Sun Jun 22nd - 8 miles, 2 furlongs, 15 locks - Littleborough to
Chadderton
Total cruising time 8 hours 30 minutes.
It was a dark and stormy night - well OK, it wasn't dark and it wasn't
night, but it doesn't sound right saying it was a light and stormy
morning does it! Left Littleborough at 8.50am into a howling gale.
Fortunately the rain clouds were so busy trying to be somewhere else
they forgot to do the rain bit and it was a mostly dry day. Through the
two swing bridges, the second of which caused some problems as I ended
up aground on something and it took me nearly ten minutes to get free.
Slight delay due to a weed hatch visit while in Moss Lower lock to
remove a decent crop of water lilies. A steady plod through the Blue
Pits and then the Laneside locks before mooring up by the aqueduct just
after lock 63. Wandered along to the Rose of Lancaster for a bite to
eat and a couple of pints of J.W.Lees at £2.03 a pint. Need to leave
by 7am in order to get to the top of lock 65, ready for the escorted
passage into Manchester tomorrow morning starting at 8.30am. Should
make much better progress tomorrow, as I'm sharing the locks with
another boat. Aiming to stop at Castlefield Junction tomorrow night.
Terry Streeter
NB Arun - Chadderton
