Pennine Waterways News

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Peak Forest, Macclesfield and Leeds and Liverpool locks re-open 6th July

The Canal and River Trust has announced that locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Peak Forest Canal and Macclesfield Canal will be fully open from Monday 6th July.

At present all the lock flights from Wigan to Bingley and at Marple and Bosley are closed, with navigation only being possible along the pounds between lock flights.

These lock flights will only be open at the following times:

Leeds and Liverpool Lock Flights between Wigan and Bingley - daily.
• Wigan: top & bottom locks open 8.30 - 10.00 am for entry to flight only; 12.30 - 2.00 pm for exit from flight only.
• Bingley 5 Rise: 10.00 am - 12.30 pm for passage UP only; 1.30 - 4.00 pm for passage DOWN only.
• Johnson's Hillock, Greenberfield, Bank Newton, Gargrave: open 10.00 am to 5.00 pm with last entry 4.00 pm.
• Blackburn, Barrowford: open 10.00 am to 4.00 pm with last entry 3.00 pm.

Bosley Lock Flight - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Only
Macclesfield Canal (Locks 1–12)
Open 9.00 am to 4.00 pm with last entry 1.00 pm.

Marple Lock Flight - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Only
Peak Forest Canal (Locks 1-16)

Open 8.00 am to 3.00 pm with last entry 12.00 noon.

Update, 30th June: The Leeds and Liverpool Canal locks will now open on Friday 3rd July.

These lock flights have all been closed to conserve water during the Covid-19 'lockdown' period, when boaters who do not live aboard have not been allowed to stay on their boats overnight.

Many boaters will be hoping that the re-opening of these lock flights will coincide with a relaxation of the Government's rules about staying on board boats, enabling a resumption of leisure cruising.

Update, 17th July: The restrictions on the locks at Marple and Bosley will be lifted on Monday 27th July.

Barrowford Locks, Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Saturday, 6 June 2020

'Windows of Opportunity' on Peak Forest, Macclesfield and Leeds & Liverpool Canals

Lock flights at Marple on the Peak Forest Canal, Bosley on the Macclesfield Canal and lock flights between Wigan and Bingley on the Leeds and Liverpool are currently closed to conserve limited water supplies.

The Canal and River Trust has announced 'windows of opportunity' when these flights will be temporarily opened to allow boaters trapped by the closures to re-locate. These will be -

Leeds and Liverpool Lock Flights between Wigan and Bingley - Fri 12th, Sat 13th, Sun 14th June.
• Wigan: top & bottom locks open 8.30 - 10.00 am for entry to flight only; 12.30 - 2.00 pm for exit from flight only.
• Bingley 5 Rise: 10.00 am - 12.30 pm for passage UP only; 1.30 - 4.00 pm for passage DOWN only.
• Johnson's Hillock, Greenberfield, Bank Newton, Gargrave: open 10.00 am to 5.00 pm with last entry 4.00 pm.
• Blackburn, Barrowford: open 10.00 am to 4.00 pm with last entry 3.00 pm.

Bosley and Marple Lock Flights -
• Bosley Lock Flight, Macclesfield Canal (Locks 1–12)
Tuesday 16th and Thursday 25th June
Top Lock (No.1) open 8.00 am. Bottom Lock (No.12) open 8:30 am.
Last entry at 1.00 pm. Flight locked up 3:30 pm.
• Marple Lock Flight, Peak Forest Canal (Locks 1-16)
Thursday 18th and Tuesday 23rd June
Open 8.00 am. Last entry at 1.00 pm. Flight locked up 4.00 pm.

Johnsons Hillock Locks, Leeds and Liverpool Canal