Into the hills

Rochdale Canal above Todmorden

We shopped in Todmorden in the morning. Basic provisions at Morrisons, and a selection of local cheeses at an excellent stall in the market. However Todmorden had little attraction really and so after lunch we and Rebecca set off further up the Rochdale Canal.

We are now leaving the steep Calder valley and are approaching the moorlands. We still see the grey grit-stone villages and mills, but these are now surrounded by the treeless hills. A scenery that appears bleaker than the hills we saw on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal 4 weeks ago.

After some attempts elsewhere we have found suitable moorings in the village of Walsden after a journey of 3.5 hours during which we covered 1.5 miles and 9 locks. Finding moorings on this section of the canal is not easy. The canal bank is often shallow, or if not shallow there are large blocks of st0ne just under the water surface.

Also, there is at least one lock every quarter of a mile or so. The canal between locks (known as the pound) rises and falls several inches as the locks at either end are filled and emptied. So, although the boat may be nicely floating at one time, a few minutes later it could be aground leaning at a worrying angle. Hopefully this mooring wont have such problems.