Previous Year : 1999 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2001

2000 - The Rochdale Canal.

Crew : John & Chris, Ernie & Jennifer, Pete, Dave, Colin, Stan.

Boat : Gloucester

From : Shire Cruisers, Sowerby Bridge.

Route : Sowerby Bridge > Hebden Bridge > Walsden > Summit [w] > Littleborough [on foot and back by bus] > Todmorden > Hebden Bridge > Sowerby Bridge > Brighouse > Huddersfield > Dewsbury [w] > The pub with no beer or food > Elland > Sowerby Bridge

Coverage : 124 Locks and 64 Miles.

Notes : We went to the summit of the then recently re-opened Rochdale Canal, then back to Dewsbury & Huddersfield. At that time, westbound navigation of The Rochdale Canal was not possible beyond West Summit Lock 37. We walked down the then still closed canal into Littleborough for lunch, where we attracted the attention of the local constabulary for some reason. There was also the pub with no beer or food - so not much going for it really. I have no photos of this trip but if anyone else does have some, I'd be grateful.

Saturday 20th May

Lunch : Sowerby Bridge. We met up in The Moorings in Sowerby Bridge. Eventually, we loaded up the boat and set off for Tuel Lane Lock. Unusually, Shire Cruisers actually accompany you through the first couple of locks. At Tuel Tunnel, you must wait until summoned by the lock keeper's whistle. We passed through Tuel Lane lock and headed off up The Rochdale Canal.

Evening : Hebden Bridge. There is some suggestion that we stopped at The Shoulder of Mutton for a meal and beer, but no one is 100% sure.

Sunday 21st May

Lunch: Todmorden. We left Hebden Bridge and continued on up to Todmorden, where we moored near "The Great Wall of Todmorden", We went to The Bramsch Bar, which had some rather nice Timothy Taylor's Golden Best on, and we got chatting with a town official who was a bit surprised to find a group of tourists in deepest darkest Todmorden. We suggested that the town could make more of itself by promoting the canal, The Great Wall of Todmorden and The Todmorden Marbles - a set of small statues on top the Town Hall. After several more pints of Golden Best, we continued on towards Walsden.

Mid - afternoon : We stopped for an afternoon snifter or two at The Mason's Arms, by the junction of Rochdale Road & Bacup Road then continued up. For some reason, we managed to flood the towpath below Gauxholme Lock - probably because the byewashes weren't clear. This also meant that we had to shuttle a family around the flood. Despite living by the canal, they said it was the first time they had ever been on a boat on it.

Evening : probably Walsden. No one can remember. We probably stopped somewhere near Walsden since we got up to the summit quite early the next morning, so we can't have been too far down.

The Rochdale Canal somewhere above Walsden.

I don't know where this is... Can anyone identify it ?

Monday 22nd May

Morning : Summit. We arrived on the summit level quite early. The lady came out of the Lock Cottage and sold us a Rochdale Summit plaque as we locked through Longlees Lock 36 on to the summit pound. We moored up close to The Summit Inn and settled down to breakfast. After breakfast, we walked along the then still disused canal down into Littleborough. We went into The Royal Oak for several pints of lunch before deciding to get a bus back. For some reason, whilst standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus, we seemed to attract the attention of one of the local constabulary. She drove past us at least three times while we were waiting for the bus, so on her third drive-by, we all waved to her.

Arriving on the summit pound, we purchased a Rochdale Canal Summit plaque.

Evening : Todmorden. In the evening, we returned to Todmorden. We had a curry in the Indian restaurant opposite Lock 19 - the guillotine lock - and went back to The Bramsch Bar for more Taylor's Golden Best.

Heading back down The Rochdale Canal towards Todmorden.

Tuesday 23rd May

Lunch : Hebden Bridge. No one can recall which pub we went to.

Evening : Sowerby Bridge. We had to moor somewhere above Tuel Lane Lock as it was not open on a Tuesday. We walked into the town and had a Chinese meal and some proper beer in the big Chinese restaurant/pub opposite the entrance to the boatyard. No one can recall whether we went to another pub. We would pass through Tuel Lane Lock as soon as it opened next morning.

Wednesday 24th May

Morning : Tuel Lane Lock. We passed through Tuel Lane Lock as soon as it opened and we headed for Brighouse.

Lunch : Brighouse. We don't recall which pub it was but it wasn't the usual Wetherspoons pub, as that wasn't open then.

Evening : Huddersfield. On arrival in Huddersfield, we passed through Aspley basin and went on to the then disused Huddersfield Narrow Canal. We moored behind The University as far up the Huddersfield Narrow as we dared go. We had a walk around Huddersfield to have a look at the works going on to re-open the HNC - particularly the tunnel being constructed under the Selles works. No one recalls exactly which pub(s) we went to, though it could have been The Rat and Ratchet, and we probably went for a curry.

Thursday 25th May

Lunch : Dewsbury. After reversing out of The Huddersfield Narrow canal, we winded in Aspley Basin then continued towards Dewsbury. We walked into town to The West Yorkshire Licensed Refreshment Rooms on Platform 1 of the railway station, and then called in for a quickie at The Leggers on the way back to the boat.

Evening : That pub that didn't do food and had no beer ! - so not much going for it really. No one can remember exactly where it was other then it was canalside, and close to a bridge on a main road. To be fair, they said that they had just taken it over a couple of days earlier and they had not yet had time to get set up properly. Colin phoned a local Indian take-away to order some food, but he had some difficulty persuading them to deliver eight meals to a bridge over a canal in the middle of nowhere, however it did eventually all arrive as ordered. We ate on the boat and endured a rather abstemious evening.

We passed straight through Brighouse.. Well, the pubs wouldn't be open yet !

Friday 26th May

Lunch : Elland. We left "wherever it was" and continued on towards Elland. We passed straight through Brighouse and eventually stopped at The Barge & Barrel where we were able to moor on their own mooring right outside the back door of the pub. We had numerous pints of Eastwood & Sanders Bargee and Nettlethrasher before setting off towards Sowerby Bridge.

Evening : Sowerby Bridge : We moored on the visitor moorings just short of the boatyard and went to The Navigation for beer and a meal.

Saturday 27th May

Morning : Back home again.

Previous Year : 1999 The Bona Boater's Trips Following Year : 2001