Aston Locks Wednesday 30 October 2019

Day : Wednesday
Date : 30 October 2019
Start : 1030
Finish : 1500hrs Aston Business Village

IMPORTANT NOTICE All comments made to this blog are checked before being accepted. Comments made anonymously are accepted but if you leave even just your first name I could say thanks.

Last night in the Cuttle Bridge Inn was good, both quality and value, they offer two for one on main course meals, so you get the cheapest one free. Not the best deal for us as I went expensive and Diana went cheap. The wine deals looked good as well on selected wines.

This morning we were away at 1030am, the plan, was a short day to Star City, but that changed. We passed a very small fishing match just beyond the first bridge and were soon at the Minworth locks. For anyone coming this way the Elsan disposal is out of order at Minworth top lock.
Half of the old Cincinnati works is now housing, one of the houses have done the garden down to the waters edge, I was rather taken by the bus stop.

By the Tyburn House there was a squeaking noise as a bike joined the towpath, maybe the police don't service their bikes or issue their officers with helmets. We would see him again a short way down the canal near this pile of fly tipping, I photographed it to report it but then spotted him standing by the road, so I checked and he was getting it sorted.

I turned slowly into the GU at Salford Junction and by the time I got round there was a hire boat on the aqueduct waiting to come out, the girl steering was doing a good job and she held well back for me to get round. We have seen quite a few hire boats over the past 2 days, far more than private boats. Its not far to Star City, our planned destination, from the junction and we were soon tied up. It was then that I noticed the Ipad had not been logging our journey on Motion X. finger trouble on my part, but it had taken us 2½ hours. As we sat eating lunch we discussed what to do next, it was a lovely day and only 1pm. If we carried on up the flight it would take several hours to find somewhere pleasant to moor for the night, it seemed to early to call it a day, so after lunch we reversed back down to Salford Junction to head up the Aston flight. The yard opposite the junction have now put car tyres all the way along their frontage to try to stop boats damaging the edge as they fail to make the turn.

Heading up the Aston flight we passed the only lock with a bridge across its tail, there is a gap under the towpath end for the towrope to pass, not only that but the bottom gate is hung on the offside, also unique on this flight, however you can see that when the lock was built it was intended to hang it on the towpath side like all the rest.

We moored after doing three locks outside the Aston Business Village, we have never used these moorings before but there are nice rings, wrong spacing for us, all away along this frontage. There are also a pair of locks that we will never pass through. The best bit is the "Deep water" notice, its about a foot deep, the other side of the towpath is the canal which, thankfully is a bit deeper.

I made sure that Motion X recorded the second half of our travels so the part map is below.

Today's Journey6¾ Miles 6 Locks in 3¾ hours.

Note:
All of the above is my personal opinion and does not represent those of any official body or notices.