Well it was a short day even for us. After 5mm rain yesterday evening and night we woke to a sunny morning, Waterwomble had already left and we moved forward to top up with water. pushing off at quarter past ten. There are two nice dry docks in Worsley still looking very traditional.
This shot up the Manchester Ship Canal from Barton Swing Aqueduct shows what a great day it turned out to be.
We stopped for a look round the Trafford Shopping Centre, the Waxi has a mooring right outside 
but there are mooring rings just to the north of it. I had to use a pin on the stern rope as there was a boat moored right in the middle of the moorings.
I must say the Centre is a very impressive place.
From the canal you enter via Barton Square which has a large fountain in the centre,
after passing through that you go up an escalator to cross the road via Peel Avenue, a glazed footbridge. This brings you into the shopping mall on the upper floor. The most surprising thing was the lack of people, there were very few people about at all. Returning to the boat we had lunch before setting off again. Just before Waters Meeting we met the Waxi again, 
this time empty, I did wonder if I would meet him on the junction. At the junction we turned left towards Manchester and it wasn't long before we passed the 
Manchester United football ground, Trafford Park. This was followed by Pomona Locks which connects the Manchester ship canal to the Bridgewater canal, they looked very unloved.
Further into Manchester there are another pair of disused locks that also drop down to the Ship Canal known as Hulme Locks.
Its now only a short way to Castleford Basin and the end of the Bridgewater Canal but before getting there we met our old friend Waterwomble again, scooping rubbish from the canal.
At Castleford Junction we turned to the right and fond somewhere to moor at about 3 o'clock before wandering around town for a bit. 
We took this photo on our return and then got talking to a local boater who told us all the boats in the basin are on long term moorings except us and one other, the problem being that Peel Holdings have not put up any signage to say they are let long term. Sure enough we had just sat down for a cup of tea when a boat turns up and tells us we are on his mooring. Luckily there was just room for us to pull forward clear of his moorings to let him moor up.
Today’s Journey 
7.6 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes.
2 comments:
So there's now virtually no casual mooring in Castlefield Basin? That's going to be fun in the summer for all the hire boats (and others) doing the Cheshire Ring (assuming Peel Holdings don't actually ban all non-Bridgewater boats from their waterways). Or is what you found just a winter moorings thing?
I wouldn't say that Halfie, there are still several spaces it just you can't tell which are long term and which aren't. I had already spoken to a long term moorer so knew the score but he said there are often problems when a boater comes back and finds someone in their spot. He has put his own sign up saying its a long term mooring and his boat name.
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