Farewell Manchester!

Yesterday we left Manchester after a really enjoyable 3 weeks!

Getting ready to leave Castlefield at 8am! with nb Toulouse (hidden) for the Rochdale Canal.  The wind had dropped and the sun was starting to come out.
Luckily, as we had 27 locks ahead of us, we had help from nb Toulouse’s friends Graham and Lorna who joined us all for the day.

Two of this years’ Crick show boats slip through the Rochdale 9 locks by Whitworth Street.

Travelling in between the apartments and under the hotels.

Continuing through the locks along Canal Street.

Doug, Janet and Graham stopping for a coffee in Canal Street, and enjoying the sunshine.

Doug travelling on the front of “Chance” as there is no towpath for some of the way in Canal Street so you have to access the locks from the boat .

‘Chance’ and ‘Toulouse’ under the Malmaison Hotel and nearing the end of the Rochdale 9.

A good way up the Ashton Flight of 18 locks  - ‘Toulouse’, with Gerald steering, passing the entrance to the old Stockport Branch between locks 10 and 11.
We had a really good passage through,what can be, a fairly tough days’ work thanks to massive efforts from Janet, Lorna, Graham and Doug who worked all the locks and Janet, who provided a fabulous lunch eaten on the hoof.  Gerald and James just steered the boats! – trying hard to avoid a lot of  debris under the water and, on more than one occasion, getting down in the weed hatch to remove all sorts of rubbish from the propellers.  Not a clean canal but it could have been worse – last time we did this stretch on ‘Spirit’ Doug had to remove a bed from the entrance to one of the locks!
Anyway, we have now turned right at Portland Basin and on to the Peak Forest Canal – mooring up for the night as soon as a good spot presented itself.  With great thanks to Janet and Doug all six of us plus Oscar and Graham and Lorna’s dog Billy had a brilliant meal on board ‘Chance’ thanks to Waitrose’s 2 meals for £10 deal!!
12 miles and 27 locks in 8 hours!