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Quiet moorings on the Huddersfield Narrow?


jetzi

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I'm planning a trip through the Standedge tunnel, as the longest tunnel on the network I feel it's a must see for an infrastructure fan. Also being around the peak district appeals to me.

 

However looking at a map of the Ashton and Huddersfield Narrow canal it looks like it goes through mostly urban areas. Are there any good stopover spots that anyone can recommend that are a bit more quiet and rural? I like to be a bit away from busy roads and towns most of the time. Nice towns are also appealing though so town mooring recommendations are also appreciated!

 

Cheers

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It’s good at either end of Standedge tunnel Diggle or Marsden, there’s a great walk up from the tunnel at the Marsden end then runs along a contour and down into Marsden which itself is lovely. Gives a good view of all the tunnels from on high.
Slaithwaite is OK just in the pound by the defunct pump out…… Staleybridge along Tesco too but the rings are often full of Canada geese poo. Some lovely places are along (though it is a bit shallow in parts)like the pound overlooking Titanic Mill a bit below Slaithwaite. 
we moored just up from the Transporter bridge on the Broad canal too before the melee by Sainsbury’s into Aspley basin. We also stopped below the lock near the Huddersfield football club and over the large playing field was a great take away curry. 
it’s really not too urban till you get to the  Ashton canal. The basin above  the top Ashton lock maybe OK but I would moor on the Peak Forest even at Marple below the locks. Not sure I would moor elsewhere on the Ashton till reaching Piccadilly basin/ Telford basin. 

Edited by Stroudwater1
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Mooring apart from at recognised places can be difficult as the canal is often very shallow at the sides. We have happily moored near Portland Basin, Stalybridge, Uppermill, both ends of the tunnel, Slaithewaite and Aspley Wharf. Getting in to the side at locks can be difficult depending on your draft and we often gently nose up to the lock gates to drop off crew. I have been stuck in the middle of a pound before and my partner had to let down water to float me off. Our draft was 24 inches. My wife once walked from Marsden to Huddersfield because I couldn’t pick her up.

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2 hours ago, Kendorr said:

I'm booked to go through Standedge on Monday, West to East. Will be starting the trip up the W locks tomorrow, intending to get to W8.

I’d sign up for the CRT notifications if i were you, there’s currently a void re-opened between 29E and 30E that they’ve already tried to plug once so no passage until further notice :( 

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In Stalybridge the moorings next to the Chinese restaurant (Phoenix City) are better and quieter than the goose-poo ones near Tesco, and closer to the Stalybridge Station Buffet.

 

In Marsden you can moor above the top lock and walk down to the Riverhead Brewery Tap.

 

Standedge is fabulous 🙂

Edited by IanD
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Also nice moorings at Dobcross by the facilities block, either side of Scout Tunnel, by Roaches lock (halfway between Uppermill and Stalybridge) and at the start of the Peak Forest before the lift bridge. :)

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New mills is a nice mooring…decent pubs/Chinese/chip shop etc. Well worth a stop. 
 

I personally wouldn’t stop at dobcross…the graffiti and fortified SS rather put me off! 
 

By the university as you come into Huddersfield is v quiet but it does have a wall to climb up! 
 

Moorings as said either side of the tunnel are lovely…but be aware there is a very good & frequent trans Pennine rail service. 
 

edited to add

 

Slaithwate is another great place..go below the lock by the fire station….nice & quiet and not far to Aldi and pubs….go to the bakery by the guillotine lock…fabulous bread. 

Edited by frangar
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9 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

I’d sign up for the CRT notifications if i were you, there’s currently a void re-opened between 29E and 30E that they’ve already tried to plug once so no passage until further notice :( 

Thanks, I've updated my stoppage list, forgot to do it a few days ago!

 

With that and Ferrybridge, looks like I might be stopping sooner than planned!!

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Are you aware that as part of the process of converting the canal system into a volunteer’s playground and under the pretext of Covid (very convenient) that currently CRT require you to hand over your boat to some numpty volunteer who has probably done a 1 day course in how to steer a boat? They get to play with your boat for free,  driving it through the tunnel ricocheting from side to side, whilst you have to sit cringing inside ruing the day you ever agreed to let an idiot drive your boat though a narrow and occasionally twisty tunnel.

 

Personally I would wait until CRT run out of Covid excuses to require you to give your boat over as a plaything to volunteers. Which will probably be in a few years time, if ever. Apart from anything else, what is the point of doing the tunnel if you can’t drive your own boat, and have to sit inside?

Edited by nicknorman
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Went through on a friends boat during Covid and the CRT man drove the boat perfectly but I think he was a proper CT man rather than a volunteer. Was very nice to all sit together at the front of the boat (in a tight covid huddle 😀 ) rather than having to concentrate on boat driving. CRT provided a powerful tunnel light which really did light up the tunnel. Superb tunnel.

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16 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Are you aware that ... currently CRT require .... volunteer ... to steer [your] boat? ... driving it through the tunnel ricocheting from side to side, whilst you have to sit cringing inside bemoaning the day you ever agree to let an idiot drive your boat though a narrow and somewhat twisty tunnel

Website says "You can steer your own boat through Standedge Tunnel, under your own power, as long as one of our tunnel chaperones is aboard. Find out everything you need to know before you visit. ... Last date edited: 15 June 2021"  .

 

Have you some later experience?

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9 minutes ago, PeterScott said:

Website says "You can steer your own boat through Standedge Tunnel, under your own power, as long as one of our tunnel chaperones is aboard. Find out everything you need to know before you visit. ... Last date edited: 15 June 2021"  .

 

Have you some later experience?

Yes. It is only when you actually go to book passage that you find a link to the new procedure under Covid, which is as I describe. They drive your boat, you have to stay inside. “But don’t worry, it’s insured” they say.

 

Go to make a passage booking and you will see what I mean. I recently wrote a letter of complaint about this and received a reply 20th July (after “freedom day”) saying they were continuing with the process for the time being.

 

I’m really glad we did the tunnel a couple of years ago, no way am I going to let some random person drive my boat through it. As it was, I drove and the “chaperone” stayed at the front. We didn’t hit anything. And to be honest the whole fuss about the tunnel is overkill, it is just a tunnel, quite narrow low and twisty in places but nothing worse than some other tunnels. Just somewhat longer.

Edited by nicknorman
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17 minutes ago, dmr said:

Went through on a friends boat during Covid and the CRT man drove the boat perfectly but I think he was a proper CT man rather than a volunteer. Was very nice to all sit together at the front of the boat (in a tight covid huddle 😀 ) rather than having to concentrate on boat driving. CRT provided a powerful tunnel light which really did light up the tunnel. Superb tunnel.

Shame your are supporting the Disneyfication of the system! A friend of mine had a bad experience where the steerer hit the sides several times for no good reason and was clearly pretty incompetent.
 

It is a great tunnel but surely part of the fun is driving your own boat through rather than being a passenger on a ride?

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39 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

It is a great tunnel but surely part of the fun is driving your own boat through rather than being a passenger on a ride?

Yes it is an enjoyable experience, we have been through 3 times, the first time was in the summer when you were allowed to drive your own boat for the first time after the electric tugs were withdrawn, I was really glad that I drove and was not towed through. The boat had just been repainted 5 months earlier and never touched anything.

 

To answer the OP's question, Last time we went from Huddersfield we took 5 days to slowly ascend to Marsden because we made better progress to Huddersfield than expected stopping at

 

Above lock 8E but closer to lock 9E as the sides are shallower near the lock 8E end of this pound

Above lock 17E just above titanic mills, there may be some rings here

Above lock 24E, the guillotine lock in Slaithewaite, there are rings there from memory and quiet.

Above lock 31E, there is a wider winding hole section here so levels do not fluctuate much

At Marsden, tunnel mouth.

 

On the way down

 

Below lock 24W, Dobcross, opposite the warehouse

Below lock 17W, Roaches, mooring rings here from memory

Stalybridge but can not remember where we moored, probably by Tesco.

Peak Forest near Portland basin.

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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

Shame your are supporting the Disneyfication of the system! A friend of mine had a bad experience where the steerer hit the sides several times for no good reason and was clearly pretty incompetent.
 

It is a great tunnel but surely part of the fun is driving your own boat through rather than being a passenger on a ride?

 

Had no option but did enjoy it (especially as it was not my boat 😀) . I fully agree with your Disney sentiment, the huge number of large blue signs telling dogs to say grrr and "welcome to wherever you are" are becoming quite distressing.

Mixed feelings about volockies, we always invite them to help but like to stay firmly in control. Spending time on the Rochdale has also changed my opinion a bit, having a volly help on the Manchester 18 really is a very good thing, though it helps that the gentleman concerned (a very occasional poster here) probably knows more about boating than you and me combined.

 

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

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16 hours ago, Skeg said:

Getting in to the side at locks can be difficult depending on your draft and we often gently nose up to the lock gates to drop off crew. I have been stuck in the middle of a pound before and my partner had to let down water to float me off. Our draft was 24 inches. My wife once walked from Marsden to Huddersfield because I couldn’t pick her up.

We had a similar experience. My wife and I walked much of the Eastern approach to the tunnel with one daughter steering and the second daughter poling off the shallows any time she veered from the exact centre!

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On 29/07/2021 at 22:13, Hudds Lad said:

I’d sign up for the CRT notifications if i were you, there’s currently a void re-opened between 29E and 30E that they’ve already tried to plug once so no passage until further notice :( 

Keep everything crossed, according to CRT notice, this should be finished and the stretch re-opened at 8-00 on Monday.

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23 hours ago, nicknorman said:

Shame your are supporting the Disneyfication of the system! A friend of mine had a bad experience where the steerer hit the sides several times for no good reason and was clearly pretty incompetent.
 

It is a great tunnel but surely part of the fun is driving your own boat through rather than being a passenger on a ride?

I agree and I'm disappointed to learn this. Though looked at in a positive way, if I have to have a stowaway on board, they may as well do some of the work, and to this day I've never ridden through a tunnel in the bows so that could be a fun experience.

 

What's CaRT's rationale behind this policy? Are they trying to protect the tunnel or the passengers or what? I would have thought that a long-term boater who knows their own boat and has been through countless tunnels would do a much better job than your average volunteer. Perhaps they had problems with people going too fast or disrespecting the tunnel in some way (graffiti maybe?)

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I was allowed to steer in 2019 both ways. Being a trad the guide stood at the bow with my OH and warned when anything came along that I might need to know about. It was a brilliant experience and I want to go back at some point for a full tunnel trip on the trip boat so I’ve got time to look around rather than concentrating to avoid clouting the side. 

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29 minutes ago, jetzi said:

I agree and I'm disappointed to learn this. Though looked at in a positive way, if I have to have a stowaway on board, they may as well do some of the work, and to this day I've never ridden through a tunnel in the bows so that could be a fun experience.

 

What's CaRT's rationale behind this policy? Are they trying to protect the tunnel or the passengers or what? I would have thought that a long-term boater who knows their own boat and has been through countless tunnels would do a much better job than your average volunteer. Perhaps they had problems with people going too fast or disrespecting the tunnel in some way (graffiti maybe?)

It will be because of COVID to maintain social distancing between the chaperone on the boater, we went through in 2019 and steered ourselves with the chaperone on the stern with us.

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I have moored at 20 or more very pleasant places on the HCN over the years, but my boat is small and you may not get in at some of them.  My favourite is The Kettle, above Lock 31E -very rural but a pleasant 10 minute walk down the fields across the river to the main road, the Olive Branch restaurant, and a very frequent bus service to Marsden (also within walking distance) or Huddersfield.  I've left my boat there for a week without qualms.  In Slaithwaite, I preferred to go up two locks from the basin, which is rather dreary, and moor on the place formerly occupied by the cafe boat.

 

As regards Nick's comments about volunteers driving your boat through Standedge - don't blame the volunteers.  The roughest passage I had through the tunnel was when the renowned Fred Carter ("Mr Standedge") drove Cygnet through as part of the trialing of self-drive (as opposed to being towed by electric tug).

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18 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

 

As regards Nick's comments about volunteers driving your boat through Standedge - don't blame the volunteers.  

Obviously the policy is from CRT NE office, but I would put money on there being pressure from the volunteer sector to keep the policy in place after “freedom day” because they quite enjoy driving other people’s boats through the tunnel - all under the guise of elfinsafety etc. There may not be much ventilation in the tunnel but with the boat doing 3 mph or so there is no possibility of build up of virus particles as there would be in say a pub. The tunnel is in effect a huge volume of air. It’s a scam!

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  • 1 month later...
On 30/07/2021 at 08:36, nicknorman said:

Are you aware that as part of the process of converting the canal system into a volunteer’s playground and under the pretext of Covid (very convenient) that currently CRT require you to hand over your boat to some numpty volunteer who has probably done a 1 day course in how to steer a boat? They get to play with your boat for free,  driving it through the tunnel ricocheting from side to side, whilst you have to sit cringing inside ruing the day you ever agreed to let an idiot drive your boat though a narrow and occasionally twisty tunnel.

 

Personally I would wait until CRT run out of Covid excuses to require you to give your boat over as a plaything to volunteers. Which will probably be in a few years time, if ever. Apart from anything else, what is the point of doing the tunnel if you can’t drive your own boat, and have to sit inside?

 

What does this have to do with the question asked Nick? 

 

You seem to have a dislike of volunteers and try twist any thread you can into having a pop at them. 
 

I suspect for most it’s not a case of it being their “playground”, but rather them giving up their free time to make a difference in their community. Those litter picking, vegetation clearing or painting help make the area look more appealing to the general public, resulting in a safer environment for us boaters. And the lock keepers I’m sure are a welcome sight to must come rain or shine.

 

As for the Standedge Tunnel, I’m sure you’ll be aware that until recently the chaperon role was  carried out be paid staff. If it’s deemed essential those using the tunnel do so with a chaperon and CRT no longer wish to pay people to do this, then I suppose you’d prefer to see the tunnel closed rather than someone volunteering to take on the role.

 

With a live important railway line running alongside, which is accessible from the canal tunnel, I can fully understand the need for a chaperon just on this count alone.

 

I’m sure those doing the role these days are fully competent to do so. If we don’t like it then no ones making anyone go through that way.
 

Plus at the end of the day let’s face it. Most of us are only skippering a narrowboat or at most a widebeam on an inland waterway network at 4mph. We’re not talking supertankers on the open ocean, it’s not that difficult. Driving a vehicle on the road takes more skill these days.

Edited by SimonTaylor
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