Friday, October 26, 2012

Gently on to Bugsworth

That’s it, the end of the line of the Upper Peak Forest. Although, strictly speaking, there are two ends, the canal forks before Bugsworth, the other arm heading for Whaley Bridge.

We were going to go that way just for the fun of it, using the facilities at the winding hole in front of the railway transhipment warehouse, but we’ve been before and it’s nothing to write home about. It’s difficult to moor at the end, to visit the town it’s best to moor at Bugsworth and walk the ¾ mile back.

That high pressure that the weatherman have been talking about is moving in; there’s a cold wind from the north but today dawned fine and bright.

New Mills in the sunSAM_4135 New Mills

I walked along to open Carr Swing Bridge, just 200 yards up from where we’d moored, then we had a very slow amble along the canal to the basin.

Furness Vale Marina on one side, cottages on the otherSAM_4139 Furness Vale Marina
Andy Russell was emptying his dry dock/paint shed as we came past.SAM_4140

In the wooded sections floating leaves repeatedly clogged the propeller, but a quick burst of reverse threw them off.

LeafySAM_4142 Leafy

We had a pause at the junction to allow a flotilla of canoes to sort themselves out.
SAM_4145 Basin Junction
There’re from Edale Youth Hostel. I guess it must be half-term already.

We turned left here, under the bridge. A right turn takes you to Whaley Bridge.

Watering up at Bugsworth.SAM_4147 Bugsworth

It took a while to fill, we were down to out last ten gallons, then we turned around and, with me fending off and Mags on the tiller, we reversed down the Lower Basin (dead ahead) and moored.

Moored in Bugsworth BasinSAM_4148 Bugsworth
We’re just where we wanted to be; the access road to the service block is just on the right, handy for Tescoman later this afternoon. We’ll probably push across to the other side of the arm after the delivery, though.
We may have visitors while we’re here, and Brian and Ann-Marie on coal boat Alton are due here at the weekend, so we can top up with solid fuel and diesel.

Locks 0, miles 2

2 comments:

Adam said...

I'm glad to see Andy Russell was making good use of the day. He was meant to be down in the midlands signwriting Briar Rose, but things are a couple of days behind (thanks to the weather), so he's doing it on Monday instead.

Geoff and Mags said...

Hi Adam
He'd just taken a boat in, hence the water being pumped from the dock, so he wasn't skiving. Looking forward to seeing the Briar Rose work when it's finished.