A campaigning cruise down the Rochdale Nine when it was privately owned. 1976.

This was Thursday 24th September 1976. A day etched in our memory . We arrived at Dale Street at the top of the 9 locks down through Manchester, to find there was very little water in the lock, and only a trickle in the pound below. The Rochdale Canal Company we’re reluctant to supply us with water and even offered to buy back our licence. However, we had arranged for a reporter from the Daily Telegraph to attend which rather forced their hand. So they flushed us down the locks, one by one, which entailed two excursions into the water to remove debris, including a metal plate stuck between the bottom gates. However 6 hours later we arrived at Castlefield. This was despite the restoration work which had taken place in 1974. But hey, they were good times!