Macclesfield

[Sparx]

Hey. Is there anything moving on the Macclesfield Canal?  I arrived in Congleton heading north and sailing solo.

I want to do the locks up to Macclesfield this Saturday 16 December. 

Is there anyone doing the same thing? 

We could do it together. 

It's cold here. Snow all over the place but I'd like to get to Macclesfield. 

[Machpoint005]

26 minutes ago, Sparx said:

We could do it together. 

It won't save any work, unless you both have 35ft boats!

[Sparx]

I'm not saying it will save any work, but 4 hands are always better than 2. And I know what it's like jumping on and off a boat in the snow, and walking to and fro on the locks. 

[Arthur Marshall]

They are narrow locks, so unless you've both got crews, it's not going to make  a lot of difference. It's quicker going up than coming down though, if you're on your own, because if you stop the boat in the lock mouth as you come out you can close both the top gates without having to walk all the way round the damn things!

The first swing bridge you come to can be a real pain as well singlehanding - the other one's electric.  Good luck and take care.

[Peter X]

The best you can hope for from another boater, unless they have spare crew to lend you, is that they go down the flight before you go up, so that all the locks are in your favour.

Probably you need crew, it's time to introduce your friends and family to the joys of cold weather boating. Not me, it's a long way away for one day's boating and anyway I'm recovering from illness.

[Arthur Marshall]

If you decide not to go all the way to Macc, there are good moorings at Sutton, where there's a pub.  You can also moor up at the end of the long term moorings above the top of Bosley.  No shops before Macc though.  Macc moorings used to be terrible, but there's a pontoon now just past the marina so you don't have to wear your blacking away on the rocks.  And if you're using an old guidebook, the water point is now on the left at the CRT site, not where it was on the towpath.

[Sparx]

Thanks for the info!

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

They are narrow locks, so unless you've both got crews, it's not going to make  a lot of difference. It's quicker going up than coming down though, if you're on your own, because if you stop the boat in the lock mouth as you come out you can close both the top gates without having to walk all the way round the damn things!

The first swing bridge you come to can be a real pain as well singlehanding - the other one's electric.  Good luck and take care.

From the sound of it the OP wants company rather than help. 

However:

Most boaters will raise a paddle to help a following boater. So, if the OP is single handed and follows a boat with crew then he will get an easier time. 

[BruceinSanity]

4 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

No shops before Macc though

If you moor at Lyme Green, you can walk through the retail park and up the road past Macclesfield Town FC to a handy Coop, or else catch a bus into town.

[Arthur Marshall]

18 minutes ago, BruceinSanity said:

If you moor at Lyme Green, you can walk through the retail park and up the road past Macclesfield Town FC to a handy Coop, or else catch a bus into town.

I didn't know you could get through the retail park - where's the entry?

[Mac of Cygnet]

5 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

If you decide not to go all the way to Macc, there are good moorings at Sutton, where there's a pub.  You can also moor up at the end of the long term moorings above the top of Bosley.  No shops before Macc though.  Macc moorings used to be terrible, but there's a pontoon now just past the marina so you don't have to wear your blacking away on the rocks.  And if you're using an old guidebook, the water point is now on the left at the CRT site, not where it was on the towpath.

4 pubs within walking distance at Sutton, (Gurnett Aqueduct) actually.  Unfortunately the nearest is not the best.  Also a garden centre with a warm welcoming café immediately behind the moorings.  It took 2 kettles of boiling water to extract anything from the water point a few days ago.  The new pontoon moorings at Macc are good but unfortunately directly opposite a very noisy building site working from dawn to dusk at the moment.    Next worthwhile stop Bollington which is one of my fave stops anywhere.

[haggis]

I never pass that retail park without having a chuckle about buying a new mattress there - for the boat. We found a mattress of the correct size and quality and after we had paid for it asked them to deliver it - they had sign up saying free delivery.  No problem, said the salesman, where to? The boat at the top of the hill was our reply . They took the challenge and said that two guys would carry it up to the boat in half an hour which gave us time to go up and remove the old mattress -  not easy to manoeuvre a double mattress on a boat! The guys arrived and actually placed the mattress on our bed! Would they take the old one away, we asked but they said they wouldn't but suggested we make use of thier skip after the store closed. This we did. Great sports!

haggis

[furnessvale]

24 minutes ago, Mac of Cygnet said:

4 pubs within walking distance at Sutton, (Gurnett Aqueduct) actually.  Unfortunately the nearest is not the best.  Also a garden centre with a warm welcoming café immediately behind the moorings.  It took 2 kettles of boiling water to extract anything from the water point a few days ago.  The new pontoon moorings at Macc are good but unfortunately directly opposite a very noisy building site working from dawn to dusk at the moment.    Next worthwhile stop Bollington which is one of my fave stops anywhere.

Don't worry, once the new houses have been built and the new residents complain, it will no longer be a mooring point.

Problem solved!

George

[jam]

8 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

The first second swing bridge you come to can be a real pain as well singlehanding - the other one's electric.  Good luck and take care.

I've corrected this for you Arthur.

The first swing bridge after Bosley is Fools Nook (Electric), sometimes the second bridge is left open if you are lucky.

[Laurie Booth]

8 minutes ago, jam said:

I've corrected this for you Arthur.

The first swing bridge after Bosley is Fools Nook (Electric), sometimes the second bridge is left open if you are lucky.

Last year the second bridge was chained open so we could pass with no problems. 

[ditchcrawler]

28 minutes ago, Laurie.Booth said:

Last year the second bridge was chained open so we could pass with no problems. 

They were about to paint it when we arrived and opened it for us, but not before I had got off and walked up to it.

Edited December 11, 2017 by ditchcrawler

[Gareth E]

9 hours ago, jam said:

I've corrected this for you Arthur.

The first swing bridge after Bosley is Fools Nook (Electric), sometimes the second bridge is left open if you are lucky.

I've been through this bridge 6 times in the past year. It's been open 5 times, seems I've been lucky!

[Arthur Marshall]

On 11/12/2017 at 22:57, jam said:

I've corrected this for you Arthur.

The first swing bridge after Bosley is Fools Nook (Electric), sometimes the second bridge is left open if you are lucky.

I can never remember which comes first till I get there! Thanks. 

It was chained open for years till the Macc Canal Soc insisted it be kept closed for reasons beyond comprehension. 

[BruceinSanity]

On 11/12/2017 at 21:03, Arthur Marshall said:

I didn't know you could get through the retail park - where's the entry?

It's at the opposite end of that stretch from the road bridge – a quite narrow path that comes out next to Homebase. There's a cheapjack shop in the retail park with limited food supplies too, IIRC.

[Arthur Marshall]

On 12/13/2017 at 07:31, BruceinSanity said:

It's at the opposite end of that stretch from the road bridge – a quite narrow path that comes out next to Homebase. There's a cheapjack shop in the retail park with limited food supplies too, IIRC.

That's handy to know. There is one of those cheapo shops there, you're right.  Thanks - I'll investigate next time I venture above Bosley.