We are part way round the loop with emilyanne as i type. - We where coming off the peakforest, going back home down the bridgewater to anderton. So opted to got anti-clockwise. This also allowed us to do the standedge tunnel during the end of my summer vacs while we where moving the boat week by week. And return down the rochdale while im back at uni, mainly in weekends.
Further to that, we did the cheshire ring and cauldon last year, which ofcause includes the ashton, which we found to be a perfectly find trip. We overnighted in picadilly in the middle of manchester, and that was fine, and proceaded on thought the locks with no problems at all. Some of the gear is a bit stiff (we did infact oil quite a bit as we worked through) and some of the locks lack by-washes which would make it more than a little damp for for a 70ft'er. But i would happly single hand emilyanne (58ft6ish) through. As martin says, its a perfectly nice canal. Looking at the work that was going on this time last year, and the work that had aready been done on the lead in and out, i think Machester is soon going to be the new Birmingham in terms of canal-regeneration. Daniel
