Tuesday 3rd June, 2014 at Bugsworth Basin.
The day started grey and cool, but thankfully dry after last night's heavy rain. The friends that we had made last night at the foot of the Bosley lock flight passed us on their boat "It's Amore" (he's Italian!).
We cruised through beautiful countryside to Marple Junction where the Macclesfield Canal comes to an end and joins up with the older Peak Forest Canal. This is the end of the Macclesfield with the Peak Forest Canal on the other side of the bridge.
We moored just before the junction and went to reconnoitre. We will be turning right on to the Peak Forest Canal and head towards Bugsworth Basin, but if we had turned left, we would have encountered the steepest lock flight in the country, 16 locks that drop the canal 214 ft. Each lock averages over 13ft in depth and "wow!" they really do look deep! Next year we are planning to go down that flight on our way up north - so it was useful reconnaisance. Marple is very much a "canal" town as you can see from the unusual street lamps with a very narrowboating theme.
We walked down past the first four locks to the centre of Marple where M was delighted to find a large Co-op, where she bought a "few bits" and R was even happier to find a Costa!
Back on MM, after struggling back up the hill two bags bursting with the "few bits", we set off down the Peak Forest Canal.
Simultaneously we both said "Wow!" (again) at the breathtaking scenery as the canal followed the 518 ft contour past deep valleys, high hills and verdant pastures as far as the eye could see. Absolutely beautiful!
Two swing bridges and two lift bridges followed, but luckily we had two companion boats with us. On one were our friends Lorraine and Frederico on nb "It's Amore" and the other was nb "Cornelian". We were all heading for Bugsworth so we took it in turns to operate the bridges.
On the way we found yet another house that we wouldn't mind owning! A secluded canalside property with a beautiful garden and room to moor MM - a lovely dream!
As we approached Newtown, a rather sickly sweet aroma pervading the air heralded our approach to a large converted mill that is Swizzles-Matlows confectionery works. The Pearson's Canal Guide describes it as the "purveyor of sherberty smells and origin of all the sticky substances you find abandoned in your children's pockets". A most fitting description! Two beaming ladies in white overalls and turbans waved cheerily to us from one of the factory's windows as we passed.
We arrived at Bugsworth Basin in the late afternoon and moored up in the Upper Basin at the very end of the canal.
The site has a fascinating history and is a remarkable example of how our heritage can be saved and restored, given the will.
Bugsworth Basin was a massive transhipment site, the first part of which was completed in 1796. A six mile tramway connected it with the limestone quarries deep in the Dales to the east. Canal boats brought in coal from the Manchester area. 19 limestone kilns turned some of the limestone into quicklime and the canal boats carried the limestone and the quicklime back towards Manchester.
The restoration started in 1968, when the whole site was completely silted up and a mass of trees, brambles and weeds. Now it is a beautifully restored and attractive basin; such a startling contrast from the hell on earth that it must have been in its heyday with all the lime kilns belching black smoke.
It was quite emotional for us to arrive here with MM at last. Five years ago we came here by car from Buxton and watched a couple moor up their narrowboat, get out their chairs on the grassy bank and enjoy a gin & tonic. We wistfully thought then of the day we might do that on our own boat. At that time MM was but a dream - but this evening we sat next to her in the spot where we had dreamed five years ago and drank a gin & tonic toast to MM. How blessed we are!
Today: 11 miles, 0 locks and 5.4 hours.
Trip: 49 miles, 28 locks and 26.6 hours.
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