Rochdale 9

[Ian Mac]

That will be Lock 65 at Failsworth - a 5 minutes walk from the main 82/83 180/184 Manchester to Oldham bus route.

Or 7mins from the new metro station at Failsworth, which is very handy

 

Just out of interest when you booked to come down the 18 did you tell BW you were single handed?

--

cheers Ian Mac

[Dr Bradley]

Having changed my pasword, the site has decided to change my user name from Dr Bradley to the above. Attempts to email Danial have been rejected.

 

The weather has delayed my departure and now hoping to move tomorrow which means I'll possibly be looking at the Rochdale flight on Thursday.

That is sorted now, thanks Nick.

 

Still have not got away, was going to go today but a van with a flat battery and not realising Shire would be shut today, so not enough fuel, I'll have to try again tomorrow. Still aiming for Thursday on the Rochdale flight - I forsee some hard days ahead.

 

Or 7mins from the new metro station at Failsworth, which is very handy

 

Just out of interest when you booked to come down the 18 did you tell BW you were single handed?

--

cheers Ian Mac

Won't book until I'm sure of when I'll get there. I won't tell I'm solo unlaess asked as I know they don't like it though I've previously soloed both ways

[Chris Pink]

Thank heavens my password isn't the same as Chris Pink's then! I couldn't cope with all of the insulting PM's he receives, allegedly.

 

I've only once received an insulting (threatening) PM and that was years ago and sorted out with the moderators watching.

 

Don't judge me by your own experience.

[Doorman]

I've only once received an insulting (threatening) PM and that was years ago and sorted out with the moderators watching.

 

Don't judge me by your own experience.

 

Steady on Pinky,

 

It was meant as a little bit of humour!

 

The only threatening PM that I've ever received was from my therapist for non payment of consultation fees..........

Edited March 24, 2013 by Doorman

[tree]

So tired after coming down the Ashton and the Rochdale 9 in the pouring rain and cold I had my only real bad boating accident. I slipped on the roof and fell into the boatmans cabin breaking ribs on the tiller and a bad leg injury on the stove. It was the penultimate lock. We were helped into Castlefield. A salutary lesson to take great care with heavy locks when you weary in poor weather.

: I hope that your injuries are healing well and you are feeling a lot better many moons ago I slipped on the roof, but thankfully and luckily for me I ended up flying into the cut, with only my dignity dented, and scaring a couple of mallards.

[Maffi]

I am rather interested in the Rochdale '9' and am wondering how hard it can be?

Is it any thing like that wussy flight of locks 'Heartbreak Hill'?

The '9' are just nine simple locks how difficult can that be?

 

Certainly not a match for Caen Hill (29) or Hatton (21) singlehanded?

Edited March 25, 2013 by Maffi

[Chris Pink]

 

 

Certainly not a match for Caen Hill (29) or Hatton (21) singlehanded?

 

Caen hill is a kitten compared with the one-a-mile slog of the other side. I love Caen Hill, just makes it so easy having them laid out of you.

 

Hatton on the other hand is made into a nightmare because of that paddle gear of the devil.

 

Like you, though I am curious as to how hard the Rochdale 9 really are.

[Doorman]

So tired after coming down the Ashton and the Rochdale 9 in the pouring rain and cold I had my only real bad boating accident. I slipped on the roof and fell into the boatmans cabin breaking ribs on the tiller and a bad leg injury on the stove. It was the penultimate lock. We were helped into Castlefield. A salutary lesson to take great care with heavy locks when you weary in poor weather.

 

Too true.

 

We ventured off last week to Nantwich as a break from some heavy tree trimming on our mooring. Enjoyed the break but as you say, operating locks in poor weather when tired has its problems. In particular, I noticed that when stepping over the half opened mitre gates to operate the opposite one, I had to make an extra push to reach the wooden platform and grab the hand rail. Through fatigue, my normal stretch was impeded by tiredness and without being vigilant it would be easy to mistime my leap across the gates.

 

The arctic weather didn't help either.

 

I am rather interested in the Rochdale '9' and am wondering how hard it can be?

Is it any thing like that wussy flight of locks 'Heartbreak Hill'?

The '9' are just nine simple locks how difficult can that be?

 

Certainly not a match for Caen Hill (29) or Hatton (21) singlehanded?

 

We used to be on the Rufford Arm of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and would navigate through the seven double locks towards the main line. Without a doubt, we would rather do a flight of single locks all day long compared to the doubles. We also suffered no heartbreak doing the 'hill' other than lock 69 where it felt like the weight of Tony Blair's wallet was holding down one of the paddles!

[cotswoldsman]

I am rather interested in the Rochdale '9' and am wondering how hard it can be?

Is it any thing like that wussy flight of locks 'Heartbreak Hill'?

The '9' are just nine simple locks how difficult can that be?

 

Certainly not a match for Caen Hill (29) or Hatton (21) singlehanded?

 

I have done them 3 times now and I must say can not understand why everyone makes such a fuss yes the paddles are in need of some work last year and the water seems to flow over the top on most bur rather do them that Hatton or Wigan

[alan_fincher]

Caen hill is a kitten compared with the one-a-mile slog of the other side. I love Caen Hill, just makes it so easy having them laid out of you.

 

Hatton on the other hand is made into a nightmare because of that paddle gear of the devil.

 

Like you, though I am curious as to how hard the Rochdale 9 really are.

What's wrong with Hatton?

 

Not that bad, surely, even now I'm firmly a pensioner!

 

(On a "by lock" basis, the deeper and far less used locks of the same design at Knowle are far harder in my view, not least because the layout makes them physically close together, but a very long walk on foot between each).

 

I'll admit we have only done the Rochdale 9 once (last year, downhill).

 

For those used to "Southern" broad locks they are a bit unusual, for reasons including....

 

1) Often quirky paddle gear with extra reduction boxes, necessitating a ludicrous number of turns of the windlass, (more than on a Hatton paddle!).

2) Several bottom gates with no balance beams that are opened by a "mangle" arrangement, using a windlass.

3)(We thought) no obvious way of crossing bottom gates, meaning a lot of walking around. (Someone subsequently suggested that for most there is a way of crossing safely at the bottom, but if so we didn't spot obvious ways of doing it)

4) A lock in the middle that is not really accessible on foot, although therre are signs that warn of this.

5) The huge volume of water over gates, making getting gates open with paddles full up often difficult, (this I would say is by far the worst of the things that can make it hard).

 

We didn't think them horrendous at all, but each lock is probably at east one and a half times the effort of the worse broad locks in the South. Certainly the Rochdale 9 are nothing like as much effort overall as Hatton's 21, but I'd certainly say significantly worse than working half of Hatton flight. No worse than working Knowle's 5 twice, though, I would say.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Actually, I didn't find the Rochdale 9 any harder than the rest of the Rochdale, or the C&H, but it's the surroundings - subterranean or hemmed in by a canyon of (sometimes) less than salubrious buildings - which makes them less enjoyable than any of the comparisons drawn here. I was rather glad to land out in Castlefields.

[Chris Pink]

What's wrong with Hatton?

 

I'd certainly say significantly worse than working half of Hatton flight.

 

Nothing while you're leaning on the tiller.

 

If Catrin comes on and says the same I might think you have a point.

 

 

(do you want a smiley with that?)

[alan_fincher]

Nothing while you're leaning on the tiller.

 

If Catrin comes on and says the same I might think you have a point.

Highly unusual for us if we do not share a flight like that, doing half the boat work and half the lock-wheeling.

 

 

 

Only if one of us has succumbed some physical injury do we tend not to alternate fairly freely between the two roles.

 

I'm not a natural single-hander, and would not fancy Hatton or the Rochdale locks on my own, being not that agile on and off the boats since I smashed my pelvis up a few years ago.

 

I have yet to experience the delights of Caen Hill - one would like to visit, but one hears such bad things about the Western K&A! (Do you need a smiley with that?).

[David Mack]

On a "by lock" basis, the deeper and far less used locks of the same design at Knowle are far harder in my view, not least because the layout makes them physically close together, but a very long walk on foot between each.

 

At Knowle its much quicker to use the offside to walk between the locks!

 

Google Maps Clicky

[oarfish]

I assume the 9 get the rep due to the poor maintenance and the cramped access to the chain windlasses. Had to mess around with pound levels a few times. Also the smell of wee and fear of stabby gongoozlers.

 

Don't have enough experience with other wide locks to compare. The few on the GU I did seemed easy, and on the Thames you just press a button. Big narrow flights are fine if there's no queue - heartbreak hill was perfectly pleasant when we went down it, except for the guy marching up and down 'organising' everybody

Edited March 25, 2013 by oarfish

[alan_fincher]

At Knowle its much quicker to use the offside to walk between the locks!

 

Google Maps Clicky

Except that we always seem to do it in torrential rain which seems to turn much of the grassed areas into a quagmire!

 

Actually it is fastest to get the bike off, although normally elsewhere with only 5 locks that close together I'd seldom bother.

 

I find the bike a great asset on most of the GU Birmingham line, with the widened locks, because for so many of them it involves further than you think, as often you have the former narrow lock to cross to access the main one, and usually only a single bridge to get there by.

 

At Hatton it also usually means you can get the dog s**t on your bike tyres as well as your shoes!

[Mike Todd]

The few times we have done the Rochdale Nine they have been pretty tough but that was because of the amount of water coming down the flight. They do not generally have by-washes and so the excess has to go over the gates. If the bottom gates have a badly designed top level then there can be several inches of pressure above the top gates which can only be alleviated by running water through the lock to reduce the level of the pound above. This can take some time especially if you have to repeat the exercise at each lock (which we did)

 

A few years back we went up the flight in these conditions, taking much longer than expected only to discover that a boat coming down the Ashton locks from Marple had broken a gate and would be out of action for a week. So we had to turn around and go back down the same flight to spend another night in Picadillly Basin! It was raining hard all day just to add to it . . .

[alan_fincher]

The few times we have done the Rochdale Nine they have been pretty tough but that was because of the amount of water coming down the flight. They do not generally have by-washes and so the excess has to go over the gates.

I repeated this on here quite recently, because it is what I had been told, and I had seen little evidence of any.

 

I quickly got pulled up by those with more local knowledge who said I was wrong, and yes, nearly all the locks do have by-washes!

 

All I can say then is they clearly do not have ones really big enough to deal with the amount of excess water at those locks.

 

(I'm only repeating a correction that was issued to me!)

[billh]

I repeated this on here quite recently, because it is what I had been told, and I had seen little evidence of any.

 

I quickly got pulled up by those with more local knowledge who said I was wrong, and yes, nearly all the locks do have by-washes!

 

All I can say then is they clearly do not have ones really big enough to deal with the amount of excess water at those locks.

 

(I'm only repeating a correction that was issued to me!)

The bye wash levels are set about the same height as the top of the top gates. I understand that it's a water conservation measure. The lock gets filled first with any surplus coming down the canal and so the lock is ready for any downward boats. Not so great if you're coming up the flight though. Better if the water can be "used" before it's lost forever to the Bridgewater. Problems of water control have become worse in recent years because the size of paddles ( particularly in tail gates) has been reduced either for ( perceived) safety or cost reasons. This means everything takes longer. The bottom lock "Dukes 92" has miniscule paddles in the head gates with recently fitted baffles further reducing flow rate , it can take 20mins to fill the lock , unless water is coming over the gates. I've been using the "nine" for over 35years now, it doesn't get any easier, just different problems over the years make it hard work. Oh,and the gate opening winches are rubbish.

Bill

[Jim Riley]

at least one of the bywashes has iron bars over the tunnel hole, a couple of times I've been through this was filled with crisp packets, plastic bags etc and so raised the level of the pound. clear the crap, pound drops.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Jim Riley

[Doorman]

Big narrow flights are fine if there's no queue - heartbreak hill was perfectly pleasant when we went down it, except for the guy marching up and down 'organising' everybody

 

At what point was he directed towards the bottom of the cut?

 

We have a boaty friend with Scottish origins who would have invited this guy to take a look at the first instance. He does not tolerate fools too easily

[oarfish]

At what point was he directed towards the bottom of the cut?

 

Enough people gave him the stink eye and he went back onto his [kind of boat I wont mention as it usually kicks off].

 

 

 

[Doorman]

Enough people gave him the stink eye and he went back onto his [kind of boat I wont mention as it usually kicks off].

 

 

The stink eye!

 

What's that?

 

ETA I think I know what type of boat you're referring to by the 'captain's hat' smiley.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Doorman

[Maffi]

Highly unusual for us if we do not share a flight like that, doing half the boat work and half the lock-wheeling.

 

 

 

 

Only if one of us has succumbed some physical injury do we tend not to alternate fairly freely between the two roles.

 

I'm not a natural single-hander, and would not fancy Hatton or the Rochdale locks on my own, being not that agile on and off the boats since I smashed my pelvis up a few years ago.

 

I have yet to experience the delights of Caen Hill - one would like to visit, but one hears such bad things about the Western K&A! (Do you need a smiley with that?).

 

Correct me if I am wrong, There are two of you.

[oarfish]

The stink eye!

 

What's that?