Back in England

Another fine day after a very cold night. Bring it on, we can cope with this! Much better than wind and rain!

We decided to move on today, but not too far. So we left it till gone 11 before we untied the stiff, frozen ropes and set off.

Above the Dee river valley

Turning south after leaving the Dee we had the sun in our faces, but although we couldn’t see where we were going it was quite pleasant. It did mean that the southern end of Whitehouse Tunnel was well lit as we approached…

Just beyond the tunnel there’s a stash of wood on the offside that we’ve picked over the last two years. Today we picked up the last that could be sensibly cut with the bow-saw. The rest will need a bit more power… Maybe next winter, if it’s still there.

I mentioned that the main line rarely freezes, but the offline basins and arms do. Chirk Marina is a case in point.

Through the cutting to the north of Chirk Tunnel, cold but a bit of relief from the sun’s dazzle that was getting a bit wearing…

…then into the dark of Chirk Tunnel.

Out of the tunnel we crossed Chirk Aqueduct over the River Ceiriog and back over the border into England.

There’s never a train coming when you want one…

Over the border



We caught up with a boat here, he seemed to be struggling along the concrete lined channel above the Ceiriog. Maybe he’s deep draughted. It’s still fairly shallow along here.



We both pulled in on the moorings at The Poacher’s, us nearer the pub to see if we can pick up the free WiFi available… Oh yes!

It’s not going to be quite so cold tonight, cloud cover obscures the clear skies we had last night. And it’s just started to snow…

Locks 0, miles 3½