Into Manchester

The forecast was not very promising for today but it turned out rather pleasant, if initially a bit chilly - almost like the end of September! We had by now decided that today would be the car transfer day - we normally leave it to the day before we return home but as we wanted to visit Manchester at least for a day it seemed sensible to do the journeys from here.

First we had the remaining 7 miles or so into the city centre along the Bridgewater Canal. There are no locks nor even any swing bridges - except for the Barton Swing Aqueduct but it takes a bit of luck to be there when it opens!

So, we set off quite early, just after 8 am to give Mike as much time as possible to catch trains to Shipley and collect the car. We soon came around the sharp corner at Worsley where the Duke of Bridgewater's mines were the reason the canal was first built.

The lighthouse is a well-photographed landmark.

The Packet House pub is presumably a reminder of the times when fast passenger services(packet boat) into Manchester were the quickest way into the city.

The approach to the Barton Swing Aqueduct is quite inauspicious and we arrived suddenly around a bend with no warning signs for the unwary. It was not obvious how boats are told when the bridge is about to open! It does not take long to cross over and there was no traffic on the ship canal that we could see.



Entrance to Kellogs Arm

A long straight section eventually brought us past the Kellogs factory and the entrance to the short arm that once served the works.

Waters meeting Junction

We emerged at Waters Meeting Junction just as another boat - the only cruising boat we saw all the way into Manchester - came up the other line and we followed it all the way into the city.

Water Womble

The Water Womble came towards us, collecting litter as it went along - perhaps something that could be done elsewhere!

Old Trafford

The Man U football ground is hard to miss and towers above the canal - it made us recall that we have passed several football grounds close to the canal on our journey this year.

Although the Bridgewater Canal runs close to the ship canal there are very few opportunities to catch a glimpse of it - this one underneath the Metrolink near Pomona Station.

A strange sculpture caught Christine's attention.

The city centre gradually hems in the canal as it ploughs its way into the Castlefield basin. We stopped at the service point before we managed to find a space to stay for the next couple of nights.

Mike set off for the station as soon as possible - the journey worked out quite smoothly and the car was duly collected from Shipley and transferred to Nantwich Marina ready for our arrival next week. We will be leaving the boat there whilst we return home for just over three weeks. He returned back to the boat just after 6:30.

Manchester Town Hall

Meanwhile, Christine took the opportunity to walk into the city centre and visit the tourist information centre - also seeing the magnificent Town Hall.

7.7 miles - 0 locks