Quietest canal for summer

[Tony1]

1 hour ago, KezzerN said:

 

You are right: I want to limit my all round stress.  The thought of as a solo boater I would have a queue of impatient people behind me at locks is not appealing.  I also don't fancy squeezing between narrowboats on really busy sections.

 

 

I wouldn't worry about stress at locks during summer. In my experience most boaters are in a good mood on lock flights (especially the hire boaters), and they often have crews.

So if you are in a queue to go up through some locks, most times the boats behind will send one or two people forward and offer to help you get through. Plus you'll get help from boats (with crew) who are coming down the locks. So you can sometimes find yourself going through a short flight of locks faster than you would do it working alone, especially the double locks.

But on a note of protocol: don't assume you can just sit on your boat the whole time. Always be sure offer to work the lock, or to do whatever tasks they need/want you to do at the lock (especially if its a double), and always thank them properly for their help.  My own technique for thanking people for their help at double locks is to lay flat on my stomach with arms outstretched, and sob.

  

But the locks are a great chance to have a chat or a bit of banter with passing or helping boats, and there seems to be a general spirit of positivity and cooperation, especially on the narrow locks in your neck of the woods. 

 

Its not the locks that are stressful during summer, although it can be a pain if there are 15 boats in the queue, as there were at New Marton a few yeas ago.

The times when the summer boating gets to be a bit of a nuisance is when you seem to be meeting one or two oncoming boats at almost every bridge, or on every bend, or when you're passing a line of moored boats there always seems to be a few boats coming the other way, so you have to take more care, and you'll get to learn how to hover, and how to generally faff around, if/when an oncoming boat is going through a bridge hole in front of you. 

Or when you arrive at a good mooring spot and you cant find a space.

This is why I recommended that stretch up to Ellesmere Port. Its a bit bland, but its not too bad, and mostly importantly you wont encounter lots of boats when you're on the move.  

But the thing to bear in mind is that if those crowds of boats weren't around in summer, CRT wouldn't have the budget to even do what work they do now. The winter boat traffic is nowhere near enough to sustain the waterways.

So as crazy as it sometimes gets, we need the summer boating traffic.

 

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

No. Loose springy lines for  mooring on lumpy water, perhaps. But on the canals tight stiff lines stop the (15 tonnes of) boat picking up speed with the suction from passing boats and then being snatched to a halt as the lines pull tight. People with loose thin lines complain about boats passing too fast. People with strong tight lines do not.

 

Reading this, one might think you were a speed demon, but the northbound Telemachus passed me at Tamworth in the summer, and it was doing a very polite speed. 

In fact, I must offer a belated thank you! 

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, KezzerN said:

I want to limit my all round stress.  The thought of as a solo boater I would have a queue of impatient people behind me at locks is not appealing.  I also don't fancy squeezing between narrowboats on really busy sections.

 

 

As a solo boater on a widebeam I find I'm occasionally working locks as fast or even faster than narrow boats with crew. If not and I can see that a boat behind is having to wait for me I just leave my boat at the next lock landing, prepare the lock for them and usher them in ahead of me. If you do that you'll find people are most appreciative and there will be no stress on either side. Obviously you can't do that for multiple boats waiting behind you or you'll be there all day, but if it's that busy you might prefer to stay moored up anyway. I know I would. 

 

As for squeezing between narrow boats, you've just got to learn to steer because there'll always be situations involving tight manoeuvring. If there's enough space your boat will get through without an issue. In that respect, one skill that's worth learning that will stand you in good stead is "holding station". It's just keeping the boat mid-channel without going too far forwards or backwards and without drifting into the bank. It's useful in different situations, for example when you come to a busy lock and there's nowhere to stop because the lock landing is being used. Obviously it's more difficult if it's windy, but if you can hold your boat in position you will have more control in a variety of situations.

Edited March 9 by blackrose

[Gybe Ho]

1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

No. Loose springy lines for  mooring on lumpy water, perhaps. But on the canals tight stiff lines stop the (15 tonnes of) boat picking up speed with the suction from passing boats and then being snatched to a halt as the lines pull tight. People with loose thin lines complain about boats passing too fast. People with strong tight lines do not.

 

Hmm ok, I will have to experiment. One vlogging liveaboard couple at Golden Nook suffered from ripped out armco when a deep draft working boat went past at speed. This got me thinking about applying marine mooring techniques on the Cut.

 

If I was mooring a canal boat marine style I would have two long spring lines about 10m ropes running fore and aft to a mid point on shore and then bow and stern ropes perpendicular to the hull.

 

The long lines are calls "springs" in the nautical world and the short bow and stern lines are call "breast ropes". Springs are tight to prevent the fore and aft surge you refer to and breast rope are slacker with rubber sausage "mooring compensators" for the rubber band effect. What narrowboat people call "springs" would confuse a yachtsman.

 

Edited March 9 by Gybe Ho

[haggis]

Re mooring. Just to add to Nicknormans advice, when mooring all ropes should be as tight as possible and finally secured on the boat. The angle of the ropes should be about 45% and a spring makes sure your boat will not move, even if the fastest speeder goes past. A spring is basically both bow and stern ropes making a triangle using either two points on your boat if it has them or using an extra mooring pin/nappy pin on the bank. If you are moored against an edge which might scratch your boat then use a couple of rope fenders but take them up before you start to cruise. 

using springs will prevent movement as a boat goes past and makes mooring a more pleasurable experience. 

 

Crossed with Mr Hos message which, as he says, relates to sea going boats rather than canal boats and his YouTube friend probably wasn't properly moored if a passing boat ripped out the armco.  Another point worth mentioning is when using armco, the nappy pin should be put in behind a bolt to prevent the Armco being ripped out

Edited March 9 by haggis

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, haggis said:

The angle of the ropes should be about 45%

And just to clarify, that means 45 degrees horizontally i.e. running forwards and backwards. What you definitely don't want is ropes running 45 degrees vertically. The ropes should be attached to the boat at deck level only. If you have ropes attached tightly to a rooftop centreline attachment or handrails then the boat will rock violently whenever another boat goes past.

[booke23]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

So if you are in a queue to go up through some locks, most times the boats behind will send one or two people forward and offer to help you get through. Plus you'll get help from boats (with crew) who are coming down the locks. So you can sometimes find yourself going through a short flight of locks faster than you would do it working alone, especially the double locks.

But on a note of protocol: don't assume you can just sit on your boat the whole time. Always be sure offer to work the lock, or to do whatever tasks they need/want you to do at the lock (especially if its a double), and always thank them properly for their help.  My own technique for thanking people for their help at double locks is to lay flat on my stomach with arms outstretched, and sob.*

  

But the locks are a great chance to have a chat or a bit of banter with passing or helping boats, and there seems to be a general spirit of positivity and cooperation, especially on the narrow locks in your neck of the woods. 

 

Its not the locks that are stressful during summer, although it can be a pain if there are 15 boats in the queue, as there were at New Marton a few yeas ago.

The times when the summer boating gets to be a bit of a nuisance is when you seem to be meeting one or two oncoming boats at almost every bridge, or on every bend, or when you're passing a line of moored boats there always seems to be a few boats coming the other way, so you have to take more care, and you'll get to learn how to hover, and how to generally faff around, if/when an oncoming boat is going through a bridge hole in front of you. 

Or when you arrive at a good mooring spot and you cant find a space.

This is why I recommended that stretch up to Ellesmere Port. Its a bit bland, but its not too bad, and mostly importantly you wont encounter lots of boats when you're on the move.  

But the thing to bear in mind is that if those crowds of boats weren't around in summer, CRT wouldn't have the budget to even do what work they do now. The winter boat traffic is nowhere near enough to sustain the waterways.

So as crazy as it sometimes gets, we need the summer boating traffic.

 

I agree. It's actually good when the locks are a bit busy with hire boaters, it creates a good atmosphere and it's nice to have a chat with people. I once got stuck in a 12 boat queue at New Marton a while back and even that was good fun! You can usually find a quiet rural mooring even in summer, although sometimes you and up with another boat mooring right next to you in these situations.

 

Even in the busiest stretches of canals I find not much movement happens after about 4pm, so if you do your cruising late in the day you can have the canal to yourself, although arriving late can limit mooring options at popular places. This never bothered me as at worse you might end up a 1/4 mile or so outside town. 

 

*This is comedy gold...really made me laugh!

 

Edited March 9 by booke23

[Tony1]

1 hour ago, booke23 said:

 

I agree. It's actually good when the locks are a bit busy with hire boaters, it creates a good atmosphere and it's nice to have a chat with people. I once got stuck in a 12 boat queue at New Marton a while back and even that was good fun! You can usually find a quiet rural mooring even in summer, although sometimes you and up with another boat mooring right next to you in these situations.

 

 

The trick is to get people to help in the first place. An imginary war wound is by far the best ploy.

If I see anyone of the female persuasion approaching with a windlass I instantly adopt a limp, and shuffle slowly towards the gates. 

 

"Awfully sorry if I'm a bit slow my dear. Still got a bit of shrapnel from when that Me109 got me above Dunkirk. Oh, you'll help me through? Why thank you my dear. Blitz spirit and all that. Are you married?"  

 

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[agg221]

13 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

My guess is that it is not only about what sections are quiet, or indeed attractive.

The OP is a relative newbie and is travelling solo (I think), and my assumption is they won't want their summer cruising ground to be a stretch that includes half a dozen double locks (including the very busy staircase lock at bunbury).

By the time your exceptions listed above (Barbridge to Nantwich, Bunbury to Calveley, etc) are all taken into account, it renders most of that stretch of limited appeal to the OP, as a summer cruising area for a newbie. 

Its a lovely stretch, and its worth travelling through for sure- but its not a place they can set up an easy, stress free cruising pattern for maybe two or three months during a busy summer. 

The OP wants to escape the crowds and the stress, and that's why the stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port is a far better option for them. 

 

And to the OP: if you do head for Chester, the Golden Mile (as the locals call it) is worth passing early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. 

 

I was thinking more along the lines that, with where she is travelling from, the OP will need to pass through that stretch in both directions (assuming that, given her aversion to deep water, she really does not want to go down the MSC). That means she will be passing through those locks twice anyway, so my thought was that rather than treating it as somewhere to get through (the canal equivalent of a motorway) there are actually enough pleasant places to stop along that route to add another few weeks each way to the journey with some time around Tilstone and Waverton on the way out and Christleton and between Tattenhall and the Shady Oak on the way back, potentially also a couple of days around Beeston. The OP did originally have a car, so if she still does, the places I have identified are handy as I know there are decent parking spots. If not, the desirable time to spend there may be reduced due to lack of access to shops and other facilities.

 

On the point of facilities, that does seem to have become something of an issue on the whole stretch between Barbridge and Ellesmere Port. I am aware of a few remaining water points but the only Elsan points I know to still be working are the ones at Calveley and Ellesmere Port, the services at Chester Basin being, I believe, now effectively permanently closed. I suppose it may also be possible to use the facilities at either Tattenhall or Chas Hardern's, for a fee. This may be a bit more restrictive on a decent cruising pattern on that length.

 

Alec

[MrsM]

OP, as a newbie I remember well how nervous I was about steering our boat. At the very beginning when approaching a narrow bridge I would, in panic, go into neutral or reverse and therefore completely lose steering. Scuffing the corner of our cratch cover on a bridge opening soon taught me that lesson! It took me quite a long time to become fully confident steering and there was no short-cut to hours at the tiller in my case. However, there is no better way to learn about handling your boat than to get out there and give it a go. Most people are friendly and helpful and know that we all have to start somewhere. Don't let anyone rush you, take your time and always work at a pace that you are comfortable with. Pull over and let people pass if you see them coming up behind and I'm sure you will soon be loving being out and about. I did quite a lot of practice pulling in to the towpath and away again on quiet stretches to get the hang of what speeds and angles I needed - which was a massive help when it came to lock landings. Enjoy the spring and summer ahead - I am very envious of you. Marianne x

[Tony1]

43 minutes ago, agg221 said:

I was thinking more along the lines that, with where she is travelling from, the OP will need to pass through that stretch in both directions (assuming that, given her aversion to deep water, she really does not want to go down the MSC). That means she will be passing through those locks twice anyway, so my thought was that rather than treating it as somewhere to get through (the canal equivalent of a motorway) there are actually enough pleasant places to stop along that route to add another few weeks each way to the journey with some time around Tilstone and Waverton on the way out and Christleton and between Tattenhall and the Shady Oak on the way back, potentially also a couple of days around Beeston. The OP did originally have a car, so if she still does, the places I have identified are handy as I know there are decent parking spots. If not, the desirable time to spend there may be reduced due to lack of access to shops and other facilities.

 

On the point of facilities, that does seem to have become something of an issue on the whole stretch between Barbridge and Ellesmere Port. I am aware of a few remaining water points but the only Elsan points I know to still be working are the ones at Calveley and Ellesmere Port, the services at Chester Basin being, I believe, now effectively permanently closed. I suppose it may also be possible to use the facilities at either Tattenhall or Chas Hardern's, for a fee. This may be a bit more restrictive on a decent cruising pattern on that length.

 

Alec

 

I would certainly agree with the idea of travelling slowly through that section, with multi-day stops at each nice spot. I spent a week at Christleton in fact, as it was a quick bike ride into town.  

And that is a VERY good point about the lack of elsan points on that whole stretch. 

OP, it would make life easier if you have one or two spare toilet cassettes. 

As Alex says, once you're past the Chester locks, the only working elsan point is Ellesmere Port. Chester cant be relied upon.

 

Your challenge will be to keep a movement pattern that complies with CRTs rules for say two months. So you'll need to maximise the length of the route by moving a few miles northward every two weeks, and not going back on yourself until you reach Ellesmere Port. Its well worth having the experience of mooring in the basin too, if you don't mind paying and not getting any services. It was £10 per night when I was there in 2022. 

 

As Alec says, one snag will be that the cassette(s) wont last for 2 weeks. 

So to make sure you dont get any 'move along' emails from CRT, you'll need to make sure your boat is spotted in each mooring location, which means being in that spot on the day the spotter passes by (I cant remember what the day is, but local liveaboard boaters will usually tell you).

So when the cassettes are full, you'll need to cruise up to Ellesmere port (which isnt too far) to do the elsan, and then go right back to your mooring spot for the remainder of the 14 days. You do NOT want to get spotted at Ellesmere port, until you actually moor there to stay for a couple of weeks. If you get spotted there too early in the summer, it will look as if you are shuffling back and forth, and to avoid problems you need to be moving in one direction only. 

 

Once you're on the approach to Chester, you could spend two weeks at Christleton (which is pretty quiet), then two weeks in Chester itself.

Above the staircase locks is ok, if a tad more lively, but you can stay 14 days in the basin if you moor on the offside next to the student flats.  

Its well worth 2 weeks in Chester, fantastic place. 

Then you could have two weeks near Chester Zoo, two weeks near Stoak, and two weeks at Ellesmere Port. That'll be most of the summer gone, and you can make your way slowly down to Chester again. 

When you leave town, pick a day when you know there are volunteers working the staircase locks. They are pretty deep and can be a faff for a single hander. 

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[haggis]

33 minutes ago, agg221 said:

 

 

On the point of facilities, that does seem to have become something of an issue on the whole stretch between Barbridge and Ellesmere Port. I am aware of a few remaining water points but the only Elsan points I know to still be working are the ones at Calveley and Ellesmere Port, the services at Chester Basin being, I believe, now effectively permanently closed. I suppose it may also be possible to use the facilities at either Tattenhall or Chas Hardern's, for a fee. This may be a bit more restrictive on a decent cruising pattern on that length.

 

Alec

I wonder if that is still the case. When we were coming up Northgate locks recently a couple walked down, with him carrying two obviously full cassettes. He walked past again going up the way with empty cassettes so I assumed there is somewhere fairly close to empty them. Unless, of course he tipped them into the Dee branch 🙂 

[5239]

56 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

It was £10 per night when I was there in 2022.

For Friends of the Trust it’s free mooring including free entrance to the museum for all on board.  
(Unless things have changed in the last 5 years)

 

[Tony1]

5 minutes ago, 5239 said:

For Friends of the Trust it’s free mooring including free entrance to the museum for all on board.  
(Unless things have changed in the last 5 years)

 

 

 

Do they charge extra for Enemies of the Trust?

 

(Asking for a friend)

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[Francis Herne]

1 hour ago, agg221 said:

On the point of facilities, that does seem to have become something of an issue on the whole stretch between Barbridge and Ellesmere Port. I am aware of a few remaining water points but the only Elsan points I know to still be working are the ones at Calveley and Ellesmere Port, the services at Chester Basin being, I believe, now effectively permanently closed. I suppose it may also be possible to use the facilities at either Tattenhall or Chas Hardern's, for a fee. This may be a bit more restrictive on a decent cruising pattern on that length.

I might be a few months out of date, but my understanding is that only the new-ish toilet/shower facility (on the ground floor of the towpath-side flats) is closed indefinitely.

 

The Elsan & pumpout in the hut adjacent to Dee Branch top lock, and the water point next to the drydock, were still in use and I haven't heard of them being closed.

 

There is also an Elsan point at Bunbury directly opposite the staircase lock. This is I believe maintained by Anglo-Welsh but available to all boaters as part of the lease, similar to Great Haywood and until recently Fazeley. It's certainly on a CRT key.

Edited March 9 by Francis Herne

[5239]

Just now, Tony1 said:

 

 

Do they charge extra for Enemies of the Trust?

 

😃

yes that’s the £10 a night charge 😃

[Tony1]

3 minutes ago, 5239 said:

😃

yes that’s the £10 a night charge 😃

 

I give them £1300 every year.

Surely they know we're friends by now.

I dont know what they want from me any more. 

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[5239]

The Middlewich Branch has been mentioned as quiet. 
regards moorings it usually is, well it has plenty of spots where you can be alone,

but the Church Minshall VM’s can be busy,

and I have found the locks to be some of the busiest I’ve come across. 

 

2 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I give them £1300 every year.

Surely they know we're friends by now.

I dont know what they want from me any more. 

 

Blood Tony1,

they want Blood!

 

[KezzerN]

Thanks everyone for your further input.  It is much appreciated (I need to try the sobbing!). I do have an elsan so that would be a nuisance. What is the Macclesfield canal like in the summer months?

[agg221]

58 minutes ago, Francis Herne said:

I might be a few months out of date, but my understanding is that only the new-ish toilet/shower facility (on the ground floor of the towpath-side flats) is closed indefinitely.

 

The Elsan & pumpout in the hut adjacent to Dee Branch top lock, and the water point next to the drydock, were still in use and I haven't heard of them being closed.

 

There is also an Elsan point at Bunbury directly opposite the staircase lock. This is I believe maintained by Anglo-Welsh but available to all boaters as part of the lease, similar to Great Haywood and until recently Fazeley. It's certainly on a CRT key.

Certainly not quite as bad as I had thought.

 

The Elsan point at Bunbury is quite near Calveley, but it would make it practical to moor between the staircase and Tilstone and use a trolley along the towpath. That is a particularly attractive stretch.

 

The fact that there is still an Elsan point in Chester Basin makes that length between Chester and Ellesmere completely practical - just need to periodically go to whichever end is closer (or whichever direction you are pointing in).

 

It would be useful if there was something on the fairly long pound between the top of Chester and Wharton lock but I doubt it will happen.

Alec

[Tony1]

@Arthur Marshall is the Macclesfield correspondent for CWDF, and might be able to give you some idea of the summer traffic levels.

I did it during winter 2023/2024 and it was really lovely, if a tad chilly. It goes through some really nice towns too. 

My guess is that in summer it will be just as busy as most of the other canals are in summer, since it goes through some lovely landscapes. 

I would always do it during the winter, personally. 

 

Do bear in mind the posts above explaining that the elsan at Chester has been working for a long time now, so that will make a cruise up there much easier. It means you've got two elsan points only 8 miles apart, with no locks or other difficulties in between them. You could do the entire 8 mile stretch in 3 or 4 hours if you had to. 

 

In some of the other places you could cruise in summer, you'll have to do a few locks to reach an elsan. I think that slow run up to Chester through lovely countryside, followed by a 6 week stretch leading up to Ellesmere Port, would be a very good option if you really do prioritise peace and quiet. 

I love a quiet stretch of canal, but it was almost too quiet, even for me. At one point I even started talking to the ducks. And I hate the ducks.

 

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[Arthur Marshall]

4 hours ago, Tony1 said:

@Arthur Marshall is the Macclesfield correspondent for CWDF, and might be able to give you some idea of the summer traffic levels.

I did it during winter 2023/2024 and it was really lovely, if a tad chilly. It goes through some really nice towns too. 

My guess is that in summer it will be just as busy as most of the other canals are in summer, since it goes through some lovely landscapes. 

I would always do it during the winter, personally. 

 

Do bear in mind the posts above explaining that the elsan at Chester has been working for a long time now, so that will make a cruise up there much easier. It means you've got two elsan points only 8 miles apart, with no locks or other difficulties in between them. You could do the entire 8 mile stretch in 3 or 4 hours if you had to. 

 

In some of the other places you could cruise in summer, you'll have to do a few locks to reach an elsan. I think that slow run up to Chester through lovely countryside, followed by a 6 week stretch leading up to Ellesmere Port, would be a very good option if you really do prioritise peace and quiet. 

I love a quiet stretch of canal, but it was almost too quiet, even for me. At one point I even started talking to the ducks. And I hate the ducks.

 

I think there's a few of us dotted up and down the Macc on here. It's always fairly quiet, many people probably put off by the usual water shortages due to the reservoir problems, so there are usually summer restrictions at Bosley. It's shallow, so moorings out in the sticks aren't always easy to find. But it's cracking scenery.

4 hours ago, Tony1 said:

love a quiet stretch of canal, but it was almost too quiet, even for me. At one point I even started talking to the ducks. And I hate the ducks.

I don't mind the ducks. I hate the geese. They never shut up.

[PeterF]

Although with the Bridgewater breach the Macclesfield may well be busier this year.

[Tony1]

28 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

 

I don't mind the ducks. I hate the geese. They never shut up.

 

You need to rethink your duck policy.

Have you seen the way these things procreate? Its absolutely outrageous.

The over enthusiastic males almost drown the females during the act itself. 

It's as if all the chaps have a drowning fetish, but for some reason the females keep coming back for more. 

I guess all the girl ducks like a bad guy.

Edited March 9 by Tony1

[KezzerN]

Thanks everyone for the further input. 

 

Regarding going to Chester, one thing is worrying me: going through the iron lock where there is no ladder.  How do you solo boaters deal with that lock?

[booke23]

24 minutes ago, KezzerN said:

Thanks everyone for the further input. 

 

Regarding going to Chester, one thing is worrying me: going through the iron lock where there is no ladder.  How do you solo boaters deal with that lock?

 

I just bow hauled the boat at that lock……..when you pull it out of the lock after descending the bywash handily pins the boat right against the towpath.