The Peak Forest Csnal

The sun was shining as we turned onto the Peak Forest Canal and it was so good to see the surrounding courtyard bathed in sunshine. However, it was not all sunshine on board Hunters Moon. Sid was hit by a bout of vertigo a short distance into our journey. He felt very unwell so disappeared below and Jenny had to take command! As some of our followers know this does not happen very often! In fact never before!

The journey down to Whaley Bridge was fairly uneventful as we progressed along the canal  that follows  the 518 ft above sea level contour. The scenery is stunning as the canal twists and turns with amazing views across to the rolling and dramatic hills and valleys of the Peak District National Park.

The moorings at Whaley Bridge are set amongst heavy woods and by the side of a very busy road so after a stroll through the small town and a look at the Transhipment Shed that took a railway line and a canal dock and was last used in 1967, we took the short trip round to Bugsworth Basin.  We were unaware of the significance of the basin and really only went to look at the moorings at the advice of fellow boaters Ian and Jane.
It turned out to be a great suggestion from them. Despite the fact that the busy A6 runs right by the side of the basin it is a superb mooring.

The basin was opened in 1796  and it became one of the largest ports on the narrow canal network. It was built to tranship limestone from the tramway to the canal.. There are three basins, now used for moorings, but the site was closed in 1927. After much restoration it has secured Scheduled Monument Status and to wander through the wharves, down the tramways and to imagine the activity, noise and the hundreds of men working on the site is amazing. There is a small exhibition chronicling the restoration with some great photographs of the massive amount of work that has taken place to preserve a major historic  site.
After a rather noisey night ( the A6 is almost motorway size) we left the basin to head back up the Upper Peak Forest Canal to Marple Junction.  It was a wet and very breezy journey but Jenny got us safely back.