Liverpool

Left Manchester on the 27^th May for Liverpool. As our due date for Liverpool was not until 9^th June that gave us plenty of time to enjoy the trip, mostly done in good weather, through some of the prettiest canal route we have travelled.   We spent a couple of days moored at Pennington Flash, a large nature reserve on a former coal mining site.  Some walking and birding planned. 

We then chugged on to Wigan, reached on Saturday 1^st June.  After walking into town to shop we left Wigan for Appley Bridge where we found a lovely mooring just short of the village and spent three days walking the meadows and woodlands before returning to the boat and ending the day with a BBQ.  The weather was glorious and one day we saw two foxes, two jays, a kingfisher and a deer.

It took a further three days to reach the outskirts of Liverpool.  Once you reach the edge of Aintree, bridge 9, Hancock’s swing bridge, access is restricted to those boats that had pre-booked a birth.  You are met by CRT employees who then control your movement for the last five hours of the journey that culminates in descending the four lock Stanley flight into the first of the Liverpool docks.  At this stage you are still two locks and 30 minutes from your mooring.  The dock at the bottom of the flight is overlooked by a massive brick warehouse built in the 19c to store tobacco shipped into Liverpool.  At the time it was the largest brick building in the world, and still is.

Leaving Stanley bottom lock you enter Stanley dock, then chug through Collingwood and Salisbury dock, passing Victoria clock tower before proceeding through the central docks to Princes dock, you then pass Pier Head and the Liver building, Mann Island lock and Canning dock and finally into Albert and Salthouse docks completing a journey that is probably one of the best on the system.

We stayed for three days, all that was available when we booked.  The days were full; we ferried the Mersey, visited numerous museums, two cathedrals, wandered the streets and strolled around the docks, themselves a tourist attraction in their own right with the largest collection of grade 1 listed buildings in the country.  We also took a Metro ride under the Mersey and visited Port Sunlight a model village on the Wirral Peninsula.  Built by the Lever brothers, (now Unilever), to accommodate workers in its soap factory.  Building commenced in 1888.  The name is derived from Lever brothers’ most popular brand of cleaning agent “Sunlight”.  Port Sunlight contains 900 grade 2 listed buildings.

The three days flew by, the weather held till the last day but our departure, controlled as our arrival by CRT staff, was in heavy rain.

Pics to follow.

 

Peak Forest and Ashton Canals

Travelled northwards along the final few miles of the Peak Forest Canal, eventually arriving at Dukinfield Junction, Ashton-Under-Lyne.  This is a major canal junction, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs eastwards into the Pennines, whilst the Ashton Canal travels west towards Manchester. Portland Basin overlooks the junction and is home to the Portland Basin Museum based in a former canal warehouse which was built in 1834.  The museum shows how people lived and worked in the area in the last 200 years.  It also includes the impact of the canal system on the social and historical history of the area.

Portland Basin & Museum

We moored the night just off the junction facing the museum, which we visited next day.  It’s only a small museum, but well worth a visit.  One of the staff, mostly volunteers, suggested we visit the Town Hall, which housed the museum of the Manchester Regiment. If you enjoy military history, or like Flo and I, have served, the museum is not to be missed.  The Manchester Regiment ceased to exist over 50 years ago having been amalgamated with other units in defence cuts.  The Regiment, like many British regiments that have sadly disappeared over the years, is rich in history enacted throughout the world, going back some 200 years.

We left for Manchester along the Ashton Canal; it was only two days away, but what a two days, eight miles and 27 double locks.  The last nine locks are known as the Rochdale Nine, we met them in the rain and in very high winds.  The first of the nine set the tone for the rest of the day, dropping the boat under an eighteen storey building, amongst concrete supports spouting out of the canal like sentinels guarding the lock gates.  It was like being in an underground canal.  It was probably one of the hardest section of locks we have ever encountered.

Piccadilly Village, outer Manchester

Outer Manchester mooring

 It was with some relief to reach Castlefield Junction which was to be our home for our three days in Manchester.  The weather was glorious for our visit and Manchester was full of life.  Running tracks; high and long jump and pole vault arenas had been erected throughout the City and international and Olympic athletes competed in front of large crowds in Manchester’s Street Games.  There was a real buzz around the streets, which really added to our visit, and continued the next day, Sunday, when thousands of runners took part in the annual BUPA Manchester marathon.

 

Castlefield Quays

Castlefield Quays

 

Manchester Street Games

Manchester Shambles

After the Manchester Blitz in 1940 The Shambles were one of only a few pre-19 century buildings left standing, and the Wellington Inn as the only surviving Tudor building in Manchester City Centre. During a major redevelopment in 1974 The Shambles were underpinned with a concrete raft and jacked up 4 feet 9 inches to fit in with the new development. In June 1996 an IRA bomb destroyed many of the surrounding buildings which resulted in yet another redevelopment.  The Shambles were subsequently dismantled and moved 300 meters to their present site. 

We did the tourist bit; visiting most of the sites, had a great time.

New Mills and Marples

Moored overnight at New Mills and spent the next day exploring the Sett Valley Trail & Millennium Walkway.

The town of New Mills is set in an area of spectacular natural beauty standing above a natural rocky gorge, known as The Torrs, where the River Sett joins the River Goyt. The gorge was home to a number of cotton mills for nearly 200 years.  The Torrs Riverside Park - the park ‘under the town’ – extends to two miles and is a superb place to walk and learn about the natural and industrial history of the area.

Part of this trail was interrupted by what The Guardian newspaper described as ‘the last inaccessible place in England’.  The solution came in the form of the £550,000 Millennium Walkway, a 175-yard aerial walkway spanning the otherwise inaccessible cliff wall.  It’s a stunning design.

The Torrs

The Torrs

 

The Torrs



The Walkway

The Walkway

Old Mill overlooking The Torrs

We reached Marple locks on Tuesday 21st, probably one of the most scenic set of locks we have encountered in the last four years.  We were very lucky, just after the third lock we met three Canal Trust volunteers who stayed and helped us down the remaining 13 locks.  They were absolutely great. 

On our way down the locks the well-known hotel narrowboat, the Duke & Duchess, was on its way up with their holiday guests.  Duchess got its tiller caught in a lock gate and the guest that was helping didn’t realise there was a problem and opened the paddles.  Somehow Duchess became flooded and the last we saw of her, the crew were frantically bailing out.

The Marple Flight

The Marple Flight

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'Duke'

At the foot of the flight the splendid Marple Aquaduct carries the waterway almost a hundred feet across a steeply wooded ravine, through which travels the River Goyt. Alongside stands an even loftier railway viaduct.

Marple Aquaduct

 

Marple Aquaduct

Ashton-Under-Lyne next stop

Peak Forest Canal

Leaving the Macclesfield for the Peak Forest Canal

 

Bugsworth Basin next stop

Thursday saw us reach the Southern end of the Peak Forest Canal at Bugsworth Basin. Opened in 1796 this became one of the largest ports on the narrow canal network.  Limestone was brought down the 6 mile Peak Forest Tramway from the Dove Holes area of the Derbyshire Peak District and transhipped onto the canal at the basin.  For over 100 years Bugsworth was the centre for the production of burnt lime. The basin is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. 

 

 

 

 

 

The above are all of Bugsworth Basin

In the past the workers needed refreshment and four local hostelries served their needs. Only one survives, the Navigation Inn, and is the oldest still inhabited building within the site. Originally a farm it became a public house for boatmen in the early part of the 19^th Century. Steven & Loraine (Flo’s sister) joined us for dinner at the Inn on Friday evening.

The Navigation Inn

Sunday 19^th saw us leave the basin for New Mills.

Northern Section of the Macclesfield Canal

The weather this year seems to be taking the same course as last year, I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues to rain for the rest of the summer. We woke this morning to find, yet again, that it was raining and our planned visit to Little Moreton Hall was off.  We sat it out for the rest of the day; tomorrow we would chug to Congleton, try the shops, and then head up the 12 Bosley Locks.

Approaching Bosley Locks

 

Approaching Boswell Locks

 

Waiting our turn - Boswell bottom lock

Morning of Tuesday 14^th and as the forecast was for rain in the afternoon we decided to skip Congleton and head for Macclesfield which turned out to be an excellent stop. Cobbled streets lead up to the church, a Greek revival style town Hall and the shops of this old silk making town.  We shopped, had a pub lunch, and visited the silk museum and Paradise Mill.

Paradise Mill is a must, it once housed a silk handloom weaving business and the looms are still there just as it was when it ceased trading many years ago.

Macclesfield Silk Mill

Macclesfield Silk Mill
 

Half way through the tour of the mill we realised that it had started to rain and we still needed to finish shopping before returning to the boat, which was moored opposite the old Hovis (the breadmakers) Mill. Got back to the boat without getting too wet and chugged past two more impressive cotton mills, Clarence Mill at Bollington and the Goyt Mill at Marple before turning on to the Peak Forest Canal.

The Old Hovis Mill, Macclesfield

 

Clarence Cotton Mill, Bollington

 

Goyt Cotton Mill, Marples

 

Next blog the Peak Forest Canal and Bugsworth Basin

Sad News

Yesterday, the 10^th May, we moored just north of Scholar Green on the Macclesfield Canal. If you look at the map it’s obvious that we’ve hardly moved in the last 10 days.  Just short of Fradley Junction we’d received news of a family bereavement which meant we needed to moor up somewhere safe and concentrate on family business and get to Yorkshire. We chose Stoke-on-Trent as our base; we could hire a car a short distance from the canal and leave Bacchus in relatively safe surroundings.

After visiting the Memorial at Alrewas we took a couple of days chugging towards Stoke spending a night at Trentham and visiting Trentham Park Gardens.  Arriving at Stoke all the local marinas were unable to help us with space so we decided moor close to the CRT workshops, outside the Industrial Museum at Etruria.
After 6 days we felt able to leave Etruria and continue our journey, we’d planned to stop just north of Scholar Green and visit Little Moreton Hall.

Close to our mooring is Ramsdell Hall (c1760) a private residence close to the canal.  The house predates the canal, the original course of which was planned to pass to the rear of the house.  During construction of the canal it was decided to change its course and pass to the front of the house instead.  After negotiations it was agreed that the builders would erect a metal fence, placed on the top of a wall along the opposite side of the canal.  This gives a ha-ha effect from the fields below.

Ramsdell Hall

The Fence

 

The Agreement

Tomorrow we visit Little Moreton Hall.

Alrewas - National Memorial Arboretum

The 1^st May saw us move from Fradley Junction to Alrewas to visit the National Memorial Arboretum, the UK’s Centre of Remembrance.  The Arboretum is set in 150 acres of maturing woodland.  As most people will know both Flo and I are ex-services and visiting the Memorial as, for some time, been at the top our list of things to do.

It’s a vast site, too much for us to visit in the time we had available, its central feature being the main military memorial.

 

 

 

 

The striking armed forces memorial commemorates those who have been killed on duty or as a result of terrorism from the end of the Second World War to the current conflict in Afghanistan.  The fourth picture above is a section of the vast wall of names; in its centre you will see the name R Greenwood, Roger and I joined our first regiment together in 1959 and served together for three years.  Roger died in Aden in 1967.

The next two pictures show the memorial of my Corps, the Royal Signal, and a bench plaque commemorating the Denbury Boys.  The Junior Leaders Regiment located at Denbury Camp near Newton Abbot, Devon had a short life from 1955 to 1967 and trained young men who joined the army from the age of 15. I was a Denbury Boy and served with the Regiment until I was 17 years of age.

The Royal Signals Memorial

Denbury Boys

There are many memorials on the site representing every unit of the armed forces and non-military organisations whose members died for our country since the Second World War.  I have chosen one that I think magnificent; it commemorates the fallen of the Parachute Regiment.

Parachute Regiment Memorial

One other memorial that Flo and I thought was very moving was unusual as it represented a group of serviceman from the First World War.  We believe the picture and its title speak for itself.

'Shot at Dawn'

We have promised ourselves that we will return very soon in the future.

Polesworth to Fradley Junction

Saturday 27^th, left Atherstone for Tamworth but didn’t quite make it.  On reaching Polesworth we discovered excellent moorings, concrete banks with rings and plenty of grass.  We decided to stay and visit the village and guess what? it immediately started to rain and hail. It very quickly stopped so the afternoon wasn’t wasted.  A fine ten arched bridge dated 1776 spans the river Anker and close by is the 14th century Abbey and Gatehouse. Within the Abbey ground is the mostly Norman church of St Editha.

Ten arched bridge over river Anker

Polesworth Abbey & Church

Next day we finally arrived at Tamworth. It’s a 15 minute walk to the castle so the sunny weather was most welcome.The castle is on the banks of the river Anker in beautifully planted gardens. Five minutes from the castle, the impressive 18th century town hall where Dickens once gave a reading of one of his works.

Tamworth Castle & Gardens

Tamworth Castle
 

Tamworth Town Hall

We spent a delightful couple of hours in Tamworth before casting off after lunch and chugging around 7 miles and settling down for the night at Whittington, close to Lichfield.

Friends of ours, whose home mooring, like ours is Crick, had left in their new boat nb Grand Crew, on their first long cruise to the Llangollen canal, in early April. It was a brave decision as winter was hanging on, cold days, frosty nights and some days when the canals were still suffering from ice.  Now on their way back to Crick we had arranged to meet Tony & Sue at Fradley Junction for a few drinks and then dinner at the Swan Inn. .

Arrival of Tony, Sue & Nb Grand Crew

Tomorrow we move a couple of miles into Alrewas and plan to visit the National Memorial Arboretum.