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Moorings on HNC near Milnsbridge?


IanD

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Hi all

This year's plan is to do the HNC/Rochdale ring in 10 days starting from Sowerby Bridge in August, according to Canalplan this means two and a half days (4h + 8h + 8h) to get to Marsden in time for a morning Standedge passage -- which unfortunately puts an overnight stop somewhere near Milnsbridge, leading to some questions which maybe the combined knowledge of the forum can answer...

Is there anywhere reasonable to moor above Library Lock (11E)? Is the Four Horseshoes as nasty as the reviews say? Anyone eaten in the Taaj or Bombay Tandoori just round the corner?

If not, how about mooring further up, maybe near or past Golcar Aqueduct with an evening on the boat instead of suffering a crap pub or restaurant?

The basic problem is there's just nowhere decent to moor around there that I can see, even if we do well and get past Milnsbridge I doubt we'd get as far as the Sair Inn at Linthwaite...

Cheers

Ian

P.S. Before anyone suggests taking an extra day, boat hire days and Standedge opening make this impossible, and it's even worse if we do the Rochdale first :-(

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have often wondered if you could more just East of the Aqueduct over the river Colne, it is one of the few pounds of any length and looks quite peaceful. I have never tried and i guess it's a bit shallow but then that's true of all of the HNC. May be others will post with more information. 

I have done that ring starting from Sowerby in a Shire Cruiser with the same time constraints for the tunnel and we got to the playing fields outside Huddersfield on our first night (it was June so we had late evenings), (The team at Shire cruisers were really helpful getting us away promptly even to the point of helping to unload our car for us)

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Huddersfield/@53.6672814,-1.7543947,207m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487962132bcdb7bb:0x653c3a498c896a17!8m2!3d53.645792!4d-1.785035

Slaithwaite for our second night

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Huddersfield/@53.6235339,-1.876369,172m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487962132bcdb7bb:0x653c3a498c896a17!8m2!3d53.645792!4d-1.785035

and comfortably up to Marsden on the third

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Huddersfield/@53.6037704,-1.9411672,171m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487962132bcdb7bb:0x653c3a498c896a17!8m2!3d53.645792!4d-1.785035

We did have the usual HNC hold ups for shallow water etc and even a breakdown when we had to call the boatyard out but we still had plenty of time.

 

We had an amazing trip and had plenty of time to spare on the rest of the ring. We even did a detour to Marple aqueduct and took the Rochdale slowly as we had a rendezvous above Todmorden with John Seargeant who came aboard to do some filming.

 

I hope you have a great trip Ian .... let us know how you get on. 

 

 

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Thanks Nick -- it would be good to get up to Slaithwaite on the second night (good curry and pub IIRC) but this depends on getting away early, current plan is Brighouse Basin / Golcar Aqueduct (I think this is where you meant?) / Marsden / Standedge ==> Uppermill / Stalybridge / Ducie Street (or New Islington marina) / Slattocks / Summit / Todmorden / Sowerby Bridge.

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Yes I did mean Golcar

Sounds good Ian, we were aiming for Brighouse on the first night but just pressed on as we still had day light left when we got there. Rather than Ducie Street I am a fan of Telford Basin which is in a residential area and allows boats in for one night only. You can fit a 57 footer in there but I presume you can't be any longer than that otherwise you wouldn't be doing your route.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Manchester/@53.4791076,-2.2257629,101m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a4d4c5226f5db:0xd9be143804fe6baa!8m2!3d53.4807593!4d-2.2426305

 

20150624_155728.jpg.fcdbcfc15d0b409cc025b511fd3a2887.jpg

It has the security of being gated and one of the local residents will generally give you the code to get out!

If you don't make it as far as Slattocks the next day we found just over the river irk Aqueduct quite pleasant, there were a few local kids around but nothing to cause any concern and its just a short walk back to Rose of Lancaster.

AS for the Summit we were dissapointed in The Summit Inn and the Bird in t'hand seems to have been turned into a house. Also the levels were so low at the East end of the summit that we didn't fancy risking mooring in the first couple of pounds. We ended up a couple of locks (East) down from the summit and walked back to the Summit Inn

  • 20150627_200341.jpg.9a3d2820f24132adbfb7507249d20fed.jpg

 

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As regards the HNC, my usual mooring is at Lock 15E, from which the Sair Inn can be reached. I've also stopped perforce at 13E with no problems, from which the Rose at Golcar may be reached - a very decent pub, but a bit of a trek up through the woods. The pub at Milnsbridge is indeed pretty dire, unless it's changed a lot since the one time I ventured in. Once you get to Slaithwaite the best pub now is the Commercial, but the Empire Brewery right by the guillotine lock sells its beers from a little office. And of course then the Riverhead in Marsden, which is one of only two pubs to get 19/20 in my annual pub cruise scores (restaurant upstairs which I'm told is very good)

The Summit on the Rochdale isn't much to write home about, but there's a good bus service down to Littleborough and back where the Red Lion is certainly worth seeking out.

It's a bit of a desert between Todmorden and the summit now that the Mason's Arms has closed - both the pubs in Walsden are pretty bad and in fact the highlight there is Gordon Rigg's garden centre (also selling fresh supplies) with its cafe across the road. A rather quirky place to visit just above Todmorden is the BareArts beer shop and brewery - look out for the bright pink back door onto the canal. 

 

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Thanks guys. I was considering the TT basin as an alternative to Piccadilly Village, but might go on to New Islington Marina (I assume overnight moorings are free?) to gain a bit of time the following day and make sure we get to Slattocks -- I know the Rochdale locks are slower than the HNC ones. The Summit Inn isn't brilliant but given trip timing there's not much choice, Todmorden has several decent pubs/restaurants (Golden Lion?), it's useful knowing about the BareArts beer shop since stocks may be running low by then ;-)

On the HNC it would be nice to get as far as the Sair Inn -- or even Slaithwaite, the Commercial is indeed good -- but it all depends how far we get the first day. I restocked with beer from the Empire Brewery last time, and the Riverhead is again our target in Marsden (this is becoming a re-run in reverse of the one-way Ashton-Sowerby trip a few years ago).

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  • 4 weeks later...

Last time we were up that way (..admittedly 2002..) we had an enforced lunchtime in Milnsbridge due to an empty pound. We went into three pubs, none of which had any beer... They all seemed to be blaming some Morris dancers ! In fact there had been some sort of dance festival and many pubs had sold out. Appropriate, as of the crew of 8, 4 were form Ebor Morris and 2 form Acorn Morris. We still use the term "to do a Milsnbridge" meaning to arrive in a village but be unable to find any beer, though probably a tad unfairly.

 

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On 23 March 2017 at 15:38, NickF said:

Yes I did mean Golcar

Sounds good Ian, we were aiming for Brighouse on the first night but just pressed on as we still had day light left when we got there. Rather than Ducie Street I am a fan of Telford Basin which is in a residential area and allows boats in for one night only. You can fit a 57 footer in there but I presume you can't be any longer than that otherwise you wouldn't be doing your route.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Manchester/@53.4791076,-2.2257629,101m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a4d4c5226f5db:0xd9be143804fe6baa!8m2!3d53.4807593!4d-2.2426305

 

20150624_155728.jpg.fcdbcfc15d0b409cc025b511fd3a2887.jpg

It has the security of being gated and one of the local residents will generally give you the code to get out!

If you don't make it as far as Slattocks the next day we found just over the river irk Aqueduct quite pleasant, there were a few local kids around but nothing to cause any concern and its just a short walk back to Rose of Lancaster.

AS for the Summit we were dissapointed in The Summit Inn and the Bird in t'hand seems to have been turned into a house. Also the levels were so low at the East end of the summit that we didn't fancy risking mooring in the first couple of pounds. We ended up a couple of locks (East) down from the summit and walked back to the Summit Inn

  • 20150627_200341.jpg.9a3d2820f24132adbfb7507249d20fed.jpg
 

O

On 23 March 2017 at 15:38, NickF said:

Yes I did mean Golcar

Sounds good Ian, we were aiming for Brighouse on the first night but just pressed on as we still had day light left when we got there. Rather than Ducie Street I am a fan of Telford Basin which is in a residential area and allows boats in for one night only. You can fit a 57 footer in there but I presume you can't be any longer than that otherwise you wouldn't be doing your route.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Manchester/@53.4791076,-2.2257629,101m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a4d4c5226f5db:0xd9be143804fe6baa!8m2!3d53.4807593!4d-2.2426305

 

20150624_155728.jpg.fcdbcfc15d0b409cc025b511fd3a2887.jpg

It has the security of being gated and one of the local residents will generally give you the code to get out!

If you don't make it as far as Slattocks the next day we found just over the river irk Aqueduct quite pleasant, there were a few local kids around but nothing to cause any concern and its just a short walk back to Rose of Lancaster.

AS for the Summit we were dissapointed in The Summit Inn and the Bird in t'hand seems to have been turned into a house. Also the levels were so low at the East end of the summit that we didn't fancy risking mooring in the first couple of pounds. We ended up a couple of locks (East) down from the summit and walked back to the Summit Inn

  • 20150627_200341.jpg.9a3d2820f24132adbfb7507249d20fed.jpg
 

 

Hi NickF, can you say how you found out about the overnight mooring and if you need a key code to get out, how do you get in?

I'll be doing this ring in two or three weeks time, in my own boat so no time constraints.  Thanks...

Edited by NB Esk
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13 hours ago, NB Esk said:

O

Hi NickF, can you say how you found out about the overnight mooring and if you need a key code to get out, how do you get in?

I'll be doing this ring in two or three weeks time, in my own boat so no time constraints.  Thanks...

Telford Basin gets several mentions on this forum although I think I originally read about it on NB Epiphany's website but I can't find the relevant post now. The answer to how you get in is by boat! The gate is on the pedestrian exits, there is no physical barrier to the access by water.

On the screen shot below from google maps you can see the entrance to Telford basin in the middle of the picture, the pedestrian access is across the foot bridge on the right of the picture and you can see the gate half way across the bridge, that's the gate you need a number for.

I seem to remember a notice at the entrance saying No Mooring but if you read the small print underneath it does say 24 hour mooring is permitted. 

I also think that 57ft is about the maximum length you can get in there although others may be along later to say they have managed to get a longer boat in.

Have a brilliant trip!

 

58f863f2d6e11_telfordcomp.jpg.abb6ca930e84e756869b6015f4bac054.jpg

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4 minutes ago, IanD said:

Susan at Shire Cruisers suggested using the Thomas Telford basin, so I wouldn't be surprised if she knows the password...

I bet she does! ..... when I was there the first resident I met was happy to let me know the code, I should have written it down but unfortunately I didn't.

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  • 3 months later...

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