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Stoppage At Marple Locks Not Now Ending Until 24th May


alan_fincher

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Not sure if this has had an airing?

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/13560/lock-11-marple-marple-flight-peak-forest-canal?fbclid=IwAR3YsnQzrz6EC5UBZlv52yHaDXWFKiV-96bTMlLKC-y28mcP0-4jQ1Q6PPs

 

Quote

It is now planned to re-open the canal to boats by close of play on Friday 24th May 2019.

 

This is a bugger, because we were counting on using Marple Locks to get to the big HNBC event at Hebden Bridge.  Unfortunately that event is the same time as the revised date for this stoppage ending.

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1 hour ago, Goliath said:

Well, at least I now know. ☹️

Have waited patiently and hung around the HNC hoping the 15th of March will be the date. 

I ain’t waiting til May. 

 

Looks like the Bridgwater for me. 

 

 

The Bridgewater is ok. Twenty miles and no locks .You will probably yearn for all those lovely locks on the HNC.

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6 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

The Bridgewater is ok. Twenty miles and no locks .You will probably yearn for all those lovely locks on the HNC.

 

6 minutes ago, Mad Harold said:

The Bridgewater is ok. Twenty miles and no locks .You will probably yearn for all those lovely locks on the HNC.

The HNC is 20 miles too, and I’ll have spent a year on it by the time I escape. Loved it all. 

I shall do the Bridgewater in 2 days. ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On ‎06‎/‎02‎/‎2019 at 18:39, alan_fincher said:

Not sure if this has had an airing?

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/13560/lock-11-marple-marple-flight-peak-forest-canal?fbclid=IwAR3YsnQzrz6EC5UBZlv52yHaDXWFKiV-96bTMlLKC-y28mcP0-4jQ1Q6PPs

 

 

This is a bugger, because we were counting on using Marple Locks to get to the big HNBC event at Hebden Bridge.  Unfortunately that event is the same time as the revised date for this stoppage ending.

I was thinking along those lines too, but I was wondering what sort of state the lower Peak Forest  ( don't  think it was ever very good for a deep draught boat!)  is in after the lengthy period of closure at Marple and the lack of through traffic - I wonder if billh of this forum could shed some light on this?

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14 minutes ago, archie57 said:

I was thinking along those lines too, but I was wondering what sort of state the lower Peak Forest  ( don't  think it was ever very good for a deep draught boat!)  is in after the lengthy period of closure at Marple and the lack of through traffic - I wonder if billh of this forum could shed some light on this?

I'm not that familiar with more Northern waterways, and generally need a few maos out to look at options that are not held in my head.

 

However it seems that going instead to Manchester via the Bridgewater will add less than an extra day, (very similar lock count, but more miles).

 

If the new date holds you can go via the Bridgewater and back by the PF, I guess.

 

Don't know about any of these canals with more deep daughted boats, but I'm pretty certain that at east Brian with Alton travels the PF when its open.  George sters for them sometimes - perhaps he'll sot this post and comment?

 

I'm still in two minds about whether to attempt Hebden Bridge or not, to be honest.  We don't really have extra days at either end of the trip to build in any margin against possikble hold ups.

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1 hour ago, archie57 said:

I was thinking along those lines too, but I was wondering what sort of state the lower Peak Forest  ( don't  think it was ever very good for a deep draught boat!)  is in after the lengthy period of closure at Marple and the lack of through traffic - I wonder if billh of this forum could shed some light on this?

Yes, I have a shed with a light. Marple locks have been closed to full length boats since October 2017. The lower Peak Forest was earmarked for dredging , starting last year, that has not happened though I understand some kind of  (lack of) depth survey commenced last week. Up until quite recently , we had days out from Ashton to Marple bottom with deep draught boats and that certainly kept a vague channel on that route. There are two day hire boats with usually novice "drivers" operating on that length, they tend to wash mud into the channel, I think they must be zig-zagging to avoid submarines. The LPF has not been dredged for more than 40 years now apart from a little in the Romiley area. A major problem in the last year or so is C&RTs complete inability to maintain the canal full of water, this over  a 10 mile pound. If the level drops  by say ,4inches( this can happen over 24hours) the canal becomes  a struggle or even unusable.

At the risk of appearing to be a C&RT knocker, I have to say that the  current standard of maintenance of the Ashton & Peak Forest is abysmal, in 50 years of knowing what's happening  on my local canals ,C&RT  now look  to have no idea of the requirements of boats ,of all shapes and sizes in terms of navigation. Remember this (I know I'm harping on ) , width problems at Lock 11 were reported to C&RT around 3 years ago, repairs could have been commenced at the same time as lock 15. 15 was done but apparently nobody bothered to look at the long standing problems at 11. I despair! Now we're told they haven't even commenced dismantling the walls at 11. Late May opening? In your dreams! Apologies in advance to anyone offended by this post.

 

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Thanks for this. We all know that navigation is at the bottom of the priority list for CRT, they seem incapable of maintaining water levels anywhere, clearly they don't appreciate how critical this is.  As regards dredging generally they seem to want to use any excuse not to do any, I dare say the budget for the PFC has been spent on the aqueduct railings at Marple (- as well as the locks!).                         I'm beginning to wonder why we bothered 50 years ago...…….

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