The North Wind doth blow….

...And we shall have snow.

Snowy Ellesmere.It's our first dollop of snow for sometime, in fact we have not seen any since November. It wasn't much, maybe an inch or so.

Meg always enjoys herself in the snow.

Snow dog.

She also gets quite ambitious about the size of stick she can manage....
 
Big stick.

It's been a fine day today, blue sunny skies this morning, but a bit more cloud and a cold wind this afternoon.

It was about 11 o'clock by the time we got away from the services. The gulls had breakfast while we filled with water.

Hungry birds.

Leaving Ellesmere services.


After leaving the moorings behind we had the 87 yard long Ellesmere tunnel to negotiate before running alongside the meres.

Out into daylight from Ellesmere Tunnel.Blake Mere appears on the left first…

Blake Mere…..Followed by the larger Cole Mere. Sitting around 300 feet above sea level, these were left over from the last Ice Age. 

NBs Shropshire Lass II and Shropshire Lad will be leaving their home moorings in May, to make the trip down to London. Part crewed by disabled service personnel, the Lass will be taking part in the Queen’s Jubilee Flotilla on the Thames in June.

The ”Shopshires” at Lyneal WharfI do like the paragraph from the Shropshire Star article “More than 1,000 boats are expected to take to the water, led by the Royal Barge baring [sic] the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and other senior royals. “
Should be an interesting spectacle. I hope it’s not too cold…..
 
The canal crosses a valley on the sweeping Hampton Bank, giving long views towards Chester and The Wirral.

Looking north from Hampton Bank.
Fine views indeed, but cold too! That’s where that fresh wind was coming from!

Shortly after we crossed Whixall Moss on the straight embankment that keeps the canal above the nature reserve. Looks like good wood foraging there, too.

Over Whixall Moss

At the end of the straight we turned right onto the Prees Branch, under Allman’s Lift Bridge and moored behind Moore2Life.

Moored on the Prees Branch.

All the snow has gone, now. The last bit melted off our roof as we passed Bettisfield.

Tomorrow we’ll head down to Whixall Marina, at the end of the navigable section of the branch, to fill up with fuel.

Locks 0, miles 7

Return to Ellesmere

We decided to up-sticks and move on to Ellesmere today. Charles and Ann on Moore2Life were there already, and George and Carol on Rock’n’Roll were stopping at New Marton another day.

It’s been a fine day, mild earlier but getting a little cooler when a northerly breeze blew up later.

A canalside householder near the junction has a wry sense of humour….
You don’t see many of those up here!

They’d been a few boats about in the morning, but by the time we got going the traffic seemed to have eased. Just as well, with the blind bridges and tight bends around Val Hill to contend with.

Twists and turns near Val Hill

Someone needs their fringe cutting…

Nearing Ellesmere there’s a trio of young swans, two of them are not quite confident enough to share their patch of water with a noisy lump of tin…

Lift off!
I was ready for them, as they’d taken off in front of us when we went up a couple of weeks ago. It was still a bit of a snatched shot, though. I always find amazing the amount of effort that goes into getting off the water.

Arriving at Ellesmere we pulled in one the moorings near the sanitary station for a change, instead of going down the arm. Moore2Life and Jandai are just around the corner.

Chas and Ann and Molly, and Meg and I had a walk along the canal to the footpath across to the mere, chatting with Colin and Tina on NB Go-For-It on the way. Then on the way back, walking along the arm, I spotted a boat that looked familiar. We’d not seen Glen and Nigel on NB Ami Bovard (say it out loud…) to speak to  since we met them in Paddington Basin over two years ago. They’re passing through on their way up to Llangollen.

I picked up our mail from the Post Office on the way back, so now we’ve got our voting papers for the C&RT boaters representatives. I think we’ve made our choices…

We’ll stay here tomorrow, then move out on Saturday, weather permitting.

Locks 0, miles 3

Different Agendas

We all spent a windy yesterday tied up below New Marton Locks. There were a fair few boats out braving the elements, though. Mostly hirers out of Ellesmere or Trevor.

Today we had a chat and we’ve all got different priorities. Charles and Ann wanted to get to Ellesmere to pick up some mail, so they got off first.

Moore2Life gets under way….

With no urgency we decided to toddle along for a bit and moor at Frankton Junction, leaving George and Carol behind. George was still making repairs to Rock’n’Roll’s damaged rear canopy.

We follow a little later, leaving Rock’n’Roll behind.

Leaving New Marton
There’s a gap behind R’n’R now as well, Jan and Dai had also set off this morning, heading for Frankton.

Last night we had six boats moored along here, a hire boat had moored at either end of our four. We’ve left George and Carol in splendid isolation now.

The canal seemed unusually low today, I’ve no idea why.

Dry overflow weir near Bridge 9W
You’d have thought that low water levels would be the least of this canal’s problems, with all that water coming down from the Dee.

Lower Ridge Farm seems to specialise in black lambs….



By 13:00 we were tied up at Frankton Junction. NB Jandai is moored here too, as expected.

Frankton Junction moorings

After lunch Meg and I took a walk down the locks onto the Montgomery Canal.

Looking down from the top lock
The top two are a staircase, followed by two individual chambers. Access to the Montgomery is restricted as a lot of the navigable length is a SSSI, so the locks are chained up and have to be pre-booked.

Looking back from Lock 4

The Montgomery was proposed to take advantage of the Ellesmere Canal, joining it at Carreghofa on the Llanymynech Branch.
The Ellesmere’s original route was from Chester to Trevor, then to Frankton, turning right at the junction, down the locks then heading off towards Shrewsbury. The Llanymynech Branch left the main line just below the locks.
The Chester to Trevor bit was never built, the difficulty of the terrain would have made it uneconomical. And it never actually got as far as Shrewsbury either, terminating at Weston Lullingfields, 8½ miles short. 

The Montgomery was seen as a link from Carreghofa to Newtown, to carry limestone and agricultural produce up to the main line. The project was under-capitalised, and it was not competed until 1821, having taken 30 years to build. It was never really profitable and effectively closed following a major breach in 1936.

Below the locks, the main line comes in from the locks on  the left and heads away to Weston dead ahead, while the Llanymynech Branch heads off under the bridge from where the photo was taken.

Llanymynech Branch Junction

This branch has now become known as part of the Montgomery Canal, and the original main line of the Ellesmere Canal is known as the Weston Arm. This now ends at the building in the distance.

End of the Weston Arm, the original main line.
There are good moorings and sanitary facilities here. The line of the navigation from here is now a linear nature reserve, mostly dry.

Up to a couple of days ago the moorings here were completely iced up. Not a sign, now, after the mild weather we’ve had.

Back up onto what we now know as the Llangollen Canal, looking east from Bridge 1W, the main line comes from Trevor (behind) and makes a right turn down the Frankton Locks. Straight ahead is the route to Ellesmere, Whitchurch and finally the junction with the Shropshire Union Main Line at Hurleston. This was intended only as an arm to Whitchurch, but was extended to the (then) Chester Canal when the Chester to Trevor section of the Ellesmere was deemed impractical. 

Frankton Junction from Bridge 1W



The Montgomery, as we know it, was reopened to navigation in 1987. It’s currently viable to Gronwyn Bridge, 6½ miles from Frankton. There are several disconnected sections along it’s 32 miles, the challenge now is to join them up!







Locks 0, miles 3

Not much happening…..

It’s all been a bit quiet on the activity front. We spent the weekend moored just outside Crick, only 10 minutes over the border into England. The weather has turned around, cold, frosty nights and sunny days have been replaced by mild nights and days. It’s supposed to stay like this all week, giving some hope to those other winter cruisers who’ve been iced in for several days.
We’ve been OK, the constant flow of water down the Llangollen keeps it ice-free in all but the most severe of conditions.

Well, almost ice-free….

A few bits of thin stuff near Moreton Bridge.

Just around here there was a sight that made me want to get the saw out again, but it was on private land behind a barbed-wire topped fence…

Enough there for all winter!

There are quite a few boats about at the moment, it’s half-term so some families are getting an early season break in. We’re between two hire bases, Blackwater Meadow Marina at Ellesmere is home to a few Canal Cruising Club boats, and Trevor basin has an Anglo-Welsh base. So we’re seeing hire boats from both directions. And there’s the odd intrepid crew who’ve come all the way from Wrenbury!

We had an uneventful short trip today, filling up with water above New Marton Locks before dropping down them and mooring below. Jan and Dai (NB Jandai) are here as well.
After a cup of tea and a bite to eat I set to with the chain saw and sliced up the logs on the roof. The rings are now back on the roof, but looking a lot tidier!

We’re now starting to think about short-term plans. Long term we’re heading for the Fens, but before that I’ve and event in Liverpool in March, then another in Manchester in May. So we’ll be hanging around north Cheshire till then, before making a bee-line south and east to Northampton and the link to the River Nene. Sometime we've also got to get Seyella dry-docked for hull blacking. Not sure whether to go for a DIY job or pay someone this year. Anyone know of any covered dry docks for DIY use around Middlewich or Northwich?

Locks 2, miles 3

Wood and Mud.

This morning Meg and I had a walk along the towpath towards Chirk Tunnel. Contractors are repairing and resurfacing the towpath along here, and they’ve had to widen an existing path to get the plant to the site.
The path ran through trees and they’ve had to remove branches and even cut down some smaller trees to get through. I spotted a suitable length, and so when we got going I made a point of shouting across to a couple of the guys. “Take as much as you want” was the reply. We pulled in to the muddy bank and I set off, trusty bushman saw in hand.

Muddy towpath where the contractors are moving machinery.

Over an hour later, with an aching back and sore shoulders, I’d a roof full of logs of varying sizes. There was a lot more about than I‘d first thought!

A good roof full

We got going again with difficulty, the extra weight had sat us more firmly on the bottom, but with a bit of judicious tiller wiggling and gentle throttle we pulled away.

Another 10 minutes and we were approaching Chirk Tunnel. Just as Mags decided to build the fire up……

Smokey chimneys and tunnels are not a good combination!
We got through without too many bumps, not bad considering I couldn’t see where we were going, had frequent coughing fits and watering eyes. I felt (and smelt) like a kipper when we got out the other end!

Back out into fresh air, onto Chirk Aqueduct

At the far end of the aqueduct our sojourn into the Land of the Leek comes to an end…

Border crossing (again)

A little less than a mile and we were pulling in behind Moore2Life just after Gledrid Bridge. I was glad to get tied up, after getting hot and sweaty cutting and hauling the wood, I’d got cold on the counter. Still, a hot cuppa and a warm in front of that blazing log fire put things to rights.

After thawing I was back out again, cutting up some of the smaller bits and rearranging the rest into neat-ish piles on the roof. We’d travelled for the last 45 minutes with a bit of a list to the left…

We’ve not seen much of George and Carol today, they’d collected guests for a trip across Pontcysyllte, and didn’t get to join us till nearly 18:00. I don’t think they enjoyed the last half-hour in the dark. Tunnel lights are OK in tunnels, but are woefully inadequate for night-time cruising.

Locks 0, miles 2½

Leaving Llangollen….

We’ve had an enjoyable few days in Llangollen. It’s a pleasant town, with a good range of shops and some interesting buildings. But we didn’t spend all our time there; not when there’re are equally interesting but more remote places to see….

On Wednesday, under cold grey skies we heading off on foot up the last 1½ miles of the canal to Horseshoe Falls. Very shallow in places, this is not navigable by private boats, but, during the season, a pair of horse drawn passenger boats go from Llangollen Wharf to Chain Bridge Hotel, just a few hundred yards from the source of the water that runs the 46 miles to Hurleston Junction.

The first sight of the start of the canal is a bit underwhelming, a flow of water bubbling up below a building which houses the metering and valve systems, controlling the volume of water extracted from the River Dee.

Start of the canal.

Just step around the other side though, and you’ll come to the weir which holds back the water to provide a head for the canal. This is Telford’s Horseshoe Falls.

Horseshoe Falls. Beauty and functionality combined…

Meg just HAS to sample the water….

The water for the canal is diverted off to the left, and disappears under this disreputable looking bunch….

We didn’t hang around for too long before setting off back, it was pretty cold!

There were some who were prepared to endure the cold water, quite a few hardy souls were in canoes on the river and on the canal.

Canadian canoes on the Dee.

Yesterday was a bit more exerting, we decided to go up the hill to Castell Dinas Bran.
It’s not far from the canal, but it’s almost the same distance vertically!

From near the canal basin


Maybe halfway up, the steepest bit is to come…

That’s it, the view from the top, looking up the Dee valley.

And down the valley towards Trevor
In the middle of the picture is Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, 3 miles away. Another 2 miles and there’s the A5 crossing the Dee.

As you can see, it was a far better day than the previous one!

Panorama over the valley to Llangollen

Apart from the magnificent views, it’s worth the climb to see the ruins of this 13C fortress.

George in pensive mood…

Meg looking for rabbits…

It must have been tough living up here….

Very atmospheric.
What a very good couple of hours!

In between walks and visits to the town I managed to install the components of Project Cosy Toes…

Micro-heater fitted next to the calorifier.
Run from from the heater pipes on the engine, these are designed for kit-cars or classics where a heater was an optional extra. I’ve tee’d off the flow and return lines to the calorifier, with valves so the unit can be isolated. The large air hose leading off at the top of the picture leads to a vent….

……on the steerer’s step.
Cracking! Warm feet!

After another very cold night which left a thin skin of ice on the surface of the basin, the day warmed up and turned to rain. Typical Welsh rain. Persistent, insidious, penetrating. Though, having spent a fair proportion of my youth up in the Welsh mountains, not unfamiliar.
Not a good day to cruise, but we did anyway.

We had to make a stop at Llangollen Wharf to meet a delivery of 10 bags of solid fuel from the local hardware store. It’s a private wharf, used by the trip boats, but the horse drawn ones are laid up at Froncysyllte, and the Thomas Telford had left for a trip across Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and back. I’d already checked that it’d be OK, as well.

Approaching Llangollen Wharf

Fuel loaded, we moved on a short distance to the service wharf to empty a poo tank, then set off in pursuit of the rest of the convoy.

It is recommended that a crew member be sent ahead on the single-file sections leading out of town to warn of approaching boats. But, to save Mags having to be out in such damp weather, George had agreed to let me know if there was anyone coming the other way. As it turned out we didn’t see another boat till Trevor.

We’d expected to meet Thomas Telford heading back to Llangollen somewhere just this side of the aqueduct, but a phone call from Ann, then another from Carol, warned us of a potentially “interesting” encounter. Yes, she (he?) was heading back, but was towing the two horse boats back as well. That must have been a sight to see, coming over the aqueduct!

I took it very slowly over the last few hundred yards, expecting to see this “train” appearing round a bend, but didn’t see them till we came under Rhos-y-Coed Bridge, at the end of Trevor Basin.

James Brindley was being poled into the dry dock…

….William Jessop was (almost) tied up out of the way.
Thomas Telford had slotted in between the hire boats.
The horse boats are double-ended, the rudder can be hung either end. They can’t be turned around on the feeder, so they just hook the horse up to t‘other end and tow it back again.

With these obstacles out of the way, we had a clear run across the aqueduct.

Not that we could see the far end anyway….

Certainly murky in the hills.
Two miles further on and we caught up with Rock’n’Roll and Moore2Life moored near Chirk Marina.
The Rockers are facing the other way as they’ve guests tomorrow and they’re going back over the Ponty. I hope the weather is a little better than today’s.

It’s been a pretty dismal sort of trip, but I’ve had lovely warm feet!

Hi John and Liana. Thanks for the comment. Weather looks a bit grim for the next couple of days, improving early next week. There's no ice on the main line, but there might be a thin layer in the off-line marinas and basins. We'll keep an eye out for you as we head back. Enjoy your trip.
 
Locks 0, miles 6½