Ashridge

I went for a walk today as part of my local walking group. The group has been walking once a month for over a decade and visits areas of Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. We occasionally go further afield. Since I organise some of the routes we have visited canals and even sometimes Albert when on a cruise.

Today we didn't go near a canal and yet the walk had a canal theme threading through it. We walked around the Ashridge estate, close to Berkhamsted, and enjoyed the woods which were carpeted in bluebells. The weather, unlike yesterday, was sunny and we had clear blue skies throughout the morning.

The walk started and ended with lunch at the Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden. We have walked from this popular pub a few times. The inn is, of course, named after Francis Egerton, Third Duke of Bridgewater who owned the Ashridge Estate. The "Canal Duke" is commemorated not only in the name of the pub but his first canal is now commemorated on the wall of the inn with a mural.

Mural commemorating the Bridgewater Canal

However, the most significant memorial to the Duke lies on the other side of the estate overlooking Aldbury. It is the Bridgewater Monument which credits him as being the "Father of the Inland Navigation".

The Bridgwater Monument

The monument lies close to the Brownlow cafe which this morning was very busy with walkers, dog walkers and cyclists, all enjoying the weather.

There's lot to enjoy on the estate but today the pièce de résistance was the bluebells. They were truly magnificent, particularly in Dockey Wood.

Bluebells in Dockey Wood

I wondered about access to this area from the Grand Union Canal. You can just see Cowroast from one of the vantage points on the estate but a walk to the the Bridgewater Arms from the canal is a healthy 4.5 miles and with a 300 ft climb. It's about half that to the Bridgewater Monument but that would still include the climb. Maybe one of these days we might come through Berkhamsted and feel enthusiastic(?). Today's walk was just around the 6 mile mark but with only a modest change in elevation. 

Getting to the Bridgewater Arms from Cowroast

Lymm Again (without a boat)

Last week we spent a night in the North West attending the funeral of my dear Auntie Gladys. She lived to be 95 years old and was married to Ron for an amazing 69 1/2 years! Because we needed to be at the funeral mid-morning, we planned to stay overnight within an easy car drive of Manchester. Looking at the map Lymm in Cheshire jumped out at me. We spent two happy nights there on our Northern Cruise in April 2009 and found it to be a friendly interesting spot to moor; so why not use it to spend a night in a hotel.

Lymm Cross complete with stocks

The Lymm Hotel, not far from the M6, did us proud with a good room at a reasonable price with a great breakfast and friendly service. Couldn't ask for more on an occasion with mixed emotions. We even managed a walk around the village remembering all the spots we discovered when visiting on Albert.

Bridgewater Canal visitor moorings at Lymm where we moored twice in 2009

The next day we travelled to the funeral and met all my cousins and their families. Some sadness at a passing mixed with some joy from the many memories of a wonderful couple. We are planning to meet the cousins on a more happy occasion in the Spring.

Piccadilly, Manchester

Dover Lock Inn, Abram

We left Dover Lock on Saturday with the intention of having a shortish day's cruising to Castlefields which is our usual mooring spot in Manchester. The hot weather was forecast to continue and we got off early for this lock-free cruise.

Plank Lane Lift Bridge, now customer operated

Although it was sunny, the wind, as the BBC forecast stated, was noticeable. We certainly noticed it at Plank Lane where we stopped to negotiate the lift bridge and found it difficult to get away from the bank. We stopped at Worsley and had lunch. When we stopped here in 2009 this was the furthest north Albert had been - now that spot is Gargrave.

Spinning Mill at Leigh

Mooring at Worsley

The rest of the journey towards Manchester was straightforward although it was livened up by an incident near Patricroft. We came up to a very slow boat that beckoned us to overtake and they then promptly steered into us. I stopped it hitting our cabin by pushing it off at the last moment. The boat was appropriately named Meander!

We crossed the Barton Swing Aqueduct and I again took lots of photos of one of  my favourite (perhaps the) waterways locations.

Manchester from Barton Swing Aqueduct

Containers stacked six-high near Old Trafford, Manchester

At Waters Meeting we turned into Manchester and moored up in Castlefields. Since our last visit the area has gained a beach (yes a beach!) and the bar under the railway bridges that was closed is now operating. The moorings have gone down hill slightly with weeds growing in profusion. However, the whole area was busy with people enjoying the warm sunshine. We moored up with the intention of going up the Rochdale Nine on Sunday. That was until the crew of the boat moored up next to us, Bleasdale, invited us to join them going up the locks that afternoon so we could tackle the Ashton Canal on Sunday morning. Having a boat with a crew familiar with the locks to accompany us was an offer we couldn't refuse.

Castlefields Beach on a hot Saturday

The journey up the Rochdale Nine was a revelation. The crowds of revellers spilling out from the many bars that line the route were amazing. At the first lock there were "bouncers" ensuring that customers didn't get too close to the water. All the nine locks are individual with an assortment of mechansisms to raise paddles and open gates. In places there isn't even a towpath and the canal dissappears under buildings. One lock, Dale Street is directly under a building.

Lock One on the Rochdale Nine

Operating a lock with "Bouncers" controlling the crowds

Operating a gate using a winch

Deansgate Locks

Canal Street

Underneath Manchester

Operating Dale Street Lock, Rochdale Nine

Notice & Graffiti by Dale Street Lock

The revellers were very good natured all along the route, and some offered help with gates. There were some who asked questions about boating, some more coherent than others depending on their alcohol intake. A negative part was the large amounts of broken glass that littered the towpath.

Moored up in Piccadilly

That night we moored up at the top of The Nine near Dulcie Street in Piccadilly - it was quiet.

Barton Swing Aqueduct - Towpath

Following my earlier post, and the photograph from Wonderful Britain magazine showing horses on the elevated towpath of the swing bridge, I decided to look back at the pictures I took when we crossed the bridge (twice) back in 2009.

Barton Swing Aqueduct, Bridgwater Canal;

showing the location of a bracket supporting the towpath and control

On several photos I could clearly see evidence of  riveted brackets that supported the towpath structure. On the labelled photo above you can see where the remains of one bracket are located. It is likely, looking at the photo, that the Wonderful Britain photograph was taken from the control tower seen in the photograph that lies between the road and canal swing bridges.

Bridgwater Canal Celebration

Whilst boating last week I was contacted by Simon Robertshaw of the BBC Philharmonic who wanted to use a couple of my images of the Barton Swing Aqueduct for a public event at the Lowry theatre in Salford.

The event celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Bridgewater Canal on November 6th 2011, and includes a performance by Salford primary school children, actors, and members of the BBC Philharmonic called Songs from the Bridgewater Canal.

Sounds a great event. I wish I could go, the Barton Bridges feature in my childhood memories.

African Dancers in Manchester

One of the joys of visiting English cities by boat is the ability to moor up and explore areas you would not normally visit. We rarely have the opportunity these days to just enjoy our cities like a tourist, but when one does there is usually something unexpected to discover.

When we moored up in Manchester recently we went to museums, art galleries, a concert and of course the shops. But in Piccadilly Gardens we found a group of African drummers and a sitar player performing with some dancers. A student from the Northern College of Music was also watching and he provided some commentary on their tuning and scales. It so was fascinating Steve couldn't resist taking a video clip.


Dancers and musicians from Gambia

To Dutton on the Trent and Mersey (April 25)

The morning began showery. We left Lymm to pick up diesel and have a pump out at the excellent Thorn Marine at Stockton Heath. Their business appears to be under threat from Peel Holdings who own the Bridgewater Canal and wish to develop the site for housing. The pump out equipment was unusual since it was mounted in a supermarket shopping trolley that had been recovered from the canal.


What a great use of a shopping trolley!
(Pump out equipment at Thorn Marina)

Whilst waiting for the water tank to fill a boat passed playing loud Latin-American music with the steerer dressed in a poncho. Well you occasionally see some amusing sights on the waterways. However, this was followed by several other boats with the crews wearing ponchos and sombreros. We found out that they were members of the Bridgewater Motor Boat Club, who moor on the Runcorn Arm. They were on a themed cruise to Oughtrington. Several of the crews, both men and women, sported Zapato-style moustaches. They were having fun!

We had lunch at Moore and the weather began to improve. As we approached Preston Brook tunnel we found a boat had broken away from its moorings and was blocking the navigation. All three mooring pins had pulled out. It was not surprising really given the speed that some boats pass moored boats on the Bridgewater. Maggie got on board the boat, and with the help from crew from another boat, we got the boat moored up again. On board was a lurcher and longhaired cat.

After the tunnel, we had glorious sunshine and great views. We decided to moor up by Dutton and try to get a mooring with a view of the Weaver Valley. We succeeded well by mooring where we where we could see Dutton Lock on the Weaver, the railway viaduct across the river, and Acton Bridge. We took a walk down to Dutton Lock and found to our surprise that the large lock was full of boats, six abreast. It was another boat club cruise. The lock contained 18 boats from the Acton Bridge Cruising Club on their commodore’s cruise. We had a good chat with the crews who even invited us to join their evening karaoke. (We didn’t go.)


Acton Bridge Cruising Club filling Dutton Lock, River Weaver

We then walked back from the lock along a bridleway and along a footpath that took us through a bluebell wood that looked wonderful in the early evening sun. We also heard a cuckoo. What a great mooring, particularly in such lovely weather.


Footbridge near Dutton Lock, River Weaver


Long-horn cattle near Dutton Lock


Bluebells near Dutton Lock


Sluices near Dutton Lock, River Weaver

Change of Plans - to Lymm (April 24)

Yesterday we spent a full day in Manchester. The morning was spent cleaning the boat, which was beginning to look a little grubby after its long journey north.


Mooring at Castlefields


Three of the four railway bridges at Castlefields


Late in the morning the GRP cruiser Dancer, from Coventry, arrived in the basin. They took on water and moored-up behind us. They, like us, were planning to go up the Ashton to the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals. However, they had recently been in touch with BW and found that there was an unscheduled stoppage on the Ashton Canal. Apparently, a large wire had been caught under a lock gate and it had badly damaged a sill. We hoped that it would be cleared by Friday because we had planned to pick up Steve’ s cousins half-way up the Ashton flight for a trip on Albert. However, late in the afternoon, we found out that the flight would be closed until at least Tuesday (April 28) when BW plan to issue an update. BW is planning to dewater part of the flight to make the repairs and needs Environment Agency approval to do this. Because of our commitments at home, we cannot wait until Tuesday to find out what is happening so we decided to change our cruising plans. We are now not doing the Cheshire Ring but returning home the way we came. However, we will definitely try to explore the Caldon Canal; it was on our reserve list.

This is the first time since we began serious boating in 1996 that we have had to change our cruising plans so we cannot really complain. We just hope that this is not the start of a run of bad luck.


Pevril of the Peak pub, Manchester


Detail of the fine tiles, Pevril of the Peak pub, Manchester

Tonight we are at Lymm again. So what happened in the meantime?

Well yesterday afternoon we went around the Art Gallery in Manchester and viewed the Leonardo Da Vinci drawings. In the evening, we went to a Halle orchestra concert in Bridgewater Hall. They played a programme consisting of Schubert's 5th symphony, Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante, and the Franck symphony. We really enjoyed it. The acoustics in the hall are particularly good.

Today we met up with Steve’s cousins who cam in from Rochdale and Diggle. They cruised with us to Sale where they caught the Metro home. It was great meeting up with them. Just before we left Castlefields, the ex-Cowburn & Cowpar boat Swallow arrived. Steve helped her manoeuvre onto the water point, wind, and then moor up behind us. We were treated to a tour of the back cabin and engine room of Swallow by the ownedr David Lowe. Like many other working boats, she had been at the Easter gathering at Ellesmere Port.


NB Swallow


A well polished National, NB Swallow


Swallow's unsusally shaped counter


Back cabin of Swallow


Hand bowl and soap holes

To Castlefields (April 22)

We woke to mist in Worsley and winded in front of the Packet House.


Packet House, Worsley

The journey down to Waters Meeting was uneventful but we did manage to take some more photos as we crossed the Barton Swing Aqueduct.


Barton Swing Road Bridge (again)

The weather was fine and sunny. We turned left towards Manchester and passed in the shadow of the Manchester United ground.


Manchester United


Unusual paddle gear on the disused Hulme Branch Locks

We got into Castlefields just before lunch. Because of building work, some of the local permanent moorers had been relocated onto to visitor moorings making it interesting moor up without obstructing the trip boats. Several trip boats were due take fans to Man. United in the evening for the match against Pompey.


Castlefields Basin, Manchester

We spent the afternoon shopping and sightseeing in Manchester. In Albert Square, outside Manchester City Hall, there is another statue of Prince Albert.


Prince Albert, Albert Square, Manchester

Some musicians and dancers from Gambia were performing in Piccadilly Gardens. They were great.

To Worsley (April 21)

Left Lymm in glorious sunshine and had a delightful cruise through Little Bollington to Sale where the canal becomes urban and is very straight. As we got to Dunham Steve noticed a quadruple sculler in the distance. They appeared to be turning, but then they disappeared out of sight. We found out later, when we got to the centre of Sale that is was a crew from the Trafford Rowing Club.


Factory at Broadheath


The canal becomes quite industrialised after Sale. We left the Cheshire Ring at Waters Meeting and headed for Worsley. Shortly after the junction, we suffered a minor incident when a group of school kids crossing a bridge threw a plastic file clip at us!

The section through Trafford Park is fascinating, especially the sweet smells from Kelloggs’ factory and the appalling architecture (if you can call it that) of the Trafford Centre. Why does it have domes like St Paul’s Cathedral and Greek statues?
We then crossed the Barton Swing Aqueduct that crosses the Manchester Ship Canal. The Aqueduct has particular significance for Steve. When he was growing up in Lancashire he came to view the bridge with his parents. He can remember watching a large freighter on its way to Manchester from the West Indies go through the bridge and the crew throwing him a banana. In the early 1950s bananas were quite rare and Steve has always considered that banana to be his very first.


Entering the Barton Swing Aqueduct

Coming from the south the aqueduct comes up quickly just after a corner but the views from the bridge are dramatic. It is shame that there is little or no traffic using the Ship Canal. It would be worth waiting for the bridge to swing.


View of the Manchester Ship Canal and Barton Swing Road Bridge


Barton Swing Aqueduct


Lighthouse at Monton Green Bridge

We moored up in Worsley just after lunch and explored the area. The mines, which triggered Britain’s Canal Building Age look forlorn. It is pity that the Coal Authority has restricted access so much that you can only view the mine entrances from a distance and cannot see where the Starvationers left the mines loaded with coal for transhipment to Manchester. However, Worsley is a charming place and the local Heritage Trail is very informative.


Worsley moorings with Packet House


Packet House, Worsley


Where it all began - Duke of Bridgewater's Mines, Worsley
The entrances to the mines are at the rear of the pool

We had a great early evening meal at the Milan Italian restaurant. We went early to take advantage of their special deal, and it was quiet. However, by the time we left (8.30PM) it was doing a great trade with over 50 covers. For a Tuesday night, that was good business. We were impressed with the meal and the service was very professional. In contrast, the large hotel next door, the Bridgewater Hotel, is closed for business.

Tomorrow we plan to go the Castlefields in Manchester, following Brindley’s first canal; the start of the Canal Age.