I met the boat at the start of the Rochdale canal in Ducie Street,Manchester, after it had been brought down from Marple the day before.
We set off at 8.30am as soon as the BW man unlocked the padlock securing the gates of the bottom lock.
For the time being British Waterways operatives escort boats through the first eighteen locks of the re-opened Rochdale Canal ...
... but after a few locks I think we showed that we were fairly competent and they spent most of the time escorting the boats behind us.
This area of Manchester cannot be described as salubrious but we had no problems with the locals except for complaints about gardens being flooded, there was evidence of stop-gap measures being taken to raise the walls in a couple of lock pounds.
We were sharing the locks with NB Zavala crewed by Brian & Maragaret, like us, regulars at Canalway Cavalcade.
A typical by-wash.
Many of the warehouses/mills along the canal appear to be being refurbished.
Lock 77 which appears to have been raised due to subsidence
This Mill isbeing demolished.
A somewhat basic by-wash!
Using the lock appeared to still be a novelty to the locals of Newton Heath, we had to wait here a while whilst Zavala removed large bits of the environmental protection matting from around their propellor
Passing the Westward bound escorted boats.
Failsworth
The new bridge in Failsworth
The new section of canal in Failsworth where no canal existed as recently as January
A relic of the past still intact - a wooden roller which protected the bridge from the ropes of horse drawn boats.
A heron in an urban environment
The M66 crossing
The new channel on the East side of the M66 ...
,,, and again looking back. The footbridge carries the towpath diversion as their is no towpath under the motorway.
Typical scenery.
On the Slattocks flight, note the amount of water flowing through the by-wash.
Henry
The new lock on the West side of the M60 ...
.. the old line ...
... and the new channel whiche diveted the canal through an existing farm access bridge.
The new channel on the East side of the motorway taken from the location of the old redundant lock which was still there, complete with gates!
A swing bridge between Rochdale and Smithy Bridge
New bridge at Littleborough
Littleborough
Heading up to the summit.
