Voyages of Gabriel: Dukinfield Junction to Manchester Castlefield

Mon 30th May Dukinfield Junction to Piccadilly Village

Today’s journey we haven’t done since a hire boat holiday in 1986 when we did the Cheshire Ring in a week. Then it was raining, but today it was sunny.

We set off fairly early, at 0830, but after passing Dukinfield Junction we realised there was something on the propeller. A quick reverse thrust sometimes clears it, so we tried that, and made it much worse as we picked up something else.

A visit to the weed hatch revealed a blue sweatshirt, an assortment of polythene shopping bags, and some electrical cable. Thankfully, on this boat, the weed hatch is easily accessible, and we were cruising again before 0900.

Dukinfield Junction

What we found on the propeller

Industrial buildings

The canal goes through some fairly industrial areas, passing under the M60, before arriving at Fairfield Junction. Here the Hollinwood Canal used to branch off north. The first part is now used as part of Droylsden Marina. On the Ashton Canal, the locks start at this point. A boat was rising in the top lock as we arrived, so we didn’t have to set the lock. “Good news!” we thought. “All the locks will be in our favour.” No such luck, because another boat was going down in front of us. At the top lock there is an unmarked sanitary station, where we emptied a cassette. The place is not in the Nicholson Guide, and there is no sign on it to say what it is. There is also a water tap here, which is on the map.

Fairfield Junction

Our first lock, number 18

Despite the industrial nature of the area, there were some lovely flowers to be seen.

According to Fb friends this is Aqilegia

Canalside orchid

After two locks, we came to Clockhouse Swing Bridge, which required a handcuff key and a hefty shove. Grimshaws Swingbridge, soon after, was open, presumably permanently.

Clockhouse Swing Bridge

Most of the locks needed extra walking, as there were no walkways across the lock gates. They nearly all had vandal locks that were a fiddle to undo and do up again. The eight Clayton Locks were close enough to each other to walk from one to the next. Halfway down we caught up with the boat in front, Peggy Sue, and we arranged with them that they wouldn’t bother to lock the vandal locks again: we would do it as we followed after them. That saved us both time.

We all paused at ASDA after Lock 8, and we had lunch and bought some provisions. This took some time as the store was huge, and being refurbished. Things were in the wrong places. A large sign proclaiming “Butcher” actually had bags of prepared salad.

Peggy Sue went off while we were in the store, and just as were about to depart, another boat came past – a shared ownership one with a crew of four. We followed on behind, and we found paddles left up, gates open and vandal locks closed, even with paddles up.

Peggy Sue had stopped to take down a high aerial dome for one of the bridges, and this other boat went through in front of them.

Modern buildings

The final lock

The final three locks were near some unusual modern buildings and the university campus, and then we entered Piccadilly Village, an area with new upmarket apartments. We moored in Thomas Telford Basin, suggested by Peggy Sue, and it was very pleasant. As a gated development it was much more secure than the towpath.

Piccadilly Village

Moored with Peggy Sue

We were all very tired, and we agreed to share the Rochdale Nine in the morning, starting at 8am.

18 locks, 7 miles, 1 swing bridge

Tue 31st May Piccadilly Village to Castlefield Basin

Thomas Telford Basin

As planned, we emerged ready for the 8am start. This area had all been a brown field site when we came through 30 years earlier on the hire boat. In those days the Rochdale Canal was owned by a separate company, so we had to buy an extra licence for £30, a lot of money then. They also closed at 2.30pm on a Sunday, and just before we arrived we fouled our propeller on a metal band from a briefcase. We were very concerned that the canal would close and we would be stuck for the night in bandit country. Thankfully we managed to get the offending item off the prop, and we just made it. As we went through the first lock, they sealed it with a padlock and chain.

Jutland Street Bridge

The final “Bridge” of the Ashton Canal

First lock on the Rochdale Nine

Waiting for the first lock.

This time it was a little easier. No time restrictions so we took each lock without rushing. The second lock was under an office block. Several of the locks had a chain mechanism for the bottom gates. At one point there was no towpath so the crews had to board their boats. The road alongside, Canal Street, had been the route between locks in 1986, with steps down the wall to get back down to canal level. These could still be seen in places, but a new barrier had been put up on top of the wall, no doubt to stop drunken revellers falling in after a night at one of the many bars in this district.

Second lock (no 85) with Peggy Sue

Chain operated gates

Out of the gloom

Aytoun Street Bridge with Crown Courts beyond

Squeezing through the city

Alongside Canal Street

The old route from the street to the lock

Lock 86, our third

Beautiful flowers on a wall

Lock 88

Beetham Tower

Past the Deansgate Bars

Jenny operating the chains to open the gates

Jenny

Railway bridge

Final lock no 92

The journey took us three hours altogether. David and Jenny on Peggy Sue travelled on as they had family appointments to make. We moored, as we have before, in Castlefield Basin, where signs indicated it was a 72 hour mooring. We discovered later that it was now a permanent mooring, but the signs had not been changed. The regular moorer was away for a short while to visit the services, but when he returned he kindly moored opposite without asking us to move. Where we were was better for Hugo as there were some bushes and a little grass, instead of the car park opposite. We spotted Areandare moored opposite, but we couldn’t see Barry or Sandra.

Moored in Castlefield

Night scene

We went for a very nice Italian meal in Deansgate later.

9 locks, 1 mile

Wed 1st June Castlefield Basin

We were having difficulty working out how to get to Salford Quays using our bus passes as nothing seemed to connect. In the end we went by Metrolink tram, even though our bus passes didn’t apply. We were fascinated to see the mosses between the rails, presumably planted deliberately.

Mosses

Metrolink

We wanted to visit the Lowry, and we alighted at Salford Quays. This involved a bit of a walk to the gallery, but it was good when we got there. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take photos of the paintings, but I have pinched one off the web. We also found some unusual cakes on offer in the cafe.

The Lowry

In the cafe

We noticed that there was a much closer Metrolink station at the Media Centre, just across a bridge, so we went from there to Manchester Victoria, and visited the cathedral, which had been severely damaged during a bombing raid in WWII, and now had lots of modern stained glass.

Cathedral

Choir stalls

Old buildings nearby

There were lots of eateries to choose from for our late lunch. We chose a place called Pho, offering Indonesian street food, and we each had a huge bowl of soup with noodles. Hazel had lemongrass tea.