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Anderton to Middlewich for beginners


Drizzt

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Hi All,

 

My wife and i are going to be hiring a boat from Anderton marina for the first time and are looking to chug down to the big lock (75) just north of Middlewich, then turn round in the winding hole and head back up past Anderton and through to Lymm.


I have been on narrow boats before when i was at school, but my wife is a complete novice.

We are a little nervous about the big lock (75) in middlewich as its likely to be our first. Will their be lockies at this lock for the may bank holiday in 2 weeks?

If no lockies are going to be about, is it okay for us to wait at the lock landing for another boat to share the lock so we have some help?

 

Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks.

 

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28 minutes ago, Drizzt said:

Hi All,

 

My wife and i are going to be hiring a boat from Anderton marina for the first time and are looking to chug down to the big lock (75) just north of Middlewich, then turn round in the winding hole and head back up past Anderton and through to Lymm.


I have been on narrow boats before when i was at school, but my wife is a complete novice.

We are a little nervous about the big lock (75) in middlewich as its likely to be our first. Will their be lockies at this lock for the may bank holiday in 2 weeks?

If no lockies are going to be about, is it okay for us to wait at the lock landing for another boat to share the lock so we have some help?

 

Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks.

 

Waiting is best, its expected and requested by the canal folk. Saves water, and you then have double crew.

 

The Big Lock is no harder than the singles, just wider with an extra top gate. Its OK now that the bridge is back, it was very difficult without it!

Edited by Tracy D'arth
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The big lock is not too deep and fills gently so is an easy lock, not like the evel jobbies on the K&A and Rochdale etc.  Just take it slowly and it will be fine. You will likely have an audience as folk like to sit outside the pub (though its been poshed up lately so maybe the locals have been driven away???).

 

Of more concern is that there are three tunnels to negotiate on the way to Lymme and one has a bend in the middle which makes it a bit tricky, especially in a longer boat.

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There's a cafe there whilst you wait too!

 

As big locks go, it's quite a nice one as it's not particularly deep and fills fairly gently. You'll probably have an audience though.

 

IIRC it may even be possible to avoid altogether as the last corner before the lock looks wide enough to wind most boats.

 

Edit: and @dmr posts basically the same thing about the lock a minute before me!

Edited by enigmatic
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14 minutes ago, dmr said:

The big lock is not too deep and fills gently so is an easy lock, not like the evel jobbies on the K&A and Rochdale etc.  Just take it slowly and it will be fine. You will likely have an audience as folk like to sit outside the pub (though its been poshed up lately so maybe the locals have been driven away???).

 

Of more concern is that there are three tunnels to negotiate on the way to Lymme and one has a bend in the middle which makes it a bit tricky, especially in a longer boat.

Thanks dmr,

I have watched a video of boats going through the tunnels- is it only Preston Brook that has a time schedule or do the other 2 have similar in place?

I am more than happy to wait and follow a boat through (safety in numbers) - i will be going through on tickover as slow as i can.

Hopefully i will have a bit of boat control if we head south first and get some chugging under our belt before heading to the tunnels!

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2 minutes ago, Drizzt said:

Thanks dmr,

I have watched a video of boats going through the tunnels- is it only Preston Brook that has a time schedule or do the other 2 have similar in place?

I am more than happy to wait and follow a boat through (safety in numbers) - i will be going through on tickover as slow as i can.

Hopefully i will have a bit of boat control if we head south first and get some chugging under our belt before heading to the tunnels!

If you go too slow the boat will wander into the side.  You will not get sufficient steerage.

 

Maintain a steady speed, a bit slower than canal speed, and it will find its line into the centre of the channel away from the sides.

Edited by Tracy D'arth
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There is a winding hole a wee bit before the big lock and if you are only going up it to turn and come back, I would suggest winding there. I find the bottom gates on the big lock pretty hard ( in fact my better half had to come up and help me this morning) and no point in tackling the lock unless  you really want to. There are never volunteer lockies at the big lock.

Enjoy your trip

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From memory two of the tunnels are timed, one isn't.  Quite a few boats get it wrong/don't care so sound your horn as you enter and have a good look before you get too far in.

 

The big lock is one of the easiest wide locks around (apart from the bit of physical effort required), and its quite a good location right outside the pub, I suggest that you take your time and go through the lock and then turn at the window hole a little further on.

Its called the Big lock not because its big or intimidating but because its a wide lock on a length of canal that was built with narrow locks.

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Barton tunnel isn’t timed. 

First tunnel after Anderson.

You can see straight through from one end to other.

But until you’ve got your boat in position right at the tunnel mouth you can’t see if it’s free.

So approach slowly in readiness for if someone is coming out. 
 

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I did almost that exact trip to introduce my my wife to be the canals 

 

Starting at Anderton I had intended to do the 4 Counties ring in a week.

 

I soon found that I had been a tad over optimistic, particularly as I was pretty much single handing, so turned at Barbridge, retraced my steps and then continued on up to Lymm before turning and returning to Anderton.

 

It must have worked, as my wife has had at least a fortnight on the canals every year since, about 45 years to date.

Edited by cuthound
To correct the changes made by autocorrect
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Big Lock was the first lock we ever did. Hired from Anderton in 1978. Just the usual, for then, 19 minute introduction then sent on our way with the promise we would be met at Big Lock.

 

Arrived there about 7pm, sun almost gone, standing looking at the lock when a man came out of the pub, saying "I'll show you what to do". After locking through with his instruction/help he said  "goodnight, I'm off home. Not from the boatyard at all, just your original Volunteer Lockie!

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Volunteers don't usually cover the big lock and are usually at the Middlewich 3 locks. As previously said you should be able to wind the boat about 100 yards before the lock or 200 yards after the lock just past the park.

 

Have a look at the Narrowboat Pirate vlog no 6 (Cruising my NB to Middlewich via Bramble Cuttings) as it features the big lock near the end.

 

Barton tunnel is not timed and Saltersford and Preston Brook tunnels are on the hour northbound (towards Lymm) and on the half hour southbound (towards Middlewich)

 

 

Edited by Pie Eater
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There is absolutely nothing between Middlewich/Anderton and Lymm that is anything but a doddle for even the most novice novice. 

 

The bend in the tunnel that someone mentioned is just a kink. You'll hardly notice it and your boat is made of steel so if you don't manage to steer perfectly through it, your boat will sort itself out. Read the board before each tunnel for info regarding times.

 

If you don't fancy doing Big Lock in Middlewich, there's a winding hole a few mins before it. Just turn there, moor up and walk into Middlewich if you want shops/pubs.

 

If you have any concerns about the tunnels or the first two unnerve you, I live above the tunnel portal at Preston Brook Tunnel and wouldn't mind steering the boat through for you and then walking back over the top.

 

Enjoy your trip, it's a lovely stretch of canal. If you have time in your schedule I'd definitely recommend going down/up the Anderton Lift for the experience and a short trip on the River Weaver. 

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51 minutes ago, junior said:

Enjoy your trip, it's a lovely stretch of canal. If you have time in your schedule I'd definitely recommend going down/up the Anderton Lift for the experience and a short trip on the River Weaver. 

And if not, the Runcorn arm is a surprisingly pleasant diversion.

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I went through the big lock a few months ago and at that time, the towpath side gate (on the north end) was very, very hard to close. In fact I had to recruit a team of  local ramblers to close it, after the family of gongoozlers I initially employed failed miserably.

The problem with the young gongoozlers was, as usual, that our modern youth (and in this case, our 7 year olds) are just not up to a bit of hard graft.

They don't have the moral fibre that they would have had 150 years ago, when they would have been gainfully employed down a mine somewhere.

But alas, its no use pining for the good old days.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Pie Eater said:

Saltersford and Preston Brook tunnels are on the hour northbound (towards Lymm) and on the half hour southbound (towards Middlewich)

There's a 10 minute entry window after the hour/half hour. If you are too late for that window Do Not Enter the tunnel, as you may well encounter someone coming the other way before you reach the far end. And they would be entitled to insist you go all the way back! 😱

Before you enter the tunnel, do check there is no headlight still in there, as you don't really want to get into an argument about the rights and wrongs of the situation while you are in the tunnel!

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4 hours ago, pearley said:

Big Lock was the first lock we ever did. Hired from Anderton in 1978. Just the usual, for then, 19 minute introduction then sent on our way with the promise we would be met at Big Lock.

 

Arrived there about 7pm, sun almost gone, standing looking at the lock when a man came out of the pub, saying "I'll show you what to do". After locking through with his instruction/help he said  "goodnight, I'm off home. Not from the boatyard at all, just your original Volunteer Lockie!

 

Strangely enough we hired from Anderton in 79 and had basically the same experience, apart from no-one coming out from the pub to help us.

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3 hours ago, David Mack said:

There's a 10 minute entry window after the hour/half hour. If you are too late for that window Do Not Enter the tunnel, as you may well encounter someone coming the other way before you reach the far end. And they would be entitled to insist you go all the way back! 😱

Before you enter the tunnel, do check there is no headlight still in there, as you don't really want to get into an argument about the rights and wrongs of the situation while you are in the tunnel!

Preston Brook has a 10 minute window but Saltersford is 20 minutes on account of it being very short and you should be well clear in 10 minutes.

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Anderton to Middlewich is a better trip as you are on the right side of the towpath, for blind bends and overgrown reeds blocking your sight. Coming back is not as pleasant if u meet a speeding or inexperienced crew at those blind spots.

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1 minute ago, junior said:

Amazing that people can make boating this stretch of canal sound more stressful than a circuit of Silverstone. 

I would also add I have seen more Kingfishers on that stretch of canal than anywhere. We will be coming along there next week if anyone wants to walk ahead with a red flag for me.

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