Saturday morning we retraced our steps to stop just short of Lymm. There are good moorings actually in the town, but TV reception is not so good, and there’s always folks about, peering in the windows. We were only 15 minutes away on foot, convenient for those bits and pieces I always forget to order on the delivery. Mustard and mince pies, this time.
Yesterday was a day for putting your feet up in front of the fire. There were still some intrepid individuals about, wrapped up in waterproofs against the heavy, blustery showers. Not us though. Apart from a couple of hours out with Meg, we stayed under cover.
Today was different day. The clouds had blown away overnight, leaving blue skies and bright sunshine. Still a cool breeze though. We moved off at around 10:45, through Lymm and under the M6.
Contractors are busy patching the towpath. It’s used for vehicular access to some of the houses, and takes a lot of punishment.
Towpath Repairs
Under the M6
It’s only a short way further north that the motorway starts the climb onto the impressive Thelwall Viaduct, which carries it over the Manchester Ship Canal and a loop of the River Mersey.
The village of Thelwall is just a little further along the canal.
Between Lymm and Thelwall
When the canal was built, as well as bridges there were a lot of aqueducts constructed to allow roads and streams under the navigation. They’re known as “underbridges” around here.
Thelwall Underbridge
Not very imposing at canal level, but a substantial bit of stonework from the road below.
We were soon passing Thorn Marine where we'd picked up fuel the other day. We'd also picked up a bit more information about the canal here. I’ve already mentioned that this was a terminus from 1771 to 1776. The reason is that the landowner at Walton Hall, a little to the west, refused to allow the canal to pass through his park.
It took 5 years of lobbying and wrangling to get an agreement.
Meanwhile, boats were unloaded at London Road Bridge, under covered wharves that used to be here.
Bonded goods were stored at the Customs House, which is the front bit of this house.
Boats were turned for their return journey at Wharf House.
Wharf House
We pulled over at Moore, near the handy Post Office-cum-General Store. It’s stayed fine and sunny, but the wind has made it feel cold.
Even this heron seemed reluctant to brave the cold water…..
When we were up in Gargrave, I fitted a Sterling Alternator to Battery Controller. After living with it for a month, I can honestly say that it was a good investment. The batteries charge faster and hold their charge longer. Instead of 3½ hours of engine charging, we’re down to just 2. Makes for a big saving in diesel. Of course, you don’t get owt for nowt. At the last fill, fuel consumption has risen by around 5%. When you consider that the alternators, after start up, are punching out 130 amps, it’s not surprising that the engine is working that bit harder. But the shorter stationary running time offsets this by a considerable margin.
Locks 0, miles 7½
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