We had to stay put at Newton Heath while Martin and C&RT staff filled and emptied locks ahead of us to try and put sufficient water into the pounds between locks to keep us afloat. Shopping trolleys, crates, bikes, wheelbarrows and rusty spikes that were once reinforcing concrete were just some of our problem obstacles.
Floating debris was also a problem. Millions of beer cans and plastic bottles as well as plastic bags and clothing added to weeds to wrap around our propeller shaft. Yesterday we ground to a halt on Suffolk and it took Martin 2 hours hanging in the weed hatch to saw a puffer jacket off our prop. A local lad in his 20’s with one of his 7 children, offered us the use of the hobby knife that he carried in his pocket.
The local water fowl seemed to adopt inclusivity and this white goose was part of the Canada goose gang.
It was while we were holed up here that Hilary was picked up by Keith, who had kindly driven all the way from Nottingham in his camper-van to take her back to The Duke at Diglis Marina to self isolate.
Martin’s old university colleague and a good friend of ours, Mule arrived, dropped off by his partner Katrina, to bolster the team as Alie and Pete set off in a taxi back to Sowerby Bridge to drive to Pembrokeshire for a puffin-spotting excursion on Skomer Island (although this was cancelled when they got there due to high winds).
We were given the OK to proceed at 16:00 on Friday (25/06/2021) and we made slow progress through shallow pounds running aground and impeded by obstacles, having to reverse and change course frequently until we limped along to the Rose of Lancaster pub at Chadderton, where we moored up for the night. We managed to get one quick drink in before the pub closed at 22:30 hrs.
Overnight and for an early morning alarm call at dawn we had the cries of a peacock.
On Saturday (26/06/2021) we chugged through Rochdale meeting a PCSO who was also responsible for the Rochdale Branch Canal Group on Facebook.
He posted that, ”It was a sight for sore eyes on the Rochdale Canal watching two hire boats passing through lock 49 today. The Robbins family are enjoying a 60th birthday trip along the Rochdale Canal to Sowerby Bridge. If any members see them give them a wave and help them with a few locks”! Posted by Steven Parker.
He had come to warn us that there were three bicycles dumped in the lock, but they shouldn’t impede our progress.
Luckily we avoided other hazards which would have scuppered us. Today (Tuesday 29/06/2021) there was a Facebook post: “Calling any magnet fishers, you're needed at Smithy Bridge by the railway station. The Rochdale Canal closed around lock 48/49 because there is a BMW in the canal. C&RT to issue update tomorrow”.
The fun never stops on the Rochdale Canal. An amateur (are there professional ones?) magnet fisher pulled an unexploded grenade from a stretch of canal in Failsworth on Sunday (27/06/2021), sparking a major police incident and a bomb squad cordon.
We began to leave the suburbs of Rochdale behind us as we climbed into the Pennines, pausing to fill up with water at Durn Services.
Our surroundings began to become more scenic but the locks continued to be relentless.
Martin and Mule were looking knackered after the harrowing journey to this point.
We continued our ascent of the Pennines through lock after lock.
The weather improved as well as the scenery, although some cloud drifted over us.
The locks were double width and quite deep. On some of them the walls had bowed in due to being dry for 30 years before the canal was restored in 2002. This meant that only one boat could go through at a time.
We made it over the summit and began our descent into Yorkshire, which for Mule was coming home. As we went under the M62 Steve hit the floating towpath jetty under the bridge and caused a young girl with her grandmother to squeal with terror and delight as it juddered.
We had to rescue ducklings and some Canada geese that had found their way into various locks along the way.
Going down! At lock 40 we were passed by an Apple Maps photo-taking car which was presumably mapping the area for their equivalent of Google maps.
Our locking system had become a well oiled machine.
We finally moored up at Walsden and scurried up to the Waggon & Horses pub for supper.
Walsden was a pretty little village with industrial heritage abounding.
We got a warm welcome and a good meal in the pub. “Make sure you give us a good review in Tripavisor”, said the landlord as we left.
At 02:55 hrs we realised that the boats, which were tied together were moving. Martin had awoken at 02:30 to find that the inside boat, the Hereford, was aground. He went to the lock above our pound and filled and emptied it to move water into our pound, and once afloat again, he was keen to move us through next lock into a deeper pound. We all ended up assisting in this endeavour and got back into bed at 03:40 hrs.
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