Boat Rally : Russell Newbery Register

Usually one of the highlights of the year for RNR members is the annual rally. The rally takes place in a different location each year. In the past this followed a four year cycle of Midlands, South, Midlands, North. However with very few (almost none) suitable venues in the south of England, this pattern is not guarenteed.

Stalybridge Rally Postponed to 2026

At the end of March a breach occurred just above Bosley locks on the Macclesfield Canal. This is a link to the CRT stoppage notice for it.

This, coupled with the two breaches that happened at the beginning of January (Little Bollington on the Bridgewater Canal and lock 11W on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal), means that access by boat to Stalybridge from the midlands and points south is now only possible by extremely tortious routes (Rochdale or Leeds & Liverpool) or an expensive option (Manchester Ship Canal).

Whilst it does look like CRT are treating the Macclesfield breach as an urgent job; the stoppage notice currently suggests a 12 week time frame for the rebuild. But note CRT don't quote a start date for commencing the actual repair! Even if CRT achieve this timeframe for the repair, the reopening date would be just two days before the planned date of our Stalybridge Rally.

As one of the reasons for holding the Rally at Stalybridge is to fill the town centre moorings with boats; the Rally organisers and the RNR Board of Directors have agreed that our best course of action is to postpone the Stalybridge Rally to 2026. Provisionally this will be at the end of June (Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th), to avoid clashes with other boating events in the North West. Also lock 11W on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal should be repaired by then, thus allowing us to explore the HNC towards Uppermill or, for the more adventurous, cruise through Standedge Tunnel. Whether or not the Little Bollington breach on the Bridgewater Canal is also finished is a bit more doubtful.

Alternative AGM weekend

In place of the full Rally, we have now secured an alternative venue for the Register's AGM and some of the activities planned for the Rally.

The location is Willington, on the eastern end of the Trent & Mersey Canal. The venue is The Rising Sun pub, 1 The Green, Willington, DE65 6BP.

The provisional timetable for the weekend is:
Friday 27th June
early afternoon - craft session Quilling; the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs
late afternoon - Register AGM [starting at 16:00, so if you are coming only for the AGM by train, you can catch the 1509 from Birmingham New Street which arrives Willington at 1546, the pub is just across the road from the station]
evening - presentation from local canal society
Saturday 28th June
early afternoon - craft session greetings cards and present boxes, a chance to use the designs created in the Quilling craft session
late afternoon - technical forum
evening entertainment - Where There’s Brass by Tom Kitching

There will be a small charge for attending the craft sessions and the Saturday evening entertainment.

If you are attending by boat, please note that moorings between bridge 23 and approximately 200 yards of east of the offside services point are restricted to 48 hours (2 days). Further east there are good moorings; whilst west of bridge 23 there are some lengths with a hard edge and others with soft grass (they might be shallow).

If you are coming by public transport; we recommend travelling by train to either Derby or Burton upon Trent, then use the Trent Barton V3 bus service; which runs every hour during the daytime with a few evening journeys. Some Cross Country trains between Nottingham and Birmingham stop at Willington - but the usual gap between trains is 3 hours!

The Rising Sun has a small pub car park, whilst a short distance away there is a public car park located between Twyford Road and the canal. The pub does not serve food, however the landlord is happy for us to bring in takeaway food to eat in the room. The pub is very dog friendly.

Willington has two other pubs, The Green Man and the Dragon (both serve food), a fish and chip shop; a recommended Indian takeaway, a Co-op store, a small post office / newsagent and a tea room / coffee shop next door to the the Rising Sun.

Mercia Marina is just over half a mile east of Willington. Besides all the usual boating facilities, including a branch of Midland Chandlers, there are several shops, cafés and restaurants on the site. The V3 bus stops outside the Marina on Findern Lane.

For those who have already booked for this year and would like a full refund of any Rally fees already paid, please request a refund from our Administrator, contact details on our home page. Alternatively if you are able to attend the replacement weekend, we will arrange for a refund of the difference of the charges.

Please email the Rally organisers if you will be attending any of the AGM weekend activities.

Previous Rallies

Due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) epidemic we cancelled the 2020 rally which was to be held at Circus Field Basin, Aylesbury - home of the Aylesbury Canal Society.

Autumn Gathering

In addition to the main rally, the Register organises an informal gathering usually in mid September. Members and guests can arrive by boat or any other means for a weekend of relaxation, eating and drinking.

The 2024 Autumn Gathering took place at the Lichfield Cruising Club between 19th and 22nd September.