Monday July 30th, Barlaston - Stone

After recovering from the blowout at the Wedgwood Visitor Centre Restaurant’s carvery, we had a day full of meeting boats. Usually by this time of the year we are cruising a more remote part of the network and we had forgotten just how manic the main routes can be in the summer holidays.

Today’s journey is not one of the most memorable scenic sections on the Trent & Mersey, passing as it does though Barlaston’s seemingly endless back gardens and then through the remains of Meaford Power Station, sub-station and former colliery site.

Eventually, however, you arrive at Meaford Top Lock and start the descent of over 70’ to Stone. Once again the locks are a delight to work, filling and emptying quickly and with bridges at the tail and top gate plank at the top, saving one having to walk to one end, cross and retrace your steps to work the other side.

Boat roller under railway bridge below Lime Kiln Lock

We met one boat climbing up the little flight of four locks before exiting at the bottom before we reached the unmitigated chaos that was Stone locks. At Lime Kiln Lock we had to wait for a hireboat to come in and ascend, and the same happened at the next lock – Newcastle Road Lock. Here Elaine startled a single handed boater who was in the bottom of the lock on his mobile phone. After she had shut the bottom gates for him, he explained that his son worked in Dubai and invariably phoned him when he was in a lock!

Once we had worked through the lock we wanted to stop at the sanitary station to empty the loo. It turned out to be unmitigated chaos. One boat was already filling up with water, another was hovering, waiting to take over, and a partly built boat had been parked by Stone Boatbuilders on the remaining section of mooring. Just as we joined the party, another boat appeared, also wanting to use the facilities!

We ended up breasting up against the new boat, and emptied the loo as quickly, untied and moved off as quickly as we could!

The old workhouse/hospital at Stone, now apartments

Things were not really any better at Yard Lock as we waited for another hireboat to ascend. At least the surroundings are of some interest, the old boatsheds belonging to Canal Cruising Company are amongst the oldest anywhere on the network, and the old workhouse opposite is now apartments having been a hospital in between.

Once through this lock we found three more boats waiting to ascend!

At the bottom lock, Star Lock there were no boats at all, but the combination of moored boats on either side and a stiff breeze caused a momentary worry or two as I waited in mid channel for Elaine to fill the lock.

One of the ascending boats had assured us that there were plenty of moorings below Star Lock, which is where we usually moor. I don’t know which section of moorings she was on about, as they were chock-a-block! We managed to pull in in a slightly illegal position; about 2’ of the back end was sticking into the no mooring section for the winding hole.

After doing the shopping at Morrisons, we were delighted to see that the boat in front of us was untying and we were able to fully legalise our position and move up.

Mooring at Stone

We had intended to stay here a couple of days, using the second day to use a laundrette, but it seems to have transformed itself into a dry cleaners! So we shall move on tomorrow.



Sunday July 29th, Westport Lakes - Barlaston

I always enjoy the passage through the Potteries. I know it doesn’t appeal to many boaters, but for me it epitomises the link between the canal and the industry it encouraged to settle alongside its banks.

Integral to this, of course, are the potworks themselves and we get our fill in the three miles or so between Westport Lakes and Stoke Bottom Lock.

It was pleasing to see that the fire ravaged warehouse at Longport Wharf has now been restored and once again looks like its neighbour. The rebuild has been done so well, you can’t see any sign of the fire, or that the building has been restored.

The Middleport Pottery

The Middleport Pottery has now a more assured future thanks to Prince Charles and a big investment by his Prince’s Trust, and a Heritage Lottery Fund payout. The pottery which is home to Burleighware was in danger of being closed. Now the future has been assured with restoration plans for the buildings, survival of the artefacts (including 17,000 unique moulds),50 jobs have been saved and a range of plans are being drawn up to create craft and small business space within the unused areas of the complex.

Although restoration work is not due to start until the autumn, emergency work is already underway, as evidenced by scaffolding around the boiler house chimney. It is hoped the project will serve to kickstart regeneration in the Middleport/Burslem area.

Just a few yards further along the canal, another old pottery building lies gently crumbling and mouldering away. Hopefully regeneration will happen quickly enough to rescue this old building.

The site of Shelton Steel Works continues to lie empty and desolate, although it is now partly clothed in green – weeds and small invasive shrubs have taken over part of the site. A redevelopment scheme is apparently approved; it just needs the funding to start. It can’t come soon enough!

That part of the steelworks on the eastern side of the canal was reclaimed and used as the site for the 1986 National Garden Festival. This now incorporates the marina we used last year to house the boat for a few days. It is opposite Wedgwood’s original pottery works at Etruria.

Once we reached the locks we found ourselves in a procession of boats. A Middlewich hireboat had just gone down, and we were followed by ‘Albamimi II’, the boat with whom we had swapped swing bridges on the Macclesfield a few days ago.

A rarity - a topp gate that doesn't leak! Etruria Lock.

We had a good run down the locks which are always easy to work, before the run through more industrial areas to the suburbs. At Trentham Lock we were assisted down by a young chap who helps there most days. He was not a volunteer lockie linked to C&RT, but someone doing it off his own back, although he was wearing a high-visibility jacket that had a Stoke on Trent logo of some sort on it.

Mooring at Barlaston

From here it was only a short distance to our usual mooring at Barlaston, close to the Wedgwood factory. Indeed, we took the opportunity of walking back to the visitor centre and museum, where we had an enjoyable afternoon, including a truly enormous Sunday carvery – the plate wasn’t big enough! It didn’t cost us much either. As members of the National Trust we were entitled to a 2 for 1 entry into the museum - £5, and upgraded to include everything else on site for £6, making entry for both of us the grand total of £11!

Saturday July 28th, Bridge 86 near Kent Green - Westport Lakes

We have now completed the Cheshire Ring. Instead of the usual week or so the hirers usually take, it has taken us 97 days since we passed Harding’s Wood Junction to start the descent of Heartbreak Hill. Mind you, we have had detours to Liverpool, Sowerby Bridge, Uppermill and Bugsworth along the way!

It is an interesting journey today, full of canal history.

First up was Heritage Marina where we left the boat for a weekend a few years ago for son in law Dave’s 40^th birthday bash. Then, after negotiating a succession of bridges we arrived at Scholar Green. This has poignant memories for me as the home of what was one of the most wonderful real ale pubs in the 1970’s – The Bird in Hand. Now long closed, it was a remarkable survival in a wave of keg beer nasties where the beer was brought up from the cellar in a jug. Priceless.

Scholar Green also had a swing bridge. At least it did, but the original structure has gone and boats can go straight through. A smaller bridge on wheels has replaced it, but is kept open until the locals need to use it when they pull a chain that passes under the boats to move it across.

Hall Green Stop Lock is next up. The Trent & Mersey Canal had an absolute phobia about other, newer canals joining it. It feared it would lose traffic and water to the newer upstart.

Hall Green Stop Lock & cottages

Here, at Hall Green, they raised it to the levels of paranoia by building a branch canal from their main line just north of Harecastle Tunnel that left on the “wrong side” and then doubled back over an aqueduct to join the Macclesfield Canal at Hall Green. The main line had dropped by two locks to give the necessary headroom for the aqueduct. Then, about a mile or so after leaving the main line, it joined the newer rival at Hall Green with not one, but two stop locks, one operated by each company complete with their own canal cottage for their lockkeeper.

Narrows at site of seond stop lock, Hall Green

Fortunately only one lock is in use today, the gates and paddles of the other long gone, although the narrows remain.

Tren & Mersey locks visible from Pool Hall Aqeuduct

Approaching Harding's Wood Junction

The “Macclesfield” then runs over a high embankment pierced by a main road and then by Pool Hall Aqueduct over the T&M before turning sharp left, past some nice permanent moorings, turning sharp left again and arriving at Harding’s Wood Junction. Here we turned sharp right (the turn being made more difficult by a C&RT mudboat moored on the widened area where boats make the turn) and headed for Harecastle Tunnel.

The water hereabouts is the colour of a rich tomato soup caused by iron oxide leaching out into the tunnel from the many old mines that riddle Harecastle Hill. Every now and then a campaign will spring up to clean up the old mines and eradicate the leaching, but an equally vociferous campaign will work hard to retain the “heritage” aspect of the coloured water. Fortunately, the latter have succeeded so far and the orange colour remains.

Harecastle Tunnel - northern portal

We had to wait for an hour or so at the tunnel for a single boat to come through. There was one boat already there – ‘Elysium’, with whom we have been playing hopscotch with ever since leaving Bugsworth. Another two boats arrived after us, so there was quite a convoy once we got started.

Harecastle Tunnel is rightly one of the canal experiences you remember above many others. Your first trip through becomes remembered as a boater’s rites of passage. You feel you have become a real boater after your first trip through. After a few passages, you become almost blasé about it, throwing hints and tips at first-timers as if you resemble the Ancient Mariner. And yet, once the tunnel keeper gives the all clear and lets you in, the adrenaline starts pumping and there is a frisson of anticipation as you nose the boat round the sharp curve into the narrow entrance and into the black hole.

Inexperienced tunnelers take up to an hour to get through – the usual is about 30-40 minutes. The roof is of uneven height and there are long periods where the steerer has to adopt an almost Quasimodo type stance to avoid losing the top half of his head (the area where his brains should be found).

Unique among canal tunnels, you can’t see the end when travelling through Harecastle from north to south. As there are no air vents at all in the tunnel, diesel fumes build up, so doors are swung across the south portal and powerful fans start up to draw out the fumes. The doors don’t swing open until you are almost at the end.

The boat in front of us, ourselves and the boat immediately behind us kept good time and were out in about 35 minutes. The boat at the back of the queue took much longer and must have been disconcerted when the tunnel keeper swung the doors shut again to allow the fans to continue working for a few more minutes.

Brindley's tunnel, southern end

We pulled in to the water point on the off side to refill our water tank. We had filled up last at Bugsworth before leaving and had passed on the water point at Bosley after we disliked the taste of what came out. There is a good view here of Brindley's original tunnel, completed in 1777 after 11 years work. To help speed traffic, Telford built the currently used tunnel in just 3 years, it opened in 1827 complete with a towpath (since removed).

Both tunnels were used enabling one way working, but subsidence from the mines inside the tunnel affected the original so badly it was closed in 1914. Today, the entrances at either end look like mouseholes.

Once the tank had been replenished, we were off again for the short distance to Westport Lakes where we became one of a pair of bookends – us right at the northern end of the mooring and another boat far away at the southern end.

Mooring at Westport Lakes

Friday July 27th, Above Bosley Locks - Bridge 86, near Kent Green

Once again we set off bright and early in the hope we could get down Bosley Locks before the sun’s heat got too strong. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men!

Arriving at the top lock, we initially moved into the tiny arm (which acts as the final outlet from Bosley Reservoir, feeding water into the canal) to empty the loo and get rid of the rubbish – we don’t fill up with water here as the first time we did so, it tasted foul.

Waiting for the tape to be cut, Bosley Top Lock

However, whilst entering the arm we saw red tape across the head of the lock with the orange notice cards stating “Beware – Do Not Use. C&RT aware”. Of what, we asked ourselves.

Having done our household jobs we reversed back and tied up on the lock landing, and I went down to the second lock where we could see the boys in blue working. It transpired that there was a problem with a ground paddle and they had started early to avoid holding anyone up. They evidently didn’t reckon with the Ingleby’s early start!

At least we heard the local parish church bells ring just after 8.00 – something to do with some sporting event taking place in London?

After a wait of some 40-45 minutes the boys in blue appeared, cleared the tape and announced that the paddle was fixed, and so we set off to negotiate what is arguably the prettiest flight of locks in the country.

Today’s journey of just 8 miles was dominated by two hills. Not spectacularly high hills, either of them, but The Cloud dominates the landscape around Congleton, and Mow Cop does likewise further west nearer the northern end of the Potteries. Both are well over 1000’ high and dominate the landscape for miles around.

The Cloud

Leaving Bosley Bottom Lock

Bosley locks reveal The Cloud from various angles and it is never anything other than lovely – except for when it is covered in mist. Fortunately today, it was mostly bright & sunny. The flight starts out in the open and ends up deep in bosky woodland and the locks are grouped together in clusters – except for the top lock which is some way from the second.

We had a marvellous run down. The hold up with the paddle had also held two boats climbing up from the bottom so we were able to leave gates open for them, and they did likewise for us. With the top lock also virtually full, we had a great start.

Our luck continued with more boats being met lower down the flight and apart from the top lock and one other, both of which just needed a couple of inches to top them off, at every lock I could just open the gates for Elaine to bring the boat in.

The surroundings are delightful; especially as the towpath vegetation contractors were busy with their mower and strimmer. There are good views all around and only one road crossing – the A54 – interrupts the serenity.

Canal Aqueduct from the River Dane

At the bottom, the canal makes a sharp right hand bend to enter the last lock in glorious surroundings.  Immediately below the lock is a line of what we consider the best visitor moorings anywhere on the network – The Cloud dominates the view to the south while the other side drops away dramatically to the valley of the River Dane. A disused railway crosses the canal just above the bottom lock and makes a flat walkway before joining the main Stoke – Stockport line as that emerges from the long, high and dramatic viaduct that carries it across the valley. The canal, not to be outdone also flies across the valley on its own aqueduct. It is an idyllic spot to moor. We were tempted, but it was a bit early to stop at 10.10 in the morning!

From here on the canal winds its way around The Cloud as it almost boxes the compass to reach Congleton, with a series of long straights, cuttings, embankments and aqueducts demonstrating the canal’s late construction (it opened in 1831) – the railways were already beginning to attract the public’s attention.

Old canal warehouse, Congleton

We stopped for a few minutes in Congleton for Elaine to do a bit of shopping and to post her crossword but were soon under way again and heading through some lovely peaceful countryside and under a succession of stone built bridges.

Wilbraham's folly

With The Cloud receding behind us, Mow Cop began to dominate the view ahead. We have a soft spot for Mow Cop – not just its eye-catching folly (built by Squire Ralph Wilbraham so it could be seen from his house, Rode Hall), nor its history (the Primitive Methodists held their first meeting at its summit) but mainly the fact that it can be seen from virtually anywhere on the Trent & Mersey from Kidsgrove to Preston Brook and also the Shropshire Union Canal as well.


Mooring at Bridge 86, near Kent Green

We had planned to stop near bridge 86; a mile or so shy of Kent Green and were delighted to find a space just made for us. We have stopped here before and it is a nice quiet mooring with rings. The first time we stopped here we set off to climb Mow Cop – yes honestly! It was dry and sunny when we started, but by the time we reached the summit, gasping and doubled over, the rain was horizontal and the clouds covered the top. We couldn’t see a thing!

Tomorrow we actually complete the Cheshire Ring! We will reach Harding’s Wood Junction and turn south early tomorrow morning, having passed the opposite way just over 3 months ago. Do we get a prize for the longest time to complete the Ring?

Thursday July 26th, Bollington Aqueduct - Above Bosley Locks

Whilst yesterday was a tad airless so that when the sun did finally make an appearance it became hot & sultry, today started much the same (grey & overcast) even going so far as to threaten up with a few drops of rain before the sun appeared in company with a nice cooling breeze. Once that happened it became a lovely summer’s day.

We left Bollington nice and early, passing a few moored boats and the backs of chalet bungalows, some with nicely landscaped gardens incorporating the canal as part of the whole (Ground Force seemed to have been here judging by the amount of timber decking on display, yet there were some (fortunately a minority) who take no interest in the opportunities to enjoy their water frontage, nor their gardens.

Adelphi Mill, Bollington

Interest is spurred by the wharf with its moored boats and the enormous and well preserved Adelphi Mill opposite, home to offices and small businesses. Both the Adelphi Mill and the Clarence Mill we passed yesterday pose like bookends, neatly enfolding Bollington between them.

After another jumble of boats at Kerridge Drydock, a very mundane section follows taking us past Macclesfield. There isn’t much green belt left between the two towns as the industrial estates edge further outwards. The canal is fringed by a high green security fence backed by tall and spindly conifers that hide half a mile or so of Macclesfield’s northerly industrial section before another built up area of houses and a surprising green section as the canal passes over a tiny river on a high embankment announce the entry into the town of Macclesfield proper.

A winding hole, portacabin and moored boats indicate the former home of the now closed Peak Forest Cruisers hire fleet before passing under Buxton Road Bridge, the magnificent Hovis Mill appears.

Hovis Mill, Macclesfield

This was built in the 1820’s and was the place where the famous brown flour was first milled. Milling continued here for many years until it moved elsewhere and the mill became home to the company’s printing and marketing department. Now it has been tastefully converted to apartments overlooking a wide basin full of moored boats.

And that’s about as good as it gets for Macclesfield. Moorings here are pretty poor – a short length of visitor moorings and a long length of walled bank against which boats are unable to get closer than at least a foot necessitating either a giant leap for mankind or a gangplank. The town centre itself is a good half mile down and then up a fairly steep hill, before you turn round to do it again. We were not surprised to see no boats tied up there.

The canal clings to a shelf with the towpath side towered over by a huge retaining wall complete with buttresses. Last time we cruised along here in 2008 part of this had collapsed and the rebuilt section was plain to see.

A cutting follows before the canal curves round to pass the moorings and cross over the aqueduct at Gurnett. This is a popular mooring spot, complete with a well-known historic pub and attractive parkland. The river is the Bollin, last seen at Dunham Massey on the Bridgewater Canal what seems a long time ago.

The main Stoke on Trent to Manchester railway line comes alongside for a short distance. This is the line we had travelled on from Stoke en route to Sheffield in mid-April.

Oakgrove Swing bBidge

Two swing bridges follow, the first carrying a public footpath across the canal. We were fortunate as we had been following another boat and they opened it for us. However, this meant that we had to reciprocate at the electrified swing bridge at Oakgrove, adjacent to the Fool’s Nook pub. Many a tale was told in years gone by of the almost unintelligible instructions that were posted on the bridge control panel and the long lines of impatient drivers held up by boat crews who couldn’t work out what to do next. Fortunately it is much simplified today and I managed to get the bridge open to let both boats through.

Shortly after Oakgrove swing bridge is the base for Brian & Anne-Marie on ‘Alton’ who had filled our diesel tank up on Sunday. ‘Alton’ was there, together with ‘St Austell’ & ‘Shirley’, and it was evidently replenish the stocks day as Brian & Anne-Marie were there lugging gas cylinders around. We had a quick chat as we passed. They are a lovely couple who work very hard and have a loyal collection of customers on the Macclesfield & Peak Forest Canals who keep them very busy.

We had not made any firm plans about stopping, but had thought to try and find a place above Bosley Locks if we could. It seemed difficult to start with as the canal passed through a dark, heavily wooded section, followed by a length with no piled banking.

We did eventually find some more piled banking but at first were not able to get in as the side was too shallow. However, we were luckier on our second attempt (aided by the knowledge that there was a boat already tied up here) and, despite an overgrown bank, managed to get one of the best moorings for depth for a long time. We are close to the top of the locks and will be able to get them done first thing tomorrow before, we hope, it gets too hot!

Mooring above Bosley Locks, The Cloud just vsible in the distance

Mooring above Bosley Locks

Wednesday July 25th, Marple Junction - Bollington

A warm, but cloudy and overcast day today, but quite pleasant bearing in mind the horrors of the last couple of months. Still, it was a bit of a disappointment after the wall to wall sunshine of the last few days. Never satisfied, are we?

Nothing too complicated today, just a nice rural cruise to Bollington – all of 7 miles. We left Marple nice and early – untying at 7.30 and crawled past Jo & Keith in ‘Hadar’ who had moored up just before us, through Bridge 2.

Goyt Mill, Marple

Marple demonstrated its textile background with the huge Goyt Mill, canalside at Bridge 3, still with the remains of its loading gantry sticking out over the canal edge.

We had, by now, already experienced the first linear moorings of the day – there were plenty more to come. Marple’s suburbs don’t extend too far and we were soon out in pleasant countryside, with a stretch of parkland coming down to the canal complete with deer. We saw one stag with a magnificent pair of antlers.

Former coal loading arm, High Lane

At High Lane, houses back onto the canal and we admired the efforts that have gone into some of the landscaping. There is an old arm here that was once a coal loading arm. Now it is the headquarters of the North Cheshire Cruising Club – one of the earliest on the canal network.

The Macclesfield Canal now alternates between high embankments and cuttings as its construction mimicked the railway age as it essays a largely southerly direction.

Long lines of moored boats stretch for a mile or so either side of Higher Poynton and reduce progress to continual tickover. It was noticeable that the boat some way behind us didn’t believe in slowing down too much as they quickly began to catch us up. Rather belies the boat’s name – ‘Serenity’. Bet they wouldn’t have much serenity if someone did it to them!

Both Higher Poynton and High Lane were centres of coal mining right up to the middle of the C20th. They are now rather upmarket satellites of Stockport & Manchester. Another old coal loading arm at Higher Poynton is used by Braidbar Boats – the well-known boat builders.

Occasionally the trees and hedges give way to give extensive views to the west where the hilly ridge ends at Alderley Edge where it plunges down to the Cheshire Plain. Great views can be seen as far as the built up area of Manchester & Stockport way in the distance.

Alderley Edge is of course footballers’ wives territory with many of the obscenely overpaid prima donnas of the Premier League living the life in what was a pleasant area. It is now more like the Bling Capital of the UK.

After this flurry of activity the canal passes through a really remote section where, for a few miles, you hardly see any houses at all. Another large marina with a line of linear moorings appears at Four Lane-Ends, but that’s about it until a succession of bridges brings the canal towards the small stone-built town of Bollington with its two huge canalside mills.

Clarence Mill, Bollington

The first, Clarence Mill, has been kept in good order and is home to a number of small businesses, a café and apartments. A line of moorings follows ending at the aqueduct that takes the canal over the B5091. Last time we cruised the Macc, 4 years ago, we tried to tie up here and failed. Both us and another boat who wanted to stop here couldn’t get anywhere near the side. This time, the moorings looked full, but there was space adjacent to the aqueduct where we were able to get in and tie up.

White Nancy

We have an excellent view of Kerridge Hill, at just over 1000 feet high and surmounted by “White Nancy” (a former summerhouse built by the local landed gentry family and converted to a beacon). The Pennine ridge has followed us all the way from Marple, and is getting quite close now. From here to Kidsgrove the hills will be a constant companion to the east.

Mooring  at Bollington with Kerridge Hill in the background

Tuesday July 24th, Upper Basin, Bugsworth - Marple Junction

We have had a lovely relaxing few days at Bugsworth, revelling in the glorious, hot sunshine that has finally made an appearance. It appears summer has been declared, at least for a few days.

Our decision to get to the basins early on Friday paid off as by Saturday evening, the extensive moorings throughout the site were full. The good weather (and the start of the school holidays) meant that Bugsworth became a family day out; not just boaters but also car visitors, walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The Navigation Inn did a roaring trade!

It was lovely to see Kathryn, Bob & Freddie and Emma & Ellie on Sunday, helped enormously by the sunshine. Another good meal in the pub (our second in three days) followed by ice-creams for all made it a good day.

Alton arriving in the Upper Basin, Bugsworth

It made Ellie & Freddie’s day when ‘Alton’, the former working boat (and now plying a coal & diesel run on the Peak Forest/Macclesfield Canals) arrived to service the many requests for services. We admired Ann-Marie wind the 70’ boat single handed in a tight space (the UpperBasin was, like everywhere else, full of boats) before coming alongside to top up our fuel tank and then watched three other boats from the basin come alongside for pump-outs or fuel.

And so to today – and a rain free, sunny and hot day it has been, and all the more welcome as it is the first day for we don’t know how long that we have been able to cruise without full wet-weather gear mode. It has been simply glorious.

Entering the Middle Basin at Bugsworth

Middle Basin Arm, Bugsworth

Lower Basin, Bugsworth

Roving Bridges at Bugsworth

After creeping round to the sanitary station (most boats still had their curtains drawn) and emptying our loos, filling up with water and getting rid of the rubbish, we set off to retrace our steps from Friday.

One notable difference was that we could see and appreciate fully the glories of the surroundings with magnificent views to the east and south of high moors, in glorious technicolour today rather than Friday’s grey shrouded mist.



Swizzlers-Matlow sweet factory at New Mills

We were glad of the trees that line the canal for much of its length on both sides. Rather than being Friday’s raindrop inducing hindrance (always seeming to drip straight down your neck), today they provided welcome shade.

As we passed the sweet factory at New Mills, more delightful niffs assaulted our nostrils and we both breathed deeply of sherbet and raspberry. Yum!

Mooring at Marple Junction

All too soon we were back at Marple Junction where we turned into the Macclesfield Canal. We had intended to go on a bit, as far as Bridge 8 where we have moored before, but to our surprise found plenty of room immediately beyond the old stop lock narrows and decided to pull in here where we knew we would get a deep mooring and with mooring rings.

After all the grotty days we have had over the last couple of months, it has been great to be able to recharge our batteries at Bugsworth, and now to, we hope, look forward to some relaxing cruising in good weather.

Friday July 20th - Marple to Bugsworth Basins

We had set the alarm early so as to get a good start in order to get to our destination for the day – Bugsworth Basins – fairly early as we knew it was a popular place for the local weekending boaters to travel to for the weekend.

With monotonous regularity and a total lack of surprise it was ………. Raining.

In fact it was pouring. Again.

Mind you it did tease us by easing off and stopping – so we set off. No sooner than we did, it started to rain again. Heavily.

We reversed back through Bridge 2, past the moored boats opposite the trip boat & sanitary station and into the junction area where we turned and headed off towards New Mills & Bugsworth. By now it was really raining stair-rods again and our formerly waterproof wet weather gear proved that it was only good in so much water as, by now, we were getting wet on the inside as well.

Turnover & roving bridge at Marple Junction

The junction area is lovely with an old warehouse, the top lock, the wharfinger's house, a delightful turnover roving bridge of the Macclesfield Canal design - a symphony of sinuous snakelike stonework - making something of a purely utilitarian purpose into a structure of beauty.

Macclesfield Canal Warehouse, Marple

Former wharfinger's house, Marple Junction

The journey to Bugsworth is normally a delight with wonderful views of the Peak District (the Derbyshire bit of the Pennines) opening up ahead and to the east across the Goyt Valley. Trees hug the banks. Former farmworkers’ and millworkers’ cottages pop up from time to time, now tastefully converted into highly desirable and no doubt very expensive residences with manicured lawns and landscaped grounds.

I would like to be able to say we enjoyed these scenic delights, but with the hills having vanished completely beneath a grey, wet mist and the trees dripping cold rainwater down our necks it was anything but enjoyable.

A succession of moveable bridges punctuate this 6 mile length – 2 lift bridges and 2 swing bridges, both lift bridges and the first swing bridge coming relatively close together. Elaine elected to walk between these three bridges and took windlass, BW key and handcuff key with her and so covered all the possible opening mechanisms.

The sweet fatory at New Mills

After the last of these three, awkwardly situated on a bend with three permanently moored boats on the off side, comes the industrial outpost of New Mills, a textile and engineering outpost in the foothills of the Peaks. It’s most notable claim to fame is the wonderful Swizzles-Matlow sweet factory.

Remember those far off days of your youth when you were allowed to buy a few pennies worth (old pennies, that is) of lovely sweets that would probably end up covered in fluff at the bottom of you r pockets? Chances are they were made here. It is a place where enticing aromas waft out at you from the ventilators. The strongest was of sherbet lemons! Yumm!

By now the rain had at last eased off, and the grey mist finally started to disperse, and the hills began to re-emerge from the covering.

After the last swing bridge and a long linear mooring at Furness Vale Marina, the outskirts of Whaley Bridge come into view. The A6 comes alongside with the railway (there is another line running parallel on the other side of the valley) and, after the Whaley Bridge by-pass roars overhead, the canal forks. Straight on is the terminal basin at Whaley Bridge, notable for its transhipment warehouse where narrowboats entered at one end and railway engines pushed railway trucks in the other being one end of the amazing Cromford & High Peak Railway.

Turning to the left at the junction takes the canal over the Rover Goyt and into the wonderful historic transhipment port that is Bugsworth Basins. After over 30 years of hard work by members of the Inland Waterways Protection Society, and with later help from British Waterways and other professional organisations (who helped cure the perennial leakage problem), the basins and arms were brought back to life. 

The basins are set around the remains of the intricate network of tramroads that had brought limestone from the vast quarries high above in the hills at Dove Holes to the canal either for transportation as it was, or for use in the lime kilns that sprang up alongside the basins. Stone was also brought down for crushing, all of the finished products being shipped out by canal.

It is a remarkable survival and is now a popular mooring destination for boaters, aided no doubt by the wonderful Navigation Inn, alongside the basins, once owned by Pat Phoenix (aka Elsie Tanner) of Coronation Street fame.

We have got permission to stay here three nights – it is usually only 48 hours, but it was worth getting here early as later on in the day, the weekenders started to arrive.

Mooring in the Upper Basin at Bugsworth, with
Jo & Keith Lodge on 'Hadar' just behind

We are moored at the far end of the complex, in the Upper Basin, just in front of our friends Jo & Keith on ‘Hadar’ with whom we enjoyed a lively lunch in the Navigation.

There will be a family get-together on Sunday as Kathryn, Bob & Freddie and Emma & Ellie are coming over for the day. Another excuse for another meal in the Navigation!

The forecast now says that the Jetstream that has caused so much wet weather over the last couple of months is now moving away to the north, and that fine, sunny and hot weather is to take its place. If that’s true, it’s about time!

Thursday Jul 19th, near Hyde Bank Tunnel - Marple

We had looked at the weather forecast for yesterday and saw that it was allegedly going to be evil. So we decided to stay where we were. Sure enough when we got up it was raining and early on it poured.

You will note the use of the word “allegedly”.

We were just beginning to congratulate ourselves for making a wise choice, when the rain stopped and, once the clouds had cleared, out came the blue sky & sunshine!

Forecast – tchah!

Yes, we could have started later and gone up the locks into Marple, but a few boats had already passed us and with dire warnings of low pounds in the flight we decided to stay put until today when the forecast was allegedly significantly better.

You will note the continued use of the word “allegedly”.

As we set off this morning, it was to the accompaniment of grey skies and low cloud. It looked ominous.

The former Rose Hall Tunnel

Immediately after our mooring we crept under a bridge and into a narrow channel through a cutting. This was the former Rose Hill Tunnel, long since opened out. Through this narrow section and the canal then leaps out across Marple Aqueduct where it crosses the deep ravine that carries the River Goyt.

Lookin back across Marple Aqueduct

It is a startling transformation – from narrow cutting, formerly a tunnel straight out to sailing in the air high above the river. I can think of only one other case like it – where the Llangollen Canal strides across the River Ceiriog on Chirk Aqueduct and straight into Chirk Tunnel.

Marple Railway Viaduct from the Canal Aqueduct

It is a shame that the vista on the west side is limited by a wall and tree growth. But to the east, despite the proximity of the adjacent and higher railway viaduct, there are fine views of the river deep down in its gorge.

And then, having been high up in the air, the canal starts to climb the Marple Lock flight. And it was here that today’s “allegedly” fine weather actually turned out to be torrential rain.

Approaching bottom lock, Marple

Forecast – tchah!

For the first hour or so up the flight we got thoroughly soaked. Not that, you will recall, we haven’t got soaked on this cruise before. Far from it, we’ve almost been soaked more than we’ve been dry. But you do get a bit fed up with it all after a while. And we’re totally fed up.

It was such a shame as the Marple flight is one of the prettiest on the network, and we were not seeing it at its best!

The flight of 16 deep locks winds its way up the hillside climbing some 208 feet in a mile, some climb under any circumstances. For the first half the canal is engulfed by trees with the land falling away steeply on the towpath side down to the river below. Wide pools help store more water which in theory help to keep the short pounds topped up.

Old roller on top of bridge

And then, about half way up, under a main road bridge, the surroundings change as the houses of Marple take over. A rare survival is an old roller, enabling the horse to get a good pull on the towrope.

Despite the main road and some modern housing, the canal and the locks keep their own atmosphere as trees and attractive cottages (some former lock cottages), some with lovely gardens, ensure that the canal retains its own character.

The weather also changed as the rain at last eased and soon stopped altogether. Too late for us, we were already drenched.

Oldknow's Warehouse

One of the Peak Forest Canal’s promoters was a merchant called Samuel Oldknow. He ensured prime position for his warehouse by siting it beside lock 9 and it, and a former lockkeeper’s cottage opposite have both survived. The warehouse is now offices but has managed to retain the arch through which boats would have been unloaded. The cottage is now a charming private residence.

Former lock cottage

Horse tunnel at Possett Bridge

Posset Bridge is so named because, so the story goes, Mr Oldknow offered the canal builders that he would provide a posset of ale for each workman if they finished the bridge on time. Needless to say, they did! It possesses a separate horse towing path tunnel alongside the canal arch. A further disused arch is visible on the east side which once led to a loading bay for a quarry – long vanished and the arch blocked off.

Terraced houses line one side of the canal as it staggers up the last few locks, with seemingly impossibly short pounds in between. The answer is in the long and sinuous side ponds that extend to the off-side curving away out of sight. These have been utilised by adjacent houseowners as additions to their gardens and colonised by the inevitable ducks.

Finally we arrived at the top lock. We had been helped up the last few locks by a young “hobbler” – someone who hangs around locks and helps work boats up and down the flight. We had been told about him by Peter & Jennifer on ‘Deryn Du’ who he had also helped down the flight. Pity we hadn’t seen him earlier – mind you he was probably sensible and didn’t start until the rain had stopped.

Not having seen a boat all day, two boats appeared at the top to go down so it was a bit confusing for a while as we all sorted out where we were going to go in the restricted space at the junction. We managed to turn sharp right under the roving bridge and temporarily enter the Macclesfield Canal. We know from bitter experience that moorings on the Upper Peak Forest Canal are non-existent and rather than slog down to the terminus in our wet gear, we decided to tie up on the Macclesfield, then turn tomorrow morning, retrace our steps to the junction and head for Bugsworth Basin then.

For the first time for some considerable time, we have managed to get front and back ends of the boat in tight to the bank which is blessed with mooring rings. Luxury!

We are now going to try a Spanish restaurant recommended in Pearson’s Canal Guide for lunch. Hope his forecast is more accurate than the weatherman’s attempt!

PS: the restaurant was fabulous – Murillo’s in Stockport Road – thoroughly recommended!