Rochdale - a Reply

[gaggle]

If the pounds are draining to low water levels regular , hardly stagnent stinking sewer as the water must be topped up just as regular .

[David Mack]

Having recently travelled the full length of the Rochdale, the area I found by far the worst was the stretch from Failsworth into Manchester. Here many pounds were shallow with very narrow constrictions requiring dog legs to avoid. A drained pound revealed the truly awful state with wide areas particularly on the offside cordoned off with stakes as they only had a few inches of water over them at best. Many of the keep left/right signs to avoid these areas were either hidden, missing or illegible. On one occasion I descended in a lock onto a shopping trolley or some such, requiring help from above to get off. I was warned I may have trouble with my 34" draught boat but only suffered with such on this stretch, both with depth and fouled prop issues.

And the reason is that this was the last section of the canal to be restored and the money ran out. This section was partially infilled in the 70s with the infill capped with concrete and retained as a shallow water channel. This scheme won a Civic Trust Award, but was much criticised by canal enthusiasts at the time. But the good thing about it was that it preserved the line of the canal and most of the structures when the surrounding areas were redeveloped. Without it we would probably have lost the route altogether.

 

When this section was restored the remaining money only allowed a narrow central channel to be dredged, hence the shallows at the sides, the occasional dogleg alignment and the need for keep left/right signs to mark the channel.

 

When we took Fulbourne through in 2012 we went aground on one of the marker posts which had been dislodged. In the process of getting free, I and one of my fellow crew took a rather spectacular dive into the water when the end of the pole we were pushing on slipped. But apart from that we had sufficient depth for a 3 ft draught ex-working boat.

[TheBiscuits]

If the pounds are draining to low water levels regular , hardly stagnent stinking sewer as the water must be topped up just as regular .

 

 

Depends what it gets topped up with, but I agree it can't be stagnant!

[NickF]

when I went this year most of the area behind the screen under the trees was filled with rubbish.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Rochdale/@53.6021766,-2.1580753,3a,15y,239.22h,83.4t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxMFKFcW1XK9mAFt6CeJr8g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DxMFKFcW1XK9mAFt6CeJr8g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D57.770046%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x487bb88ceb3db3ab:0x9a885edb20da6527!6m1!1e1

 

I must admit it looks a lot better on google earth than I remember it

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.6078506,-2.1476425,3a,37.5y,282.19h,71.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sn6oqfocLttte1uZZ3xfp2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

 

may be it's just the really grim bits are not by the bridges

[peterboat]

It's what is known as "being in denial"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course de Nile is a much nicer waterway - except where it passes through Cairo of course.

greenie sir i had to hold my breath when i was in cairo it stunk and the nile was filthy bit like the thames 200 years ago

[Cheshire cat]

Which is the bad part - referring to road names if poss, rather than bridge numbers?

I think the bad bit starts as soon as you emerge from under Edinburgh Way. (It's no longer a roundabout) and goes on until just past Oldham Road. If I have time tomorrow lunchtime I'll risk walking down there with a camera.

[oboat]

Never done the Rochdale north east of Ducie St but looking at the bits one can see from google street view, and satellite view it looks pretty average for an urban canal and the surrounding streets don't look particularly messy. By contrast using the same technique on the Walsall reveals some weedy and shallow-looking stretches. Perhaps it is just the contrast with the scenic bits of the canal?

 

The wide arm looks inviting but only has about 9" of water. We tried to moor in the basin last year, had to get the locals to pull us off the ???????

by rope.

 

Interestingly CRT have just issued another Fantasy Press Release saying how good it all is now? So it must be OK. Or are we going back to BWB days.

[Pluto]

The Rochdale Canal was pretty depressing forty years ago.

[Athy]

The Rochdale Canal was pretty depressing forty years ago.

Aye, but from your photo it had a proper urban townscape with proper mills, factories and chimneys. It may not have been a pleasant place to live, but your snap gives an idea of why the canals were dug in the first place. Nowadays you can boat through many towns without getting any real clue as to what the canal is doing there.

[oboat]

Aye, but from your photo it had a proper urban townscape with proper mills, factories and chimneys. It may not have been a pleasant place to live, but your snap gives an idea of why the canals were dug in the first place. Nowadays you can boat through many towns without getting any real clue as to what the canal is doing there.

 

Totally agree.

[Cheshire cat]

Well, well. Did the letter produce a result? Maybe.

 

Here's a pile of bin bags (approx 40) collected this morning from the landscaped area of the wharf just below the Oldham Road lock. Two guys have spent the morning cleaning up the area. Not sure whether they were council employees. No markings on their high viz or the transit they were using. As well as bin bags they'd got traffic cones and bicycle tyres. The transit was full when they'd finished.

 

 

Although that hundred metre stretch is now tidy there is quite a lot of rubbish wherever there is a bridge crossing. It's mostly stuff bought from Bargain Booze and the carrier bags it comes in. A lot of it makes it into the canal and there was plenty floating about although it didn't seem to be as bad as the last time I visited three months ago. On the whole I'd say it was on a par with some of the poorer areas of Birmingham navigations. I only spotted one upturned shopping trolley but apart from an Iceland I can't think of anywhere that you might "borrow one" from.

 

 

In the hour I was there I saw three boats passing through and none of them seemed to be having trouble with water depth or rubbish. Were they disturbed the bottom the water did turn a rather dark colour. I did spot a C&RT pickup too, he might have hauled the rubbish out from behind the lock gates just before I got there.

 

 

I also met some lads fishing. English and Asian origin. They caught a pike last week so there must be something able to survive the conditions.

 

 

[johnmck]

When we came down this year, the canal infrastructure was good. It was the environment in regard to rubbish that was truly appalling. Using one gate was impossible, due to the carp.

 

A great shame, as this is one stunning canal.

[GreyLady]

Rochdale has lots of interesting history and buildings especially around Whitworth, I was once stopped by a police officer while reading gas meters at night in the centre of rochdale, his advice was ' this is a no go area for you '

 

Even if it had clean canals I would rather not travel through it, my experience of working in Glodwick is enough to put me off that kind of area for life.

Edited October 9, 2015 by grumpy146

[by'eck]

Rochdale has lots of interesting history and buildings especially around Whitworth, I was once stopped by a police officer while reading gas meters at night in the centre of rochdale, his advice was ' this is a no go area for you '

 

Even if it had clean canals I would rather not travel through it, my experience of working in Glodwick is enough to put me off that kind of area for life.

 

Some people have strange hobbies

[GreyLady]

Some people have strange hobbies

it was a job, a bloody dangerous one at that.

 

ive seen some sights. Lol

[cuthound]

I also met some lads fishing. English and Asian origin. They caught a pike last week so there must be something able to survive the conditions.

 

Sure they didn't say they had caught a bike?

[Cheshire cat]

I suppose once the rubbish is in the cut it becomes C&RT's problem.

 

In contrast with the canal the local council is in the process of making a feature of the River Roche. Rochdale used to be in the Guinness Book of Records as having the worlds widest bridge. In reality it was four or five Victorian bridges that had been joined to form a massive culvert.

 

It's been work in progress since March but has had to be scaled back due to the need for economic cuts.

It was two foot long apparently so I think it was a pike rather than a bike.

[Emerald Fox]

When we came down this year, the canal infrastructure was good. It was the environment in regard to rubbish that was truly appalling. Using one gate was impossible, due to the carp.

 

Pike, surely?

[Emerald Fox]

I was walking along the street the other day, when a man stops in his car and asks me "Is there a B&Q in Rochdale?"

I told him "No, but there is an R, an O, and a C"

[mark99]

Rochdale has lots of interesting history and buildings especially around Whitworth, I was once stopped by a police officer while reading gas meters at night in the centre of rochdale, his advice was ' this is a no go area for you '

 

Even if it had clean canals I would rather not travel through it, my experience of working in Glodwick is enough to put me off that kind of area for life.

 

In London (nightime) once a long time ago, the police descended on me because they had a report of a person with a gun lurking behind the flats.

 

I was looking for a gas leak with a gas detector as reported by a member of the public ( muggins used to get called out all times of night when external leaks were called in) when I used to work for B Gas. Luckily the police did not shoot me as they thought the person reported it was a bit cranky!

 

Pike, surely?

 

Don't tell 'em.

Edited October 9, 2015 by mark99

[Emerald Fox]

 

Don't tell 'em.

 

Roger that.

[GreyLady]

In London (nightime) once a long time ago, the police descended on me because they had a report of a person with a gun lurking behind the flats.

 

I was looking for a gas leak with a gas detector as reported by a member of the public ( muggins used to get called out all times of night when external leaks were called in) when I used to work for B Gas. Luckily the police did not shoot me as they thought the person reported it was a bit cranky!.

Crikey its surprising how people behave isnt it, ive had similar happen to me while going down the side of peoples houses, the amount of times people have called the police thinking I was a burglar is rediculous.

 

Its definitely a dangerous job dealing with the public.

 

glad you did not get shot. Lol

[NickF]

When we came down this year, the canal infrastructure was good. It was the environment in regard to rubbish that was truly appalling. Using one gate was impossible, due to the carp.

 

A great shame, as this is one stunning canal.

I agree entirely, that was my experience earlier this year, but we had no problem with giant fish at the lock gates!

Edited October 11, 2015 by NickF

[kevinl]

Well they are going to putting some effort into attracting more boaters

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/campaign-launched-to-bring-narrowboats-to-manchester

[by'eck]

Well they are going to putting some effort into attracting more boaters

 

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/news-and-views/news/campaign-launched-to-bring-narrowboats-to-manchester

 

Strange therte is no mention of the excellent faciities at New Islington although the scaffolding outside suggests its not quite complete. I believe a new access footbridge has been promised for Christmas.