Mark Nicholls experiences the ambience of an 18th-century superhighway on a narrowboat break from Anderton to Manchester.
For more than two centuries, the canals were the super-highways along which goods were transported across the country.
With narrowboats drawn by horses in the early days, these routes are now kept alive with the chug-chug of powered vessels passing leisurely along these historic arteries.
Among them is the Trent & Mersey Canal, backed by potters such as Josiah Wedgwood because it enabled fragile porcelain and China to be transported to the north-west without breakage on bumpy roads.
Cathedral of the canals
With one other shipmate, I boarded the 47-foot Grey Wren on a dry, slightly overcast, afternoon at the Anderton Boat Marina in Cheshire to follow the final stretches of the 93-mile Trent & Mersey.
Bedecked in red and green livery, and with a speed of around 4mph, we weren’t going anywhere fast on our narrowboat from ABC Boat Hire but that didn’t seem to matter.
Our ultimate destination was Manchester along a route offering that unique blend of open countryside and urban sprawl, plus an insight into engineering masterpieces from the heyday of the industrial revolution.
The first of these, one of the wonders of the UK canal network, was near our departure point. Described as a Cathedral of the Canals, the legendary Anderton Boat Lift links the 50-foot difference in water levels between the Trent & Mersey and the Weaver Navigation.
Visitor centre
The three-storey iron structure sees boats enter a caisson and then be lowered – or raised – through hydraulics, water displacement and electric motors between the two waterways.
When it opened in 1875, it provided a critical transport link, enabling salt from Cheshire and raw materials for the potteries to be transported south. Closed between 1983 and 2002 because of corrosion, a vigorous campaign saw it restored and again become available for canal traffic.
It’s worth spending a couple of hours at the excellent free visitor centre to learning about its history and take a boat trip along the Weaver Navigation (£15) before riding the lift.
The nearby Stanley Arms, a friendly village pub serving food and a good selection of ales, has moorings and welcomes canal boaters.
Industrial waterways
What you soon discover is that a canal boat journey is far more than a relaxed meander through rural England as you have to steer the vessel via a rudder through curves, narrow stretches, tunnels and locks (tuition is provided as required).
But you also learn what a masterpiece of engineering the canal system is: long veins of industrial waterways, dug by navvies in perilously dangerous conditions over decades to link the UK’s growing cities and their factories.
Along the way on our narrowboat break from Anderton to Manchester, we passed through cuttings, over viaducts carrying the narrowboats over roads, or slip beneath the M56, M6 and M60 motorways.
Murky depths
And then, there are the murky depths of tunnels.
Beyond the Anderton Boat Lift, the gaping entrance of the 572-yard Barnton Tunnel loomed, followed by the slightly crooked 424-yard Saltersford Tunnel
Wide enough for only one vessel, with strict entry timings, it’s a case of a long blast on the horn, flick the headlight on and venture within.
Brick-lined, black charred, narrow and dark, there is always the tiny dot of light to aim for at the exit. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Barnton and Saltersford Tunnels are early examples of canal tunnels with no tow path, meaning before motorised boats two people would ‘walk’ the vessel through with their legs against the walls.
Emerging into daylight, the route then meanders through rolling farmland and woodland as trains rumble by not far away as a reminder of the mode of transport that heralded the decline of the canals.
Meandering monster
After mooring overnight near Acton Bridge, and discovering the Leigh Arms pub, we were ship shape and ready to go the next morning after breakfast on board.
The next landmark was Dutton Stop Lock . With a mere four inches difference in the water levels, it effectively sits at the end of the Trent & Mersey and the start of the Bridgewater Canal, which are both part of the Cheshire Ring Canal System.
The latter, opened in 1761, was commissioned by the Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal from his mines into Manchester.
After cranking handles to raise the lock paddles and align the water levels, we passed through only to find more serious tunnelling lay ahead: the cavernous Preston Brook tunnel, a 1239-yard meandering monster. (pic four)
With width for only one vessel, it took 20 minutes to pass through.
Open countryside
Preston Brook was a major hub in the north-west at the height of canal transport, with that activity continuing until the 1940s.
From overhanging willows and oaks laden with acorns, to reeds and banks rolling away from the canal side down, you can go for miles without passing another vessel.
Occasional fishermen, joggers, cyclists and dog walkers populate the canal paths, while birdlife includes herons, ducks, geese, moorhens, swans and kingfishers.
Norton’s ornate water tower, built in 1892 as part of the system that supplied water for Liverpool, rises in the distance as you head to Stockton Heath, Grappenhall and into the lovely village of Lymm with several pubs, restaurants and cafes.
Moor up, walk around, watch narrowboats arrive late afternoon and head up to Lymm Dam half a mile above the village.
Urban landscape
Beyond Lymm lie chandleries as Cheshire blends into Greater Manchester and the rural and urban landscapes merge as yellow trams from Sale shadow the waterway.
After Waters Meeting, the landscape becomes industrial at Salford, passing a container terminal before the stands of Old Trafford and the home of Manchester United rise to the right.
After Throstles Nest Bridge, we near the end of the Bridgewater Canal, turn into Castlefield Quay which dates from 1765, and moor up.
The city centre is a short walk through a mishmash of Victorian and 21 st century architecture where the canals and warehouses of yesteryear have new life as restaurants and cafes, blending with ultra-modern high-rise offices and apartments.
New lease of life
Above our mooring, trains head to Liverpool from Piccadilly Station while trams find their way to Salford Quays and the suburbs.
A walk along Deansgate, passing the Hacienda apartments on the site of the legendary Manchester nightspot, takes you into Princess Street and Portland Street and towards Chinatown. We opted for a couple of pints of Hydes1863 at the atmospheric Grey Horse pub and a bite at the Rozafa Greek Restaurant.
The next day, there’s time to wander around Manchester as the city comes to life…and then head sedately back to Anderton.
All images (C) Mark Nicholls
Tell Me More About A Narrowboat Break From Anderton to Manchester
Mark sailed on a mid-week break from the Anderton Boat Marina on an ABC Boat Hire narrowboat and used Pearson’s Canal Companion (Cheshire Ring) for guidance. It is part of Drifters Waterway Holidays, which offers canal boats from 45 bases across England, Scotland and Wales.
Prices start at £590 for a short break (three or four nights) on a boat for four, or £815 for a week. Vessels range from 32-70 feet and can accommodate 2-12 people. Tuition is included as part of Drifters’ holiday packages. Visit Drifters or call 0344 984 0322. For more information on the canal network visit Canal & River Trust and for the Anderton Boat Lift, see Anderton Boat Lift
