The Rochdale 9 are innocent (NOT)

We did 11 hours cruising today. Yes that's right 11 hours. POS decided she wanted to go through Manchester under the virtual cover of darkness or at least before the yobos and truants (or both) bother to get out of bed. So we left our mooring in Ashton at 0700 hrs this am. Approaching the mooring last night I had a fouled up screw (ooh er missus) and had to get my hand down in the weedhatch to remove various 'things' that had stopped the forward propulsion of Weyward Lady. At this point I could post a photograph of said gubbins but in the interests of all I will decline. Suffice it to say it's not a pleasant task. Anyway our plan today was to do 27 locks, 18 on the Ashton and then turning left on to the famous Rochdale 9 down into Manchester City proper. They have done a lot to rejuvenate the area but I have to say the architecture is a little odd. I thought the packing case style went out in the sixties!

The first 18 were just single locks and just a tad tedious to be honest. The canal itself was pretty dirty and all in all we were glad to get on to the Rochdale, or at least so we thought. The Rochdale 9 have a bit of a reputation for be hard work.

Well let me tell you they are all 10ft drop double locks and complete bas**ards. POS helped me with the first 2 and then was unable to get back on the boat as I locked down Canal Street the gay quarter of Manchester. This photo was the last I saw of her for half an hour.

So POS had to walk the length of Canal Street unaccompanied and I had to do the worst lock I have ever done, and badly, in front of a bar called "Queer City" I was the source of great amusement. POS failed to get propositioned.
To cap it it all it started to rain just as we moored up in the lovely and very trendy Castlefield's Castle Quay. Still at least it waited until we were both quite knac**red so it really didn't matter. Anyway having gone to all that effort to get here we may spend a day sightseeing tomorrow. We will see what the weather brings or what state the aching bodies are in.