Clayton Lock 13, Ashton Canal to Ducie Road Junction, Manchester

19 September - Heading into Manchester

Up at the usual time breakfast, blog, and down the weed hatch, the prop had another large plastic growth on it which looked like old video tape and plenty of it, this was the 1st time that I could not do the whole job with the boat hook and had to get my hands and a knife down in there , still its been 5 months to get to that and still no tires, touch wood and thank the Gods.

That done we set off down the remaining locks on the Ashton canal and into Manchester Central,  We moored for lunch at the Sports City complex that was the venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and still looks well looked after and well used for most the part,

Inner city is dirty and tagging everywhere, though there are some real artists.

This old mill was derelict but as you passed music was blaring so obviously someone is using it as a studio. Life is returning to some of the old buildings. A lot of the mills are now becoming housing.

 Ashton Canal completed and into Piccadilly Basin

 After that we did the last 3 locks down into Piccadilly Basin that puts us on the Rochdale canal, we have been a long time getting to this point that starts our trip back across the Pennines to Yorkshire and then to Sheffield, but first the 32 miles and 92 locks of the Rochdale canal.

 Our mooring for the night, very inner city, now on the Rochdale Canal

TOTAL - 12 locks, 2 miles, 3 small aqueducts