Hire Boaters' First Day Out

When my brother told me he was  hiring a "narrow boat" for his family get-together I took him at his word and envisaged us going along together, sharing locks to make it easier for them.
Imagine my surprise therefore when the boat they'd hired from Silsden Boats turned out to be a widebeam!
After the usual induction process they set off, with Starcross following behind. Only one of the party had ever steered even a narrow boat before and he admitted he was. "rubbish" at it.
Consequently there were a few hairy moments to begin with and one narrow boat owner will never know how close his moored boat came to disaster!
It was iinstructive to see how much accumulated knowledge one takes for granted as a seasoned boater. After the first swing-bridge one of the party attempted to bring the boat to a stop on the landing by wrapping a stern rope tightly round a bollard.  Result: one snapped rope! It also took them a while to realise that when a boat is lying flush to the bank no amount of rudder will bring the bow out into the channel and that the best place to drop off and pick up crew is in the bridge-holes, not just before them.
Still they enjoyed it and we got to Skipton safe and sound where little brother treated us all to a slap-up meal in the Wooly Sheep pub.
As I've been writing this, blog reader Donald from Skipton has called round to say hello. Donald has a part time job instructing hirers at Silsden Boats but had been unable to arrange to be on duty yesterday.  Anyway, Donald, it was good to meet you.

Two Quiet Days at Silsden

The last two weeks have been hard boating. Starcross left Marple on 14th May and dropped down the Peak Forest and Ashton canals to Manchester before climbing over the Pennines on the Rochdale Canal in four strenuous days to Brighouse.
I've been boating against the clock with an appointment to keep on the Leeds & Liverpool tomorrow.  At times I've wondered if I was going to make it. Time lost on the Rochdale thanks to Grimshaw Lane lift bridge refusing to lift; a lock closure on the Calder & Hebble that I'd missed at the route planning stage and, of course,  the failure of my Python Drive all seemed at one stage or another to threaten to scupper my plans.
So it was with some relief that I arrived at Silsden on Monday with two clear days in hand. Hil went home for a few days and I did - well, not a lot really.
After a very quiet and relaxing Tuesday Hugh and Jeanette came by and whisked me off to Knaresborough for the evening and today Hugh and I made good use of our bus passes, returning via a roundabout route and stopping off in Keighley in search of some Timothy Taylor's beer.
Tomorrow the fun begins again when my brother, his wife, their two children and their partners begin their first ever boating holiday on a hire-boat from Silsden boats. Starcross will accompany them for a few days and I'll have six novice boaters and two boats to keep an eye on!

More Visitors and Even More Spectators

Car shuffling has been a feature of the last few days. I had to collect it from Stanley Ferry and fetch it to Leeds (surprisingly easy, I got to a random bus stop near Clarence Dock and found there was a through bus due in 5 mins). Then Hil had to go and collect her parents in it for yesterday's visit and of course take them home again. And today started with yet another shuffle with Hil driving to Bingley to meet our next visitors, Hugh and Jeanette and leave a car there before taking theirs to meet the boat at Shipley.
The Canal & River Trust was out in force recruiting at Saltaire, but the cut was very quiet as far as boats were concerned. In fact, according to the 'keeper not a single boat passed through Bingley 5-rise on Saturday!
We were the only boat going up but still attracted a huge crowd of spectators and the usual array of daft questions:  "Are you going up?" and "are the canals all one-way then?" were two from our American friends!
At the top we tied up for tea and cakes in the cafe and then the car shuffling recommenced.  When Hil returned from Saltaire we started off towards Silsden through no fewer than six swing bridges, three of which carried busy roads and came equipped with automatic barriers and traffic lights, which makes you feel important.
By the time we were tied up and fed and watered it was too late to go and get the car so Hil abandoned plans to go home until the morning.

Leeds to Apperley Bridge

We got away from Clarence Dock after a surprisingly quiet night for the middle if a big city just in time to be behind a pair of boats heading our way. The first two locks took nearly an hour to get through but after that we seemed to get along better.
Coming out if Leeds you soon reach the first of a number of staircase locks:Oddy 2-rise. This is b oater operated but the two subsequent 3-rises had keepers on duty - and not  volunteers either.
Hilary's parents, Jean and Geoff joined us at Calverley,  which looked more like Blackpool prom such were the crowds, and stayed with us until we tied up above Dobson's Locks, another two-rise, at Apperley Bridge, where we called it a day.

No room at the dock

Today started badly with a misunderstanding as to where we were picking up Hilary. I thought Stanley Ferry, she went to Horbury. It didn't help that we were communicating by text, which perpetuated the problem whereas a simple phone call would have sorted it out easily.
Once reunited we sped along the wide deep reaches of the Aire & Calder towards Leeds.
If you are going to have a lock r"turned" on you by a short-sighted boater, make sure it's not Lemonroyd, which is 13ft 6in deep and half-a-mile long. We had to wait for ages for it to be filled then emptied before we could get in to fill it again!

On reaching Leeds we found that all of the visitor moorings at Clarence Dock were full. We were warned that the alternative, Granary Wharf, would be noisy but a helpful local boater told us which of the ling-term moored were away so we did a bit of berth-sitting for someone.

Wet and Windy on the Calder & Hebble

Dave Ormerod arrived promptly at 9.30 this morning to fit my replacement Python Drive and despite a few problems had the job done by 11.30. Bob arrived on the bus from Sheffield at 12 and we were soon on our way.
At Brighouse you lock down on to the first of a number of river sections. These come with increasing frequency as you travel east and being wider and more open than the artificial cuts were something of an ordeal in the strong wind and heavy rain.
The locks were also something of a challenge in that you never know what to expect. Some require only a windlass, some a handspike and some both. At one lock both top gates required a handspike but both mechanisms seemed to be jammed. It was only after a few minutes that we realised that the large semi-circular topped metal cabinet nearby actually contained two ground paddles!
I'm running to a timetable on this trip to get to Silsden by next Wednesday to meet my brother. But as well as the Drive problem there has also been the issue of Shepley lock, closed since the end of April - which I didn't know when I decided to come this way - and d ue to open yesterday. I was relieved to find it operational when we got there although it had clearly been a rush job as with gates and handrails had been installed in unpainted form.
By 6.30 we'd had enough and tied up at Broad Cut lock. The Navigation pub here proved a bit if a disappointment. The beer - Black Sheep was alright,  but expensive at £3.35 a pint and possibly because of that we were almost the only customers.  Perhaps just as well as we need an early start in the morning to get to Leeds tomorrow night and meet up with Hilary somewhere along the way.

Bicycle Repair Man

Following the great sink success I thought I'd have a go at Starcross' folding bike that has been languishing in the shed at home for several months. It had hub gears and when changing a tyre instead of disconnecting the gear cable to get the wheel off, I mistakenly dismantled the whole mechanism.
This has defeated several previous attempts to put it back together again but as the bike will be very useful next week on the Leeds & Liverpool I thought I'd have another go especially as I've now found the instructions!
I was amazed that it only took me a couple of hours and that included having to do it again when my first attempt ended with the gear cable running through the chain. I even managed to re-set the gears so that all eight of  them work.

Then it was back to Brighouse ready for tomorrow when Dave from Bronte Boats is coming to fit the new Python Drive. My train from Manchester was cancelled and although the next one to Huddersfield was only 10 minutes later it then missed the Brighouse connection. Rather than wait an hour at Huddersfield I  stuck my head outside the station to see if there was a bus and there on the the stop was an X6 Bradford via Brighouse limited stop.  Even a limited stop bus takes a bit longer then the train but it still got me back to the boat in time for "The Archers"!

The benefits of incompetence

It started as a simple tidy-up and wipe round of the kitchen area on Starcross. Then I noticed that the plug-hole on the sink was partly blocked so I set to to clear the pipe, which I managed without too much difficulty.
Buoyed by this success I thought I'd tackle the pipe that takes the run-off from the draining board which  also collects gunge and has to be cleared from time-to-time.
This involves unscrewimg a small metal grid and disconnecting a plastic pipe and seal.
But when I came to re-assemble it my incompetence for anything practical began to show.
I'm the first to admit I am not a practical person; my skill lies in being able to earn enough money to pay other people to fix things. So when I started to put everything back together the problems began.
The first two attempts were hampered by my not realising that I mislaid a vital part of the assembly.
Even when I realised this I was still faced with four different bits: pipe, seal, nut and grid that had to fitted in the correct order and the right way round! Needless to say I hadn't paid enough attention at the disassembly stage.
Usually at this point aboard Starcross Hilary takes over, but with her not there to rescue me I had to carry on, as the sink was now effectively unusable.
Several attempts proved failures as water found its way round the seal. I was getting more and more frustrated but more and more determined until eventually I achieved a watertight joint!
And the point is, that to the incompetent getting even a simple job done right is hugely satisfying.

On to the Calder & Hebble

Monday, 20th May
The first job this morning was to buy a handspike from Shire Cruisers. One of these is needed to operate some of the locks on the Calder & Hebble. It's basically a 3ft length of wood tapered at one end, which you insert into the paddle mechanism to lever the paddles up and down. Although not all the locks require them you do need one straight away as you will need one at Salterhebble locks - the first on the canal coming this way.

The bottom of the three locks at Salterhebble has a guillotine gate, installed wwhen the road above was widened in the 1930's. It also had something jammed behind one of the top gates and it took both of us plus the lock-keeper to close it.  Also, all the locks so far on this canal have had very heavy gate paddles and the long-throw windlass that we found on the BCN last summer has come in very handy.

Apart from gates and paddles we had a trouble-free run to Brighouse, where Mark left for a train back  to Oxford. Brighouse station typifies the rail revival of recent years. Until recently it was closed - now it boasts trains to Leeds, Manchester, York and even London.

The replacement Python Drive has arrived at Bronte Boats, butit won't be fitted for a day or two. It's not a problem. Brighouse is a nice place to stop for a while and as Shepley Lock, just a bit further on is unlikely to be repaired before the end of the week I couldn't go much further anyway and I don't fancy going out on the river with a failing driveshaft. 

Ganny Lock - the last before Brighouse was the 3,000th lock that Starcross and I have negotiated together.

Annette Does it Again

Sunday, 19th May
Annette seems to have developed a sixth-sense as to Starcross' whereabouts. Having left Todmorden at 08.50 this morning we were just approaching Hebden Bridge when I had a phone call from her: "I'm in Hebden Bridge, where are you!"  In fact we were looking for somewhere to tie up and being a fine Sunday morning the town was very busy with people, cars and boats. Fortunately a Shire Cruisers hireboat was just getting ready to leave the 24hr moorings so we pulled into the space they vacated.
As we were tying-up Annette appeared on the towpath carrying our lunch - some pies and cakes from the organic bakery in the town (how "Hebden Bridge" is that?)
She couldn't stay long as she had to move her car (she'd found one of the last free parking spaces in the town) but we arranged to meet later in the afternoon as we progressed towards Sowerby Bridge.

Nobody warns you about Falling Royd Bridge. In my Nicholson's Guide it looks no different from any of the other bridges between Hebden Bridge and Sowerby Bridge. Don't be fooled: it's a tunnel - with a sharp bend in it - in which you are likely to meet another boat - with no lights - in the centre of the channel. The tunnel wall is coated in some sort of black gunge, much of which now adorns one of Starcross' handrails!

Approaching Tuel Lane Locks

 "I'm at Bridge 4, are you anywhere near?", came a text.  "We've passed it, we're nearly at Tuel Lane" and, sure enough just as we were waitring for the lock keeper, she arrived with our washing and an invitation for a drink in "The Moorings" once we'd tied up.

The lock-keeper - and his two volunteer assistants - control the locks at Tuel Lane. There are three of them, numbered 1,2 and "3 and 4". The last one replaced two original locks when the canal was restored  in the 1990s and consequently at 19ft  8½in is one of the deepest on the system.

Tuel Lane locks 3 and 4

The original locks were lost under a new road and the canal now crosses under that road in a modern, curved tunnel.

Tuel Lane Tunnel

And the Python Drive? That continued to be very noisy all day, but a replacement part is on its way to Bronte Boats.

Nessun Dorma and a Reunion

Saturday, 18th May
When I rang River Canal Rescue to request assistance yesterday they sent along Dave Ormerod from Bronte Boats and when I couldn't replicate the fault, he gave me his number to call him directly should it recur. So this morning when the mystery noise re-appeared I did just that. Dave was working on a job in Worsley but said he could be with me later and we agreed that I'd carry on until he was free.
We eventually met up just over the summit at Lock 32, where after a short examination with his stethoscope (!) Dave declared that it was my Python Drive - a flexible coupling that takes the engine power to the propeller shaft - that was the source of the problem.
After carefully establishing from River Canal Rescue that I was covered for replacement parts he declared that it was beyond hope. I could hear the person on the other end of the phone suggesting that perhaps re-packing the bearings would be enough, but Dave would have none of it!
As no one seemed to have a replacement unit to hand and as Dave was happy to do the job anywhere, we agreed that I'd carry on (It hardly mattered if I caused any more damage after all) and that he'd ring me early next week to arrange a place to meet. I remember that when I had the Python Drive fitted along with my new engine and gearbox five years ago it had cost several hundred pounds, which will pay for my RCR subsrciption for a year or two!
Annette, who was with us in Marple earlier, lives nearby so I wasn't surprised to receive a text saying "I'm in Walsden, where are you?" to which my reply was, er...Walsden! We met up five minutes later. What I hadn't told her was that Duncan was crewing for me, but I hadn't realised they hadn't seen each other for thirty years and the look of mutual recognition - and then shock - on their faces was a joy to behold.

Typical Pennine scenery on the way down from the summit near Walsden

 Annette played the hero by offering to take our washing home with her and then suggesting that she and husband, Stuart, joined us in Todmorden for the evening.
One feature of the locks on this section is the amount of water that pours over the top gates. At Todmorden guillotine lock this was a major problem as there is a sensor that prevents the bottom gate being raised until a level is reached. When it was clear we weren't going to achieve a level we realised the only way to do so was to lower the level of the pound above and the only way to do this was to raise a top paddle. It's a long pound (well, for the Rochdale Canal at least) so as steerer I endured a turbulent twenty minutes sitting in the lock with paddles open at each end until the water stopped pouring over the gates!

This isn't Todmorden Lock, but it gives an idea of the amount of water coming over the gates.

  Stuart and Annette took us to the Staff of Life pub where we sat next to a large birthday party. Someone stood up and began to sing "Danny Boy" (the birthday boy was Danny) and it was immediately apparent he had a better than average voice, A few other Irish numbers followed but then, for a finale, he was persuaded to sing what he really had been trained for. His Nessun Dorma  had the entire room speechless. Not surprising, as it was the internationally-renowned tenor Sean Ruane, a local lad made good. I've heard professional soloists before - but in large  concert halls not standing three feet away in a small pub!
Amazing!

Oh Slattocks!

Duncan joined us again today so being three-handed we made good progress, hoping to pull back some of the time lost yesterday.
All went well until leaving the top lock at Slattocks I noticed a horrible grating noise coming from below my feet.
(Name redacted) who had been steering earlier then told me it had started some time ago and had been getting worse! I wish he'd said!

A quick check revealed it was neither something on the prop nor an alternator belt and a towpath walker, who turned out to be a boater that recognised Starcross from Norbury Junction, also helped me diagnose that it wasn't the gear box either.

Friday afternoon is not the best time to call out River Canal Rescue and we waited a good three hours before they could find an engineer who had to come over the M62 from Bradford.  By then everything had had time to cool down so when I started it up to show him the noise, it wasn't there!
I was not amused and more than a trifle embarrased and all we could do was to carry on.  We knew better than to seek a mooring in the badlands of Rochdale so pushed on to Littleborough - with the noise re-appearing just before we arrived!

The day had a better ending though as we were joined at Littleborough by a pair of single-handed boaters travelling together and who make their living on  the cut; Geoff being a wood turner and Michelle an artist.
We'd seen them on and off over the last couple if days and had been helping each other as boaters do. Now we enjoyed a convivial evening together in the Red Lion - a good reward for another frustrating day.

How Many CRT Men Does it Take to Change a Fuse?

After a quiet and peaceful night on the visitor moorings at New Islington Marina we left just after eight o'clock for our booked passage over the Rochdale Canal. Incidentally, whatever anyone may tell you  from about the security available here, whilst it is true that most of the entrances are protected by lockable gates there is at least one gate-free access from the towpath (which we were quite glad of coming back from the pub at midnight!)
A CRT "operative" was just setting lock 81 for us as we arrived. The last time I came out of Manchester this way we were literally escorted by at least two staff all the way up to lock 65. Things must have im;roved however: today we were just told that we could go through as soon as we liked and that he would be "around and about"!
He also told us that with two boats coming down, we could leave all the top gates open - and that they would leave bottom gates for us. This was a great help, although as we had now been joined by Duncan, who lives locally, we had a crew of four, which was more than adequate.
We met the downhill boats at lock 71 and then picked up additional help in the form of a volunteer lockie, who accompanied us up to 65, where we stopped for lunch.

How Many Men Does it Take to Change a Fuse?

The afternoon started well, with a good run in pleasant weather, but we were brought up short just after two o'clock at Grimshaw Lane Lift Bridge - which wouldn't. (Lift, that is). All four of us had a go - and with two different keys, but the bridge stayed firmly shut. A phone call to CRT brought the promise of assistance and a man in a van arrived 45 minutes later. After trying unsuccessfully for half-an-hour he made a call and shortly afterwards another van turned up with three more staff. They tried a bit of everything, including at one point giving the control cabinet a good thumping, before admitting defeat and calling in an "electrical expert"  - although we were warned it would be a while before he could come. A third van arrived at six o'clock, but  he was only the "minder" as the electricans don't work alone in this area. Eventually at six-thirty our "expert" arrived - took a quick look inside the control unit and, er, changed the fuse!
By now, plans to get to Littleborough had been abandoned and we tied up for the night outside the Rose of Lancaster pub half-a-mile further on.

Marple to Manchester

Wednesday, 15th May
It was still raining this morning when we left our mooring just over the aqueduct at Marple for a run along a deserted Peak Forest Canal to Dukinfield Junction.Mark was coming by train from Oxford to join us and he arrived shortly afterwards, having walked up the cut from Guide Bridge station.
We reached Fairfield Junction at 13.00 and started what proved to be a trouble-free descent through the 18 locks to Manchester, although with each paddle needing to be unlocked and re-locked behind us it was a slow and frustrating business at times.
Nicholson's Guide had warned us about bridge 21, which is very low, but I think Bridge 6, which nobody warns you about is even lower and I had fears for the flue pipe of my Morco water heater, which protrudes a good eleven inches above the cabin roof.

I remember the Ashton Canal from the bad-old-days when it passed through a derelict post-industrial landscape and you reputedly took your life in your hands with every passage. But I was shocked at just how much regeneration had taken place in the short time since I last came this way about eight years ago. I've lots of photos of some of the more stunning examples of re-development but perhaps because I'm having to use my phone as a modem to post anything at the moment I can't seem to get any photos on to the blog again today.

Who Left the Gates Open?

I met Hugh at Stockport station and we got the 392 bus to Bollington,arriving back at Starcross just as it started to rain.
We tried having lunch first, but it carried on raining and in the end we set off towards Marple at half-last-two. After a stop for water on the way we were at Marple top lock by six-o'-clock, which was later than I intended, but despite the rain we decided to carry on down the locks as per the original plan.


In the event it took us 2hr 40mins to get down the flight  -an average of 10 minutes per lock. It's certainly not a record but with a crew of two, incessant heavy rain and all the locks against us WITH THE BOTTOM GATES LEFT OPEN! I don't think it's too bad.
We also had a hold-up above lock 2 with a very low pound that required some water to be run down before we could get into the lock.

The thought of walking back up the flight after tea and then back down again was enough to deter us from going to the pub so we sat and demolished Starcross' remaining beer stocks for what remained of the evening.

it was good to be back on the move.

(Once again, no photos tonight due to poor internet connection)

In the Gutter at Bollington

Walking along Bollington's main street with my head bowed against the wind and rain I noticed something curious about the kerbstones.  They, or at least some of them, are numbered!

Here's a "3"

and a rather clearer "4"

There were also a number of ones and two's, but nothing higher as far as I could see. There was also this splendid specimen:

 

I've seen mason's marks on many an old stone building and even on a few canal locks, but never before on something as prosaic as a kerbstone. This mason obviously had pride in his work.

White Nancy

Hilary was able to join me for a few hours in Bollington today so, after lunch, we set off in the rain for a walk up to White Nancy.
Marked on the OS Map and clearly visible from miles around in a prominent position on the end of the Kerridge Hills it dates from the 19th Century and is thought to have been erected to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo.
It was certainly renovated in 2012 and now marks the Diamond Jubilee of Mrs Betty Windsor. (Gawd bless 'er)
Even so, it's well worth the steep, uphill walk if only for the views. I was going to show you a photo or two, but Blogger's not doing photos tonight (at least not from here).

Lyme View Marina Doesn't Take Plastic!

Part of the charm of the waterways is that their supporting businesses haven't, by-and-large, succumbed to the corporatisation that has taken over our High Streets. Most are still small individually-run enterprises with all the variety and colour that adds to the canal scene. But just every now and again you wish that some of them would embrace some of the business practices of at least the 20th Century, if not the 21st.

I needed a new gas bottle today and a splash of diesel wouldn't have gone amiss either. Lyme View Marina at Poynton seemed a reasonable place to try. The fuel pump is conveniently situated on an unoccupied wharf alongside the Macclesfield Canal and no sooner had I drawn up that someone appeared to ask what I needed and help me tie up.
The 60 litres of diesel I bought were all charged at the "domestic" (lower) tax rate and at a very reasonable 78ppl. (It's OK, I'm sure I've got some high-tax diesel somewhere in the tank I can use for propulsion). I didn't ask for that, nor was I asked - presumably it just minimises the paperwork!

It was only when I came to pay that there was a problem. With the gas bottle the bill came to just over £70. I proffered my card. "Sorry, don't take plastic", said the man, "can you give me cash or a cheque?"
Well, it's been so long since I last wrote a cheque from the account I keep just for Starcross that I've long since forgotten where the cheque book is. A rummage through my wallet turned up £40 and 20 Euro, not enough even if he would accept the Euro, which of course he wouldn't!
"So, where's the nearest cash machine then?" I asked.  Turns out its in Poynton - two miles away.
"Don't suppose there's a bus?"
"Don't know"  (and don't much care either).
 "I'll have to walk then"
"OK, but I'm closing at four. (It was now 2.15)
Well, there was a bus, but I'd missed it by ten minutes. But from the timetable I saw that if I got there quickly enough I could at least ride back, which is what I did. Just to add insult to injury though I forgot to take the bus pass and had to pay on the return leg!"

So, a new note has been made in my Nicholson's (other guide books are available): Lyme View Marina does not take plastic.

Fishwicks

The difference between a single and a return rail fare is so small that to get full value from an unused uncollected return it's necessary to find an alternative way of making the second outward journey. So yesterday I made the journey from Lancaster back to the boat at Marple by bus.
The number 41 to Preston stops at the end of our street and conveniently has a departure from town at exactly 09.30 which is when my bus pass becomes valid for the day.
It's a fast run down the A6 to Preston with only a small diversion to serve the market town of Garstang en-route. There was time for "tea-and-two-toasts" in the cafe in the iconic 1960s but soon-to-be-demolished bus station at Preston after which the fastest way south is on the 125 to Chorley and Bolton.

Not for me though. I got the 109 to Chorley, which follows an indirect route via Leyland (where most British buses were built at one time) solely because it is operated by a local operator, Fishwick.

A Fishwick bus at Preston Bus Station

J Fishwick & Sons has been running buses between Preston and Leyland since 1907. It's survived threats to its existence from the cut-throat competition of the 1920s; regulation, licensing and the consequent growth of national combines in the 30s; nationalisation proposals in the 40's; the decline in bus use of the 50s and 60s; more nationalisation in the 70s; deregulation, privatisation and renewed competition in the 80s and the dominance of international transport groups (First, Stagecoach, Arriva etc) in the 90s and currently.  Throughout all this and for over 100 years Fishwick's has continued to run its two-tone green buses between Preston, Leyland and Chorley and has retained its independence and profitability. It must be doing something right!

At Chorley I rejoined the 125 route to Bolton from where I got a 22 to Stockport. A marathon run of over two hours through the western and southern suburbs of the Manchester conurbation. The 22 crosses the Manchester Ship Canal at Barton Bridge and this marks the very-pronounced divide between the rather run-down, post-industrial areas of the north (Bolton, Eccles, Salford) and the leafy, prosperous southern suburbs of Urmston, Chorlton and the like.  By now it was mid-afternoon and the rush-hour traffic was beginning to build. Our driver was doing a heroic job in keeping to time (although I'm always sorry to see that even bus drivers go through red lights nowadays). I was going to complement him on his work when we arrived, but at the last minute, being unaware that I was the last passenger on the vehicle he went straight past Stockport bus station and took me round the block and into the bus garage instead!  I've been in plenty of bus garages in my time but this was the first one I've ended up in by accident.  (He explained that he'd thought the bus was empty and was finishing his shift so saw no point in going into the bus station).
After that there was just a sedate ride on the 384 to Marple, a walk to the boat and, as I was in danger of overstaying my welcome on the visitor moorings a short hop down to High Lane.

Coming back from Bugsworth

Saturday, 4th May
This morning we took a walk over the hill to Whaley Bridge. The Peak Forest Canal has an alternative terminus there, but the route from the junction with the Bugsworth line is little more than a line of moored boats and, as I suspected, the small stretch of visitor moorings near the terminus was fully occupied (and looked as if it had been for some time!).
It's an unremarkable place. Despite the bypass that takes the A6 away from the village there's still too much road traffic for comfort and the presence nearby of a huge Tesco means that most of the useful shops have closed (a butcher and a baker remain and there are plenty of places to buy fancy candles however).

We walked back to Bugsworth along the towpath and made a start back along the Peak Forest.  I was a bit careless at Carr Swing Bridge. I was preoccupied with not catching the vent for the water heater (that increases Starcross' air-draught by eleven inches) on the bridge deck but in doing so managed to take some paint off the handrail at the front of the boat. My fault entirely - although another reason to rue the demise of my Paloma water-heater that vented through a rooftop "mushroom".

Two familiar boats were spotted just outside Marple:  Seyella and Moore 2 Life There was no sign of life on either - perhaps just as well as I didn't have time to stop and say hello because Hilary and I had a train to catch back at Marple.  We made it easily, even after a bit of difficulty in finding a spot on Marple's visitor moorings that we could actually get the boat alongside (those on the Macclesfield section are better). The journey back to Lancaster involved two trains and - due to engineering work - a bus, but just the right amount of late running meant that we weren't kept waiting anywhere and, even better, no one could be bothered to check tickets (again) so that's another one in hand for next time. (Sorry, Dave on Carmel!)

The Navigation, Bugsworth Basin

Navigation Inn, Bugsworth

 The Navigation pub at Bugsworth Basin is very popular with boaters - and probably deservedly so. Many boaters give it a good write-up in their blogs.
I can see why: It's a fine, unspoilt, traditional pub with low ceilings and old-fashioned furnishings. It sells a good range of very well-kept ales both from established "family breweries" (i.e. Timothy Taylor) and from newer, smaller outfits and offers a popular menu of pub classics by way of food.

But I have just two gripes:  To get to the bar, which is not exactly the largest, you have to fight your way past a phalanx of bar stools occupied by the regulars who show not the slightest interest in helping you get served. Then - in my case at least - the "pints" I was offered fell well short of that measure and a request for a top-up was grudgingly conceded with a degree of sarcasm on the part of the barman. At least for once I came up with a suitable response straight away, rather than ten minutes later as is usual!

These were just my experiences on the night. Yours might be different - but with beer prices being what they are I'm finding I'm getting more choosy about where I spend my beer money.

On the Peak Forest Canal

Friday, 3rd May
Hilary's friend Annette arrived at Marple at 10.30 to join us for a couple of days on the Peak Forest Canal. Two lift bridges and two that swing added interest to the trip, and with a crew of three they were easily managed. Apart from the very pleasant views over the Goyt valley and the hills of the northern end of the Peak District the trip was memorable for two things.
One was this duck:

I've had ducks come on to the roof before now - always ducks never drakes - but this one was super-inquisitive, staying aboard for ten minutes or more and peering down the hatch into the cabin. In fact so interested did she seem I considered offering her a go with the tiller!

Then, there was the Swizzles Sweet Factory at New Mills

Not that I'm a particular fan of Swizzles - in fact I don't think I was that keen on them as a kid, but at one time the canals in urban areas were lined with factories, all hard at work, and this survivor makes you realise that most of the rest have disappeared, turned into "luxury apartments" or just demolished.

We got to Bugsworth Basin in time for a good look round before tea. It's a fascinating area - an old transhipment basin where limestone from the Derbyshire Hills was brought down by tramway to be loaded onto boats. Derelict for many years it was painstakingly restored by enthusiasts from the Inland Waterways Protection Society over a thirty-year period. Apart from the canal and associated wharves and bridges not a lot remains but a superb 3D model on the site gives an excellent idea of what it would have been like in its hey-day.

Back home for an hour.

For a number of reasons, some my fault some not, I had to leave the boat in Marple yesterday and make a quick trip home. One thing I had to do is pick up a prescription that I hadn't ordered in time before coming away. My surgery insists on "two working days'" notice of repeat prescriptions and ordering on Friday to pick up Monday doesn't work. (They used to insist on "48 hours" notice then changed that to "48 working hours" until I pointed out that that was a whole working week plus overtime).
At least I could take the opportunity to exercise my democratic rights in the County Council elections, having also neglected to arrange a postal vote!
The trains there and back were perfect and there was  the chance in Manchester to have a look at the New Islington Marina's visitor moorings, which will do nicely whilst I waiting to tackle the Rochdale.

Booking the Rochdale

Starcross' passage across the Rochdale Canal has been booked for 16 May. Apparently CRT are "trilaing  new booking arrangements" but as these appear to consist of ringing the Manchester & Pennine Waterways Office at Red Bull one wonders what the old arrangements were?

There seems to have been another change to the system since I last came this way. The bookable section is now locks 81 to 65 (confusingly referred to by the Trust as the "18 locks"). When I went over in a Shire Cruisers hire-boat soon after the Canal re-opened, the chains were on at lock 83, the first above Ducie Street Junction, but perhaps the new arrangements take account of the New Islington Marina, which I believe has visitor moorings.

Does anyone know?