Works4U is a school for young people with Autism in Stalybridge. They bought a small steel narrowboat called Murphy from Preston Brook. It's engine wasn't working so they had to arrange a tow. This got it to Castlefields. We arranged to bowhaul Murphy up the 27 locks from Manchester to Ashton.
Key to doing this was the remarkable Aaron Booth, who did most of the bowhauling, but the cast also included
Geraldine Buckley,
Glyn Ford,
Tony Ellams,
Brian Bloom,
Rhona Mapperley,
Helen Kanes
and Nessie.
Photos taken from the boat by Helen Kanes, from the land by me.
Canal St Lock
Between Canal St and Chorlton St Lock the boat had to be shafted because the towpath is now the fashionable Canal St.
After Chorlton St the canal disappears into concrete caverns under modern office blocks.
We emerge from the gloom into Dale St Lock. The adjacent basin was once packed with trading boats, but is now a car park.
Geraldine and her miniscule dog were waiting on the lockside
Aaron was working the lock. Rhona had been steering.
Aaron had to shaft across the basin to the little rathole that is the entrance to the Ashton canal.
The interior of Murphy will need a bit of work.
We'd been concerned about getting through Lock 3 of the Ashton as contractors were supposed to be starting work that day and closing the canal. It's all part of a scheme to put a new bridge across the tail of the lock so that the heavy foot traffic from the tram stop won't be disrupted by people working the lock. It all looks rather over engineered to me. Bear in mind that making a ton of concrete releases 1.8 tons of CO2.
Several locks further up we got to the new Co-op Live concert venue, famous for it's opening fiasco.
On the other side of the canal is the Etihad, where more building work is in progress.
We carried on working upwards.
Rhona had to leave us as she had work in the afternoon.
The view down the flight can be quite dramatic.
We reached the summit at lock 18 shortly before dusk, Aaron forged ahead, hauling us at a fair lick, arriving at Portland Basin well after dark. A long day, but very enjoyable. We were lucky with the sunny winter weather.