Good timing as we leave Wrenbury

The cold and frosty weather has once again given way to damp and misty conditions. I was just preparing to get going this morning, aerial down,  donk started and tiller bar fitted, when out of the fog behind us came another boat. I shouted across to the chap on the tiller to ask if he had crew, and if so would they mind if I tagged on behind to go through the two lift bridges in the village. No problem, he replied.
So his wife opened the bridges and we convoyed through, Nb’s Happy Hedgehog (I love that name…) and Seyella.

Heading through Wrenbury towards Church Lift Bridge…

…and Wrenbury Lift Bridge.


I wasn’t worried about the former, it only carries a little used footpath, but the latter carries a road and I would have held up quite a bit of traffic by the time I’d worked through it on my own.

My benefactors pulled in just past the bridge and we carried on heading towards Marbury. There is another lift bridge outside of the village, but it’s been left up as long as I can remember.

A steady 45 minutes saw us arrive at Marbury Lock, and by now the mist had lifted a bit, but still lingered on the higher ground and on sheltered stretches of the canal.

Marbury Lock
 



There are some very pleasant mooring spots between Marbury and Quoisley Locks…

Both Marbury and Quoisley Locks have had work done over the last couple of months, there’s still some fencing and bits and pieces to be removed from the lock-sides. At Quoisley they’ve had to lay a gravel roadway from the main road to allow access for heavy vehicles.

The land starts to rise a little more steeply so Willeymoor and Poveys Locks are closer together, but the canal really has to climb when it meets the ridge at Grindley Brook. Three individual chambers and a triple staircase raise the navigation just over 40 feet in ⅓ of a mile. But that’s for tomorrow.

Willeymoor Lock and the Willeymoor Lock Tavern


Last one for today, Poveys.

Meg is waiting patiently for the boat to come up to her level.

After Poveys we had just 20 minutes before we pulled in below Grindley Brook. We’ll head up there tomorrow morning, it looks like another murky one but Monday promises to be wet and windy.

Unfortunately I’ve got to delve into the plumbing again. That leak I thought I’d cured has returned. Not as bad but it needs dealing with.

Mags says thanks for the good wishes. She's pretty much over the illness now, but it's left her tired and washed out. We'll get there though.

Locks 4, miles 6