A little bit of ice breaking.

With the temperature down to around -5° last night it wasn’t surprising that the canal had frozen over again. A good bit thicker, though. Yesterday it was about 3mm, today it’s 13 or 14. That’s over ½ an inch in old money. It’s beautiful and sunny, but it’s not making much impression on the ice.

We were moored about 200 yards from the shop, so I walked up to get some bread and milk before we set off with the intention of getting to the bottom of Frankton Locks, 7 miles away. Alas, the shop wasn’t open so I put the machine on to make a loaf. Unless I can find a cow the milk could be an issue in a couple of days, though…

It took a bit of to-ing and fro-ing to get away from the bank, but we did, crunching through last nights ice, passing the Trust workboat just past Spiggots Bridge. They’d broken quite a lot, but only for the next 100 yards.

Approaching Maesbury road bridge it got considerably thicker, so I had a rethink. From here to above Aston Locks will only be last night’s ice, as the workboat came down from there yesterday morning. But above Aston, through Queens Head and beyond, there’ll be both nights’ ice, likely to be thicker than it is here. Discretion is the better part of valour, as they say, so we pulled in on the wharf to fill the water tank and empty a loo, then crunched under the bridge and moored just beyond, opposite the old mill. Better than maybe getting stuck miles from anywhere.

We’re prepared now for a few days frozen in, as the forecast predicts the same weather pattern till the weekend. Bright, sunny days, cold, frosty nights. The road over the bridge carries the bus route between Shrewsbury and Oswestry, so I can get into town for shopping if necessary.

Good job we’re not in a rush to get anywhere, but it was always in the back of my mind that this might happen on this canal.

Locks 0, miles ½