The Marple Flight of 16 Locks.

Sunday 13th September, 2015 in Marple.
A lovely morning and a good forecast for today. The mist was still lingering on the water when M got up.

We set off almost exactly at 9:00am into Lock 1, the first of 16 locks that lift the canal 214ft in just one mile. That means that the locks average over 12ft depth each. That's deep!

Not only are they very deep but the water flows are very strong - plus the locks leak a lot! M remarked that at least she wouldn't have to water her Michaelmas Daisies and Pansies in the well deck.

The pounds between each lock are also very short, which means that you cannot stop and moor up in the middle of the flight. Once you start, you just have to go for it and complete all 16.

This is a most attractive flight of locks, not least on account of the meticulous original stonework; the footholds under the top gates in particular are designed to make the opening and closing of the gates much easier. The flight originally cost £27,000 to build in 1804 - worth every penny.

R was obliged to walk across the roof at each lock to climb up the ladder to get out of the lock to help M with the paddles and to walk up to the next lock to set it (every lock was against us and had to be emptied before we could go into it). Between Locks 8 and 9 the towpath changes sides so R moved the gangplank to the other side of the roof - you don't want to trip over it in the bottom of a 12ft lock!

Up to Lock 8, the flight was very rural and bordered by lovely mature beech trees. From Lock 9, its nature changed and it became much more urban, lined by houses on one side and terraced houses on the other. We could also hear a brass band playing somewhere in the adjacent park.  Were they heralding our arrival, we wondered?

Another difference was the sudden appearance of dozens of Gongoozlers watching us through the locks and asking questions. However, we never mind them and always enjoy talking to them. Perhaps, in the future, some of them will become boaters - lets hope so.

There is a very famous warehouse (now apartments) owned by one Mr Oldknow, a local businessman who was one of the original promoters of the canal. The bridge next to the warehouse is called "Posset Bridge" because Oldknow wanted it finished on time and promised the navvies a posset of ale apiece (a popular hot drink of milk mixed with ale and spices). History records that they did complete it on time and he paid up!

At this lock there is also a curiously shaped "horse tunnel"...

And alongside it is a very narrow tunnel for the boatman. Again, lots of lovely stonework.

At Lock 14, the ground paddle was broken, so we had to fill the lock with just the gate paddle. The gate paddles are not normally used until the lock is half full because they create very strong currents. The rush of water was quite impressive. We were very pleased to see another boat coming down - which meant that the last two locks would be ready for us.

Lock 16, the final one. Phew! Three and a half hours in all; we could certainly have done with our friend Angela, with whose help we did the sixteen wide locks of the Caen Hil flight in only 2.5 hours (in pouring rain)!

We know, from having been here before with MM in the spring of 2014, that this small town has a Costa. No prizes for guessing where we went to celebrate completing the flight.

We managed to find a very pleasant mooring just above the top lock. (MM is the second boat on the right). We will moor here for three nights as M has to go home tomorrow for a couple of days and R will stay with MM. (Note from M - he will doubtless be getting up to no good...!)

We have a very pleasant view back towards the top lock and the old canal toll houses.

Today: 1 mile, 16 locks and 5.6 hours.
Trip: 304 miles, 263 locks and 230.5 hours.