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South Pennines ring?


jacko264

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We have just been thinking about our next holidays and was thinking about the south pennine ring 

can any one give us some ideas on what it's like .

Is it right we would have to book to go though standedge tunnel

we would have two weeks to do it 

thankyou 

Graham 

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17 hours ago, jacko264 said:

We have just been thinking about our next holidays and was thinking about the south pennine ring 

can any one give us some ideas on what it's like .

Is it right we would have to book to go though standedge tunnel

we would have two weeks to do it 

thankyou 

Graham 

We have just been thinking about our next holidays and was thinking about the south pennine ring 

Haven't done it as a ring, but have done all the bits at one time, or another.

 

can any one give us some ideas on what it's like .

Locks. Lots of locks! Do you like locks? Urban grot in and out of Manchester. Urban cruising common sense applies. Less bad than it was in decades past. The rest surprisingly rural. Very picturesque.

 

Is it right we would have to book to go though standedge tunnel

Yes, Standedge needs to be booked. Limited passages and only on certain days.

 

we would have two weeks to do it 

If any lock breaks, then you can't continue past it till it is fixed. If the summer is dry, then there are restrictions on passage. Might vary from daylight hours, through to none at all, depending. The canal summit levels are fed from reservoirs on the moors, which have only a certain capacity and below that when the canals were built.

Canalplan.eu says ten days at seven hours a day, but you need to plan to arrive at Standedge on the right day and any delays will eat in to your float available in a two week holiday.

 

With these caveats, it is a great adventure. Anyone doing the lock wheeling will be very fit by the end!

 

Jen

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Hi Jen

thankyou for your reply it sounds like it's a bit hit and miss 

I know what you mean about Manchester is

I will talk to the team ( wife and family ) 

The other route we where looking at is the caladonian  and the Falkirk wheel

any one have experience of doing this route and what is it like

thanks

Graham

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We (six of us) did the ring in ten days, hiring from Shire Cruisers at Sowerby Bridge. Terrific trip, great pubs, Standedge, but you've got to *really* like locks since there are over 200 in 30-odd miles IIRC...

 

No big problem going through Manchester but the whole trip takes careful planning -- should be much easier in two weeks (and with more margin if anything goes wrong) than it was for us ?

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19 hours ago, jacko264 said:

thankyou for your reply it sounds like it's a bit hit and miss 

This is true of any canal holiday. A breach, or damaged lock will prevent you completing the trip. The S Pennine ring will be a good challenge and good fun, but everyone on board has to be on board with the idea of doing it.

 

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Hi 

Locks are not new to us we have been narrow boating for about 10 years up and down the country and was looking for some where we had not been before 

As you say there is always that chance of getting stuck some where we did a few years ago on the marpel locks 

thanks

graham

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If you rent a boat from Shire Cruisers (Sowerby Bridge on the Rochdale) then they should be understanding and helpful if you do hit delays.  I reckon clockwise would be nicer as you then do the best bits of the Rochdale towards the end, but it can be easier to go anti-clockwise as you are then taking water with you as you go down into Manchester on the Rochdale.

 

...............Dave

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51 minutes ago, dmr said:

If you rent a boat from Shire Cruisers (Sowerby Bridge on the Rochdale) then they should be understanding and helpful if you do hit delays.  I reckon clockwise would be nicer as you then do the best bits of the Rochdale towards the end, but it can be easier to go anti-clockwise as you are then taking water with you as you go down into Manchester on the Rochdale.

 

...............Dave

They'll also supply you a boat known to fit through Standedge and will have all the ins and outs of booking the tunnel.

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A caveat is that we have just spent 5 weeks delayed on the Rochdale due to two different lock failures in quick succession.  One week for a cill failure on a lock in Rochdale, then a full 4 weeks for a collapsed gate and broken quoin stone on a lock at Failsworth, nearer to Manchester.

 

The infrastructure of the Rochdale seems to be in a significantly worse state than when we were last on it about 5 years ago. 

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We went clockwise and had no major problems, some low pounds going up the HNC but nothing we couldn't cope with. But as Alan points out, past performance is no guarantee for the future...

 

But it's a great trip to do, and with two weeks you'd be unlucky to have a long enough stoppage to stop you doing it successfully...

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