Great Canal Journeys

[Caran]

I really enjoyed this last night. It was especially great for me as I used to live in a cottage on that canal. We were half a mile up from the Hatton flight. We would see boats going past and they would be all excited about a lock coming up. Most of them didn't know it was a flight of 23 locks!

[ladybirder]

I have really enjoyed these canal journeys with Tim and Prue but how sad to see her decline. She looked so lost and I hate to say it, vacant, sometimes. But she so enjoys the countryside along the canals and clearly adores him. And he her I think. Love the slow pace of their journeys, makes a change.

[Caran]

Yes ladybirder I too noticed a great change in her.

[trt]

Very enjoyable Caran, and the good thing about these kind of docs, is you learn things that you would never have thought/known about.

Like the tunnel they went through, and how the people (leggers) used to get through it, and a few people died building it.

[ladybirder]

OMG trt, the leggers. What a terrible job they had.

[Caran]

When we had our boat on the canal I persuaded OH to turn off the engine so we could have a go legging it. I couldn't do it as my legs were too short. He had a go and said no way. To blxxxy hard.

[ladybirder]

Did he manage to move it at all Caran?

[Caran]

No he didn't. I suppose it didn't help he was doing it on his own.

[ladybirder]

If he was my husband he'd be doing it on his own as well Caran.

[trt]

When I left school at 15, I got a job at a boat builders/repair yard in Stretford, not far from Salford docks called Rathebone Brothers.

They used to repair barges, and convert some to houseboats.
One retired ship captain bought a wide barge that was used by Kelloggs Company, which used to carry corn etc, up to their factory in Trafford Park.

When finished being converted it had 3 double bedrooms, luxury kitchen for them days, lounge and bathroom.

On the day of handover to the Captain & his family, the press were there, champagne for the launch, and remember him giving all those who worked on it a money gift, I think I got 5 shillings :-).

Then things went terribly wrong!.........................
They set off to travel the Country by the canals, and when we arrived for work the next day, the houseboat was back at the yard.

When they set off and arrived at the first Lock, it wouldn't go in as the width of the barge was to wide.
Nobody had bothered to check that Kellogg barges were very wide and only used to travel from Salford docks to the Kelloggs Company.

Haven't got time now, its 12.30am to tell you what happened next, but if anybody is interested, will tell you tomorrow!

[Caran]

We were also restricted as to which canals and rivers we could sail on due to width of boat.