Summer cruising plans

We've been studying the canal guides these last couple of days, trying to decide what to do this summer. I think we’ve chosen to head south for the Severn and Avon, with a side trip down the Gloucester and Sharpness and back. We’ve not been there before, at least not in this lifetime. We “did” the Avon Ring some years ago on a hire boat out of Evesham. A week on the Purple Emperor, with 06:30 starts and 19:00 finishes. Good job we had a good crew. I think we’ll take it a little easier this time.

It was wet for most of yesterday, so, not wanting a repeat of the rainwater down the back of the neck, we stayed put.

We moved on today, leaving at 11:00 and arriving at Moore at around 14:00. A steady run under overcast skies, but at least the thundery showers that were forecast stayed someplace else.

Approaching Lymm, day boat Rambling Thorn from Thorn Marina out and about.
There’s a handy recycle centre hiding behind this gate near London Road Bridge in Stockton Heath.
I was able to offload the plastic, glass, tins and papers accumulated over the last week or so. I’d much rather recycle than throw it all in one skip, but there aren’t that many canalside opportunities. Oh, and I also nearly gave myself a hernia lugging a duff leisure battery down there too.

Proud Mum and Dad
I do like the Bridgewater, with it’s wide, deep channel it’s a lot easier to cruise than a lot of the narrow canals. But unfortunately it seems to breed a race of inconsiderate boaters. Most don’t seem to slow down at all when passing moored boats, and for those that do it’s often just a token gesture, too little too late. I can live with it if we’re moored on rings, but a lot of the time you have to use pins and the bank is usually quite soft behind the coping stones.

Pulled pin this evening.
There was only one boat this afternoon who slowed right down…..Water Womble, the rubbish collecting barge that keeps the canal clean.
A good job he did too. He probably displaces twice as much water as most narrowboats.

There are still problems with water levels on the Liverpool end of the Leeds and Liverpool from Wigan, but they are allowing boats through on restricted passages. Our friends Malcolm and Barbara on NB Pilgrim are through the low pounds now, and will be heading into the docks on Friday. Then across the Mersey to Ellesmere Port on the 21st. I hope the weather is calm for the crossing….
We’ll try to meet up with them on the Shropshire Union to hear all about it.

Locks 0, miles 7¼