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Canal Restoration
The Rochdale Restoration Pages
1997
Neil cycles from Littleborough to Smithy Bridge
1997 Neil walks
from Duice Street
to Miles Platting
1999 Neil cycles from Littleborough to Kirkholt
1999 Neil walks from Duice Street to Middleton Junction
2000 February. Neil walks sections between Chadderton and Castleton
1999 / 2000 The complete tour along the un-opened section of the Rochdale Canal.
The above pages detail in captioned images Neil's various traverses of un-navigable sections of the Rochdale Canal.
The first page has images from when we first "did" the Rochdale Canal in July 1997. The section from the summit down to Littleborough is restored and we navigated it in "Beatty" in July 1997 (see Tour 97 pages ), during that time it was officially closed, but we managed to bribe officialdom with the normal T.N.C. welcome pack of some lager!
The next page has images taken from the same Tour1997 holiday after the family had taken "Beatty" round to Manchester via the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Neil and Alan Marsden walked (and clambered) their way from Castlefields to Miles Platting.
The next page has images taken from when Neil cycled down from
the Summit as far down as the other side of Rochdale Canal, during the aborted
part of the second assault on the Rochdale Canal in "Earnest". Unfortunately
the bribery offered in 1997 does not work but at the moment, (July1999)
and
Malcolm the Tuel Lane Locky was positively against it saying that we would get
stuck (he should try doing the Kyme Eau or B.C.N. Challenge!) Due to this excess
of officialdom and "red tape" we did not down this section in July
1999. A load of rubbish was given as the reason we could not go down. The
main one was lack of water!, the summit pound was flowing over the top gates and
ALL the pounds of the Littleborough Flight were full up. We had a fairly tight
schedule, but as we were starting back over the summit, Neil thought he would
have some fun with the "officialdom". After numerous mobile phone
calls we shot down the lack of water argument, as we were actually there! It was
surmised that the real reason was due to the uncertain political situation at
the moment, as it was only a month away from the "B.W. take over".
Oldham M.B.C. had got totally pissed of with their section, had an argument over
funding the Rochdale Canal Trust and given the keys back to the owners, the
Rochdale Canal Company in Manchester. The council boundary is Warland Gate Swing
Bridge, one lock down the Yorkshire side, so the summit pound was back in the
hands of the Rochdale Canal Company. Having spoken with a Rochdale Canal Trust
employee he confirmed this and said that we were lucky to even get over the
summit as a paddle on one of the summit locks had blown out. The Rochdale Canal
Company had just bodged it up with some plastic sheet! This employee said that
they had only just regained control of the summit and he had personally repaired
the offending paddle. Next followed the "who owns the padlocks
incident". There was only one padlock stopping us using the lock, that was
a paddle lock, holding up one of the bottom paddles, making it impossible to
fill the lock. Apparently there was also meant to be a chain round the top
gates. Neil then got into a discussion with the Rochdale Canal Company in
Manchester and the Rochdale Canal Trust in Callis Mill. Both denied having a
padlock on the lock, but as there was ONE left on it, one of them must be
responsible! Eventually The Rochdale Canal Company owned up to using paddle lock
type padlocks. Neil then managed to get the Rochdale Canal Company to agree to
send a bloke out to remove their lower gate paddle lock and let us down, we were
to keep the key, let ourselves through on the way back and leave the key with
the Rochdale Canal Company employee who manages the reservoir and lives in the
Lancashire side West Summit Lock No 37 lock cottage. This involved so many phone
calls that we were already down two locks the other side. Reluctantly Neil gave
up, thanked the Rochdale Canal Company who are obviously not as awkward as we
first thought and we carried on back. Neil expects that when good old B.W. are
in control it will be impossible to go over the top until the whole canal is
finished in December 2001 (They have certainly got to get their finger out!). It is IMPOSSIBLE to overcome their bureaucracy,
witness the ridiculous situation of them sulking through not getting the big
Lottery handout for restoring the Montgomery Canal and not letting anyone down
the Aston Locks. Neil hopes that any one reading this that intends to go
"over the top" should give it there best go, the worst lock we found
in 1997 was the West Summit Lock No 37. We think that they kept this in a state
to deter people!
The next page contains images from when Neil walked from Castlefields to Middleton Junction. He had thought of going on pushbike, but experience in 1979, 1997 and still confirmed in1999, showed that some sections of tow path and access to locks were officially barred involving clambering over fences. Rather stupidly Neil forgot to take any money with him for a return to Manchester involving the excellent Trans Pennine rail service. He arrived back totally knackered!
The next page is from when we stopped off at a few locations on the way up to the Lake District in February 2000. Neil wished he had a decent Rochdale Canal map, for he has still missed locks No's 61 - 63!
The final page is a compilation of all walks, giving a complete tour of the whole un-opened section of the Rochdale Canal. Believed to be up to date (February 2000). Warning, it is a large page even by our standards!
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