The End 10-9-10 to 28-9-10

From Friday to Mon 13^th we motored on towards Reading going through the longish tunnels at Crick and Braunston and suddenly we were  on the old familiar territory of the Oxford Canal where we spent enjoyable trips when we had our old boat Zenobia. Strangely we did in fact pass Zenobia 2 which was built to replace the one that we bought and on chatting to the skipper who I think part owns it found out it was 18 years old.  So that was how long ago it was that we bought Zenobia, wow.   We got to Banbury on 16^th Sept and while we were there we had a visit from Sue and Clive who were driving down to Oxford, to help out their son in his house, so they popped in for a coffee and chat.  We went to the cross and took photos one of which we sent to Danni for it was here that we brought her when she was little, for a holiday with Granma and Grandad.  We left Banbury on Friday at 4.30pm and moved for about an hour then moored up at a good spot on the off side and stayed until the Tuesday.  The reason for the long stay was to do some well overdue work on the boat.  We cleaned and polished her and I rubbed down the gunnel and put a new coat off black gloss on one side (had to get more paint so still one side to do).  In order to do both sides we had to move back to the tow path side as well.   While we were there we got chating to the many dog walkers that went past regularly and got quite friendly with one couple called Amanda and Brian.  She really fancied having a boat one day so we showed around.  When she left that day to “do her baking” she said she would bring us back an apple crumble.  Sure enough at about 5.00pm she turned up with an apple and blackberry pie and even brought a tin of evaporated milk to go with it as she thought we wouldn’t have any cream.  She popped back the following morning to collect her dish….thankyou Amanda it was lovely!  At Oxford on the 24^th we had a visit from Sam, tom and Harry who was coming to stay for the weekend as is was his turn on the boat.  He had a lovely time with us and we went to Oxford Castle and shopping.  In the evening once we had just moved of the Oxford Canal and on to the Thames we saw a chap fishing for Crayfish.  So we thought we could do that and with a bit a bacon tied on string and a net we caught about 7/8 and then we cooked them, they tasted like prawns.  You only eat the tails and the claw meat so there wasn’t a lot but it was good fun.  We got to Abingdon by Sunday and waited for Sam to come back and collect Harry and he brought Luke with him so it has been nice to see them all, especially Tom who has changed  quite a bit since family camp and is now running everywhere.  Moday27th we moored for the night at Goring-on-Thames and that just leaves us about 10 miles to do to get to Reading and journeys end.  On Wednesday I am getting the train back to Chester to get the car and on Friday we drive to Cornwall for a weeks holiday in Polzeath with Hilary and Mike and Lyndsay  and Chris.  Then its back to the boat for a week to help Joe with his move and then a week at Sam’s to look after Tom before we go home to Kent.  We are taking Harry with us for a few days as it’s half term and then on the Wednesday we bring him home and collect Luke for his turn.  So it will be November before we are back to normal by then I will be super fit and ready for squash as I am still jogging a bit and yesterday 27^th sept I ran for 50 mins phew!

 

Summary……

 

6 months   730 miles    494 locks   lots of £££££, lbs, wine and beer   but a great time……can’t wait to do it again

Last of the Guests 2-9-10 to 9-9-10

We set off down the River Soar and found it to be beautiful, I think probably the best yet.  We moored briefly in Loughborough, and briefly was enough,   for a quick lunch and moored for the night at Mountsorrel.   We didn’t leave to early as I have started jogging every other day and the 3^rd was a jogging day.  I am trying to sort out all the excesses and drinking that Clive forced me into before I start squash again when we get home.  We had lunch on the go and moored up at Leicester at 3.00pm on the secure moorings at Castle Park.    We had been warned that it was a good idea to moor there.  Guess what 2 boats down from us was Dragonfly and Richard & Liz whom we hadn’t seen since 11^th July.  We had intended to wonder round Leicester but we only managed an hour at about 7pm before we went back to Dragonfly for more chat and a drink or 2.  You may remember that Liz fell over a wall back in July and unfortunately she is still having problems with her left knee.  They were heading for Market Harborough planning to leave their car and boat there while she goes to a specialist in Kings Lynn. Next morning we said farewell again and went to the market which was good, very cheap and excellent quality fruit and veg.  Before we set off Liz rang us to ask if we minded waiting while they got back from leaving their car at Market Harborough so that we could do the next two days together and share the locks.  That’s what we did and so we arrived at Foxton locks on 5^th Sept to await the arrival of Lyndsay & Chris and Jim & Glenis.  Dragonfly went on their way to Market Harborough and we welcomed our guests who were staying until Thursday.  Tuesday we decided to go for a day trip to Market Harborough and back.  On Wednesday we all went up the Foxton Lock flight which consists of 2 sets of  narrow 5 lock staircases.  After that which took about 45mins we had an all day breakfast at the top and then moved on to Welford which is at the end of an arm off the Grand Union Canal.  On Thursday we all went for a walk before lunch then we said goodbye to Jim & Glenis then M went to have her hair cut which just happened to be at the end of the arm.  After that we said goodbye to Chris & Lyndsay then set off on the final stages of our voyage.  Have worked out that we have about 114 mls and 65 locks still to do.  For anyone that’s interested we will have done in total since April 730miles and 494 locks once we get to Reading…..phew!!

We’re On The Way Home 22-8-10 to 2-9-10

We set off in good time on Sunday 22^nd to ensure we got to the lock by 9am and arrived in Leeds at 1.30pm.  After lunch we left the Leeds Liverpool and went back on to the River Aire heading for Keadby our entry point to the River Trent.  On the way we passed John & Gale on George and spent a couple of hours caching up with them before mooring for the night at Castleford at 8.00pm, so a long day of just over 12 hours.  Monday we booked our passage through the lock at Keadby on to the Trent but have to be ready to go at 6.am on Wednesday morning so we go upstream with the tide….silly these rivers aren’t they!  We ended up doing another long day, mooring at Bramwith Lock on the Stainford & Keadby Canal which is part of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation mooring at 8.30pm having done 22 1/4 mls, stopping for lunch and rain and then dinner and rain.  Tuesday we did the final leg of 15 mls in the pouring rain but arrived at Keadby at 3pm in the sunshine.  Wed 25^th we were out on the River Trent by 6.30am, following another boat Katynka with Ian and Diane.  They had done this route before and had a chart so knew where all the sand banks were so we kept quite close.  They did not go very fast though as I was keen to nip along and take advantage of the strong flow while it lasted.  Still we got to Torksey at 10 .30 which was the first place that we could stop.  We had decided that we had time to pop down the Fossdyke Navigation which later becomes the River Witham and ends up in Boston.  We only went to Saxilby where we had arranged to meet up with Lady G again.  The following day we took a bus to Lincoln and had lunch and a look round and managed to take in a roof tour of the cathedral which was very interesting.  Friday 27th we went back to Torksey and out onto the Trent again and motored down to Newark where we are staying for the bank holiday weekend before we move on.  In the evening we went to a jazz evening in a local pub.  Sat we lazed in Newark and in the evening we were invited out to drinks on board Mirage, a wide beam dutch barge, with David and Mary.  We had a guided tour as well and it was very smart.  On Sunday as the weather was not brilliant I decided to change the oil in the engine and did one or two other maintenance bits.  Mon 31^st after lunch we had live music in the park opposite the castle then Clive and I went to a beer festival and then in the evening had a picnic whilst watching 3 brass band in the park and fireworks afterwards.  Tues and Wed saw us finishing our journey on the Trent and an impromptu BBQ just by the final lock as it was our last evening with Sue & Clive.

On Thursday we went our separate ways, them to the Trent & Mersey heading for Coventry and us down the River Soar towards Leicester well on the way to our final destination of Reading.

More of August 19-8-10 to 21-8-10

We failed on the Bingley 5 Rise on Wednesday as BWB had just started only allowing boats to through in pairs and to save water even more it was up in the morning and down in the afternoon.  We arrived at 2.30pm and were told we could go down if another boat came along.  But there wasn’t one so Amy & tim had to go back to their cottage without doing the locks.  On Thursday morning I had a mobile mechanic come to look at the engine because yesterday morning soon after setting off  it suddenly seemed to lose power.  It kept going ok but I didn’t want any problems when we went on to the River Trent.  It turned out to be a combination off  dirty fuel filter and air filter and some water in the fuel.  He changed both and ran off the water and it was then fine and smoother I thought.  We went down the locks with Lottie in the afternoon ok and moored for the night at Saltaire.  This whole place had been built by Titus Salt a wealthy mill owner back in 1800 & …. To improve the working conditions of his staff and included everything that they needed, like schools, shops, houses etc. but no pubs as he was strictly tee total.  I was amused to find a restaurant ( serving alcohol) called ‘don’t tell Titus’.  On Friday Amy & Tim joined us again having packed and left their cottage but the time they had and then gone shopping in the Salt Mill we didn’t leave until 3ish and were too late for the next set of locks which closed before we got there so poor old Jago still didn’t get to do any locks.  We had heard by this time from one of the lock keepers that the last 6miles to Leeds of the Leed Liverpool canal was closed because of low water levels in 2 of the pounds, and that it might be open again by Sunday as they were sending water down. We said farewell to Amy & Tim and waited till the morning for the locks to open.  While we were waiting I took the opportunity to fit the new impellor, so now the generator was working again.   Also waiting at the lock was another couple Phil and Shirley who had borrowed their daughters boats for 3 days and the head gasket had gone so they were stuck.  We offered to tow them to Rodley where they moor, so we pulled him into 5 locks and towed him about 5 miles which was a first for us.  We lazed for the rest of the day as we could not go any further.  Luckily a BW man came along and informed us that if we got to the next lock by 9am then we could go on through to Leeds.  This was good news to Bev & John an Australian couple in Matilda who had been waiting there since Wednesday, so our timing was quite good really.  In the evening Phil & Shirley insisted on taking us out for an Indian….lovely.

Suddenly It’s going to Be August 21-7-10 to 18-7-10

Before we left Walsden we had a meal in the Cross Keys with Sue and Clive and found that John and Gale from George were also in there so we had a very pleasant evening talking about……boats mostly. When we got back I discovered that we had a leak from the roof in the engine room, and it seemed most likely that it was coming in where the phone aerial was so it was out with the silicon next day. By Thursday 22nd we were in Todmorden and Friday we went for another long walk up the top again, but we were back in time to greet Lyn and Mike who arrived about 2.00pm. As a trial M & I slept in the engine room to see how it was……a bit tight but at least we know we can sleep 3 couples. We had a lovely weekend with them and visited Hebden Bridge but unfortunately they had to leave us on Sunday morning but not before we’d had a cooked breakfast. Then we did another lovely walk up to Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill which is N.T  We spent 3 days in Hebden Bridge doing yet more lovely walks then moved on to Mytholmroyd for yet more. Meanwhile the next boat problem seems to be looming. I have rope cutter fixed on the shaft just behind the propeller and it has 2 nylon bearings which when worn create a clicking sound as the two parts start to touch each other. I did try and see what was required to change them with the aid off a pringle tin with cling film over the end, but the water was to murky. The previous owner had told me about this and said it is best to take the boat out of the water to change them but that he had done it through the weed hatch but it was not to be recommended. By Saturday 31st we were in Luddenden Foot ready to do Tuel lock at Sowerby Bridge which was then just a short trip away.   This lock is the deepest lock on the entire canal system at 19’ 6”. It used to be 2 locks but they were combined into 1 when the canal was restored back in 1996. It is operated by a lock keeper because it so deep, and a couple of weeks ago it was closed for a week while they organised temporary pumps because of the water shortage. Straight out of that lock we had to go through a tunnel, under a couple of roads, that had a 90 degree bend in it but it turned out to be quite easy to navigate. Two more locks straight after that and we were off the Rochdale Canal after spending 2 ½ weeks on it. Our next problem were the locks on the Calder & Hebble Canal which we were then on, as they are only 57’6” long, and as we are 60’ we knew it was going to be a bit tricky but we really didn’t want to turn round and go back via Manchester. They are 14’ wide locks so the trick is to take the fore and aft fenders off and go in one at a time diagonally. The first 2 are the shortest and we did those by   going in backwards thus gaining an extra couple of inches with the curved bow on the lock cill. Another oddity with this canal was the way some of the paddles are operated with a spike, which is just a 3ft long piece of 3x2 hardwood and tapered at one end, (see photo ).  On Tues 3rd August as the water was much clearer I decided to attack the rope cutter on the prop through the weed hatch. With a lot of care and bits of string (in case of dropped tools etc) and aching back and knees I managed to removed one half so that it didn’t make a noise anymore. I also found that one of the bearings had disappeared completely causing too much play and hence the clicking noise. On Wednesday we had arrange to meet my cousin Rosy, who lives in Pudsey, whom we had not seen for about 20 years. They drove over and met us for lunch in a pub near Dewsbury and then we took them for a short trip before they left for home. During this trip the end of the boat hook snapped off but luckily the metal end stayed stuck in the lock gate that I was pushing so I was able to retrieve it and refix to a slightly shorter pole. Thursday saw us finishing the Calder & Hebble   and begin the Aire & Calder which in contrast to the short locks had locks of 20’ wide and 200’ long which were all electric. M broke another 15” off the newly repaired boat hook and we also put the fenders back on. Friday we arrived at Castleford and we ended up with a route change. We had spoken to a lady that had just come off the River Ouse from York. She said it was horrible, very messy and she even saw a dead cow floating in it. Also the tidal flow was quite bad and she couldn’t wait to get off it. We spoke to the lock keeper about tide timings and he said we would have to be at Selby Lock ( that takes you on to the Ouse) for 6.00am on the Monday. After that there was at least 3 days of higher than usual spring tides and the lock would be closed and we might not be able to come back until the 16th or 17th. As we were due to have my nephew Michael and his to lads for a week and then Amy and Co for a week straight after we thought it best not to venture out on to a fast flowing river. The new plan was to go up the Leeds & Liverpool on the section that was not closed and go up to Skipton instead. On Saturday 7th we said goodbye to Sue and Clive who also were not going to York but instead going down the River Trent to Lincoln on the River Witham. By 4.45pm we were moored in the centre of Leeds. On Sunday we arrived at Rodley by 1.30pm and waited for Michael to arrive which he did by 2.00pm. Michael had brought 2 life jackets and a service pack for the rope cutter that I had ordered and in the evening I tried to fit the new bearings, but alas I failed. Monday we didn’t move until 12.30pm as I had another go at the rope cutter and after 2 hours I finally succeeded, (much cheaper than taking the boat out of the water). Another boat problem solved. We had a great week with Michael and co and arrived at Skipton on Thursday afternoon, but by then the next boat problem had manifest itself. The generator was playing up and kept stopping, the first time was in the middle of making a loaf. The next loaf proved a problem and we had to finish it off in the oven. Mike and the boys were leaving us on Friday and so Mike borrowed a bike and cycled back to Rodley to get the car while we went up to Skipton woods with Charlie and the boys. I had arranged to take Charlie to the vets for his annual jabs and had to leave before Mike left us, as it took hi a lot longer than he thought to cycle back to the car. Once I had got back we set off back to Bingley to meet Amy & Co who were due on Saturday afternoon. When we came to do some washing the same thing was happening just as we needed to get all the washing up to date before Amy came. The generator seemed to be over heating so we just managed to get one load done by doing it in stages and letting it cool down in between.
With Amy & co safely aboard we turned and headed back to Skipton. They all stayed with us on Sat & Sun then on Monday 16th they took the girls back to the cottage that they had rented ( it being decided that having Emmy Lottie and Jago on board for a whole week was too much). The plan was to swop Jago for Lottie for a couple of nights on Wednesday and do the Bingley 5 rise with them all We took the opportunity to order another couple of bags of dog food and get them sent to Amy’s cottage. By this time I had found the problem on the generator and also got the new water pump impellor sent to her as well.

Finishing Off June and Most of July 26-6-10 to 20-7-10

Good news for all you loo fans there’s more on the continuing saga, so for those of you who can’t wait scan straight to 7^th and 9^th July

 

We didn’t make it on the lift in the end as it was all booked for the rest of the day by the time we got there so we booked in for the first of the day on the Sunday and then moored up and waited.   On Sunday after we had gone up in the lift we headed back to Middlewich and the Macclesfield Canal.  Stopped for a long lunch and watched England get hammered by Germany and then carried on till quite late to get through all the locks at Middlewich ready for an early start on Monday.  We had breakfast and dinner on the move and by 5.45.pm we were 2 miles up the Macclesfield Canal having done 14 miles and 31 locks in one day, phew! That just left us 11 miles

and 12 locks to get to our meeting with Lyndsay and Chris.  On Tuesday 29^th we did 11 of the 12 and stopped for the night between locks 1 and 2.  We stopped off near Congleton on the way and cycled into town for some shopping as well.  So on Wednesday we had a more leisurely day getting the boat all spick and span and then pottered along to Gurnet to meet the others at about 3.30.  After loading their on the boat we went back to their camp site and had  BBQ.  On

Thursday 1^st July L & C took up residence and we moved on a bit, taking in a walk up a hill to a prominent folly called White Nancy which afforded a beautiful view of the surrounding area.  Friday we didn’t move, we walked an old railway track, had lunch out, and Chris borrowed my bike and moved his car along a bit and C & I managed a pint in the evening.  On Saturday we moved further up the canal in order to fill up with water and then turned and came back to a restaurant where we had booked for dinner with Clive and Sue as well.  When we got back to the boat after our meal we found the key would not open the front door so M climbed in through the skylight which luckily was open.  Said farewell to L & C who were going back to there van to sleep ready to move on again in the morning.  Thanks for a lovely few days people.  Discovered that the latch was down when we closed the door which we shouldn’t have been able to do.  I have since moved the strike plate so it shouldn’t happen again.

Sunday we had to do some forward planning as the water shortage was beginning to affect where we could go.  We still wanted to get to York if possible so the routes available were the Rochdale Canal or the Huddersfield Canal.  At the time of this planning the Rochdale was only taking 2 boats a day through the 2 Summit locks and the first 9 out of Manchester had to be booked and it was supposed to be an assisted passage, ie helped and protected by BWB staff as they had to unlock and relock all the locks as they went through a pretty rough area.  There was also a closure at Sowerby Bridge which is further past the summit, which we thought might make it difficult to book if things had backed up.  The alternative was the Huddersfield Narrow Canal which involved a 3 ½ mile tunnel which takes about 3 hours to get through and is quite small so your boat has to be measured to ensure that you’re not too big to get through.  On Monday morning I rang about the bookings and found that they were still taking bookings for the Rochdale but only until mid August so I booked the Rochdale 9 for the 15^th July and the Summit locks for the 19^th July to give us time to do the in between bit without too much rush.  After that we set off for Marple at the end of the Macclesfield Canal where we turned right onto the Peak Forest Canal.  Whilst in Marple we did a couple of lovely walks around mill country thanks to some leaflets from the library.  7^th July saw us heading for the south east end of the Peak Forest at Whaley Bridge and a mooring at Bugsworth Basin.    On the way I stopped at a marina to collect a new waste tank gauge as I was pleased with the fresh water tank gauge I bought earlier.  Also I collected 10m of sanitary hose.  This is the piping that is connected to the loo holding tank.  1 breather pipe, 1emptying pipe and the input pipe from the loo.  All these are in our bedroom and there has been a bit of a whiff!! sometimes from both our wardrobes and below the bed boards where the tank is.  On investigation and advice which seemed to be common knowledge to a lot of people, these pipes become porous but not leaky and should be changed every 5 years or so.  Ours were 11 years old!!  The chap at the marina lent me a 32mm hole saw as to fit the gauge I had to make a hole in the top of the tank, so I did that bit there and then.  Once we got to Bugsworth Basin, which was once the busiest inland port in the country, and really lovely, M walked into Whaley Bridge and had her hair cut and I changed 2 of the three pipes which were routed through our wardrobes and relatively easy.  The basin was used to load all sorts of cargo and there was a network of little railways around all the little arms to service the boats.  It was restored to water by enthusiasts who had to contend with a new bypass being built some 500 yards from it and all the arms silted up. It was an enormous task. It was a lovely spot to stop with the Navigation Inn nearby.  The following day we the trained into Buxton and spent a very enjoyable day looking around, back to the Navigation in the evening as it was fish & chip and quiz night.  Our team (Charlie’s Angels) got 24/30 and a guy on the next table won £350 on the Jack the Joker draw.

Friday 9^th was supposed to be a long walk day but M was feeling a bit funny in the tummy dept, probably the mushy peas with the dinner last night, so I started on the last pipe from loo to tank.  This went under the floor from bathroom to bedroom so I had the carpet, underlay and floor panels up to get to it.  The old one came out as I could cut it, with out too much spillage!’*>>!? But the new one being just a fraction bigger in dia. was tricky to get in.  With Clive’s help, some rope and Fairy liquid we managed…. just but I was sweating bit.  I was also able to complete the installation of the new gauge and everything smells sweet now.   So that’s 4 times I’ve taken the loo out, I do hope there isn’t a number 5.  On Saturday we left the basin heading back to Marple.  On the way we stopped at New Mills and did a beautiful Millennium Torrs Walk all around a lovely gorge   with a bit of history of New Mills thrown in.  Sunday we had a busy day as we had 16 locks to go down to get us halfway to the Ashton Canal and thence the Rochdale which starts in Manchester.  Just before we got to Marple M who was walking with Charlie had rung Richard & Liz on Dragonfly, who we last saw on the River Weaver, to see how they were.  They were in a marina only 5 minutes from us having just come up those 16 locks on Friday because at lock 15 Liz had had a nasty accident and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.  The lock gate beam was quite low to the ground when shut but as it opened it passed over the wall of a little bridge across the lock.  You have to stop pushing with your bum go down to the bridge level before you continue to push.  Unfortunately Richard was not quite paying attention, as they had friends with them, and he hit the gate.  Suddenly the beam that Liz was pushing moved very quickly and she was catapulted over the wall which was a 4’ drop.  Luckily she didn’t break anything and when we saw her she was mobile but moving very slowly and carefully and she only had a small graze on her elbow to show for it,  so they were having to rest up for a while.  After visiting we did the 16 locks and they were the hardest we’ve ever done including on our last boat when we were much younger and stronger.  M was at the helm and I did all the hard work as she just wouldn’t have been able to do the paddles.  We stopped at the bottom and had roast lamb with Lady G done in their Dutch Cobb.    Next day we all set off intending to get to the Ashton Canal where we had arranged to stop at an almost finished marina just before the first lock of 18 on the Ashton.  The reason for this was that we were entering bandit country (or lowlife types) and we wanted to be secure for the night.  We made it safely and before retiring I cleared the roof of everything not fixed down just in case.  Tuesday 13^th we started at 7.00am so as to clear the first 3 locks before the lowlife were around.  Our intention was to do the whole of the Ashton right into Manchester in one hit and we had even done sandwiches so we didn’t need to stop.  In the event it was all ok with no sign of trouble.  All the locks were single so we worked together and we had our bike out to nip back and forth setting the next lock while in the current lock. All the locks have anti vandal keys on them so that was an extra thing to do but as 2 other boats were following us we didn’t have to lock them up again.  At Manchester we stopped in Piccadilly Basin which again was secure.  In the afternoon we went into Manchester which we thought was great with a lovely mix of new and old buildings.  There is a lot of redevelopment going on and still to do.  We had a look at the Bridgwater Canal where it comes into Manchester   and we also went to the John Ryland Library a wonderful old purpose built library, the building was fantastic.  After that we went to the Museum of Science and Industry and could have spent all day there but we only had a couple of hours.  The following day we caught a bus to Salford Quays and had a good old wander round   and went in the Lowry to see his paintings.   In the evening as it was Sue’s birthday we went for a meal and the theatre and saw Charlie’s Aunt at the Royal Exchange Theatre, which was very funny.  Thursday 15^th saw us ready to start on the Rochdale canal as this was the day we had booked passage for the Rochdale 9 (locks)  as they are called.  4 boats were booked (the max)  and we were all going up.  The locks are all double width so it’s a lot easier in pairs.  Not a pleasant trip, the canal was full of rubbish and there were a few dubious characters about.  We both had to open up the weed hatch Clive 3 – Me 1   and then he got a chunk of wood in the prop which stalled the engine.  All the boats got stuck trying to avoid a big bit of scaffold pipe sticking up in the middle of the canal.  We ended up doing 19 locks in 6 hours so in the evening we went to the pub, but at least by now the canal was beginning to improve and would soon be getting pretty. We did another 10 locks the next day as we had to be at the summit for our booking on the 19^th, and 5 more on the Saturday and we were still having to open up the weed hatch to clear the prop of plastic bags and in my case some rope which needed a knife to clear.  On the Sunday we could only do 3 more locks as we were then asked by the summit lock keeper to stop until the morning as some of the pounds ahead get very low overnight. So far every day on the Rochdale it has rained, not all day but enough. We’ve also done some lovely walks in the dales around.  So the big day arrived and we were going over the summit of the Rochdale Canal, the highest in England, and it was raining again.  It soon stopped and the scenery was absolutely stunning with steep hills rising either side of the canal.  After 10 locks we were done and moored up  just past Summit (the village is called Summit) and went for a meal in the Bird in Hand which was excellent and I had a Lamb Henry which was a lamb shank.  It was so huge  that I had to forgo my pudding!  We were almost ready to leave at 8.30pm when the chap from the boat next to us (there were only the 3 of us) who was waiting to go over the summit the other way in the morning came in to tell us that our boats were all leaning over alarmingly and beginning to pull out the mooring pins.  When we got back to the boats Lady G and Sammy Jo were well out of the water and stuck.  The other guy was still afloat at the front but stuck at the back.  The water in the pound had gone down by a good foot or more hence the lean.  We let some water through from the pound above and managed with a lot of heaving and rocking to get him off, we then sent him up in the lock to safety in the next pound and then released that lock full off water into our pound and just managed to get Sammy Jo afloat as she‘s not as low in the water as Lady G.  Then I was able to pull her off as well, and we just about managed to get through the next lock into a fuller pound, which was where the lock keeper reckoned that he had said we should moor anyway because of that very problem.  All this took place in the semi dark and rain with us all dressed in our glad rags as we had been out…oops.

Tuesday 20^th guess what, …more rain, we did a few more locks so that we could top up with water at a place called Walsden where we are going to stop for a couple of nights to recharge.  We are now about 20 miles from Manchester and 12 miles from Sowerby Bridge which is where the Rochdale Canal ends and the Calder and Hebble starts in our quest to get to York or Skipton. We have left Lancashire behind and are now in Yorkshire.  There are 82 locks on the 32 mile Rochdale Canal and we’ve done about 54.  We are looking forward to our next visitors, Lin & Mike who are due to arrive on Friday.