Metal Magician's - 25th March

The cold weather continues here at the Marina, with a biting easterly.
Some snow remains, though we didn't have the heavy falls experienced over the hills and elsewhere.

When will it warm up?

I walked round to see what the boat engineers were doing to a hire boat that they had pulled out.

Oh dear! A very bent rudder!

Apparently it had got wedged under the counter when in hard reverse?!

 

The rudder stock flange is unbolted

The boat lifted up to release the rudder

How to flatten the rudder?

Some brilliant lateral thinking by the engineer – use the weight of the boat and trailer.

Final touches

Back into the water – and the holiday cruise can continue!

Converging on Castleton - 28th Feb

Joining the Ramblers Society (never thought I would?!) has given me links to the East Cheshire group who walk midweek – an advantage leaving weekends free for other things.

This walk was the first of three longer ones I have done recently – the others were mostly misty so no pics!

An early start to drive over to Mam Tor NT car park was thoroughly rewarded with an interesting 10 mile walk over the southern side.

 

It was a very cold day though sunny.

X – marks the start of the walk

This is our descent looking west from Lord's Leap

Here looking north across to the Kinder plateau

As we descended south through Perrydale, the terrain is more White than Dark Peak.

Road sections were required to avoid a much longer circuit.

The curious long-necked black sheep?

Climbing back up to Eldon Hill, our leader showed us the 'Eldon Hole'. This limestone pothole is about 60 metres deep and was well known in the 17/18^th Century.

We peered into it from the safety of the fence.

Eldon Hole

Our walk then gained height to the reach the easterly track way-marked the Limestone Way. A tricky stony descent down Cave Dale saw us arrive at Castleton.

Ramblers – well wrapped up against the biting cold wind

Descending Cave Dale with some ice underfoot

After a tea break in the town, we headed west and climbed past the tourist Speedwell and Treak Cliff Caverns.

Being shadowed by the para-gliders

Uphill finish

Looking back east to Hope and the cement works.

I had visited here as a boy scout whilst camping at Hathersage.

It seemed a great adventure as an 11 year old from north London – 1962 I think?!

Happy memories!

 

 

 

Wonky Webasto!

In June 2011, we got Adam from PB Mechanical to fit a Webasto Thermo Top E in the engine room, right up near the calorifier.
Until just recently, we have had good service from this boiler, including a cold period out on the towpath in the early winter of 2011.

In the last month, I noticed the boiler would cut out before the timer finished – so decided it was time for a service.

Simon the Engineer here at Overwater Marina used a laptop link to test the running under load. The diagnosis gave it was time for a service with the glow plug not efficient.

The Webasto was recorded as having done 1400 hours with a surprising 2030 start ups?

This could be due to the advice received to run the boiler in shorter full load periods.
Simon's advice was to let the boiler run constantly when heating the radiators and let the electronics cycle as programmed. We will have to see next service how it has fared.

Anyway, it needed a new complete burner unit which came with a fitting kit.

Webasto taken off for it's service

Burner unit extracted from the casing

 

 Wonky burner tube (out of focus) with the carbon deposits in the burner chamber

 

 

Back fitted and running – all in an afternoon!

Waterless Wide-beam

A week or so ago, we heard that the Marina was to be host to an Elton Moss display boat.

This one being a wide-beam!

As we waited, we heard it had come over from Poland and hadn't set off from London until 9am, even though the crane had been 'booked' from mid-morning.

However, once the lorry eventually arrived, the offload was pretty efficient.

The lorry arrives

 

Getting set up

 

Lift off! Swinging clear of the caravan on the CL site!

 

Safely down?

 

Settling onto the sleepers

Work done – the empty lorry now needs to reverse back out – watch the grass!

The crane driver said it weighed in at 26 tons – quite light surprisingly for a 56' by 10'.

 



Tunnel Lamp Trio

Since buying our boat in 2003, we have had three different tunnel lamps.

The first was a heavy lamp, possibly a search light type. The switching system was housed in the back of the light and had siezed, so I had by-passed it. However, the reflector and bulb holder were also bady corroded and when embarrassed by it's intermittant working, I eventually decided to replace it.

 n.b. Song of the Waterways in March 2003, just after we had bought it. Here moored at the late Geoff Dennison's berth on the North Oxford Canal. Note the tunnel lamp has a bow mast light. Here I am running the engine for the first time? Also, note the boat came without a bow tip fender – we ran down to Braunston that Easter to get fitted up with fenders and ropes by Pete at Tradline Rope and Fenders.

So in August 2009, I went the route of economy and bought a car spotlight!

This time mounted direct onto the front cratch board.

Coming down the South Stratford Canal.

First long cruise since retiring.

The car lamp was always an interim measure. So via the amazing e-bay, Chris sourced our third and current tunnel lamp.

This is a Butler spotlight, probably off a Massey Ferguson tractor, although I've seen a reference to them being used for the Ford Popular car.

When up on the Leeds and Liverpool last summer, Adam from PB Mechanicals mounted it with new wiring and re-paint to look a simple, understated and yet effective lamp - much more in keeping with the age and style of the trad.

Coming through Fool's Nook Swing Bridge, doing the 'long' Cheshire Ring due to the breach at Dutton – October 2012

 

  Close up of the Butler lamp – with the old light fitting/holes still in place!

 

Another Wintry Walk - 5th February

I had intended to meet up with the Ramblers, though unbeknown to me, it had been cancelled due to the snow. As it happened, the road into Macclesfield was closed by the Police due to a serious crash, I stopped at Oakgrove.

So parking at Fools Nook, I started off along the Macclesfield Canal towards Lyme Green.

Of possible interest to boaters, there were 5 boats moored along here to Bridge 47, 3 had fires lit and 2 weren't licensed! That makes 40% - a lot higher than the Canal Trust 4%!

Bridge 47

People who know this stretch will recall when this swing bridge was re-instated by (I think?) the Macclesfield Canal Society. There has been an energetic discussion about the footpath Right of Way and the bridge used to be closed to boats and needed opening for navigation. This was the case the last time we came through (September 2012).

Today, Bridge 47 was open, with no sign of a chain for walkers to pull it across to close it.
How would you get across? A One-way footpath!

The optimistic footpath way-mark!

Walking on, the view opens out after Bridge 46 – they say that the Macclesfield Canal is quite beautiful, I suspect living near/on it for all these years we took it for granted.

Coming back now the view is pretty wonderful.

Tegg's Nose Country Park in the foreground with Macc Forest behind

Using local knowledge, I walked across the fields into Sutton Lane Ends and headed up the road towards the Gritstone Trail.

  The feeder from the River Rossen that feeds Sutton Reservoir

 

There was plenty of water coming through

 

Having reached the Gritstone Trail, I turned east, uphill and onto very wet fields – although they were covered in a thin layer of snow. Although the path up to Ridge Hill and the Hanging Gate is not far, it took a while as I slithered around in the mud!

 Looking east

 

Looking west – any guesses where this is taken from?

It now started to snow and it was blowing hard as I descended back into Sutton and picked up the path through to Sutton Reservoir.

  Who went there? The bridge over a feeder stream

 Sutton Reservoir is full! This small reservoir is also known locally as Turk's Head Reservoir – I don't know why? Built in 1838 to hold about 98 million gallons (some 7 years after the Macclesfield Canal was opened).

Turks Head Reservoir – Telford's planning and William Crossley engineering

Looking back to the dam

Plenty of water in the overspill

This stream runs under the road and canal

My last stretch back along the canal was via the newish footbridge (Bridge 48A) over the canal. This was sponsored by the (new) owners of Canal Cottage when it changed hands some years ago. Boaters may remember access to the cottage used to be via a floating pontoon that looked quite precarious and narrowed the channel being moored on the bend!

Canal Cottage from the Footbridge

 

The newish Footbridge 48A

Finally back to Oakgrove and the car.

I reckon to have covered about 8 miles and climbed the 550 feet up to the Hanging Gate.

The Fools Nook Inn – originally called the Royal Oak dating from the late 1820's when the canal was built. Housed in cottages, these were demolished in 1841 to build the new pub of today. It was not until 1962 that the pub was re-named the Fools Nook.

Sadly, the pub has been closed since been flooded out just before Christmas with a flash flood.

  A wintry walk indeed!