Wow what a crazy few days!
So, as per our previous post, we arrived safely in Todmorden on Saturday 11th May and planned to have a few days R&R.
We found a decent mooring spot which was just near the Golden Lion pub and right opposite a water point and elsen point.
Feeling on a high, we went out for a drink with Julie and Garry who are our current travelling companions. We were actually browsing the local market as Paul needed some brackets to raise our lamp, but ended up having some drinks at a mini bar in the market and then staying on for the traders bingo night. To say it was raucous was an understatement – it was wild and great fun! It would seem that every Saturday the market traders all have a drink together after work and play bingo. The big prize was a couple of hundred quid so it was serious business and we had such a laugh (I did wonder whether they had a gambling licence :)!
Nobody felt like cooking afterwards and so Garry and Julie had a curry and we had what was probably the best kebab ever 🙂 Having eaten, I noticed some hippies playing drums over on the other side of the canal so I convinced Paul to come and investigate with me. Sadly, by the time we had got ready , they had gone. But not to worry, we found a really cool bar with a hippie vibe just a stones throw from the canal and so we went for another drink. Zak also came with us for the adventure as he had missed the bingo.
Whilst out, we got a call from Garry to say that the water in the canal had dropped to dangerous levels because of all the boats going past and up the locks . As a result, Daisy (and the others) were listing dangerously to the port side. We quickly legged it home and slackened the ropes whilst Garry let some water in from the next pound (the stretch of water between locks). He also told us we need to get on to the CRT booking site as bookings to go over the summit of the Rochdale canal have gone from 24 hours to days. I immediately went on the site and the earliest date we could book was the 25th!! Garry and Julie had managed to get the 20th. It would seem that there was an extreme shortage of water at the summit and so the CRT were only letting two boats go through a day. As a result, everyone was panicking and booking in.
This news dampened our spirits a bit, but not massively as by now we were used to setbacks. We both also really liked Tod and were actually happy to stay for 2 weeks, Further, Jess is coming to visit us on the 21st and so we thought it would be the perfect place to entertain her for a couple of days.
I did try to phone the CRT the next day to see if there was any way that we could get a pass sooner, given that we have been curtailed at every point so far. The lady I spoke to was sympathetic but wouldn’t budge. She explained that the CRT had arranged for a crane and pump to try and fill the top pounds and so they couldn’t let any additional boats through.
As Garry and Julie were happy to travel with us (as we work really well as a four), they cancelled their booking for the 20th and instead booked to go over the summit with us on the 25th. They have family close by.
For the next few days, we explored all that Tod has to offer. We visited the laundrette and went for some lovely walks. Paul found a really cool Church with an ancient Quaker graveyard up on a hill.
We also frequented the Golden Lion which has some really cool bands playing there. The landlady is apparently a bit famous as she was on four in and bed and she was big in the clubbing scene. GIg, as she is known, also let me order a cordless hoover to the pub address as it was too big to go to one of the Amazon lockers and said I could have a bath or shower if needed! Lovely lady.
Paul also undertook a massive project to lower our bed, which he did very successfully. The bed is a small double in size but, because it is so high, the mattress sits just under the gunnel and so we lose an extra 6 inches of mattress space. Whilst I took the dog out for the day, Paul lowered the entire frame by about 9 inches and he also trimmed down all the drawers that are underneath the bed. It was a massive challenge as he was working in limited space but what a result!
We can both now comfortably fit on the mattress and can enjoy sleeping together again rather than me sleeping on the sofa bed with the dog. Well done Paul!
I also found a really cool witches shop in Tod and enjoyed chatting with the owners, Spider and Lisa, who have their own website for tarot readings, spells etc. Fascinating people!
https://www.spiritualconnections.co.uk
One of the most amazing things about Tod, is the many, many, herb and vegetable gardens that are placed around the town, for the local community to eat from. It felt such a special and kind place to be.
Tod is also home to many Canadian geese and they are often out on the towpath with their babies, hissing at you if you get too close!
It all started to go a bit crazy yesterday. Paul and I went out to get some bits from town and when we returned, Daisy was once again listing to the port side and this time at about 40 degrees, The water in the pound had dropped again and because Daisy was tied up it meant that she was rolling to the left. Although we didn’t get a picture (as we were running around trying to loosen the ropes) I have put below a picture of another boat to give you some idea of what was happening. It is actually quite dangerous because if the boat goes past a certain point, water will start coming in and the boat will sink (OMG). Garry was getting very stressed as the same happened to Ellie & Grace (their boat) and Garry had once again gone up to the next pound to let water down.
By this point, a mild hysteria was starting amongst the boaters in the area as word spread about the queue to get over the summit The situation was made worse by the fact that every Friday – Monday, a fleet of hire boats usually sets off from Hebden Bridge to the summit and then goes back again causing water shortage chaos.
Paul and I had just got out of bed this morning (having enjoyed a wonderful nights sleep in our new lower bed) when Garry and Julie banged on our roof. They were seriously concerned about the water problems and wanted to head off to the summit to try and get a passage through. As they have way more experience than us and because the Rochdale is now the only route out of the North of the Country, we jumped to action. I’d just like to point out that the following routes are now closed to us because of water or mechanical problems:
- Leeds & Liverpool
- Huddersfield Narrow
- Keadby Bridge on the Trent
So, today alone, we have done 16 locks, all of which are up hill to the summit. We are currently moored up near lock 33. Tomorrow we plan to walk up to lock 36 (the summit) and speak to the CRT team to see if we can get through, We have a fairly good argument put together for our passage.
The feeling is a bit like when Covid was coming and everyone panicked and headed to the shops to get toilet roll and food. In this case though, everyone is heading to the summit before the water runs too low for the boats to traverse the canals. It’s a bit exciting and feels a bit like a race.
The landscape is beautiful and I have shared it below so that you can enjoy it too.
We are now off for a well deserved beer and to eat the food that has been cooking in the slow cooker whilst we travelled.
Lots of love, Paul & Jo
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