Routes over the Pennines

[Pie Eater]

I think that means doing, dare I say it a 'River' - especially early Spring. We did the Thames the other year on yellows and it was bloody marginal getting through some of the narrow bridges (full power and barely moving). Also the Kennet was pretty scarey coming down current and trying to get around left hand bends. Leaving in April means there is a good chance of rain etc. How 'flowy' is the Ouse?

 

 

 

 

Sorry - what does 'book with Wigan' mean? Surely you don't have to book to go down the Wigan flight? or do you mean book once down the flight?

You have to book a passage to Liverpool as the CaRT guys operate the swing bridges and locks.

 

Steve

[larryjc]

You have to book a passage to Liverpool as the CaRT guys operate the swing bridges and locks.

 

Steve

Sorry, not being obuse but when do you book? You say 'you need to book with Wigan' what does this mean? I know you need to book in advance with CRT but surely when is up to you (as long as you do it sufficiently in advance).

Edited February 8, 2017 by larryjc

[magictime]

 

I think that means doing, dare I say it a 'River' - especially early Spring. We did the Thames the other year on yellows and it was bloody marginal getting through some of the narrow bridges (full power and barely moving). Also the Kennet was pretty scarey coming down current and trying to get around left hand bends. Leaving in April means there is a good chance of rain etc. How 'flowy' is the Ouse?

 

If you don't fancy the Ouse, the Selby is well worth doing in its own right. There's not much to it, but it's a lovely, quiet, secluded canal. And we've spotted kingfishers there more often than anywhere else!

Sorry, not being obuse but when do you book? You say 'you need to book with Wigan' what does this mean? I know you need to book in advance with CRT but surely when is up to you (as long as you do it sufficiently in advance).

 

I think you can book in person at the CRT office in Wigan - I assume that's what people are referring to. But as has been pointed out, you could just book online or over the phone.

[WotEver]

Yes, but would a real scientist have said "one point twenty one" rather than "one point two one"?

Certainly not in the UK. In the US? Who knows

[Naughty Cal]

 

I think that means doing, dare I say it a 'River' - especially early Spring. We did the Thames the other year on yellows and it was bloody marginal getting through some of the narrow bridges (full power and barely moving). Also the Kennet was pretty scarey coming down current and trying to get around left hand bends. Leaving in April means there is a good chance of rain etc. How 'flowy' is the Ouse?

 

 

Depends on the size of the tide.

 

It does rattle though Selby quite quickly but in the upper reaches calms down considerably.

 

It is well worth the trip into York and on again to Ripon if you have the time.

[larryjc]

Oh dear - choices. At some point I am going to have to make a --------------------------------------------------------- decision!!!!

[JamesWoolcock]

It was where you mentioned having been on the Calder & Hebble in 2105, hence the references to the Back to the Future films which featured time travel.

 

It's nice to know that the long term future of at least one canal is assured. Maybe I should ask my grandson to turn up and introduce himself (like the scene in the third film where Marty McFly gets his parcel delivery), he'll be just short of 100 then. Did you meet him? Or should that be will you meet him? It's always difficult to know what tense to use when discussing time travel.

 

By the way Robbo, a gigawatt is a perfectly respectable scientific unit of measurement, although only appropriate when discussing either the output of a large power station or a good chunk of the National Grid.

Yep. Typo.

[Peter-Bullfinch]

We didn't need to remove either the front cratch or our solar panels frame and set up for the Standedge Tunnel in 2016. We were measured carefully the evening before and were told it would be fine...which it was. However the boat following us was advised to remove the glass for his navigation lights...which he didn't and he broke one.

I did however use a shortened engine stack rather than our tall hinged one and did remove the chimneys and water can.

[cuthound]

His boat is fitted with an electric drive, a large battery bank, and 1.21 gigawatts of solar panels.

Wouldn't work unless he also had a flux capacitor

[captain birdseye]

If the OP is going up onto the Macclesfield I would have thought he would have to remove high items for either the low bridges and tunnels on the Ashton / Lower Peak Forest or on the west end of the T&M anyhow so taking them off for Standedge would not have been any more work. the Huddersfiel and Lower Peak Forest option for getting up to the north end of the Macc is by far the prettiest and quickest option as you are not dropping the couple of hundred foot down to Cheshire only to climb up again, which equates to the 27 locks from Ashton to Castlefield and back up Cheshire locks from Middlewich to Kidsgrove

Edited February 10, 2017 by captain birdseye

[larryjc]

I know the Macc very well and am pretty sure that it will fit under the bridges. I'm only going on what the current owners said when they got to Standedge a year ago. Anyway I have just about decided to do the L&L to Liverpool and then back to the Bridgewater, when open, then down the T&M to the Macc possibly to include the Anderton and the Weaver as well. Can't wait.

[Cheshire cat]

Pretty sure? Can't think of any low bridges on the Macc but there's one just south of the Bone Mill in Stoke you'll have to deal with when you do get around to future cruising plans.

[captain birdseye]

also the low bridge as you come out of Middlewich, on the bend just past the Salt Works

[larryjc]

 

Here are the offending boxes both with large solar panels - There is scope to cut down their height but I'm pretty sure they'll be OK

Edited February 10, 2017 by larryjc

[black sheep]

According to CRT notices passage through Leeds could be tricky early April. The navigation is closed until 13th April at Knostrop and Crown Point. I have been trying to get clarification from CRT without success as we were hoping to go the other way in March/April.

[larryjc]

Thats odd because I've just been on the CRT web site and there are no closures mentioned on the main line - some on the Rufford branch but none at Leeds.

[magictime]

I think Knostrop and Crown Point are on the A&C, before you join the L&L

[larryjc]

Yes they are on the A&C - just sussed that and I've spoken to Cart, they are going to get the local branch to ring me but have already said that the stoppage my not be for that long - if I get an update I'll post it here.

 

Edit: They rang me straight back from the local branch. They are fairly sure that the stoppage won't now happen at all and will know next week.

Edited February 10, 2017 by larryjc

[Jim Riley]

An update on the flooding towpath on the flight into Todmorden. There's now a huge overflow channel just before lock 24 at Bacup Rd, top of Gauxholme, so excess water coming down the cut from Summit will go into the river, not down the flight. It didn't flood when we went down just after Christmas. It only ever flooded for a few minutes anyway, and was always passable in shoes with a hop, skip and jump. I think the environment agency have put the overflow in to mitigate flooding. I reckon the valley between Todmorden and Hebden Bridge will just flood quicker now.

[larryjc]

Now been told by CRT that the stoppage at Leeds won't happen although it will be closed for a fortnight in June. I've put full details in the stoppages section.