Tuesday 14th June
We have finally finished our Rochdale trip and all we can say is it has been like the Curate’s egg. 64 miles and 184 locks in two and a half weeks is pretty good going especially if you take into account the problems we had with rubbish in the canal and the lack of or surfeit of water at times. The descent of the 19 and the 9 were far better than the ascent. We came down the 9 today in 2 and a half hours, compared to 3 and a half hours going up. We can say we have done the Rochdale (twice) but we won’t be doing it again.
Last night at Piccadilly we didn’t see any rent boys or drug dealers like last time. No one knocked on our window at 3am like last time either. We did have a couple of lads and a girl sitting on the bench outside our boat drinking cider and talking, more and more loudly the more drunk they got, until about midnight. We had a chat with them when we took George out about 11pm and they were ok. They didn’t give us any trouble anyway.
So this morning we whizzed down the Rochdale 9, got water and went to the sanitary station. Then we came up the Leigh Branch of the Bridgewater Canal about 4 miles and we are now moored at the Trafford Centre. Strangely, it is really quiet here, almost like being in the country, considering it is a stone’s throw from the biggest shopping mall I have ever seen and a huge retail park. I had to have another little look in M&S lingerie department and BHS as well while we were here and I now have more underwear than you can shake a stick at. I won’t be leaving my old knickers in the nearest pub though!
Our latest plan is to turn round tomorrow and go down the Bridgewater Canal to Lymm, then on to Preston Brook where we hope to get a new prop. After this we are going down the Anderton boat lift on to the River Weaver.
