We need to go back a few days to catch up on the journey from Todmorden.
Tacet at Tod Wharf, where there are 24 hour moorings and services just below the town lock with its guillotine gate. 
When the canal was being reconstructed back in the 90’s, road widening meant there was not room for balance beam gates at the bottom of the lock so this was solved with a guillotine. We had a job to get it to shut properly and it took an absolute aaaage to fill the lock.
A horse tunnel leads from the towpath, under the road to the lock side.
Leaving the lock and ahead of us was the Great Wall of Tod, an enormous railway embankment built of brick leading us round the bend. (ok, I know some of you consider we’ve already gone there!)
Up the Gauxholme flight, ducking under the railway, and enjoying the hills all around.
Once at the top of the Gauxholme flight we stopped for the night. It’s not always easy to moor up along the Rochdale, but we got in ok, just as long as the levels don’t drop overnight.
As well as the hills, there was a teepee in our view Monday night………..
and a lovely sunset.
No photos from Tuesday, I’m afraid, but yesterday we moored at Little Clegg just past Smithy Bridge.
And here you can see Clegg Hall and a row of weavers cottages and mill alongside the canal.
Clegg Hall is a Jacobean mansion and following a fire in the 1900’s was a ruin until a few years ago and now it has been restored and is privately owned, though it didn’t look as though it is lived in at the moment.
Today we have journeyed through Rochdale, making a short visit to the town, then enjoyed working locks in the sunshine, down through the Slattocks flight and on to Chedderton ready for the marathon run of locks down into Manchester tomorrow.
The impressively massive Rochdale Town Hall.
The Rochdale Pioneers Museum, telling the story of the very first Co-Operative shop started back in 1844. The co-operative movement has spread throughout the world and made a clear social impact on society.
A day out in the fresh air, with the warm sun on our skin; the physical energy used to work locks and walking between them; the blue skies, water and our lovely boaty home have done much to restore and revive our spirits.
Once again the calm, peacefulness of the canals is working its wonderful panacea.
Monday-Thursday
Todmorden-Chadderton, 13.5 miles, 45 locks, 3 bridges, 1 tunnel
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