From Aqueduct to Aqueduct

We spent the last couple of days moored at Gurnett Aqueduct just outside of Macclesfield. Mags had a check-up at the docs yesterday, so we hired a car from Enterprise to get up to Yorkshire for the day.
I usually get a Fiesta or Astra, but this time they offered me a free upgrade to a Vauxhall Insignia estate, 2 litre turbo diesel. It would have been churlish to refuse, wouldn’t it? So we travelled north in a bit more style than usual. Very frugal too. I put 30 litres in, expecting about 7 miles/litre over the 200 mile round trip. I reckon we used about 20 of those, so it did around 10 miles/litre. In old money that’s maybe 45 mpg. Not bad, eh. And we were cruising at 80 mph on the motorway.

Anyway we were back aboard by late afternoon, after fitting in flying visits to Mags’ grand-daughter Melanie, and son George, as well as the clinic.

Today was forecast to be dry-ish in the morning with heavy showers coming on in the afternoon. We were away at 09:30, planning to stop just north of Bollington before the weather turned.

Just up from Gurnett there’s a towpath closure at Br 43

No entry here
Foden Bank, on the right, has a reputation for being unstable and is held back by a high stone retaining wall. Over the years the pressure behind has caused the wall to bulge, in fact it collapsed completely at one point a couple of years ago. Contractors are constructing buttresses to reinforce the stonework.

Buttress building

Here’s some they did earlier….

Into the town properly and the impressive Hovis Mill dominates the canal.

Hovis Mill
Built in 1898 to produce the special flour to make Hovis bread, it soon proved too small and the operation was moved to a new mill in Trafford Park in 1904. From then till the 1990’s it was used for storage and production of the wrappers for the loaves. Run down and sad-looking, it was refurbished and redeveloped into popular apartments.

We pulled in for water just past Bridge 37. I say pulled in as a general term, in fact we couldn’t get closer than a couple of feet from the bank. Just along from the tap are the official 24 hour visitor moorings. No better than the water tap moorings, it’s no surprise they're not used.

Macclesfield Visitor Moorings
Plan A was to moor here for the last two days for our trip to Yorkshire, but I‘m glad we decided to stay at Gurnett instead.

The towpath switches back to the west side at Bridge 29, using one of those splendid snake bridges.

Snake Bridge No 29.
The towing horse would have gone under the arch on the right then up and around onto the top following the curved ramp….
….before dropping back down to canal level on the other side. All without unhitching the towrope. Neat, eh.

The day had stayed dry but dull, but by the time we got close to Bollington it suddenly became black overhead and then let loose.

Heavy hailstorm at Kerridge
Short and (very) sharp, it was easing by the time we got to the large Adelphi Mill, and had stopped completely as we arrived at Bollington Aqueduct.

Adelphi Mill

Onto Bollington Aqueduct, Clarence Mill dead ahead.

It was still looking dodgy so we decided to stop here instead of pushing on a bit further. Another heavy shower passed over soon after, confirming we’d made the right decision.

By mid afternoon the sky had cleared a bit, and I saw this structure out of the window. It’s marked on the map as “White Nancy” with no more information so Meg and I went to have a look.

White Nancy from Bollington Aqueduct

Built on the end of the ridge of Kerridge Hill in 1817, it commemorates Wellington’s victory at Waterloo. It’s believed to be named after one of the horses used to haul the building stone to the site. At 900 feet above sea level it’s a short but fairly steep climb up from the town.

It doesn’t look any different up close and personal, only bigger… (the lads are walking part of the Gritstone Trail)

From the monument we followed the ridge to the trig point at the top of the hill, now at 1000 feet.

Looking west across the Cheshire Plain to Wales.
North back along the ridge towards Manchester…
….and east over the village of Rainow towards the Peak District.
The National Park boundary lies just beyond the village.

We dropped back down past Endon House….

Endon House
…and across a couple of fields to the canal at Bridge 28.

Looking back at Kerridge Hill

Instead of stiles these stone “squeezes” have been used where footpaths cross walls.

We did well, just getting back to the boat as it started to rain again. Meg had to suffer the indignity of a “bucket bath” though. It was pretty muddy in places.

Locks 0, miles 4½

It’s all about the timing…

It was a bit wild last night, heavy rain and high winds rocking us about, but the bad weather had eased by about 8 o’clock.

We managed to avoid the heavy showers today, leaving Bosley after the morning’s session had blown over, and mooring at Lyme Green just as the afternoon’s started. I even succeeded in fitting in a quick trip the Co-op without getting wet.

We saw our first ducklings today. I know, we’re a long way behind some of the other sightings, but it always makes you feel as if summer is on the way.

Mum with 12 youngsters. Poor, snatched picture at the last minute.
We also spotted some moorhen chicks, but they all scuttled into the undergrowth before I could get a picture.

Approaching Oak Grove we saw NB Alton moored at it’s base, and Brian and Ann-Marie were about so we picked up 4 bags of Excel and a tank of diesel.

Collection of work boats at Oak Grove, coal boat NB Alton nearest

There was some timber from a blow-down on the towpath opposite, so we took possession of that as well. Hopefully we might last out till the warm weather returns again.

The electrically operated swing bridge was just around the corner, so I hopped off to get it open. On our first trip up here this was also our first encounter with an electric rather than manual bridge. I’d checked both ways before pressing the button, but a car came around the corner and decided he could make it across. He did, with the dropping barriers just missing his tailgate. Gave me such a dirty look as if it was my fault!
Now I check both ways – twice, and then again before hitting the button.

Royal Oak Swing Bridge.

Mags on her way through.

A little further on there’s another swing bridge but this is hand operated and only carries a footpath.

Broadheath Swing Bridge

We pulled over near Lyme Green just before Bridge 45, and I nipped up to the shop between showers. We were getting a bit low on essentials like milk and bread.

A little later Meg and I took a stroll further up the canal, to Gurnett Aqueduct. Here the canal crosses a minor road and the infant River Bollin. We often moor at another aqueduct over the same river, but on the Bridgewater Canal at Dunham Massey, only 16 miles to the north-west. It’s considerably further by canal….

Gurnett Aqueduct from the road.
Just through the arch, on the left, was the worhshop of Abraham Bennett, Millwright. It was here that James Brindley, the canal pioneer, served an apprenticeship before moving on to open his own business in Leek. He soon established a reputation as a reliable and innovative engineer, and came to the attention of Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, who needed a solution to move coal from his mines at Worsley to burgeoning markets in Manchester.
Brindley was appointed as engineer to survey and build a canal which proved so successful that demand for his services soared. He died in 1772, still working, surveying the route of a proposed branch of the Trent and Mersey between Froghall and Leek (the Caldon Canal).
He’s buried at St. James, Newchapel, near Kidsgrove, only a short distance from the summit level of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Abraham Bennett’s millwright workshop. 
I wonder what Abraham and James would have made of the vehicle parked in front now?

Our weather luck ran out on the way back; the sky darkened and then we were battered by a heavy hailstorm for 5 minutes before getting to the shelter of the boat. Quite painful on areas of bare skin. I should have taken a jacket…

Locks 0, miles 3

520 feet above Sea Level…

After a “day off” on Saturday, we made a short trip yesterday to moor at the Dane Aqueduct just below Bosley Locks.

What a fantastic spot for a farm, tucked away in it’s own valley with The Cloud looking on.

Crossley Hall Farm

Moored at the aqueduct. I got the counter bands finished earlier, just the tipcat and button to refit.

Dane Aqueduct moorings….

…..and the aqueduct from below.

Another frosty night, but a fine bright morning today, so Meg and I decided to have a look up The Cloud before tackling the locks. We went up before, in 2008, with Amy (NB Black Briony), and Gloria (NB Completely Foxed).

The Cloud across the fields

And a bit closer, clearly showing the gritstone cap.
Halfway up, looking north-ish
You can just see, to the left, the long viaduct carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Dane
At 08:00 we reached the top, with spectacular views all round.

Trig Point and information “wheel” on the summit

Looking SW…
Mow Cop is the lump in the middle.

….SE
Rudyard Reservoir in the middle of the picture. Early mist is still hanging in the valleys.

…NE

Croker Hill on the horizon.

…And finally NW
The white blob is the large dish at Jodrell Bank, the smudge on the horizon just beyond is from Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, on the Mersey 27 miles away.

The Cloud sits just outside the Peak District National Park, part of a ridge of high ground on the Cheshire border. It’s 1125 foot high gritstone cap sits on top of a soft mudstone base, and the distinctive elongated teardrop shape was caused by glaciation.

We were back down at the boat by 09:00, having had a cracking start to the day.

By 10:30 we were on the move again, this time by water, heading for the 12 locks of the Bosley flight.

Approaching Bosley Bottom Lock
Each lock is about 10 feet deep, making the bottom paddles particularly heavy to lift. Unfortunately we were following another boat up, so I had to empty each one. Still, the extra work was well compensated for by the views opening up as we rose up the hill.

Mags heading towards Lock 6, The Cloud on the horizon.

Aaah, lambs
The muddy "pond in the foreground is one of the side ponds, built to save water on the flight. At Lock 4 there’s an explanation of their use, alongside a restored one.

Side Pond at Lock 4 (Click to enlarge)


The flight climbs through open country, with a main road crossing below Lock 5, at Wheatsheaf Farm.

Wheatsheaf Farm and Lock 5

Two hours of windlass waggling saw us at the top lock, not bad considering we had to turn every one.

Bosley Top Lock, No 1. The building is the amenity block, where we filled and emptied the appropriate receptacles before moving on and mooring 5 minutes further on.

We’re now on the summit level, 520 feet up. This is the height we’ll stay at to Marple and then on the Upper Peak Forest to Whaley Bridge and Buxworth Basin. The Lower Peak Forest drops down 16 Locks at Marple, heading down to meet the Ashton Canal at Duckinfield Junction. That’s the route we’ll take after visiting Buxworth, timing it to arrive in Manchester for my next run in the city centre. 

It’s been fine weather all day, mainly sunny but with a sneaky cold breeze. We’ve seen only another four boats on the move all day, one  in front of us, one following, and another couple heading downhill after we’d moored up.

Heading for Macclesfield tomorrow.

I'm missing my camera, especially today for the shots from the summit. They would have been so much better at 14 megapixies, rather than the 3 from my phone camera.

Locks 12, miles 1½

Staying dry.

That’s us, not necessarily the weather…. In fact it’s been quite pleasant today, bright and dry till early this afternoon when we had a heavy shower, and it’s fine again now.

We’ve not got so far, still leaving Bosley Locks till after the weekend. So we left moving on until 11:15, moving off the embankment and over the aqueduct over the old  Biddulph Valley Railway.
A loop line of the North Staffordshire Railway, this was built in 1860 and ran from Stoke on Trent to Congleton, rejoining the main line just east of the town, near where we moored last night.
Abandoned in 1968 it’s now a cycleway and walking route from Congleton to Biddulph.

Over the railway aqueduct.

Just beyond the aqueduct is a short arm, originally built to offload stone for bridge building, then used as a transhipment wharf between the two forms of transport. One of the cargos was silk from Vaudrey’s Mill in Bath Vale, half a mile away. It’s known as Vaudrey’s Wharf for that reason.

Vaudrey’s Wharf.
I wonder how deep it is? It’d make a pleasant mooring spot….

Heading towards Buglawton I spotted some logs on the offside, and it was a “do I don’t I” moment, dithering in the middle of the canal. My thrifty nature won (I’ve spent too much time in Yorkshire…), and I loaded 5 suitably sized lumps onto the back deck. We stopped for water at the tap on the offside next to Bridge 68 and  transferred them to the roof.

We had a few spots of rain, but decided to push on and moored near Bridge 62.

Moored near Bridge 62
We’ve stopped here before, it’s nice and quiet with a good wide towpath. To the right rises The Cloud, 1100 feet high, and ahead is the 1300 foot Sutton Common with a transmitter mast on the top. It’s just over a mile to the bottom of the 12 Bosley Locks.

I unloaded the logs and unpacked my chainsaw just as a heavy shower blew over. In an hour it’d cleared again, so I got them sliced up and a box full chopped for the fire.

We’ll probably stay here for the weekend, tackling the locks on Monday.

I've given up on the Fuji camera, not having the LCD screen makes it pretty difficult. Todays pics were taken on my Sony Experia smartphone. Not bad, considering.

Locks 0, miles 2¼

Technology troubles

I’m waiting for the third bit of equipment to go wrong. These things always seem to come in threes, don’t they?

Our inverter/charger remote control has chosen to rebel, it makes it’s own mind up now whether to show the state of the battery bank, and even if it wants to switch on at all.

Mastervolt remote control and monitor. Typical, it’s working now!

It’s not the end of the world, it’s just convenient being able to switch the inverter on or off in the galley. A new one is £160, but I might see if  can find an agent to get it sorted.

The second problem is my Samsung camera. That’s also developed a mind of it’s own, taking photos when it wants and locking out the menu and mode buttons. The battery has to be removed to reset the functions, then they go awry again as soon as a picture is taken. Video mode just freezes the camera completely….
It was bought from Argos near Leicester last September, but they allow you to return goods to any of their stores. I arranged to take it into Congleton today, as we were passing through. Unfortunately, as it’s more than 30 days old, it has to be sent away for assessment, then either repaired or replaced. So we’ll wait and see on that one.

So I’m back to using the good old Fuji, that's fine apart from the LCD backlight having failed. So it takes pictures OK but you can’t tell exactly what it’s pointing at… so if the pictures on the posts look a little odd over the next couple of weeks… blame the camera!

Anyway, back to the action. Meg was fascinated this morning, spending 5 minutes just sitting on the towpath watching this youngster having breakfast at the milk bar…

Breakfast time.

It was fine and bright when we set off, but storm clouds were gathering over Mow Cop Castle…

Looking a bit grim…

The original milestones have been relocated along the canal. They were removed as a precaution during WWII.

Typical Macclesfield Canal milepost In keeping with the scenery through which it passes, the canal architecture is rugged and durable.

Another structure which is no-nonsense but aesthetically pleasing is the snake bridge, of which there are two in Congleton.

Bridge 77 at Lamberts Lane, NB Bohemian just coming through. Known as roving or turn-over bridges elsewhere, these allow the boat horse to swap over to the other side of the canal without unhitching the tow-rope.

Beyond the bridge is Congleton Wharf, with a large converted mill on the left. We moored here while I made a trip into town to drop off the camera and do a bit of shopping, then pushed on a bit further.

Mess of bridges at Hightown.
Two road, 1 rail.

We were considering heading a couple of miles to Buglawton (love that name), but as we came out onto the embankment over the valley to the east of the town it started to sleet. We’d had odd showers earlier, but decided to call it a day here. In the summer this is a popular spot, with superb views both sides. Today we’re alone.

Moored on the embankment, The Cloud on the horizon.
Looking NW….
….and SE
You can tell from the pics that the day had turned dull and damp.

Meg and I had a walk to the railway aqueduct and around the meadows alongside. Not too long, it was raining again…

Congleton railway viaduct

Looking back at the embankment from below, Seyella on the skyline.

The stream in the valley comes through the embankment here.

There’s been a few boats about today, both hired and private. Not sure what we’re doing tomorrow, we’ll wait on the weather.

Locks 0, miles 3¾