Heading back down the Macc at kerridge

Renaissance Canal Carrying

Water Levels were down about 5 & 1/2" on the Upper Peak Forest & Macc summit

Over the past month we're really struggled with low water levels on the Peak Forest & Macc. We've made numerous calls to CRT & been so frustrated by there slow response & general lack of understanding of our problem. I'm really trying hard to bite my tongue & work with them.
Renaissance Canal Carrying

Alton's Easter 2013 Run to the Port Part One

We set off from Oakgrove on Thursday 21st March heading up to Whaley & Buggy. We had a good run with a fair load on & tied up that night by Higgins Clough Swingbridge, Disley. The weather was pretty cold & we set off early Friday morning to a good covering of snow. We enjoyed boating through the lovely snow covered valley, but it was fairly bitter. Despite being out only a week earlier, due to the weather we were kept busy with coal sales. We winded & Buggy & whaley, but were struggling with low water (down 5 & 1/2", eventually CRT found that a feeder was blocked) & were stuck for an hour at bridge 22 lift bridge. After an exhausting day we finally tied up back at High Lane in Darkness, grabbed some tea & crawled into bed. Another prompt start saw us serving our first customers at Middlekayle at 8am, we continued to be busy selling coal & struggling with low water levels, finally returning to Oakgrove at 9pm with an empty boat & exhausted again :-)
Renaissance Canal Carrying

Winter Returns & Alton's Schedule April 2013

Well winter has certainly returned with a vengeance & we've been working our socks off. We had a great run to Ellesmere Port for the Easter Gathering which we attend every year. I'll try & find time to write a blog post & some photos over the next few days. In the meantime here is Alton's schedule for April 2013:-

Mon 1st - Wed 3rd: Ellesmere Port to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) via Chester, Middlewich, Kidsgrove & Congleton.
Thurs 4th: Road deliveries around Macclesfield, Whaley Bridge & Caldon Canal. Fri 5th: Road deliveries to Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne & Manchester Picaddilly.
Sat 6th - Sun 7th: Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge via Macc, Bollington, Poynton & Marple.
Mon 8th - Tues 9th: Return Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc)
Wed 10th - Fri 12th: General road deliveries to Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Anderton & River Weaver
Sat 20th - Sun 21st: Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge via Macc, Bollington, Poynton & Marple.
Mon 22nd - Tues 23rd: Return Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc)
Wed 24th - Fri 26th: Oakgrove to River Weaver (via Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Anderton & Acton Bridge)
Sat 27th - Mon 29th: River Weaver to Ellesmere Port (via Middlewich, Nantwich & Chester)
Mon 29th - Thurs 2nd May: Ellesmere Port to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) (via Barbridge, Middlewich, Kidsgrove & Congleton).

Please note the above schedule is our plan, but this is subject to change due to stoppages, weather conditions, traffic or customer demand. If you do need supplies, to ensure delivery please call or text you order to us on 07791345004.
Renaissance Canal Carrying

Audlem Mill Fendermaking Course March 2013

Last weekend we ran one of our twice yearly fendermaking course at the wonderful Audlem Mill. As always Peter & Christine made us very welcome. We had a full complement of 5 trainees, Jim (Chertsey & Bakewell) Frank & Lesley (Black Swan) and our good friends Dan & Emy. After a brief introduction, we soon got the rope out and started work. The first project was making a side fender, we started off by binding the ropes together with a nice simple packing knot, this took a while for some of us to perfect, but we all got there in the end. Then we started to crown our side fenders & gradually they took shape. We stopped for a delicious lunch of cottage pie (meat & veggie versions available) & by early afternoon we all had at least one side fender complete.

Next we started preparing the core for our button fenders, we used 36mm rope to form 4 cheeses, which we bound with the packing knot again. Gradually we bound the cheeses of rope & the chains together. By 4pm we were all well on our way to completing our cores.

I had a pleasant (pre-birthday) evening, celebrating with Ann Marie, Dan & Emy, having a few pints of fine ale at the Wharf in Macc followed by an excellent italian meal at Briscola in Bollington.

Sunday morning came round all too quickly, but everyone was keen to crack on with their button cores & very soon we all had a good strong basis of a fender. Starting hitching & setting the spine of the covering is one the trickiest parts, so we took some time & care to get this right. By lunchtime our button fenders were starting to take shape. Christine cooked us a wonderful all day breakfast which we all enjoyed tucking in to.

During the afternoon we got into the rhythm of hitching & learnt how to add in more rope using the fendermakers splice. Dan was the first to finish producing a very creditable button fender. With a final encouragement of coffee & cream cakes, one by one we finished our fenders. The look of satisfaction on everyone's faces was a picture as you can see in the photo. We'll be looking out for some very well made fenders proudly adorning their owners boats over the coming weeks.

So a big thank you to Jim, Lesley, Frank, Dan & Emy for being such a good friendly, down to earth bunch. Also a huge thank you to Peter & Christine for their organising hosting & catering, they always make us so welcome at Audlem Mill. If you are interested in canal crafts & books see there website http://www.audlemmill.co.uk/ or call in for a warm welcome.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Flippin' Freezin' February & Alton's Schedule March 2013

Well it's been a rather nippy month but it's been lovely to catch some dry, sunny days too :-).

Over 16th - 19th Feb we did our usual run from Oakgrove to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge. The weather was amazing, with clear sunshine during the day & a frost at night. Everyone was in such a good mood to finally see some proper sun, fishermen greeted us with a cheery "Ow Do?", ramblers smiled and called "Good morning", farmers out in the fields were whistling away & our customers where in such a good mood, it seemed liked we'd brought the sun with us & they were delighted to see us :-).

We had a good, busy run, arriving at Bugsworth Basin after dark on Sunday eve. We retired to the Navvy to grab some tea & sample some of their fine ales in the company of the lovely Sue & Dave on nb Beefur, Frank & Tracey on nb Cuthbert & our good friend George Boyle. A good evening was had by all swapping boaty stories & catching up on the towpath telegraph.

On Monday morning we were busy straight away serving customers at Buggy Basin, after supplying Sue & Dave on Beefur, we met up with Martin Fuller & his partner on the hansom tug Cutter. After we bunkered them up with solid fuel, Martin very kindly gave us a quick tour of his boat. Cutter had a lovely feel to it, Martin crafted the boat himself, it was full of clever & quirky innovations, even the solid fuel stove with back boiler for heating & hot water had been designed & built by Martin.

The sun continued to shine as we made our way up to Whaley Bridge & back along the Peak Forest Canal to Marple. I hopped off the boat nr Strines to get a few photo's of Alton from Marple Ridge, they didn't turn out too bad but the view of the valley I was hoping to get in the background was a bit misty.

At Marple we stopped for a couple of deliveries to canalside houses before tieing up at Adlington & sampling a pint of Deuchars IPA at the Miners Arm's (under new owners), first pint was poor, but replaced with pint from fresh barrel.

We awoke to a frozen canal on the Tuesday morning, but the sun showed it's face again, so we thoroughly enjoyed our icebreaking back to Oakgrove. It was just so lovely to have a run with no rain & despite the frosty weather it was great to see everyone having such a sunny disposition :-).

Well it's the 1st of March so time to update our schedule as follows:-

Sat 2nd - Sun 3rd: Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) to Bugsworth Basin & Whaley Bridge
Mon 4th - Tues 5th: Bugsworth Basin & Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc)
Wed 6th: Road deliveries to Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylesden & Manchester Piccadilly
Thurs 7th - Fri 8th: Road deliveries to Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester & Ellesmere Port
Sat 9th - Sun 10th: Fendermaking Course at Audlem Mill
Wed 13th: Road deliveries locally around Macclesfield & Poynton etc
Thurs 14th - Fri 15th: Road deliveries to Middlewich, Anderton, Northwich & River Weaver
Sat 16th - Mon 18th: Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) to Bugsworth Basin & Whaley Bridge
Fri 22nd - Sat 23rd: Bugsworth Basin & Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br49 Macc)
Sun 24th - Wed 27th: Oakgrove (Br49 Macc) to River Weaver via Congleton, Kidsgrove & Middlewich
Thurs 28th - Fri 29th: River Weaver to Ellesmere Port Boat Museum Easter Boaters Gathering via Middlewich & Chester
Sat 30th - Sun 31st: At Ellesmere Port Boat Museum Boaters Gathering

We love the atmosphere at the Easter Gathering at the Port, if your there feel free to knock on Alton's cabinside & have a cuppa & a natter.
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Alton's February 2013 Schedule

Our planned schedule for this February is as follows:-

Sat 2nd - Sun 3rd: Oakgove (Macc Br 49) to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge
Mon 4th - Tues 5th: Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br 49 Macc)
Wed 6th - Thurs 7th: Road Deliveries to Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylesden & Manchester Picadilly
Fri 8th - Sun 10th: Road deliveries to Congleton, Kidsgrove, Wheelock, Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester & Ellesmere Port.
Wed 13th - road deliveries locally to Macclesfield, Poynton etc
Thurs 14th - Fri 15th: Road deliveries to Middlewich, Anderton, Northwich & River Weaver
Sat 16th - Sun 17th: Oakgrove (Macc Br 49) to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge
Mon 18th - Tues 19th: Whaley Bridge to Oakgrove (Br 49 Macc)
Wed 20th - Fri 22nd : Road deliveries to Congleton, Kidsgrove, Wheelock, Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester & Ellesmere Port.
Wed 27th - road deliveries locally to Macclesfield, Poynton etc
Thurs 28th - Fri 1st March: Road deliveries to Middlewich, Anderton, Northwich & River Weaver

Please note the above schedule is our plan but it may vary dependent on traffic, customer volumes, stoppages and weather. So if you need supplies or have any questions just give us a call or text on 07791 345004 to ensure delivery.

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Ann Marie in Action with her New Barrow

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton Icebreaking at Danes Moss on the Macclesfield Canal

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

January 2013 - White & Wintery

Well winter hit us with full force. We managed to complete our first coal round of 2013 from Macclesfield to Whaley Bridge with ease. Then on 19th January we set out from Oakgove breaking ice, by late morning we old only got as far as Danes Moss, only about a mile, so we decided to admit defeat and reverse back to the wharf. We contacted our customers and set about he long job of delivering by road. The van & wheelbarrows were worked long & hard as we made our way round the side roads, down farm tracks, across fields & along icy towpaths. Once again everyone pulled together & helped us with our deliveries & kept us going with plenty of hot cuppas. 

We had also planned a longer coal run to Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester, Ellesmere Port, & Anderton, but again due to the ice, we had to deliver by road. With all these road deliveries we've decided to purchase a new (to us) larger van, so we've now got a big CItroen Relay.

Anyway, Alton is now all re-loaded with supplies and tomorrow morning we're boating off towards Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge, it'll be great to be boating again :-)

PS: This is by first posting on my new iPad, so bear with me if it doesn't come out quite right, I'm still finding my way with it. 

Happy New Year 2013

Well we had a wonderfully busy month in December including a fun filled Christmas Cheer Run delivering bottle of Blueball Brewery beer to all our customers. A huge THANK YOU! to all our loyal customers who've supported us throughout the year, we really would be lost without you. Thanks also for all the lovely cards & gifts, we really don't expect them but they do touch are hearts.

We had a very relaxing Christmas break, it was lovely to kick back & not do too much at all, other than eat, drink & be merry.

We've now thrown ourselves back into work with renewed energy. So here's to you all having a happy & healthy 2013.

Below is our planned schedule for January:-

Wed 2nd - Fri 4th : Road deliveries around Macclesfield, Anderton & River Weaver
Sat 5th - Sun 6th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Mon 7th - Tues 8th: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Marple & Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Wed 9th - Thurs 10th: Road deliveries to Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylesden & Manchester Piccadilly
Fri 11th - Sun 13th: Road deliveries, around Macclesfield, Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester, Ellesmere Port Anderton, Northwich, & River Weaver
Sat 19th - Sun 20th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Mon 21st - Tues 22nd: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Marple & Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Tues 22nd - Sat 26th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Ellesmere Port via Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Nantwich & Chester.
Sun 27th - Tues 29th: Ellesmere Port to Acton Bridge, via Chester, Barbridge, Middlewich & Anderton.
Wed 30th - Thurs 31st Anderton to Oakgrove Br 49 Macc via Middlewich, Kidsgrove & Congleton.


Please note the above schedule is our plan but it may vary dependant on traffic, customer volumes & stoppages & ice. So if you need supplies or have any question please give us a call or text on 07791345004 to ensure delivery.


Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton's December 2012 Schedule

Well Winter has definitely arrived & it's been lovely to have some crisp, dry, sunny days. We've been keeping busy, working long hours as usual, but it's been lovely to meet lots of new customers as well as seeing our old regulars.

We're currently heading for Chester, dodging the stoppages, with North Gate Staircase opening earlier this week (ahead of schedule) & Church Minshull Lock closing for repairs on Monday 3rd December. Then it will be great to get back to see all our regular customers up on the northern T&M as the Croxton stoppage has also finished ahead of schedule.

We know we've got a another busy month ahead, but we're also looking forward to a chance to put our feet up & enjoy our Christmas holiday.

Below is our planned schedule for November:-

Wed 31st Oct - Fri 2nd Nov: Oakgrove Br49 Macc to Chester via Kidsgrove, Middlewich & Nantwich
Sat 1st - Sun 2nd: Barbridge to Chester, return
Mon 3rd - Tues 4th: Barbridge to Acton Bridge via Middlewich & Anderton
Wed 5th - Thurs 6th: Acton Bridge to Oakgrove Br49 Macc via Anderton, Middlewich, Kidsgrove, & Congleton
Fri 7th pm: Road deliveries around Macclesfield & surrounding area
Sat 8th - Sun 9th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Mon 10th - Tues 11th: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Marple & Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Thurs 13th - Fri 14th: Road deliveries to Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne, Droylesden & Manchester Piccadilly
Mon 17th - Thurs 20th: Last Road deliveries before Christmas, around Macclesfield, Congleton, Kidsgrove, Middlewich, Nantwich, Chester, Anderton, Northwich, & River Weaver
Fri 21st - Sat 22nd: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Sun 23rd - Mon 24th: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Marple & Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Tues 25th - Wed 2nd Jan: Closed for Christmas Holidays .

Please note the above schedule is our plan but it may vary dependant on traffic, customer volumes & stoppages & ice. So if you need supplies or have any question please give us a call or text on 07791345004 to ensure delivery.


Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

The Team from Blue Ball Brewery.

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton from Chester's Roman Walls

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Second Delivery at the Cellar Bar Chester

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

First Delivery of CBAS IPA to Artichoke Bistro, Chester

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Ann Marie Samples the CBAS IPA on Alton's Chester Beer Run

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton with Cargo of Beer Aboard on Chester Locks

Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton's Blueball Brewery &CBAS Chester Beer Run

The weekend before last, Saturday 3rd November, we had an unusual job for Alton. Blue Ball Brewery at Runcorn http://www.blueballbrewery.com had brewed a old style special IPA to celebrate Chester Beer Appreciation Societies (CBAS)http://therealcbas.wordpress.com/ first birthday. They wanted to deliver the beer to canalside pubs in Chester & so approached us to see if we could help. We're always up for something new & if it involves good beer then even better.

We loaded the 6 barrels at Christleton & were joined by Mark & the guys from Blue Ball brewery. We gave them lessons in lock wheeling as we made our way down the locks into Chester. Our first delivery was at Artichoke Bistro http://www.artichokechester.co.uk/, which is in the iconic Steam Mill building. We stopped here for a sample of some of their fine ales & chat with quite a few people from CBAS that had come to see the delivery, the food looked lovely & we'll be heading back here again when we tie up in Chester. Andy from CBAS then helped unload the beer & after a few photos it was ceremoniously dropped down into the cellar. We finished our drinks (at least some of us did) & invited a few more guests on board Alton & headed a little further down the cut to the Cellar Bar http://www.thecellarchester.co.uk/index.html for our second delivery, this is a very pleasant modern style bar with good live music. By this time our brewery crew had caught up. We made our way around Chester's Roman Walls to Northgate staircase. We explained & demonstrated how the staircase worked & made our way down the locks accompanied by the flashes of cameras & the gaze of tourists. Our final drop was to Telfords Warehouse http://www.telfordswarehousechester.com/, a brilliantly situated pub over looking Chester Basin. We unloaded the last of the beer & had a good banter with the crew & assembled guests. We left the gang to get more beers in as we headed north towards our final destination of Ellesmere Port Boat Museum, but not before stopping as darkness fell at Stoak where we retired to the Bunbury Arms for a well earned pint & dinner. On Sunday after a very busy morning at Ellesmere Port, we returned to Chester & through Northgate Staircase before the stoppage commenced the next morning. We then joined by my Brother Mike & friends Viv & Jason at Kash Bar where we had an excellent evening drinking Blue Balls fine ales & good food. Amazingly we had no hangovers when we set off at 7.30 the next morning!
Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals

Alton's Delivery Schedule Nov 2012

Well winter is rapidly approaching & our coal sales have definitely moved up a gear. We're planning on doing more of our longer Cheshire runs this winter (ice permitting) as were only really effected by the closure of Northgate Staircase in Chester prior to Christmas.

Obviously we're also effected by the well publicised T&M stoppages at Dutton & Croxton, but we will continue to deliver supplies by road on a fortnightly basis to our customers in the effected area.

Below is our planned schedule for November:-

Wed 31st Oct - Fri 2nd Nov: Oakgrove Br49 Macc to Chester via Kidsgrove, Middlewich & Nantwich
Sat 3rd: Delivering Blue Ball Breweries Beers to Canalside pubs in Chester
Sun 4th: Chester to Ellesmere Port, return
Mon 5th - Thurs 8th: Chester to Oakgrove Br49 Macc via Barbridge, Middlewich & Kidsgrove.
Thurs 8th pm: Road deliveries around Macclesfield & surrounding area
Fri 9th: Road deliveries to areas effected by T&M breach including Anderton, Northwich, Barnton & River Weaver
Sat 10th - Sun 11th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Mon 12th - Tues 13th: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Thurs 15th: Road deliveries to Hyde, Ashton & Manchester Piccadilly
Thurs 22nd: Road deliveries around Macclesfield & surrounding area
Fri 23rd : Road deliveries to areas effected by T&M breach including Anderton, Northwich, Barnton & River Weaver
Sat 24th - Sun 25th: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Marple, Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth
Mon 26th - Tues 27th: Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth to Oakgrove Br 49 Macc
Wed 28th - Sun 2nd Dec: Oakgrove Br 49 Macc to Chester via Kidsgrove, Middlewich & Nantwich.


Please note the above schedule is our plan but it may vary dependant on traffic, customer volumes & stoppages & ice. So if you need supplies or have any question please give us a call or text on 07791345004 to ensure delivery.



Renaissance Canal Carrying - keeping carrying on the canals