Bugsworth Basin

Spent an excellent couple of days at Disley on the Peak Forest Canal. We caught the train to Preston for Heather's birthday on Saturday.

This morning there was an amazing sun rise. We headed back to Busgworth Basin, a disused lime transfer depot, where we can have 48 hours mooring. Went shopping to the supermarket, by the same name of the one opened by Mr Cohen at Burnt Oak in 1929 and got back just before the heavens opened. Such a luxury we have a gravel, puddle & mud free moorings in one of the loading basins. Our first proper chance to get rid of the mud splattered on the boat from all the tow path users. It's hard to believe how peaceful it is here now compared to it's hay day with the lime kilns shipping out of here.

 

Just Skyped with the girls at 'Yarnies' knitting group a Venue 360 and now off to the pub (Navigation Inn) with my knitting, in the beautiful moon light.

New Mills

Well we are so glad we went for a walk yesterday, it has been raining very persistently all night only just looking like clearing up now at midday.

Yesterday we had a walk to New Mills, we had a quick walk around when we picked our son up from the station so he could spend the weekend with us, we liked the look of the place so decided another gander was needed.

We walked down the river Goyt along the Goyt way which went into the Millennium way walkway,

if you have never been, go, it's a lovely walk around where Rock and Torr mills. The engineering involved is very impressive also the railway line was built above, couldn't imagine laying all those bricks.

There is a hydro station the site of Torr mills which when we visit wasn't too well, Archie the Archimedes screw had broken a lower bearing and was hoping to be fixed soon. The blog for the station shows how much electricity has been produced, 

http://www.torrs-hydro-new-mills.blogspot.co.uk/

A little bit of ice

 

We were due to come out of the boatyard on Friday morning but Peter advised against moving out until later in the day to see if another boat came through to brake the ice. It wasn't until about midday that one came and turned in the winding hole which gave us a window to nip out to get some fuel and water then follow the hole in the ice to moorings just down from the boatyard.

When we awoke the next morning Jack Frost had visited and refroze the ice, we were not going anywhere for a couple of days, had a chat with the chap on the fuel boat, he was hoping to come though but decided against it, he had just had his bottom sand blasted and blacked (nope nothing to do with a few pints and a curry!).

Monday the fuel boat finally came through doing a little bit of ice-breaking and the ice was totally gone by Tuesday. The sound of the ice braking is amazing loud, we've been told that it can pierce GRP cruisers.

Today we decided that we would have a little trip out to Marple then on to Bugsworth, didn't go has planned nowhere to moor at Marple so we went on and found a spot just outside Disley. The weather brightened up just after Marple and the sun finally showed it's face and it turn out to be a nice day, even sat at the front and had a cuppa until the sun went down and the temperature dropped like a stone. Now sat in front of a nice warm stove and enjoying another cuppa whilst I type.

Might stay here a couple of days then move onto Bugsworth.

First chilly day.

Yesterday we were in Braidbars dock getting some finishing touches done to Burnt Oak, we have had a problem with the grill as in it lights then 5 mins later it goes out. We have had an engineer call out and change one of the overheat sensors but that didn't work and he didn't like the 200 mile round trip to fit the gas valve, which the help switchboard said was the problem. So they convinced Peter to fit the gas valve, which surprise surprise was not the problem. Now we are waiting for a thermocouple to arrive today so Peter can fit that, that should work as they have changed everything else!

Went down to Poynton yesterday to do some shopping and a couple of pints, it was a nice walk back, chilly and the moon was out so we had a feeling that it was going to be a cold night. We were not surprised to find the canal frozen this morning. Andy at The trading Post did a bit of ice breaking with a stick and the ice was thicker than we thought. We need to be out of the dock today so we can fill up the diesel and water tanks and get some coal and we need to get up to Marple so we can dry the washing, hopefully the ice will not hang around for long. We are happy now the washing machine is fitted and working, now all we are waiting for is the chimneys to arrive, at the moment we are using the chimney from Tiree, their hire boat, they should be arriving today.

Stockport

Thursday we decided to have a day out so we got a train from Poynton to Stockport. Peter suggested the we get the train from Middlewood station, which has not got any vehicle access to it, because it was nearer but we had already sorted out what train we were going to get. Poynton is a nice old station with a proper waiting room with table and chairs, not what we are used to down south.

We needed to go to a biggish place so that we could find a B&Q, Argos, Pets at Home and assorted other large shops that are not in Poynton. Never having been to Stockport I was pleased to find that a lot of the old parts were still intact and not hidden under a 'Mall'. Although I guess there was a few older streets under the newer looking shopping area. We spent the day getting all the stuff we needed, I don't want to know how far we had walked but we saw some interesting buildings and how high the rivers that go through the town had got with all the rain that has come down over the last days. We had a pint and something to eat in the Wetherspoons, which we where not impressed with, it reminded us a little of the one in Watford.

The train we got back was running 10 mins late and was standing room only, a young lad was moaning about the number of passengers on the train, I said this wasn't too bad as there is a space between us all. I told him this was nothing, have a journey on the London underground in the rush hour, then moan. Turns out he was doing a coaching scholarship and Man City and he couldn't wait until Saturday when he picks his new car up, I wished him well and the best of luck with Man city when we got off.

Tuesday we hope to go into the boatyard to have a few things tweaked and the washing machine fitted, the engine is coming up for it's first service at 50 hours so I am going to do the oil change for the gearbox and the engine whilst Peter watches over me for the first one, then I should be OK for the subsequent ones.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The aquaduct from below

Well, we left Poynton on Friday to go to Bollington to do our laundry, it took about two hours to get to the moorings by Clarence Mill and got one on the end by the aqueduct. We were going to have a quick walk around but, surprise surprise, it started to precipitate quite a lot so we abandoned that idea and had dinner and a beer on-board.

Next morning just about dawned, grey and drizzly but we needed to get the washing done so off we toddled to the launderette.

The steps down are very steep

Bollington is a nice little town spread out both sides of the canal with the Middlewood Way, a disused railway line now a well used 10 mile linear park,
going through the center. You hardly notice the aqueduct from the canal, however, from road level it is spectacularly huge construction. We had to visit the Bollington brewery tap just down from the canal, very nice, beer was good.

Next day, Sunday, we went back to Poynton. We left Bollington and had to go nearly down to Macclesfield to wind, by the time we turned the weather changed, rain and a VERY cold wind. By the time we got to Poynton we were both frozen and wet, the rain got into every gap in our jackets. After we moored and divested ourselves of our wet clothing, a hot bovril and a roasting in front of the fire cured all the ill feelings we had against the weather.

At least the wind has dropped now on Monday morning the canal is like a mill pond although rain is promised for later.