Question:

What is the best way of travelling through Manchester safely when doing the
Cheshire ring given the problems on the Ashton flight? Where are the best
places to stop?

Answer:

Do the trip anti clockwise if possible and try to get an early start, say
0700 down the Ashton flight.

Places to stop:
Above the Rochdale Nine alongside Paradise Wharf is OK.
Top of the Ashton flight near the lock keepers house.
Portland basin at the museum or on the Huddersfield Canal arm opposite the
house boats.

In Manchester stop in Castlefield or continue through for some distance on
the Bridgewater Canal. To be absolutely sure it is suggested that you do not
stop before reaching Dunham Massey.

Places to avoid mooring:

Anywhere on the Lower Peak Forest Canal can have yobs except Romiley. Don't
stop between bridges 2 and 4 on the Macclesfield Canal. Macclesfield by
Buxton Road can occasionally be difficult, Sutton aqueduct is much better.
Oakgrove can be noisy because of the main road. Wheelock bypass makes
mooring noisy so if coming uphill, stop as close to the Cheshire Cheese as
possible.

However, the difficulties should not be over emphasised. This is one
person's experience:

"We have never had any trouble at all. The last time we did it we travelled
clockwise (1999), when BW had stopped their
convoys (they did the softly, softly approach - BW van seen many times!
There were yobs on the Clayton Flight at Strawberry Duck pub (we actually
stopped here once for a drink!) but they were too busy fighting each other
to bother about us. We have always started early both ways round. Clockwise
we always started from Castlefields about 7.00 as we found that only the top
of the Rochdale Nine was locked. This meant that you could start the Ashton
flight at 9.00. Clockwise we only every started from the top of Fairfield
Locks once, where you could lock yourself behind a door, non-towpath side.
We were woken up by yobs setting fire to old wood, in the little basin, they
had got over a back wall! They left us alone though. For this reason in
later years we never moored nearer than Romily and started before 7.00. Anti
clockwise is safer as you can get the Ashton out of the way first. Lock
front doors and hide any valuables, just in case. Try to have a largish crew
for this bit, six blokes tend to put them off and make for a speedy passage.
We also stopped before the Rochdale Nine a few times, on Paradise Wharf
(before the club barge was moored there.) Once, as we were the only boat
there, we chained / padlocked up the old wharf gates!"