Back in Manchester

Well we're back in Manchester again!  Apart from the usual 4 or 5 "lurkers" who have been here since last Autumn, Castlefield Basin is fairly empty.

We filled up with water at the service block on the way in.

It used to be a really dirty horrible place, full of boaters rubbish which was dumped here even though there are plenty of rubbish skips just round the corner but I'm happy to say that it's been cleaned up and this notice seems to be having the desired effect.

It's now dark around 5pm and although I miss the sunny evenings of summer, it's nice to sit by the fire and indulge my passion for crochet.  This is the latest little cardigan I've made for my granddaughter. She's now 6 months old and growing so fast she's keeping me busy. The stash of wool under the bed is dwindling rapidly, I feel a shopping trip coming on!

Rochdale Nine

Today we carried on into the centre of Manchester, down the famous Rochdale Nine locks. Some boaters find them extremely hard work but while I wouldn't recommend them for absolute novices, we didn't have any problems.

This was the first lock which was to take us underneath these buildings in Piccadilly.

One of the problems with the Rochdale Nine is the sheer volume of water that passes down the flight. It pours over the top gates so you need to keep the boat well forward or risk it getting wet.  It's also a bit of a nuisance when you're trying to open the top gates on some of the locks as the pound level is higher than the top of the gates which means you really need 2 people to push the gate open.

The lock area underneath Piccadilly used to be frequented by rent boys and drug dealers but nowadays it's been cleaned up and there's CCTV everywhere.

There's some nice graffiti art down there too. This was just one of the pics.

There's no towpath between the locks at either end of Canal Street but there is a floating pontoon so you can get on or off the boat quite easily, although we had to breast up the 2 boats as the pontoon is quite short.

A few of the locks have windlass operated winches which use chains to open or close the lock gates as there isn't enough room for full length lock beams.

Lock 88 took us underneath Oxford Street.

Just as you exit the lock there's a very powerful jet of water coming into the canal. It's so powerful it pushed Wye Knot 2 sideways into the bridge.

Most of the canal is overshadowed by high dingy looking buildings but there are a few green areas. Someone here was obviously a bird fan, along with the duck house there was a small dovecote. We saw a kingfisher and there were bat boxes under one of the railway bridges.

This is the bar and club area in the railway arches alongside Deansgate Locks.

We finally made it into the bottom lock no. 92 two and a half hours after we set off.

I was a bit apprehensive after hearing all the horror stories, but we had a good run and I'd certainly do it again.  We'll be coming back up the Nine in a few weeks to get back up to the Macc. before the stoppages on the Marple Flight.

We're now moored in Castlefield and will carry on again in the morning.

Castlefield

We had a good time while we were moored in Boothstown and while we had the car we went over to Macclesfield to catch up with friends at both Macclesfield and Lyme View Marinas.  I also popped into Macclesfield to do a bit of shopping, but was very surprised at how much the town centre has changed in the 6 months since we were last there. Several shops have closed and the town centre is starting to look quite run down. Even the indoor market has lost a few stalls. The retail park at Lyme Green has expanded and now has a large Matalan and Next which will be drawing shoppers away from the town centre.   I just hope it’s not a downward spiral as Macclesfield was always one of my favourite places.

After filling up with diesel we cruised back into Castlefield and moored outside Choice bar and restaurant.  It’s not quite as busy as last time we were here but there are still plenty of boats here, many seem to be here permanently.

It hasn’t stopped raining for the past 2 days, that awful heavy drizzle that absolutely soaks you, and the canal level is up.  This has made the water rush even more over the locks down through Manchester.  I feel sorry for the boat moored opposite Lock 92 as the noise from the waterfall over the lock gates is pretty loud!

Manchester

I haven’t posted anything this week while we were at Boothstown as I didn’t want to bore you with details of our family visits and shopping trips.

The weather has been amazingly hot this week and this morning was no exception. We got up early, took the car back to the garage and walked the 3.3 miles back to the boat in glorious sunshine. After filling up with water and emptying the toilet tank we set off towards Manchester.

The trip was pretty uneventful but we are really starting to notice the change of season as trees change colour and drop their leaves.

Autumn in Worsley 

It’s about 5 years since we came to Manchester by canal and there have been lots of changes.
The Container Base has moved canal-side and towers above the water.

We passed Manchester United F.C. No doubt it’ll be busy here tomorrow as there’s a match on.

This is Throstle Nest Bridge at White City. It’s quite a busy bridge but the artwork is only visible from the canal.

We were followed into Manchester by a Zeppelin.

At Pomona the canal meets the Manchester Ship Canal and follows the Metro for a while.

Manchester Ship Canal seen beneath the
Metro elevated section

Pomona Metro Station

Pomona Lock - down onto the Manchester Ship Canal

For 2 years we launched all our boats here at Potato Wharf. It used to be a thriving residential boat community but the surrounding area has now been developed and mooring is no longer allowed there.

All along the canal coming into Manchester they've built high rise flats. Some are quite nice but since the property slump the majority are inhabited by Polish and other migrant workers.

There were 2 of these disabled access lifts alongside the canal, within 100 yards of each other and both giving access to the same stretch of tow-path. What a waste of money!  One would have been sufficient and there was also a wheelchair ramp too.

Another  ‘des-res’ - duck style!

We're now moored in Castslefield Basin in the centre of Manchester. It’s lovely here and very busy. Having lived in Manchester all my life it'll be quite different to be here on a boat and to view the city as a tourist, not a resident.

view from our boat of the Hilton Hotel