Wet ‘n’ Wild Stalyvegas
Posted: July 22, 2014 Filed under: Disasters, Moving on | Tags: falling in canal, Huddersfield Narrow Canal, narrowboat blog, Peak Forest Canal, Portland Basin, Stalybridge, Stalyvegas, Uppermill, Weavers Rest 4 Comments
Nick reached an all time high for narrowboat showers in a day. There was the usual morning shower,
another when lock work got too hot and the pre-barbecue shower. Oh yes, and the after falling in the canal shower. Right in. Head under.
It had seemed odd when he leapt off, windlass in-hand declaring ‘Let’s do Stalyvegas!’ Seconds later he’d done it in style. A 
spectacular fall, more in its simplicity than anything else. Used to Murk launching himself at water just lately, I looked up at what seemed a simple walk of the wall. For the tinsiest moment I smiled figuring, ‘Huh, Nick jum
ped in,’ before realising it was very very unlikely he’d do that. Helped out by a sweet passer-by, he was re-showered and back out on the paddles in no time. At least the dip was top side of Stalybridge, the water gets muckier as the town gathers pace.
No two ways about it, the last (or first depending how you tackle it) day of the Huddersfield Narrow is quite a tough one. Locks are stiff and take time but more than half the trip is rur
al and bursting with greenery. Stalybridge visitor moorings were empty despite the town being a hive of mid-summer activity. We moved on through Portland Basin, where having spoken to a Canal and River Trust area manager further up the canal, we reluctantly turned left onto the Peak Forest. The air stayed warm as the sun began to set, barbecue lit, we motored on away from the Ribble Link route – it can wait and so can we.
Uppermill
Posted: July 21, 2014 Filed under: Dry land, Moving on | Tags: Dovestone reservoir, Hudderfield Narrow Canal, narrowboat blog, Saddleworth, Saddleworth Moors, sunshine, Uppermill, water 2 Comments
It was nice to wake up to the roof cracking in the heat. The drop down to Uppermill is packed with views, a few boats moving up for their tunnel bookings meant a couple of locks in our favour but left long they soon leak empty. The waterpoint is tucked next to an old woo
l warehouse, now home to Huddersfield Canal Society, tank filled we finished the last few locks into Uppermill. Moorings are hopeless in terms of the solar panel but boats bobbing about in dappled sunshine make for a pretty place to stay. The town centre is no distance away and after carting back a sack of do
g food we headed out again to stock the fridge. Still unsure where tomorrow will end up as
there’s been no update on the Ashton stoppage yet.
All walked out from the last few days but the moors are impossible to ignore when they won’t be outside the window for much longer. It was another steep climb to Pots and Pans, then a beautiful evening walk in the sunshine above Dovesto
ne reservoir.
Walking In The Rain
Posted: July 20, 2014 Filed under: Bobbing about, Dry land | Tags: Diggle, important dates, narrowboat blog, rain, Saddleworth Moors, Sykes Pillar, Uppermill 2 Comments
Diggle end of the Standedge Tunnel has delivered some crazy weather. With leaden skies, lightning cracks and rolling thunder the moors have looked dark and menacing. There was walking out there so we anoracked up. Torrential rain meant a quiet hike down to Uppermill yesterday where we trudged through Java in our wellies before steaming under patio heaters with birthday Pimms, Murk there too…as always.
Squelching off again this morning, up past the Diggle Hotel we could see 
where we needed to be and it was pretty much straight up the side of a craggy hill 
come mountain. The footpath soon fizzled out and realising we were somewhere we probably shouldn’t have been we carried on. By the end of the semi-treacherous, free-fall boulder climb we were at a chilly height where bilberries are king. Saddleworth moor
s screamed vast and remote as we poked our way along rugged tracks, discovering gigantic walls of rock and dodging huge holes below the heather.
Clueless, we wandered the wilderness before checking for the unlikely possibility 
of a Geocache nearby in the hope it might set us back on track. Sure 
enough, there it was and after crossing a final boggy patch we arrived at Sykes Pillar, despite standing 1489ft above sea level, arriving at the trig felt like landing right back in civilisation. The remainder was a doddle – a few miles along the top of the moors along to Pots and Pans then down to find ourselves two villages from where the boat was moored.
Very quiet up here, just one boat has passed by all weekend.
Pots and Pans
Posted: August 29, 2013 Filed under: Bobbing about, Dry land, Geeky facts, Moving on | Tags: Huddersfield Narrow Canal, Saddleworth moor, Uppermill Leave a comment
Out of the shower this morning to find the drama queen had turfed containers, rucksack, water bottles, foil over the kitchen work top. The plan was a walk up to Pots and Pans, the very top of Saddleworth moor – ‘Shove anything in there, it’s just sustenance, essentials…sugar, bread, water, jam, we’re going to need it.’
The three of us set off, up through busy Uppermill high street and past 
the church before the climb really kicked in. Soon up and away from the bustle we took Oldham Way crossing fields of sheep and heather, rocks and bilberries. The further we walked the more rugged and craggy the path, the heather faded, sheep didn’t venture to such barren land. Spectacular views spread for miles. Made it to Pots and Pans, rumoured, among many things to be a Druids alter, to have held 
wine during grouse shoots and to hold healing water. Further on through wind-swept grass we stood on the edge, looking down at Dove Stone Reservoir.
Pushed off leaving enchanting Uppermill behind. With plans to move on as far as permitted in readiness for Standedge tunnel tomorrow morning, we arrived at the first of two locks. It didn’t look promising, locks gates open, a motionless boat and a bloke on the phone to Canal and River Trust. He’d experienced a traumatic lock drop, jamming mid way before dropping some more and ending up well and truly stuck at th
e bottom. We tried a cocktail of solutions, paddles up, towing boat out, bashing boat in, al
l aboard and rocking the boat, not much luck. Two hours later the boat finally re-rose in the lock reversed out, disappearing backwards with orders to turn and try the other way tomorrow morning. Fearing an emergency stoppage meaning no longest, deepest, highest tunnel experience we were very pleased to get through.
Marpessa2 