Castlefield Manchester Mooring Overnight

[Mike Todd]

I know that it has been a changing scenario (I know that the main Castlefield Basin is largely no-go), but does anyone have an up to date experience of finding an overnight mooring around Castlefield? In particular, how is the basin beyond the railway viaducts?

 

Ta

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, Mike Todd said:

I know that it has been a changing scenario (I know that the main Castlefield Basin is largely no-go), but does anyone have an up to date experience of finding an overnight mooring around Castlefield? In particular, how is the basin beyond the railway viaducts?

 

Ta

The "hairpin" basin had some spaces when we were there last year, but we only stopped for water not overnight.

[Midnight]

There's one nice mooring on the left of lock 91. I think there's a couple more opposite on the bend

 

 

 

 

At the top of the '9' there's good moorings on the Ashton - turn right then under the bridge by the ornametal bridge.

 

Edited July 30, 2024 by Midnight

[Jon57]

7 minutes ago, Midnight said:

There's one nice mooring on the left of lock 91. I think there's a couple more opposite on the bend

 

 

 

 

At the top of the '9' there's good moorings on the Ashton - turn right then under the bridge by the ornametal bridge.

 

Wouldnt call it nice at the top of the 9. But perfectly safe if you can engage with the locals on which shop sells the cheapest beers or who the local dealer is. 👍

[IanD]

16 minutes ago, Midnight said:

There's one nice mooring on the left of lock 91. I think there's a couple more opposite on the bend

 

 

 

 

At the top of the '9' there's good moorings on the Ashton - turn right then under the bridge by the ornametal bridge.

 

 

It's nice and been recommended several times, but that one to the left of lock 91 has been occupied every single time I've visited Castlefield -- and so were any usable moorings on the bend opposite... 😞 

Edited July 30, 2024 by IanD

[Sea Dog]

Moored in Castlefield Basin for 2 nights a month ago. Stuck our nose in expecting there to be no room and It to still be an unpleasant mooring. It doesn't look much different in itself, but the transformation as a decent place to moor was huge. Perhaps it's the proliferation of new apartment buildings around it, but key I think was that the once public car park is now private and has barriers, so it's not a magnet at night. No anti-social behaviour, just a relatively peaceful place with plenty of foot traffic to stop it being the dimly lit dodgy backwater it was a couple of years ago. I'd happily moor there again, which i didn't expect to be something I'd say.

[IanD]

36 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Moored in Castlefield Basin for 2 nights a month ago. Stuck our nose in expecting there to be no room and It to still be an unpleasant mooring. It doesn't look much different in itself, but the transformation as a decent place to moor was huge. Perhaps it's the proliferation of new apartment buildings around it, but key I think was that the once public car park is now private and has barriers, so it's not a magnet at night. No anti-social behaviour, just a relatively peaceful place with plenty of foot traffic to stop it being the dimly lit dodgy backwater it was a couple of years ago. I'd happily moor there again, which i didn't expect to be something I'd say.

If you can find a mooring in the basin it's fine, but most of it is private moorings now, and the last time we were there the only visitor moorings (up the far end) were also full.

 

With the lack of visitor moorings at Castlefield -- and possibly the boats who overstay on them? -- the only place you can reasonably rely on finding a space nowadays seems to be the hairpins the other side of the viaduct.

 

Or maybe just above Dukes 92, though this is very public and can be noisy with bars etc... 😞 

 

We've always managed to find a space *somewhere*... 🙂 

Edited July 30, 2024 by IanD

[5239]

1 hour ago, Mike Todd said:

I know that it has been a changing scenario (I know that the main Castlefield Basin is largely no-go), but does anyone have an up to date experience of finding an overnight mooring around Castlefield? In particular, how is the basin beyond the railway viaducts?

 

Ta

sounds a lot better than it used to be regards being a no go,

 

remain positive and a space’ll be there,

waiting just for you 👍

 

 

[David Mack]

34 minutes ago, IanD said:

Or maybe just above Dukes 92, though this is very public and can be noisy with bars etc... 😞 

I have moored above lock 92. As Ian say immediately above the lock is close to the pub, but its fine a few of boat lengths further on. No rings or bollards there I seem to recall so you will have to hammer pins into the joint between the paving and the copings.

[TheBiscuits]

36 minutes ago, David Mack said:

No rings or bollards there I seem to recall

 

Image from Google Street View 

 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q8Y1WPCt91TZqVSA9

 

 

 

[5239]

Plenty of room,

Quite in Manchester 

 

 

[IanD]

49 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I have moored above lock 92. As Ian say immediately above the lock is close to the pub, but its fine a few of boat lengths further on. No rings or bollards there I seem to recall so you will have to hammer pins into the joint between the paving and the copings.

Immediately above the lock is of course the lock landing... 😉 

 

Thee are rings further on as shown in the photo and they're usually free, but there's quite a lot of foot traffic from noisy people who may well have been drinking at various bars and pubs. Any further along and you get noise from the main line into Deansgate and the main A56 road over the bridge...

Edited July 30, 2024 by IanD

[eightacre]

4 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

I know that it has been a changing scenario (I know that the main Castlefield Basin is largely no-go), but does anyone have an up to date experience of finding an overnight mooring around Castlefield? In particular, how is the basin beyond the railway viaducts?

 

Ta

We were there last month and had to give up looking around Castlefield. Instead we carried on down the Bridgewater and then travelled back into Manchester on the excellent tram service.

Edited July 30, 2024 by eightacre

[IanD]

Just now, eightacre said:

We were there last month and had to give up looking around Castlefield. Instead we carried on down the Bridgewater and then travelled back into Manchester on the excellent tram service.

Did you look into the hairpin moorings under the viaduct -- was there space there?

[Mike Todd]

Thanks everyone for the most helpful info. We'll see how things go! 

[eightacre]

On 30/07/2024 at 15:41, IanD said:

Did you look into the hairpin moorings under the viaduct -- was there space there?

We looked, but there appeared to be work going on and the moorings were fenced off.

[IanD]

23 minutes ago, eightacre said:

We looked, but there appeared to be work going on and the moorings were fenced off.

That would explain why you were forced to give up and go down the Bridgewater instead... 😞 

 

BTW Lymm is a really nice place to stop overnight... 🙂 

[eightacre]

5 hours ago, IanD said:

That would explain why you were forced to give up and go down the Bridgewater instead... 😞 

 

BTW Lymm is a really nice place to stop overnight... 🙂 

We did!

[IanD]

1 hour ago, eightacre said:

We did!

Chilli Club? Brewery Tap?

[eightacre]

Brewery Tap..... 50m from the mooring 🙂

[Midnight]

@Mike Todd how was Castefield? Im with a German couple hoping to do the Rochdale next week (😆) and need to stop in Manchestervto meet family.

[Mike Todd]

2 hours ago, Midnight said:

@Mike Todd how was Castefield? Im with a German couple hoping to do the Rochdale next week (😆) and need to stop in Manchestervto meet family.

I'll let you know when we have been! We are going back to boat tomorrow but have to get to Manchester first. We have been dithering a bit about going that way - the Peak Forest is our real target - and my enquiry was part of the process of tying to weigh pros and cons. More likely than not at the moment and we should at least get there before they close off the VM's at Castlefield.

[ditchcrawler]

This came up on Facebook today, I have no further information 

What is happening on the Bridgewater? I’ve had an e-mail saying it is closed from 23rd to 27th August , and boats left on the visitor moorings in Castlefield will be removed at the owners expense. Doesn’t really affect me , I’m just curious.

All reactions:

44

 

[haggis]

Probably an event being held in the arena at the moorings at the YMCA.. 

[Cheshire cat]

I helped a boat down the nine and on to the Bridgewater on Sunday. As you come out of the final lock there is a 70ft length of visitor mooring immediately to the right and another length of probably 180ft on the bank directly opposite the lock. Both areas are curved rather than straight and are for a max of 72 hours.

 

We moored no problem and had a well earned pint in The Wharf pub.