A couple of weeks ago, for the second time in our boating career, we made the wonderful trip through the Liverpool Link to moor up in Salthouse Dock.
On the previous occasion we were assisted through by CRT staff but now you’re left to make the passage on your own. Alterations have been made to bridge 9 – Hancocks swing bridge to make it easier to operate. We were a touch dubious after our experience at Crabtree Swing Bridge which opened without problems, let Gordon take the boat through, but wouldn’t close properly leaving me with my key stuck in the lock. I phoned CRT who said someone would be out in 40 minutes or so. In the meantime there were queues of traffic building up and I was, to say the least, not very popular!
Hancocks, which you can only operate out of peak traffic times, between 9.30 am and 2.00pm and again after 6.00pm, proved to be easy peasy. Colin from The Wool Boat who acts as a reporter for Towpath Talk, was waiting to get a photograph, so we may well find ourselves in the next issue as we were one of the first boats to go through unassissted.
The four locks leading down to Stanley Dock are extremely heavy and I was dreading going through them without assistance but I needn’t have worried as Sid, of Sid’s Ditch fame and a full complement of volunteers was on hand to help us through. There was also another boat in the lock awaiting our arrival. All in all it was an extremely easy passage.
The trip through the docks under the bascule bridge and towards the ‘Dockers’ Clock’ is spectacular.
Then it’s right turn and along ‘Sid’s Ditch’ ……
….through a couple more locks and a tunnel or two….
…into Canning Dock
…and eventually mooring up in Salthouse Dock.
Comparing the basin to a photograph from our last stay in 2015 the it is completely empty. At one point in our stay we were one of only two visiting boats moored here.
What a truly wonderful spot to moor.
We were all set up for our stay in Liverpool before heading out across the Mersey and onto the Manchester Ship Canal!
ewn ha cul 
Great to see these photos – we made this trip in March 2013 but didn’t make it out onto the Manchester Ship Canal; we had hoped to get across to the River Weaver but found all the paperwork and fees too much so went back the way we came. Looking forward to the next instalment. We are now back from France and sitting in Reading!
Great to hear from you! The paperwork is indeed a touch onerous and it is a little on the expensive side but it was worth it.