moorings. These, however, are interrupted half way along by a notice prohibiting mooring. It is opposite the old town wharf and slipway which today is merely used as a winding hole; hence the mooring prohibition.

The visitor moorings were full when we arrived – largely with continuous moorers. We pulled in on a fairly unsatisfactory mooring between the lock and the start of the official moorings and under a footbridge – never the best place to stop (especially overnight). However, one of the two apparent non-continuous mooring boats now decided to untie and pull back to the sanitary station before heading off for Sowerby Bridge.

Original mooring at Hebden Bridge

Naturally we were delighted at this, and as soon as they had vacated their space we movedforward and reused it.
We shall probably stay here until Friday before heading off to Sowerby Bridge and the end of the Rochdale Canal (although not for us as we shall turn round and do it all again the other way!).

Sunday June 17th, Walsden - Todmorden

Yesterday was just a catalogue of downpour after downpour of almost Biblical proportions, accompanied by gale force winds. Glad we’re not on a time schedule, but really feel for those boaters who had to move, like the Shire Cruisers’ hirers we met near Rochdale last week.

Today, by contrast has been quite good – plenty of sunshine and a breeze, becoming overcast at times. At least it hasn’t rained and we’re now sitting back relaxing with the doors and windows open.

Under way quite late for us at 8.30, today has been little more than a ladder of locks with me walking all the way, only getting on board to get the lump hammer and mooring pins to tie up with! My hamstrings are certainly feeling it!

Nip Square Lock - why is it called that????

Starting from Walsden our first lock was Nip Square Lock. I’d love to know the story behind that name. The locks come thick and fast, 12 today in just 2 miles to Todmorden. It seems they thin out a bit tomorrow onwards for the journey down through Hebden Bridge to Sowerby Bridge.

Mill at Walsden

At times a fast flowing stream ran alongside and slightly below canal level with just the towpath in between. With the rain of the past few days, there was plenty of fresh in the stream, as indeed there was in the canal with water pouring over gates at both ends at times. Overflow weirs from the canal into the stream were working overtime and at one point the towpath is carried over the open overflow weir by a line of raised planks.

The scenery is full of interest with terraces running down to the canal on both sides interspersed with the occasional mill or factory building. The railway and main road run parallel, but never intrude on the relationship between stream and canal.

Canal warehouse at Gauxholme

At Gauxholme, the towpath changes sides and the canal starts to veer away from the generally northern direction it has followed thus far, veering slightly to the east as it hurries down three locks more closely spaced than usual. There is a lovely old converted canal warehouse at the start of the locks, which are interrupted by a wonderfully castellated railway bridge.

Gauxholme Railway Bridge

After two more closely spaced locks, the day’s longest pound leads us into Todmorden, famous amongst other things for the Great Wall of Tod – a huge brick retaining wall towering above the offside of the canal to hold up the railway and the town’s former good’s yard. Nicholson’s Guide notes an estimate of over 4 million bricks were used to build it. I’m not about to disagree.

The Great Wall of Tod

Todmorden or Library Lock is a strange one, in that road widening at the road immediately below has resulted in a guillotine gate being provided at the tail. It’s a bit off-putting as the paddle gear (manual) is on one side and the mechanism (electric) for raising and lowering the gate is on the other.

Here also the towpath changes sides again, although there is access for crew to get to the sanitary station on the far side. Here we pulled in to top up the water, empty the loo and get rid of the rubbish.

Just one more lock to work, and then we pulled in for the day. We shall do a bit of shopping today (Morrison’s for essentials), but will remain here tomorrow to properly explore what everyone tells us is a lovely little town, and do some more food shopping at the market.

Mooring at Todmorden

The scenery has again been superb, well wooded, nice buildings (both residential and industrial) and more good views of the hills. Ahead of us at our mooring we have a fine view of Stoodley Pike on top of its hill, looking for all the world like a rocket about to take off. It was in fact erected to commemorate The Battle of Waterloo and the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.

Looking towards Stoodley Pike

Friday Jume 15th - Chelburn Wharf - Warland

Today has been a day of real contrasts. After a night of heavy rain, it was grey but dry when we set off and soon after the sun came out and things improved. No specific photos today, just some lovely scenery.

We had been asked yesterday by Ray the lockkeeper to wait for a couple of boats to come down, but in the event we were asked to go up the lock after the first narrowboat – ‘Chloe’ came down.

We were soon joined at the lock by Ray who helped us. He had been helping a widebeam ascend the eastern summit lock and across the summit and had wanted the narrowboats out of the way. He felt he was going to have problems not only getting the widebeam through the two less than full width locks on the western side we came through yesterday but also ensuring sufficient water for them. Having said that he told us the summit level had risen 9-10” overnight with all the rain.

And then for a glorious few minutes we were all alone on the summit level surrounded by majestic moors and crags, although the nearby road ensured we stayed in the C21st. The scenery has to be seen to be believed. It is just stunning.

Old blackened stone built farms – some converted to private residences and some still in operation judging by the sheep – clung to the steep hillsides. Even with the main road it must be pretty bleak in winter.

By crossing the summit we moved from the red rose county of Lancashire to the white rose of Yorkshire.

Longlees Lock (Eastern Summit Lock)

The summit is only a mile in length and all too soon our crawl at a deliberately slow speed came to an end as Longlees Lock (the eastern summit lock) came into view. A delightfully converted & modernised former lock cottage stands alongside.

Locks come thick and fast now, not really thinning out until Todmorden, about 18 locks further down. At the next one, Warland Upper Lock we came across a swing bridge. A perfectly normal swing bridge, operated with a BW key and a bit of muscle power.

However, there comes a moment in everyone’s life (at least it does in mine) where we have a Homer Simpson “DOH” moment. This was mine for today, as I tried my hardest to get the bridge to move. Would it budge? No it didn’t. Just as I realised what I was doing wrong, Elaine called out – “push the other way”. What she really meant was “You Blithering Idiot”, or words to that effect!

Recovered from that temporary mental aberration, we calmly made our way down more locks with water gushing everywhere. Over the by-washes, over the top gates, over the bottom gates….you name it, it was gushing.

This was no doubt the result of the overnight rain – and the forecast was for more. No water shortage here, then!

Some of the locks hereabouts have wonderful names – Bottomley, Winterbutlee, Nip Square, Smithyholme and Shop. And it was after Winterbutlee that we decided to tie up on a nice bit of low towpath on the outskirts of Walsden, home to Grandma Pollard’s renowned Fish & Chip Emporium. Pearson raves about it, and we had also been recommended to try it.

As we pulled in, the heaven’s opened and we tied up in torrential rain. This was but the first of a whole series of heavy rain storms (and one very violent hailstorm), but the fish and chips made the world look good again.

Given the forecast for tomorrow, which is for torrential rain through most of the day, coupled with gale force winds, we’ll stay put and see what Sunday brings!

Thursday Jun 14th, Littleborough to below Chelburn Wharf moorings, below West Summit Lock

Hills of the North, Rejoice! Glorious. Just glorious!

Today was nothing more really than almost completing the climb up from Castlefield to the 600’ or so summit level of the Rochdale Canal, and the weather really couldn’t have been kinder. The shorts & sunglasses have been out and even the easy chairs & picnic table have been in use.

Mooring at Littleborough

Our mooring at the foot of the 12 locks that take the canal up from Littleborough to the summit was not perhaps the best. There’s nothing wrong with it that a bit of dredging would put right, but the boat did have a decided tilt to it during the night. However, we were both so tired after the last couple of days that we couldn’t face climbing up 2 more locks to the better moorings.

Littleborough itself hardly impinges on the canal and by the time you have climbed up the first two locks you are out in open countryside with stunning vistas opening up all around you.

Benthouse Lock

The weather also decided to put its better face on and we were treated to blue sky and fluffy white clouds which skidded across the sky in a stiff breeze creating wonderful contrasts between bright & dark shades on the moorsides all around us.

We stopped at the unusual sanitary station on the off side (the Elsan point is in a wooden hut, complete with table, chair and coffee making equipment) and noted the opposite bank as a suitable stopping point on our return journey.

Benthouse Lock - old arm & crane

The next few locks are spread out a bit, but set in wonderful surroundings. Benthouse Lock has an angled dock with mooring bollards and the stump of an old crane which would make a lovely mooring if we could be assured was dredged sufficiently. The views are stunning.

View from Pike Hosue Lock

Pike House Lock brings to mind the immortal line spoken by Captain Mannering in Dad’s Army – “Don’t tell him, Pike!” The nest lock, Sladen Lock, introduces a spell of industry as old mills nestle beneath the high moors against the canal. Greenvale Mill, on the towpath side is a relative newcomer being built in the 1940’s and extended in the 1950’s, but the mill building on the opposite side against Thickone Lock is much older. We watched the driver of an HGV with a curtain sided trailer negotiate the narrow access road and manoeuvre around to deliver its load. Rather him than me!

We had to wait here for some time as the lockkeeper let water down the flight to fill some low pounds further up and to enable a boat to descend. It is late afternoon as I write this and they have been the only boat we have seen moving all day!

The locks come thick and fast now as the canal fringes the outlying village of Calderbrook, but the sense of excitement is getting stronger as we near the summit.

With us being the only boat around, the lockkeeper lent us a hand with the remaining locks which from Lock 44 have only short pounds in between and he has to manage water supplies carefully. A couple of the locks have suffered from middle aged spread and are only capable of taking one narrowboat at a time.

Mooring at Chelburn Wharf

Finally we reached Lock 38 and our work for the day was over. If you are not passing over the summit the same day (passages have to be booked in advance), overnight moorings are provided on the off-side at Chelburn Wharf as the Rochdale Canal Society notice proudly proclaims. The BW sign calls it Chelbourne Wharfe (with an E) making it sound much too pretty.

It is an idyllic spot. To our right is the bridge immediately before West Summit Lock with the lockkeeper’s house adjacent. Across the other side are a variety of old blackened stone built terraced houses and more modern houses making up the settlement of Summit. How appropriate. Towering ahead of us are the high moors and hills through which the canal threads its mile-long summit level, deliberately dug deeper by Jessop to provide an additional water resource.

Mooring at Chelburn Wharf

After the slog of the last two days (we shall take longer on our return journey), today has been the perfect antidote. Sun, scenery, al fresco lunch and wine. What more can you ask for?

Glorious. Just glorious!