The longest lock free journeys

While editing the BCN DVD recently I was trying to work out how long the Birmingham and Wolverhampton levels of the BCN were and how these compared to other long pounds.

Counting mileposts in the Nicholson’s guides revealed the following.

I think these are the longest distances (in miles) you can navigate without passing through a lock (or working stop lock) and without retracing part of your route.

42.8  Bridgewater Runcorn Basin via Waters Meeting and L&L Leigh Branch to Wigan bottom lock
41.2  Lancaster Canal Preston to Tewitfield
31.9  BCN Engine Arm Terminus via Horseley Fields Junction to Longwood Junction
31.4  Union Canal Edinburgh to top of Falkirk Staircase locks
29.2  Ashby Canal Limit of Navigation to Top of Atherstone Locks
28.8  Ashby Canal Limit of Navigation to Coventry Basin
28.0  Top of Tardebigge Locks via BCN Loops and Netherton Tunnel to Hawne Basin

Some of these distances are pretty close and we might need to have a recount for the first two places if we measure them again more carefully.  You can get a much longer journey on the tidal River Trent and the Yorkshire Rivers but they aren’t canals.

Have I missed any?  Or does someone have different measurements for the distances?

Posted on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 16:45        Comments (5)
Category(s): Ashby , BCN , Bridgewater , Coventry , Forth/Clyde Union , Lancaster , Leeds and Liverpool

Cheshire Ring

We’ve been busy making the most of the fine sunny weather recently with the filming for the Four Counties and Cheshire Ring DVDs.

We headed up the Trent and Mersey to Preston Brook where it turns into the Bridgewater Canal.  The junction where the canals meet end on is inside Preston Brook Tunnel.  Is this the only instance of canals meeting within a tunnel?

Then we did the whole of the Bridgewater Canal, including the branches to Runcorn and to Leigh and spent Thursday night moored at Castlefield Basin in Manchester.

Our son, Andrew, turned up on his way to work on Friday morning.  This was his first week in his new job and he seemed to be enjoying it.

Friday saw us climb the Rochdale 9 - the broad locks through the centre of Manchester - and they were hard work. Three and a half very tiring hours to do these locks, before turning right onto the Ashton Canal for another 18 locks to Dukinfield Junction.

Then, today, we climbed the Marple flight on the Peak Forest Canal which is, I think, the second steepest flight of locks in Britain (after Caen Hill).  A rise of 214 feet in 16 locks in just under a mile.

Tonight we are moored at Strines on the Peak Forest Canal.

Tomorrow we will be heading for Marple via Whaley Bridge and Bugsworth.

Posted on Saturday, August 4, 2007 at 19:42        Comments (0)
Category(s): Ashton , Bridgewater , Cheshire Ring , Peak Forest , Rochdale , Trent & Mersey