TNC ON Tour 2003 - 21 - Another Standedge and a Staly-Whalley (XP)
Neil Arlidge
It was a reasonable morning weatherwise, so we started off during the WWW's
first dog walk of the day. This was predictably at 06:40. The crew of Shire
Cruisers "Cornwall" were still fast asleep, so we did our normal stealth
pull away - ropes off, fenders up, push off, engine on, then straight away
in tick over. After passing through locks 22 E and 23 E we spotted NB
Gelibean, the crew were awake and involved in dog walking. The guillotine
lock 24E was past with out incident, apart from the liveabord owner in one
of the few boats below complaining that in using lock 23 E we had thrown him
out of bed as his boat bottomed in the shallow sided pond above - all meant
in good spirit as he was glad that the canal was now seeing some use.
Although we were first up above Slaithwaite we had more water supply
problems than our last passage, but careful water letting down (controlled
by mobile fone) ensured we did not steal to much of our water above, just
clearing a couple of top cills and bywash reefs below locks. At 09:25 we
were moored just below lock 32 E, to await the 13:00 BW assited passage up
to Masden. As before we put our bow line round the cycle barrier and let the
stern float out a fair way, as we knew levels would change dramatically as
the other two boats came up and yesterday's west to east convoy came down.
Lock 32 E is chosen as the end of the totally boater operated section,
because it has one of the main feeds entering just below the lock. NB
Gelibean was not far behind in arriving, followed a fair time after by NB
Cornwall.
The BW bods arrived at 13:00 and at 13:10 we started up to Marsden. As
before the short pound between locks 34 E and 35 E caused Earnest to bump
the cill, while exiting Loock 34 E, but this was cured by a without engine
power push out by three BW bods. Lock 37 E had been partially "mechanised"
since we were last up. A small Kubota excavator bucket arm was attached to
the top gate, with a length of (blue) rope, this and a gentle nudge from
Earnest was used to crack the gate open, seeing as the balance beam was on
it's last legs, sporting two lots of steel re-inforcements which bearly held
it together.
At 14:40 we were up the top and out of Lock 42 E and after a 10 minute
summit level cruise we were tied up below the railway bridge, to await the
locking up of the tunnel and end of trip boats for the day, when we could
moor up in deeper water, just outside the tunnel. NB Gelibean came bowling
along after about 20minutes and tried to moor above us in the small section
right by the railway bridge, just after a narrows. Neil pointed out that if
they did stop there a late extra convoy of one boat would have to pass.
Predictably they could not get into the bank far enough to guarantee this,
so carried on to amuse theVisitor Centre by mooring out side. After the
Tunnel Foreman had locked up, Earnest and Cornwall moved up. Being just the
three boats for the convoy we all fitted on the Waterside Inn side, where
there were actually a few bollards!
Earnest managed a water fill up from the hose provided, Neil did most of the
tunnel prep work (except the cratch, seeing as it was on and off rain) and
at 18:45 we met up with Martin Clark for another booked meal in the
excellent Tunnel End Inn. The crew of Cornwall apeared later on for an
impromptu bar meal and the crew of Gelibean for a drink.
Wednesday 30th July 2003
We got up around 07:30 and took the cratch and cover off and stowed inside
the boat. The tunnel team seemed keen and preparations were well advanced by
the time Martin Clark arrived back for animal transport services. As is
always the case, BW decide the order of boats in the convoy, so it is no
point stuffing your self right up against the tunnel gate, expecting to be
the first in the convoy. Cornwall was first, followed by Gelibean, with
Earnest last.
We set off at 09:05, with a kids birthday surprise party taking up most of
the outside area. Neil had seen the whole thing before.....so actually
amazed the BW staff by having a nap. Linda sat out the back, mainly talking
to the MC. The passage seemed slower, but was infact a LOT quicker, just
under two hours. There was a slight delay as we ground to a halt following a
steering motor cut out going, this was quickly reset. The "gusher" pipe
exiting from one of the rail tunnel adits was not any where as bad as last
time, rather strange, seeing as we recently had a lot of rain.
So we exited Diggle end at 11:00 and due to us all getting bunched up for
the off-side wait, we were condemed to go down last on the assisted Diggle
Flight, and hence below. In between the sometimes thunderous down pours (
which were used to good effect in cleaning off Earnest) we managed to
compleatly de-tunnelify Earnest. Even less gunwale scrapes than last time
were noted.
At 13:45 we sauntered up to the locks, just as Gelibean was exiting Lock 32
W. We had a BW bod with us all the way, lock wheeling and putting back
security padlocks. Linda steered and Neil tried out the supposedly stiff
direct action angled paddle gear. No problem if they were greased up using a
medium throw windlass. BW bod told Neil that the missing paddle gear had
gone away to have the over-geared Fenner gear boxes fitted. Neil ended up
helping Mr Gelibean, Mrs Gelibean was in fine form, dissapearing just as the
gate opened or blaring out her favourite tune from the deck mounted
waterproof speaker. The weather continued to be VERY changeable, so Neil
just got wet.
Eventually we exited Wool Road Lock No 24 W at 15:25. Both Gelibean and the
somewhat faster Cornwall carried on to Saddleworth, mooring up for the night
at the Visitor Moorings, just above Wade Lock 21W. We, of course were
committed to Stalybridge so trundled on with renewed vigor. Martin Clark
turned up at Lock 13W, closest to his home and Ed Mortimer appeared just
above Stalybridge. Owing to all the rain and the incompoetent NB Letimbou
leaving a lot of paddles up - the best one was when Peter A arrived to find
them trying to go down in a lock with ALL paddles up. We had a very good
passage down, even Lock 10 W and 9 W were past with out problems. Just after
Ed joined us he pointed out the inoculous "speed camera", mounted on a wall.
This was put in on the insistence of English Nature and takes a couple of
piccies of each boat passing through, sending images back to BW South
Pennine Ring. We stopped in view and Neil put on an impromptu "Roof Ballet"
spectuacular for the BW spies!
Eventually we arrived at Stalybridge Tesco moorings at
19:30........predictably it started raining again as we all went into town
for the "Society Rooms" Weatherspoon's. Not such a good time here this
time.....service was appallling and the food somewhat
overcooked............not the usual Weatherspoon standard.
Thursday 31st July 2003
Neil started to depart somewhat from the published time table (which had
held up so far) and do a Staly-Whalley ie Stalybridge to Whalley Bridge.
Linda did a short shop in Tesco's and at 07:35 we started
off.................just as it started to rain!
09:20 we were at Dukinfield Junction and did the sharp turn onto the Lower
Peak Forest. Another, now rare new bit for Earnest, a piece of canal Neil
has not done since 1995. Everything seemed much greener than Neil
remembered, but around Hyde the amount of crud in the cut exceeded the HNC!
Hyde Bank Tunnel was a bit of a killer, low in places, it would be possible
to scrape handrails. A bit of traffic the other way, but as we started the
Marple Flight at 12:00, we caught up with NB King Coal. Mrs KC certainly did
NOT want any help and shooed the rather keen Martin Clark away from HER
paddles (this was just dropping tailgate paddles and closing these gates).
They somewhat warmed to Martin as he recounted the earlier Marple Flight dog
poo incident, where an unauthorised deposit was not cleared up. Upon
queerying this Martin was greeted with "Sorry I have not got a
bag".......rather strange seeing as there were bag dispensers on the
flight!!!
There was something missing from the Marple Flight....and it only dawned
upon us later.............NO BOATWASH!!!............the Marple geysers had
finally been silenced by the recent grouting of the massive stone block
walls. Finally on the Upper Peak Forest at 14:25. Again a bit of canal Neil
has not done since 1995. Just as we started off from the locks, another NB
( Water Lilly) pulled out of the Macc. We swing/lift bridge hopped the four
such structures and came out in front, just as well as there was one 57ft
6ins mooring left at Whalley Bridge Basin and one 60ft. Water Lily was 57ft
6ins...........and Earnest was not!
Just as last time Bugsworth Basin was closed (of course Ed Mortimer was
recounting the time that Sue Day forced him to pole one of her butty's into
every part of the basin when it was briefly open for a few months a few
years back) Also different was the new Tesco's and access bridge at the
start of the Whalley Bridge Arm.
We tied up after winding at 17:00. Watering will wait until tomorrow, we
will get back to Marple Junct and carry on down the Macc, probably to
Bosley.
--
Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest
Follow the travels of the TNC at http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk
Stewart Kirby
> Tuesday 29th July 2003
>
> It was a reasonable morning weatherwise, so we started off during the WWW's
> first dog walk of the day. This was predictably at 06:40. The crew of Shire
> Cruisers "Cornwall" were still fast asleep, so we did our normal stealth
Big Snip
It's funny reading a trip report when you were on the same stretch of
the cut at the same time. Nice to have some observations and
predjudices confirmed. We were moored below Roaches Lock on the HNC
when you went past. We met King Coal at Stalybridge and talked to
Mr.KC, he was definately a glass half empty kind of man, don't know
about her indoors though.
Good to have my opinion of nb Letimbou confirmed. He moored behind us
at Roaches after spending 30 minutes backing and forthing trying to
get close to the bank. He'd seen that we were moored about 3 inches
away from it and was determined to get close himself. I still can't
understand how he thought levering away with the gangplank was going
to help, why didn't he just give in and tie up with the plank
deployed? Next morning the plank came out again as he levered away
while revving in forward gear!!!!
You better not laugh about speed cameras on the cut though as I reckon
BW are after you. A BW man came round checking licences the next
morning and asked me if we had seen any boats the previous day. We
mentioned Earnest and Letimbou and he was particularly interested in
knowing what time you went past us. When we told him it's was just
after 6pm he was gobsmacked as he'd seen you mooring in Stalybridge at
7.30pm and knew you'd just turned onto the Peak Forest at Portland
Basin just before he spoke to us so they're keeping an eye on you.
Stewart Kirby
nb Owlet
Dave Mayall
Kirby) wrote:
>You better not laugh about speed cameras on the cut though as I reckon
>BW are after you. A BW man came round checking licences the next
>morning and asked me if we had seen any boats the previous day. We
>mentioned Earnest and Letimbou and he was particularly interested in
>knowing what time you went past us. When we told him it's was just
>after 6pm he was gobsmacked as he'd seen you mooring in Stalybridge at
>7.30pm and knew you'd just turned onto the Peak Forest at Portland
>Basin just before he spoke to us so they're keeping an eye on you.
You do know that BW have a speed camera between 7W and 8W on the HNC?
--
Dave Mayall
Neil Arlidge
Ed Mortimer pointed it out for us, so we stopped for a photo
session..............
Robin Nicholson
>You do know that BW have a speed camera between 7W and 8W on the HNC?
>Dave Mayall
What a waste of money(though I think the posting is tongue in cheek)
Are there white stripes down the towpath so some nit wit can work out
whether 'x' is going 4.1 mph?!
--
Robin
brian
message news:3f380349...@news.freeserve.net...
They were using a speed gun on the Sharpness canal when the Saul Junction
festival was on
--
___
Brian from sunny Suffolk by the river Hundred
Martin Clark
photographs of each boat passing and the speed is calculated by seeing
how far across the picture a boat has moved. I am not aware that BW take
any action against "speeders" - I am told that the purpose is monitor
speeds to gather statistical information on potential damage (or lack
thereof) to banks and wildlife, but I'm sure Dave will be along in a
minute to put me right...
--
Martin Clark
Internet Boaters' Database http://www.auluk.freeserve.co.uk/boats
Pennine Waterways Website http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk
Dave Mayall
bran...@pickles25.nojunkmail.freeserve.co.uk (Robin Nicholson) wrote:
>
>>You do know that BW have a speed camera between 7W and 8W on the HNC?
>
>>Dave Mayall
>
>What a waste of money(though I think the posting is tongue in cheek)
Not at all.
The camera is real.
--
Dave Mayall
Neil Arlidge
> Robin Nicholson wrote...
>>
>>> You do know that BW have a speed camera between 7W and 8W on the
>>> HNC?
>>
>>> Dave Mayall
>>
>> What a waste of money(though I think the posting is tongue in cheek)
>> Are there white stripes down the towpath so some nit wit can work out
>> whether 'x' is going 4.1 mph?!
>>
> No. The camera looks across the canal at right angles. It takes two
> photographs of each boat passing and the speed is calculated by seeing
> how far across the picture a boat has moved. I am not aware that BW
> take any action against "speeders" - I am told that the purpose is
> monitor speeds to gather statistical information on potential damage
> (or lack thereof) to banks and wildlife, but I'm sure Dave will be
> along in a minute to put me right...
Ed Mortimer said that this camera was put in in the insistance on English
Nature as this bit of the HNC is a SSSI. He also said that this video feed
was monitored at South Pennine Ring BW Office.................which is why
we stopped in view of the camera and I did that little dance on the roof of
the boat!.............may be that is why the BW staff followed our passage
with interest after this...............
--
Neil Arlidge - NB Troublemaker
Martin Clark
>Martin Clark wrote:
>> Robin Nicholson wrote...
>>>> You do know that BW have a speed camera between 7W and 8W on the
>>>> HNC?
>>>
>>> Are there white stripes down the towpath so some nit wit can work out
>>> whether 'x' is going 4.1 mph?!
>>>
>> No. The camera looks across the canal at right angles. It takes two
>> photographs of each boat passing and the speed is calculated by seeing
>> how far across the picture a boat has moved. I am not aware that BW
>> take any action against "speeders" - I am told that the purpose is
>> monitor speeds to gather statistical information on potential damage
>> (or lack thereof) to banks and wildlife, but I'm sure Dave will be
>> along in a minute to put me right...
>
>Ed Mortimer said that this camera was put in in the insistance on English
>Nature as this bit of the HNC is a SSSI. He also said that this video feed
>was monitored at South Pennine Ring BW Office.................which is why
>we stopped in view of the camera and I did that little dance on the roof of
>the boat!.............may be that is why the BW staff followed our passage
>with interest after this...............
>
Neil Arlidge
You will have to admit, the BW staff we met were rather interested in
charting our progress after this..................
Maybe it was the Marsden to Stalybridge that we easily did in a
day..........
--
Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest
Martin Clark
>You will have to admit, the BW staff we met were rather interested in
>charting our progress after this..................
>Maybe it was the Marsden to Stalybridge that we easily did in a
>day..........
I don't see why. I have just got home from doing Marsden to Ashton in a
day - passing through Standedge Tunnel this morning, starting off down
the Diggle flight at 12.30 and reaching Portland Basin at 7.00 pm
exactly.
Ed is rather proud that we did the whole Huddersfield Narrow in just two
days, as we left Aspley Basin in Huddersfield yesterday at 7.00 am.
Neil Arlidge
> Neil Arlidge wrote...
>> You will have to admit, the BW staff we met were rather interested in
>> charting our progress after this..................
>> Maybe it was the Marsden to Stalybridge that we easily did in a
>> day..........
>
> I don't see why. I have just got home from doing Marsden to Ashton in
> a day - passing through Standedge Tunnel this morning, starting off
> down the Diggle flight at 12.30 and reaching Portland Basin at 7.00 pm
> exactly.
>
> Ed is rather proud that we did the whole Huddersfield Narrow in just
> two days, as we left Aspley Basin in Huddersfield yesterday at 7.00
> am.
Does that mean that Ed has done the South Pennine Ring the other way round
now?
Martin Clark
>Martin Clark wrote:
>> Neil Arlidge wrote...
>>> You will have to admit, the BW staff we met were rather interested in
>>> charting our progress after this..................
>>> Maybe it was the Marsden to Stalybridge that we easily did in a
>>> day..........
>>
>> I don't see why. I have just got home from doing Marsden to Ashton in
>> a day - passing through Standedge Tunnel this morning, starting off
>> down the Diggle flight at 12.30 and reaching Portland Basin at 7.00 pm
>> exactly.
>>
>> Ed is rather proud that we did the whole Huddersfield Narrow in just
>> two days, as we left Aspley Basin in Huddersfield yesterday at 7.00
>> am.
>
>Does that mean that Ed has done the South Pennine Ring the other way round
>now?
>
Neil Arlidge
> Neil Arlidge wrote...
>> Martin Clark wrote:
>>> Neil Arlidge wrote...
>>>> You will have to admit, the BW staff we met were rather interested
>>>> in charting our progress after this..................
>>>> Maybe it was the Marsden to Stalybridge that we easily did in a
>>>> day..........
>>>
>>> I don't see why. I have just got home from doing Marsden to Ashton
>>> in
>>> a day - passing through Standedge Tunnel this morning, starting off
>>> down the Diggle flight at 12.30 and reaching Portland Basin at 7.00
>>> pm exactly.
>>>
>>> Ed is rather proud that we did the whole Huddersfield Narrow in just
>>> two days, as we left Aspley Basin in Huddersfield yesterday at 7.00
>>> am.
>>
>> Does that mean that Ed has done the South Pennine Ring the other way
>> round now?
>>
> Sure does. Any suggestions for how he should tackle it next year?
It's not a million miles for Ed to join us up the Dee with
Astra!..................just think how far up he would get with that little
boat!
Just thinking this would be a good idea, seeing as Ed is SO good at testing
out Chester weir crest..........
--
Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest - not in bits at the moment...............but all
the rotatey bits will come off in a moments notice..........
Gloria Marriott
purpose, they are to:
a)check boat numbers
b)direction, and
c) incidentally speed and length
They do not record any information about the boat, whatever speed it is
doing!
Geoff Pursglove
"Martin Clark" <newsg...@penninewaterways.co.uk> wrote in message
news:w0nRrRGOVMc$Ew...@auluk.freeserve.co.uk...