Although most of the Peak Forest Canal was saved from potential closure decades ago, the Bugsworth Basin complex and the arm leading to it remained derelict and un-navigable for many years. The Inland Waterways Protection Society began the long task of the restoration of the basin complex in 1968. The basin eventually re-opened in 1999 with 70 visiting boats celebrating the event.

Sadly, there were problems with major leakage which resulted in the basin complex being closed again shortly afterwards. Further structural work is required before the basin can re-open and become a permanent attractive feature of the Peak Forest Canal.

The Inland Waterways Protection Society currently owns or leases all the basin area and some of the surrounding land. It now seems to be evident that the scale and nature of the work required to restore the basin permanently is beyond the scope of a small organisation. In May it was announced that the IWPS and British Waterways have entered into a partnership with The Waterways Trust, which is behind the restoration of the Anderton Boat Lift and the Rochdale Canal.

A geotechnical drilling survey of the site and a video survey of the underground trunking system used to drain the basins have been completed by contractors. Over half of the estimated cost of £750,000 has been secured. The target date for re-opening is estimated as Spring 2003 depending on the engineering solutions required.

Don Baines of IWPS comments: "We are sure the partnership with WT can do nothing but benefit Bugsworth Basin. We see WT's taking over of our lease the best way forward to secure the long-term future of the basin seeing as that we the few remaining active members of IWPS are not getting any younger and we do not have a line of succession to continue the work. We feel very passionately about Bugsworth and it's historical and archaeological importance and we want to see it preserved for many generations to enjoy in the future and we think that will best be achieved with WT. I must add that we are getting tremendous support from BW especially from Derek Cochrane, Adrian Sains and all of the teams at Northwich and Red Bull, and that portends well for the future."
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This newsletter was originally started in order to pass on news about the Huddersfield Narrow Canal restoration. Now that the HNC is complete and open to boats I have had requests to keep the newsletter going. Indeed the number of subscribers continues to increase, now being more than 300. Therefore it was a bit of a blow to be informed that the "Listbot" service was to close shortly.

I have been lucky to find "MessageBot", a small provider, who have let me transfer the existing members across, so that you will not have to re-join. I suspect that they have been inundated with people transferring from Listbot as it has taken 10 days to get the list of members added to their system. However, the list is now transferred and this is the first newsletter to have been sent out through the new provider.

I hope that this service will be efficient in getting the newsletters to you. If you are reading this, then the transfer will have been successful. If not, please let me know!

One side-effect of Listbot's closure is that the archive of previous newsletters will be lost. I will try to make all the past newsletters available on the web site instead.

This comes on top of the need to create a new Discussion Forum, as the previous "Coolboard" service ceases this week. I hope that those of you who have taken the time to visit the new Discussion Forum, provided by "Aimoo", have found the format satisfactory and I would invite more people to visit and express their opinions or share news and stories. A link on the web site offers instructions for getting an Aimoo ID. "Aimoo" did start to have pop-up ads appear but following a flood of complaints, these have been stopped.
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I have been informed that the safety certification for the Standedge Tunnel passenger module that will take boat crews right through the tunnel is expected to be received shortly. This will mean that crews will have the pleasure of three hours in a smelly, dirty tunnel, rather than the disappointment of a taxi trip over the hill! Speaking to boaters on the canal, I know that their biggest regret is that they were unable to go through the tunnel themselves, so hopefully they will very soon be able to ride through in the passenger module.
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Granada TV's Fred the Weatherman has just spent a week travelling by boat along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. This was for part of the filming of a five part programme about the re-opening of the canal and its effects on the local communities. This will be shown in July or August, but possibly only in the local television area.

At Gorrells Way environmental experts are removing protected plants from the canal before work can begin. Two protected species are found here: Floating Water Plantain (Luronium Natans) and American Ribbon-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton Epihydrus). These will be transplanted to a reservation being created further along the canal. The web page includes links to websites with information about these plants.

The roundabout at the junction of the A627(M) and Edinburgh Way could disappear in a change of plan. The original proposal was to raise the roundabout, building culvert tunnels to take the canal under. The preferred option now seems to be to build one longer box culvert tunnel in the centre of the roundabout. The roadway will be re-routed across this and the roundabout replaced by a signal-controlled junction.

Work is starting on re-building the bridge across the canal at Manchester Road, Castleton (next to the railway station). So far, a hole has been dug in the road, which was not worthy of a photograph!

Work is expected to start later in August on re-building the road bridges at Ashton Road West and Poplar Street, Failsworth. The Co-op store in Failsworth is now shut and awaiting demolition to enable to canal to be restored. Some units at one end of the building are still occupied. Eventually a new town centre shopping area will be developed here with the canal as a centrepiece.
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The Rochdale Canal Society's boat rally takes place at the Littleborough Summit on Sunday 23rd September.
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Boaters who fancy a quick sample of the delights of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal may be interested to know that a day-hire boat is now available for to 12 people. This will be hired out by the day on a self-drive basis. It will be based in Ashton / Stalybridge so keen boaters should be able to get through Scout Tunnel and as far as Roaches Lock or Uppermill and back. This is not a leisurely trip, however, due to the number of locks involved. Those interested should telephone 0161 303 7635 for details.
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Members of the Huddersfield Canal Society had the opportunity to participate in a day of celebration in July to mark the re-opening of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The day was centred around the new Standedge Visitor Centre ands included trips into the tunnel and coach tours of the major restoration sites.

A group of special guests, including founder members of the society, became the first passengers to be taken right through Standedge Tunnel in one of the new passenger modules.

Unfortunately, the passenger module is still not in use to convey boat crews through the tunnel, and crews are still being taken across Standedge by road. The latest information suggests that they will be in use by the end of August. The problem seems to concern problems with steering these unique craft as part of tug-powered convoy of boats. One of the modules is being used to take visitors a short distance into the tunnel from the Visitor Centre, but that is a single module attached to the tug (as with the VIP journey in July) but even that short ride is a bit bumpy.
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The transfer of the mailing list to the new "MessageBot" service seems to have worked efficiently and the newsletters seem to be reaching you promptly. When I get a little time I will add the archive of previous newsletters to the site so that recent subscribers can view them. New subscribers are joining daily so "welcome" to you if you have recently subscribed!
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The Ashton Canal is now fully open again after being closed following the collapse of a mill building alongside the towpath at Ancoats. Some of the stonework fell across the towpath and into the canal. The dangerous state of the building meant that it took a long time to demolish safely.
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Granada TV's Fred the Weatherman recently spent a week travelling by boat along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. This was for part of the filming of a five part programme about the re-opening of the canal and its effects on the local communities. I have now been informed that this will be broadcast as an insert in a programme such as Granada Tonight or the Lunchtime News, probably in October but only in the Granada region.

The Prince arrived at Marsden Station on the Royal Train and walked along the towpath to the Visitor Centre. While he was at Tunnel End, the Prince took a ride into Standedge Tunnel in one of the passenger modules.

The Prince of Wales is Patron of The Waterways Trust
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The passenger module is now in use for through passages of Standedge Tunnel. Boaters are now able to ride through the tunnel in the module as their boats are being towed though in the same convoy.

Interested people without boats can also ride through the tunnel on the module, subject to room being available for a fare of £6.

Anyone interested should phone the visitor centre to check on times and available room. 01484 844298
Westbound passages from Marsden tend to start around 8.30 - 9.00 am and eastbound from Diggle around 12.30 - 1.00 pm but are not running every day at the moment.

Passage with a single boat in tow takes less than 3 hours. Convoys of 3 boats could take around 4 hours. Some sections are extremely tight and the straps between the boats need to be slackened to allow the boats to be eased through.

Some boaters I have spoken to, having seen for themselves the difficulties in the tunnel, have changed their minds about wanting to take their own boats through, although others are still keen to try it if they were allowed! Any comments? If you want to share your views or experiences you could post a message on Pennine Waterways' discussion board.

Prospective foot passengers may also like to know of the hourly bus service (365) between Marsden and Wool Road at the foot of the Diggle flight. The fare is £1.60 and times can be found by going to
http://www.ukbus.co.uk/cgi/jptt.exe?c=GMPT&s=N&x=0& and typing 365 into the service number box (leave other boxes blank).
The time at Wool Road is similar to the time at Uppermill.

I have put pictures of the tunnel passage on the virtual cruise of the Huddersfield Narrow on Pennine Waterways web site:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/hnc40.htm showing the tunnel externally, and then follow the link to
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/hnc40a.htm for pictures of the inside of the tunnel.
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The pages about the Rochdale Canal restoration were updated early in September. There are further pictures of the bridge works at Littleborough and Smithy Bridge.

A large hole is appearing in the middle of the roundabout at the junction of the A627(M) and Edinburgh Way. The original plan to raise the roundabout and build culvert tunnels to take the canal under has been amended to a new plan, which entails building one longer box culvert tunnel in the centre of the roundabout. The roadway will be re-routed across this and the roundabout replaced by a signal-controlled junction.

Demolition of the former Co-op superstore in Failsworth is underway. Construction of the new canal channel could begin around November. Work is expected to start shortly on building a new bridge at Ashton Road West in Failsworth. The work of excavating the shallowed sections continues between Ancoats and Miles Platting.
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A day-hire boat is now available on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal for up to 12 people. This will be hired out by the day on a self-drive basis. It will be based in Stalybridge so energetic boaters should be able to get through Scout Tunnel and as far as Roaches Lock or Uppermill and back. For information, telephone 0161 303 7635 for details or see http://www.otter.ontheweb.nu
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I regret to say that it seems likely that I shall have to move the Pennine Waterways discussion board yet again as the new provider, Aimoo.com, is now withdrawing its free service. I am looking at alternative providers but it looks as of this may keep happening. I hope to be able to host the discussion board on Pennine Waterways' own web server and would appreciate any technical advice from anyone who understands cgi-bins or has had experience of doing this on a web site.
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Other news of Pennine Waterways web site:
I have now at last got round to the task of updating the "Virtual Cruise" along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to include the restored sections including Standedge Tunnel. If you have not yet seen it, you may like to check it out by clicking:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/hnc3.htm

I still have a large backlog of work waiting to be done on the web site. The HNC restoration pages need to be re-written as a record rather than the latest pictures and I will continue building the archive section. I will shortly be providing an archive of previous newsletters for the benefit of recent subscribers. Please be patient with me as I provide the web site single-handedly as a "hobby", so time has to be found in between other things!.
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The Rochdale Canal Society's boat rally takes place at the Littleborough Summit on Sunday 23rd September.

The final section of the Manchester and Salford Inner Relief Road, due to be built shortly, will run parallel to the River Irwell, crossing the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal a few yards from its southern end, close to Prince's Bridge. The new road would have completely cut off the canal but the extra money will pay for the additional work needed to protect the route of the canal.

The work involves driving a row of piles along each side of the canal route, with a concrete slab forming a roof across the route. The road will will constructed above that. At a future date, the ground between the rows of piles can be excavated, forming a tunnel for the canal.
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News from the Peak Forest Canal next - an unfortunate incident occurred recently at the Marple Locks. A boat was working through Lock 3 when a large cavity appeared in the ground near the tail gates. A crew member standing there partly fell into the hole but was not hurt. British Waterways carried out quick repairs to enable the locks to re-open. The whole flight of locks is scheduled to be closed between November and March for the fitting of new gates and grouting the area around each lock to prevent further such incidents, caused by water escaping through the lock chamber walls and scouring the ground beneath the surface.
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The pages about the Rochdale Canal restoration were updated on 6th October. There are further pictures of the bridge works at Littleborough and Smithy Bridge, where the concrete bridge structures are taking shape. Piling now encloses the large hole in the middle of Edinburgh Way roundabout in Rochdale. A box-culvert tunnel will be constructed in this hole. The roundabout will be replaced by a signal-controlled junction over the culvert. The new route of the canal between the roundabout and Gorrells Way has been built up and levelled to enable pile driving machinery to operate. Piles will be driven along the side of the canal route to support the motorway embankment.

A large hole has appeared in Manchester Road, Castleton. The canal bridge here was culverted and in-filled. One side of the road is being closed at a time to enable the in-fill to be removed and a new bridge constructed. The work is being carried out by Balfour Beatty, who are also doing the work at Edinburgh Way.

The former Co-op superstore in Failsworth has now been demolished and the site is currently being cleared. Construction of the new canal channel is expected to begin around November. Exploratory holes have been dug at the site of the new bridge at Ashton Road West in Failsworth.
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News of Pennine Waterways web site now....There is now a new section of the website covering Standedge Tunnel. This includes photographs of the inside of the tunnel and details of the arrangements for boaters. There is also information about events taking place at the Standedge Visitor Centre.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/standedge
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I have transferred the Message and Discussion Board to a new host. It is easier to use than the previous one but does not look quite as good. I am still hoping to host it on Pennine Waterways' own server at some future time.

I have finally got round to the task of archiving past newsletters, something much requested by recent subscribers. The earliest newsletters are online now and the others will be added shortly. It may seem pointless reading "old news" but in fact it is fascinating re-living the developments in the Huddersfield Canal restoration. It is a record of some of the snags and difficulties encountered during the work as well as a chronicle of the amazingly fast progress on the project.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/newsletter.htm

I have also posted details on the site of British Waterways' programme of winter closures for repair and maintenance in the area. The Huddersfield Narrow will remain open throughout the winter, although the Huddersfield Broad, Ashton and Peak Forest will all be closed for various works to take place. See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news0.htm

The Huddersfield Canal Society will be holding a festival over the late May Bank Holiday at Sandhills, above Lock 7W in Stalybridge.
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In Newsletter 43 I announced that the Rochdale Canal Society's rally was to be held at Littleborough Summit on 23rd September. I regret to say that this event was cancelled due to the field where the activities take place being out of use because of the foot and mouth precautions. Unfortunately, the first I knew of this was when the Society's newsletter, dated September, was delivered half way through October! Apologies if anyone made a pointless journey.
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I understand the Rochdale Nine locks in central Manchester are closed for a few days after a boat accidentally rammed a gate, damaging the paddle gear. It should not take too long to repair but will delay anyone passing through Manchester at this time on part of the Cheshire Ring route.
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The pages on Pennine Waterways website about the Rochdale Canal restoration were updated on 2nd November. The bridge at Smithy Bridge is rapidly nearing completion. Its box culvert tunnel has been constructed and the space around it being filled. The western half of the bridge at Ben Healey, Littleborough, is complete and the new roadway will be laid in a few weeks. The traffic will be diverted onto this while the eastern half of the bridge tunnel is built.

In the roundabout on Edinburgh Way, Rochdale, the box-culvert tunnel has been partly constructed. A section in the centre where the main service pipes and cables run, will be completed after the services have been diverted through new conduits on part of the tunnel already constructed. A high pressure gas main is being laid under the canal bed to the east of the roundabout.

At Manchester Road, Castleton, a start has been made on the construction of the roof of the western side of the replacement bridge.

The site of the former Co-op superstore in Failsworth has now been cleared. There has been little progress on the Ashton Road West bridge in Failsworth. A little downstream of Failsworth, work is progressing on the task of clearing out debris and silt from the lock chambers.
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More news about the Pennine Waterways web site....
At some time in the near future I will be adding a new section to the website which will be about the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. I will not be able to make a virtual cruise in as much detail as the other canals due to the sheer length of the Leeds and Liverpool but will include pictures of the section through the Pennines. I already have over a hundred photographs for the new section with more to come.

As a taster, I have added higher quality versions of some of the new photographs to my "Desktop Wallpaper" page. The pictures can be used as a backdrop for your computer desktop or you can just view them for enjoyment.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/wallpaper

I have also added some more past newsletters to the archive for those who are keen to read them.

The new bridge at Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, is due to open to road traffic next Monday (10th December) although work on the towpath and wash walls will continue for a while.

Traffic is now using the completed western portion of Ben Healey Bridge, Littleborough, as construction begins on the eastern part. Work is well under way at the new Firgrove bridge, Milnrow Road, Rochdale, where concrete walls for the western half of the new bridge tunnel have been constructed. The concrete roof is complete on the western half of the replacement bridge at Manchester Road bridge, Castleton.

Work has also started on the bridges at Dicken Green and Hartley Lane, Rochdale, and Ashton Road West and Poplar Street, Failsworth. The site of the former Co-op store in Failsworth has been cleared of all rubble but work has yet to start on re-instating the canal channel.

Legalities over land transfer still hold up the start of work on the M62 crossing near Castleton, although BW are still confident that the scheme can be completed by next June. If the work does not start fairly soon in the New Year it could put back the re-opening date for the canal.
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Standedge Visitor Centre is hosting a series of "Santa Specials" during four December weekends and on Christmas Eve. Telephone 01484 844 298 for details.
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A cavity opened up behind a lock chamber wall of Lock 12E on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Milnsbridge a few weeks ago. This was similar to the cavity which appeared recently on the Marple locks on the Peak Forest Canal. The lock was repaired and the canal re-opened quickly. many of the locks on the HNC were restored some years ago and water leaking out through the chamber walls could wash away the infill behind, making it possible that such incidents could occur again.
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I have added two new photographs to my "Desktop Wallpaper" page. The pictures can be used as a backdrop for your computer desktop or you can just view them for enjoyment.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/wallpaper

I have also added all the rest of the past newsletters to the archive for those who are keen to read them.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/newsletter.htm
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I hope you will not mind me mentioning computer viruses....
There is a recent virus known as "badtrans" which seems to have infected a great many computers over the last couple of weeks. I have received more than 50 emails containing the virus in the last week. Luckily I recognised the signs and have deleted them without them causing any harm but I recognise the names of many of the senders as people with whom I have been in email contact in the past.

Most of the emails will have no subject. (Some software may show the subject as just "Re: ". But one of the virused emails had a subject heading of a topic I can remember discussing with the sender.

Some people will warn you not to open attachments sent by people you do not know. This is good advice but I would say don't open attachments from people you DO know unless you know what the attachment contains. If in doubt or if you are not expecting to be sent something, email the sender and ask them if they have just sent you something.

The email itself will have no text but will include an attachment. The file name is usually something like "readme", "setup", "news_doc", "hamster", "me_nude", "sorry_about_yesterday", "humor", etc. The file name is followed by TWO file extensions such as "doc.scr", "mp3.pif", "zip.scr" etc. The name of the sender will often have the character "_" added to make it harder to reply and warn the sender.

If you receive anything that sounds like that - do not open the attachment - delete the email. If you use Outlook Express for email, make sure it is not set to open attachments automatically. Other email software is safer to use if you are anxious to avoid such viruses affecting you. You should also have virus detection software which can be updated regularly. Information about Badtrans can be found at
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.badtrans.b@mm.html

I have also been sent an several emails warning me about a virus called "sulfbnk.exe" and advising people to delete that file from their hard drives. The warning is a hoax, usually passed on in good faith. If you delete that file your computer will not be able to open files with long names which will make some programs unusable. If you get such a warning, ignore it. Information about virus hoaxes can be found at
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

If you know about computer virus then please forgive me including this, but I hope it may be helpful to some people who are comparatively new to computers.

This week British Waterways has announced that the compulsory purchase of the land has been confirmed and work can now go ahead. The £1.7 million contract for the M62 crossing work has been awarded to Costain Ltd, who carried out the work on the Bates and Sellers tunnels in Huddersfield.

British Waterways project manager Keith Paylor said: "We are delighted that the final hurdle to restoration of the canal has now been removed. By re-routing the canal through an existing subway, the canal can be restored without disruption to the M62 motorway above.

"The main work is expected to start in early spring and we are still on schedule to finish the entire restoration by the end of June this year."

The M62 crossing will involve the construction of a slightly elevated channel for the canal, from Lock 53, to make it the same level as the existing farm access subway which goes under the M62 a liitle to the east of the former canal route. A new lock will then be constructed just south of the M62 to take the water level down to the existing canal level.

The full press release from British Waterways can be seen by following the link from
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk main page.
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The Rochdale Canal pages of the Pennine Waterways website have just been updated to show the latest photographs of the work at Failsworth and the Dale Street area of Manchester.
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rochdale/rc10.htm

I had planned to visit the sites in Rochdale this week, but the area is under several inches of snow, which does not make for very good photographs. I shall visit the sites as soon as there is a thaw. Keep an eye open for the site update.
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The programme of Spring events at Standedge Visitor Centre has been posted on the Standedge pages -
http://www.penninewaterways/huddersfield/standedge8.htm Telephone 01484 844 298 for details.
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During the coming week, I shall be adding a brand new section to the Pennine Waterways website - featuring the Leeds and Liverpool Canal - the longest inland waterway in Britain.

Tomorrow, I will be adding two winter scenes to my "Desktop Wallpaper" page. The pictures on that page can be used as a backdrop for your computer desktop or you can just view them for enjoyment.
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/wallpaper

Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/newsletter.htm

Part of the car park of the former Co-op store in Failsworth has been fenced off in readiness for excavating the new canal channel. Definite progress can be seen on the work on the Failsworth road bridges and at Manchester Road, Castleton, two way traffic is now running over the new section of bridge so that the rest of the road can be closed and the second part of the bridge built. There is progress to be seen at the other bridges under construction.

As yet there has been no start to the work on the new channel to take the canal under the M62 at Castleton or to build a lift bridge at Grimshaw Lane, Chadderton. These jobs are meant to commence in "early spring".

British Waterways dredger boats are at work between Smithy Bridge and Littleborough dredging the mud and removing rubbish from the bed of the canal.

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Standedge Visitor Centre has won a British Waterways award for Built Heritage for the way it has converted the former transhipment warehouse into a visitor facility.

The centre has proved so popular with visitors that it is now remaining open daily (11am - 5 pm) throughout the Winter rather than only being open for special events.

I regret that I made an error in a web page address in the last newsletter. This concerned the programme of Spring events at Standedge Visitor Centre which has been posted on the Standedge pages. The correct address is:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/huddersfield/standedge8.htm
Telephone 01484 844 298 for details.

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A new Safety Guide for boaters is available free online at:
http://195.166.78.41/handbook/home/index.htm
It can be downloaded as a printable .pdf file. Boaters holding current BW licenses will be sent a copy of the book version in March.

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I hope that you have had a chance to view the new section of the Pennine Waterways website featuring the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It has received a number of favourable comments. It can be found at:
See http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/index.htm

I have added a number of additional books to the range of books and maps offered on the on-line shopping page:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/shop

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If you change your email address and would like to continue to receive these occasional newsletters, please take the following steps:
Go the the Messagebot website:
http://messagebot.com
Click on "Remove an email from a list".
Type in your old email address and the list name penninewaterways.
Go back to the first page and click on "Add an email to a list". Type in your new email address and the list name penninewaterways.

(Alternatively, unsubscribe by sending an email from your old email address to
mailto:penninewaterways-unsubscribe@listbot.com
and re-subscribe by filling in the panel on Pennine Waterways website.)

Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/newsletter.htm

The first section of the new canal channel is now under construction on the site of the former Co-op store in Failsworth.

Other pages updated show bridges at Poplar Street, Ashton Road West, Manchester Road, Gorrells Way, Hartley lane, Dicken Green Road, Firgrove and Ben Healey and the new canal channel and box culvert at Edinburgh Way.

Contractors have moved onto the site for the M62 crossing near Castleton and work will start shortly. Photographs of work here will appear on the web site in a few weeks.

As yet, no start has been made on the new lift bridge at Grimshaw Lane/ Foxdenton Lane.
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During February, a retaining wall collapsed across the towpath of the Ashton Canal opposite Cavendish Mill. The canal has been closed because of the risk of further collapse. Pictures at
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news1.htm
The Ashton Canal is closed for lock gate replacement at Ancoats but this section of the canal links the Lower Peak Forest and the Huddersfield Narrow which are currently open for local boat traffic.
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Newspaper reports in the last few weeks quote Derek Cochrane from British Waterways saying that the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal could be re-opened in five years. I would have thought that this was only possible if the canal received a huge influx of money. A large portion of the line of the canal in Salford is in private ownership and has been infilled. The Bolton arm has had aqueducts demolished and a dual carriageway built along one section. There are plans to build an indoor ski slope across the line of the canal above Lock 2.

The breaches of the canal were due to it being originally built as a narrow canal alongside the river and then widened to a broad canal during the construction period, with the additional width being added on the river side. Not only will the two major slippages have to be repaired but I suspect that major strengthening will be needed to prevent further slippages elsewhere along the route.
See http://www.mbbcanal.demon.co.uk/stoppages/stoppages.html and follow links for more information.

It would be an interesting canal to have re-opened, with its staircase locks, and I would be glad to see it happen. If it does, it may mean having a long stretch of unloved concrete channel through industrial Salford.

On the positive side, current thinking seems to be that money put into canal restoration in run down areas helps the regeneration of those areas, so this could help to bring in some of the finance for the restoration.

British Waterways plan to create a new canal link between the Ashton and Rochdale Canals in the Ancoats area, not for any particular advantage for boaters but as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area. For similar reasons they are also considering restoring the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal as far as Debdale Park.
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If you enjoyed the new section of the Pennine Waterways website featuring the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/index.htm
you may be interested to know that I have added another new section on the waterways of Manchester and Salford. This includes pages about Castlefield, Salford Quays, Barton Swing Aqueduct and the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal.
See: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/manchester/index.htm I intend to add further pages about the Manchester Ship Canal, Bridgewater Canal and Worsley.

Photographs and the full story can be seen at
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news11.htm

The clogs left Walkley's factory in Hebden Bridge on 23rd March and travelled via the Rochdale Canal, Calder and Hebble Navigation and Huddersfield Broad Canal to Huddersfield, where they were on display in Sainsbury's.

They are currently being carried along the Huddersfield narrow Canal to Marsden, where they will be on display at the Standedge Visitor Centre over the Easter weekend. After passing through Standedge Tunnel, they will be displayed at the Navigation Inn (Wool Road), Brownhill Visitor Centre and Saddleworth Museum.

On 6th April, Terry Waite will travel along the canal with the clogs on the final mile to Emmaus in Mossley, a trust of which he is President.

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At last there are signs of action on the last two locations for restoration work to begin on the Rochdale Canal. The contractors moved onto the site at Grimshaw Lane / Foxdenton Lane, Chadderton, where a lift bridge is to be constructed. So far, only preparatory work is taking place, although the road is already closed. The rising road platform of the bridge is to be constructed in situ to help keep down costs. The bridge will not be complete in time for the canal's re-opening in July, although boats will be able to navigate through the site. There will be a temporary closure later when the bridge is put into place.

At the M62 crossing near Castleton, the construction of the base for the new lock has started. The latest photographs (taken this week) of the work in at these sites and those in the Littleborough, Rochdale and Failsworth areas can be seen at:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rochdale/rc10.htm

A new bridge is being constructed across the new canal channel on the site of the former Co-op store in Failsworth.

Other pages updated show bridges at Poplar Street, Ashton Road West, Manchester Road, Gorrells Way, Firgrove and Ben Healey and the new canal channel and box culvert at Edinburgh Way.

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The wall which collapsed into the Ashton Canal near Cavendish Mill in February has now been stabilised and a boat has moved past the obstruction. The stabilisation involved heaping over 1,000 tonnes of hardcore against the wall, blocking one side of the canal. For latest photographs, see:
http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news1.htm

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The BBC filmed at Portland Basin on the Ashton Canal and at Armentieres Square on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal last week as part of their national television news report on today's announcement by BW of their programme of waterways restoration. While there was little that was "new" in the announcement, it was a high profile public relations exercise by British Waterways helping to raise awareness of developments on the waterways amongst the general public.

By making such a high profile announcement, BW are committing themselves to pursuing the projects named, which included the restoration of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal.

See http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/news/?section=1 and follow the link "Largest Ever Waterway Investment".