The Rochdale Canal from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden
Monday 4th November 2019
Hebden Bridge was a lovely town and we really enjoyed our stay, but it's time to move on. We are now on The Rochdale Canal and today we are cruising with Rosemary and Bob on NB Sefton, from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden. We planned to travel 4 and a half miles, through 9 locks in 3 and a half hours. This didn't quite go to plan and the journey took 6 hours! The first lock we went into had a broken paddle and we had to call out CRT. They did come quickly but it took a while to get us out of the lock and in the meantime the pound above had gone down somewhat! We then grounded and had to let some water down to get us afloat again. I think it took getting on for 2 hours just to get through the first two locks. Oh, and it was raining - can't call us fair-weather boaters!
The Rochdale Canal is beautiful and the scenery as you cruise along is stunning.
Even though it rained most of the day, we all really enjoyed the cruise. Some of the gates were really heavy and there were a couple of locks where only one paddle worked so it was slow going at times.
Our cruise from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden was done. We arrived at about 4pm and moored between Shop Lock and Library Lock. There are services here, which include rubbish bins, water and toilets. Hang Loose moored next to the services on the bollards and NB Sefton moored up over the other side by the grass.
Our evening was spent hunkered down and chilling after having a lovely hot shower and straight into the PJs!
Todmorden
Todmorden is yet another lovely town. It was once a border town between Lancashire and Yorkshire and the town hall used to be in half in Yorkshire and half in Lancashire until the boundary was changed in 1888. The Great Wall of Tod supports the railway embankment and there is estimated to be more than 4 million bricks in this wall!
The Great Wall of Tod
The following day we went for a stroll to explore Todmorden. We walked to the church first. It is Todmorden Unitarian Church and is a Grade 1 listed building built in 1865-69. It really is a beautiful church that stands high up, overlooking Todmorden and has beautiful views.
The church was erected by Joshua and Samuel Fielden and is a fitting memorial to their father, John Fielden MP. John Fielden was largely responsible for the Ten Hours Act of 1847 which limited the maximum working day to ten hours for any person under 18 and any woman over 18.
There is also a viaduct that towers over the city centre.
Our walk took us past the railway station and along the top of the Great Wall of Tod, then back around the town.
And, of course, there was a pub involved! at The Polished Knob!
Todmorden is such a lovely little town. There is a guided walk around Todmorden to show where a group of volunteers grow fruit, vegetables and herbs all around the town, for anyone to share. It's The Incredible Todmorden Way - amazing!
We were due to leave on the Thursday but the heavens opened and Todmorden was on flood warning so we stayed put. We went for a beer this evening but ended up having to move Bob and Rosemary’s boat due to the towpath flooding. At one point the canal was flowing down the road and the pub was battening down the hatches - how awful if we couldn’t get out of there!!!
Anyway if you are cruising along the Rochdale Canal, stay for a day or two at Todmorden - it's really quite beautiful.
