Post by Jim on Dec 30, 2023 9:23:10 GMT
From Christmas 1978 Waterways World
I may well be one of the last people to pay for a ticket to traverse Rochdale Canal Summit. I lived in Smithybridge, in 1983 2 mates and I set off to Sowerby in a Canadian canoe and a kayak, I'd made folding trolleys with pram wheels, we had to portage not just round the locks but along whole dry stretches, the MSC Job Creation Scheme was doing its stuff. One of my mates was a supervisor on the scheme - got me the wellies and donkey jacket!
As we got to the Summit West Lock with it's pretty lock house, still owned by Rochdale Canal Co, the little old lady lockie came out and demanded payment, maybe a 50p or something, it wasn't much, we got a couple of little tickets. The trip took 4 days, an overnight stay each way in the wood below Shaw Wood Rd, one night in a field near the end at Sowerby.
I may well be one of the last people to pay for a ticket to traverse Rochdale Canal Summit. I lived in Smithybridge, in 1983 2 mates and I set off to Sowerby in a Canadian canoe and a kayak, I'd made folding trolleys with pram wheels, we had to portage not just round the locks but along whole dry stretches, the MSC Job Creation Scheme was doing its stuff. One of my mates was a supervisor on the scheme - got me the wellies and donkey jacket!
As we got to the Summit West Lock with it's pretty lock house, still owned by Rochdale Canal Co, the little old lady lockie came out and demanded payment, maybe a 50p or something, it wasn't much, we got a couple of little tickets. The trip took 4 days, an overnight stay each way in the wood below Shaw Wood Rd, one night in a field near the end at Sowerby.
