Peak Forest Canal.

Hi All,
We've finally got away from Bugsworth Basin after the best part of two weeks,and two weeks well spent at that.We're now both fully recovered from all the exotic illnesses we acquired in March,though Lisa had to make another trip to the doctors,this time in Whaley Bridge,just to be sure.Now,we're heading North East along the Peak Forest Canal towards Ashton Under Lyne and the Ashton Canal as we make our way eventually to Manchester.As always we are in no particular hurry so we will take our time and enjoy ourselves,it's something like twenty one miles to Castlefield Basin in Manchester,with forty three locks in between as well so,at the speed we travel,that should take us a week at least.We will keep you up to date as we travel along.

Lisa opening Carr Swing Bridge  just past Furness Vale Marina,the swing bridges are frequently opened & closed so they're pretty easy once you've got the locking pin lifted.

The viaduct that you see as you approach New Mills.It was opened in the 1860's as part of a rail link over the Pennines between the coalfields of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire and the textile mills of Manchester and Lancashire,it also helped the demise of the canals.

Approaching the Swizzels Matlow factory in New Mills just the other side of Thornsett Road Bridge.They've been making Love Hearts and Parma Violets here since the 1940's when the company moved from East London to avoid the Blitz.As you go by the factory you can smell the delicious aroma of sweets being made.

Lisa doing all the hard work again,this time it's Turf Lea Lift Bridge,again,not too bad 'cos it gets opened quite frequently and you wind it up,and down,with a Windlass.

On Saturday we took a short detour off the Peak Forest and nipped down to The Trading Post at Poynton for Diesel.As we passed through Marple on our way back this morning we passed this imposing building,Goyt Mill,built in 1905 for Goyt Spinning Company,it's six stories high with 260,000 square feet of floor space and I've read somewhere it was for sale for £6,000,000 in 2013.

Just after Goyt Mill we spotted this delightful pair,Emily Sande duck and her partner.

Lisa fannying about at the Top Lock of the Marple Flight,you see it's not all work and no play,quite often I have to pry her away from passers by as she answers a multitude of questions.It's amazing how many people are unaware that there was even a canal nearby.

The Side Pound between Lock 16 and Lock 15,very pretty but sadly,badly silted so it has little capacity now.

Chyandour waiting for Lock 13 to fill,Lisa doing her usual.Me,I'm standing on the rope.

Lisa crossing the pound between Lock 9 and Lock 8.

That's it................The last of the 16 locks.It took us around three hours to descend the flight which I thought wasn't too bad considering every lock was against us,some 'cos they have to be left empty,and the Paddle Gear on all the locks was the hardest we've experienced in a long time.They were the first locks we've done since December too so maybe,just maybe,a tad out of practice.

A side picture of Marple Aqueduct,the highest canal aqueduct in England,completed in 1800 it carries the Peak Forest Canal over what was the River Mersey but is now the River Goyt,having been renamed in1896.It's still in the process of being refurbished by Canals & Rivers Trust so we had to wait to get across but that was no big deal,I managed to get a quick pic'.Last time we were here all you could see were trees,it's now so much better

Me steering Chyandour across the aqueduct trying not to hit the wooden shuttering that was waiting for concrete.In the background is the railway viaduct,opened in 1865 and longer than the aqueduct with 12 arches to the aqueducts 3.

Lisa's Captain again as she steers Chyandour through what was Rose Hill Tunnel.Sometime between 1849 and 1888 the roof of Rose Hill Tunnel collapsed,with the damage so extensive it was opened out and turned into a cutting.

Right,that's all there is for this week,tonight we are moored on the Peak Forest Canal where it passes through an area of Stockport called Romiley.Since last week we have passed through 16 Locks and cruised 19 Miles,that gives us a Grand total of 1,119 Locks and 1,799 Miles since we set off back in October 2012.Take care everyone.