Heartbreak? No, but maybe heartache!

Saturday, 08 May 2010 18:28

13 Cheshire Locks today - unlucky for some?

Today we continued up "Heartbreak Hill", or, as they are more properly called, the Cheshire Locks. We finished the Wheelock Flight (lock 59) and then made for Hassall Green Locks. The bottom locks are immediately after the M6 bridge and so it is very noisy! The top lock here is only a single lock but has a useful shop and restaurant beside it. "Lock 57" is also "Canal Centre", with a small wharf selling diesel, gas, coal etc. I decided I needed a bit of exercise, so set off to walk to Pierpoint Locks and set the bottom one ready for John to bring Epiphany in.

There was a lovely view from the top lock (55) - not me!

There is a little break between here and the next  locks - lunch time! I think this cow fancied our pasties!

Lock 54 and Thurlwood Lock (53) are spaced about a quarter of a mile apart. Lock 54 has a cottage below and a row of canal cottages above which are below the level of the canal due to salt extraction subsidence. On a sunny day it must make an attractive scene. Thurlwood lock is now only a single lock - but the site of the other is still there. This lock was the subject of a failed experiment - photos from below and leaving the lock

A steel lock was constructed to overcome the salt subsidence. In practice it was slow to use, but an impressive structure to see. Clickety click to see a photo (1973) of a narrowboat exiting the steel lock. It was eventually dismantled in 1988 after lying disused for a number of years. Steel locks were not seen as viable after this experiment!

By now we were thinking about where to moor and decided on Church Lawton, 6 locks ahead of us. Three of these were Lawton Treble Locks - not three side by side but three going up!

The bottom Lawton Lock (52) is a pair, so there was a choice of locks; at the middle lock there is no choice, as one of them is disused and any water coming down is through a conduit.

Lawton Middle disused lock

From Lawton top lock, one of the bridges that commonly herald these double locks is visible just before Halls Lock (49). A similar bridge before the two Church Locks is marred by a pipe so not so attractive!

Bridge 137 and winding hole

The Church Locks gave us "heartache" as both had disused locks beside them. On approach, the right hand one had a gate open and a narrowboater could be tempted to try it - unless, as I did, they spotted that it looked rather neglected. This was confirmed as John firmly closed the gate when he arrived there.

This is so sad - but a fair bit of work would be needed to bring them up to working standards and would the cost be justified in the current BW funding climate?

Church bottom locks and the "banana" disused top lock (47) (click on the second picture to see the bend more clearly):

There was plenty of room at Church Lawton moorings, so we moored up, ready for a rest! The sun had shone briefly to welcome us but the rain soon came again. There is no need to water the plants on the roof today!

Trent and Mersey Canal, Longcroft Locks 60 to Church Lawton

3 hours 50 minutes, 4.01 miles, 13 locks