Northgate Locks - under appreciated?

[Philip]

I often see and hear people saying it's not worth tackling Northgate staircase locks in Chester unless carrying on to Ellesmere Port - and more specifically the Boat Museum. The number of people who seem to stop in the city centre around Cow Lane Bridge before turning around also suggests people aren't too keen on working through the locks. Are they under-appreciated and underrated as a canal wonder though? They are an immensely impressive structure cut out of the sandstone rock, deep and wide with the added interest of being a staircase - at one time a 5-lock staircase. Bingley 5-rise is always (rightly) lauded as one of the wonders of the waterways, but should Northgate be added to the list and are people missing out on the experience more than saving time by avoiding them?

[Paul C]

They're not sentient, and they're a pain in the arse to do. Its a shame and a quirk that the decent moorings in Chester are below them. Well worth checking there is a space at the moorings before doing the locks, since they take about an hour!!!

[jonesthenuke]

They get my vote, well worth doing.

 

[dmr]

Evil locks, especially in a full length boat. Mooring in the basin is really good as long as you don'y mind loud music from the pub late at night. Best approach is to go to the pub.

[StephenA]

49 minutes ago, Paul C said:

They're not sentient, and they're a pain in the arse to do. Its a shame and a quirk that the decent moorings in Chester are below them. Well worth checking there is a space at the moorings before doing the locks, since they take about an hour!!!

 

Not sentient but slightly malevolent

[Rob-M]

Last time I went through they were leaking badly so the steerer on a full length boat got quite a shower.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

It’s there to be used. 
Use it. 
And enjoy. 
 

 

[ditchcrawler]

I prefer mooring in the town at the top than down in the basin, so if I am not going past Chester I dont go down

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

there should be some volunteers there 

[Jon57]

26 minutes ago, Goliath said:

It’s there to be used. 
Use it. 
And enjoy. 
 

 

Ditto. 👍

[Paul C]

16 minutes ago, Goliath said:

there should be some volunteers there 

 

There often are

[Midnight]

Vollies on last September and the moorings are much nicer than below the city walls.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 minutes ago, Paul C said:

 

There often are

No problem for the faint hearted then 

[Tony1]

22 minutes ago, Goliath said:

there should be some volunteers there 

 

 

I think there are volunteers at the staircase locks on many days.

That said, there were no vollies on the day I went down them in early Feb, so perhaps its not guaranteed in Winter.

I had a right old palaver in the middle chamber, being 'helped' through by a novice friend who I suspect hadn't paid enough attention when I was explaining the basic principle for staircase locks! She did get some advice from a more experienced boater, but so far below and with the water noise, I couldn't hear much of what was going on up top, and I nearly gave up and went up the lock ladder to see if I could help. 

I've found you can tell newcomers about locks, and being careful, and paddles ertc, but it doesnt seem to sink in until your boat is there in the lock and the water is flooding in, or draining out, and it suddenly hits home with them that the forces involved are pretty large, and the hazards are real, and they really need to pay attention. 

But I did see at least two vollies at those locks on subsequent visits to the basin. 

As a singlehander I would go through on a weekday (avoiding Monday mornings), to make sure its not too busy, but also in the expectation that I would get some help from vollies.

I wouldn't really fancy doing them alone - the middle chamber seems to always leak, and the sides appear very high when you're on the boat, and its a long way to climb back down to the boat if you should need to. 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Tony1

[enigmatic]

2 hours ago, Philip said:

I often see and hear people saying it's not worth tackling Northgate staircase locks in Chester unless carrying on to Ellesmere Port - and more specifically the Boat Museum. The number of people who seem to stop in the city centre around Cow Lane Bridge before turning around also suggests people aren't too keen on working through the locks. Are they under-appreciated and underrated as a canal wonder though? They are an immensely impressive structure cut out of the sandstone rock, deep and wide with the added interest of being a staircase - at one time a 5-lock staircase. Bingley 5-rise is always (rightly) lauded as one of the wonders of the waterways, but should Northgate be added to the list and are people missing out on the experience more than saving time by avoiding them?

It's possible to appreciate them (and the rock-cut bit below the castle) without doing them if you don't particularly like deep double locks (they're gloomy and a touch intimidating as well as impressive) and aren't planning on travelling any further than Chester. Nice short walk, and Chester is the sort of place you do want to walk around

 

I don't particularly mind deep double locks especially when they're not boring ones for big ships, but it wasn't particularly fun doing it single-handed with a combination of partly blocked paddles, an inexperienced other boat crew leaving paddles on the lock below open and grounding me, and rain arriving after I'd backed out and let the other boat finish working them by themselves (a full hour later!). Way up was dead easy with a friendly volockie.

 

I think they'd be a lot more popular with gongoozlers without the road bridge above the top one too, or a major attraction if you could see them from Telford's Warehouse pub at the bottom...

 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by enigmatic

[Dav and Pen]

My wife hated these locks as she didn’t like all the people that were usually about and would start talking to her whilst she was trying to remember how to work them. She wasn’t keen on getting near the edge to look down either. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Are they the deepest?

 

[magpie patrick]

14 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Are they the deepest?

 

No, only 11 feet each, Bingley Five and Dobsons on the Leeds and Liverpool are both 12 feet a chamber.

 

Northgate are impressive but also rather hemmed in with the railway immediately below and the modern road bridge over the top gates.

 

A friend of mine works in an office on canal road by the top lock, I find the best way to enjoy Northgate Locks is to meet said friend, take our sandwiches over and sit on a balance beam having lunch. 

3 hours ago, Paul C said:

since they take about an hour!!!

 How do you manage to spin them out for an hour? I've always got through in about 20 minutes! 

[Philip]

Compared to Bingley 5 rise though, they don't tend to be as highly thought of. Yet Bingley themselves are deep and intimidating and I would guess they're just as hard to work as Northgate? 

[Paul C]

8 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

No, only 11 feet each, Bingley Five and Dobsons on the Leeds and Liverpool are both 12 feet a chamber.

 

Northgate are impressive but also rather hemmed in with the railway immediately below and the modern road bridge over the top gates.

 

A friend of mine works in an office on canal road by the top lock, I find the best way to enjoy Northgate Locks is to meet said friend, take our sandwiches over and sit on a balance beam having lunch. 

 How do you manage to spin them out for an hour? I've always got through in about 20 minutes! 

 

It probably was 20 mins......just seemed like an hour.

[magpie patrick]

10 minutes ago, Philip said:

Compared to Bingley 5 rise though, they don't tend to be as highly thought of. Yet Bingley themselves are deep and intimidating and I would guess they're just as hard to work as Northgate? 

Bingley has THAT view looking up from the bottom, arguably only Caen Hill is as spectacular, but neither was hewn from solid rock. I'd agree Northgate is the more interesting staircase 

Edited July 28, 2022 by magpie patrick

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

28 minutes ago, Philip said:

Compared to Bingley 5 rise though, they don't tend to be as highly thought of. Yet Bingley themselves are deep and intimidating and I would guess they're just as hard to work as Northgate? 

Bingley is easier 😃

there’s always a lock keeper to work you through

[ditchcrawler]

25 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Bingley is easier 😃

there’s always a lock keeper to work you through

With the one I had I am not to sure about being easier 

[frangar]

I love going through them…and there’s the bonus of a decent chippy and micropub about 5 mins from the basin. 
 

Much easier with no volockies interfering mind you…

[cuthound]

I've always dropped through them to moor in the basin whenever I've visited Chester.

 

They are impressive locks.

 

I lurve approaching Chester by boat, going under the city wall it is the nearest you are likely to get to boating in the moat of a castle.