Dunham Massey

Today's Canal - Bridgewater

It was quite pleasant as we set off with numerous bright sunny spells. However the forecast is that the cloud will gradually thicken and that there will be little sunshine after 11. Alas, for once the forecast was correct!

Our overnight mooring had been very quiet and although not on any recommended list of stops, suited us juts fine. In the evening there had been a steady stream of walkers and cyclists but as soon as the light faded we were largely left to ourselves!

The first bridge we came to had this sign warning cyclist to dismount as it is a low bridge. This is often displayed both on the Bridgewater and on CaRT waters. Of course, it is also widely ignored.

In this case we wonder whether the person putting up the sign was just following orders having been told to put them everywhere. Sad that someone could not use a bit of common sense as in this case it would have taken an over 3 m high person to bang their head!

We are always on the lookout for something that we might have missed in the past. This smallish structure had nut stood out before - sorry about the sun being in the wrong direction, we did tell it to move.

Here is the one on the opposite side. We saw the same arrangement a little later but not, so far as we recall, anywhere else.The only point in common is that a stream runs under the canal at both locations. We are uncertain about their purpose but perhaps they are some sort of vent for the culverts.

The sun was bright as we came through Worsley which shows in our picture of the Packet House.

Another obligatory photo is the Manton Lighthouse - we have said enough about it in the past!

And so to the Barton Swing Aqueduct.

The Kellog's factory - we are ticking off all the usual landmarks quite nicely. However not any more for some time as the route through Sale is unremarkable.

Under the splendid cast iron bridge on the left of the photo and out onto the main line of the Bridgewater. Going the other way is into Manchester. No much point going that way at the  moment as all the other routes out of the city are closed for lack of water right now.

The joke on this boat might well amuse many but it does seem a bit unwise to tempt fate and the attention of the authorities! Of course, we might have misunderstood it entirely.

We called at Stretford Marina for fuel. Unfortunately just before us was another boat wanting a full service including pump out which seemed to go on forever - over quarters of an hour. They only charge £15 for a pumpout so it is hard to see how they make much money this way. On the other hand, they are always very welcoming and friendly here.

We stopped at Sale Bridge to have lunch and to make a short shopping trip into the town centre.

We have followed the development of the former Linotype factory over the years. It seems almost complete now with only this small patch still to fill.

However, if our pictures are correct, this is what the site here looked like back in June. The shell of the building - the only part that identifies the original use - was being repaired. Since then, sadly, it seems to have been demolished so that future occupants of the somewhat dreary housing development may well forget the important role that Linotype played in the transition of printing from a task of assembling individual cast letters into a process that used a keyboard instead. We almost all printed material today being created on a computer screen, let us hope there is some way of remembering the industrial past.

We continued as the sky became ever greyer towards our sort-of target of Dunham Massey. The spot we were aiming for - where we moored overnight in June - was occupied so we pulled in just a short distance sooner.

14.1 Miles - 0 Locks