Sad times

We went up to Scotland to see my brother at the weekend, stopping over on Saturday night. I’m glad we went, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. And it turned out to be the last opportunity. He lost his 12 month long battle with cancer on Monday morning. Still, I’d like to think he’s in a better place, now.

We kept the car an extra day so we could go across to see the family, then took it back yesterday and moved out of the marina to a quiet spot just above Swanley top lock.

Near bridge 10
We’ve arranged for a berth again tomorrow, and a car from Enterprise at Crewe, so we can go up for the funeral on Friday.
So we’ll be dropping back down through the 2 locks in the morning, back to the marina.

We were moored alongside NB Cecelia III, and the owners, Jim and Penny, arrived to oversee her being hauled out for bottom painting.
We had a good chat while I took some pictures of the operation. Pleasant couple.

Out she comes…
Unusual 4 blade propeller..
Jim and Penny, with Cecelia III in the background heading for the paint shop.
Locks 2, miles 1

Post Script

I mentioned earlier a possible change of plan. Well, I’m having to head up to Scotland to see my brother who is very ill. So I’ve arranged a berth in Swanley Bridge Marina for the boat from tomorrow.

I’ve also got a car coming from Enterprise, and will head north as soon as possible, dropping Mags and Meg off at Ingleton on route. It’s just too far for them to travel up there and back in one day.

We joined the end of the queue for the locks, and were at the top by 17:10. Then cruised along to moor between bridges 3 and 4 on an SUCS mooring. We’ll do the last ¾ mile in to the marina tomorrow.
We may be “off the air” for a few days.

Locks 4, miles 1

Hanging around at Hurleston.

We came back up the canal from Nantwich as planned on Wednesday, and moored pretty much in the same place, just south of Hurleston Junction. It was another fine day for a cruise, even though it was a very short one!

Leaving Nantwich.
Yesterday, on my morning run, I spotted No Problem and Moore 2 Life moored up a mile or so towards Barbridge. So after breakfast I walked up with Meg to say hi.

NP and M2L
The Megs were pleased to see each other again, it’s been about 10 weeks since they’ve had a play….

Megs Wrestling
On the way back I watched a new sport of Extreme Mowing. The slope on the reservoir embankment is steeper than it looks on the picture, his rear wheels were crabbing downhill as he moved along.
Our friends are heading south again now, after a trip up to Ellesmere Port. Chas and Ann on Moore 2 Life are heading for Braunston for hull blacking, and Sue and Vic are heading for Norbury to have the saloon in NP revamped.
S and V are very good at foraging for firewood, and have quite a bit stored on their roof. More, in fact, than they can use this winter, now that the boat is going into dock. So they offered us the surplus. Well, it would be uncharitable to refuse, wouldn’t it, so this morning they pulled alongside to transfer the load.
I’d timed it beautifully, being out up the canal with Meg. By the time I got back, it was all stacked on our roof instead.

The gang’s all here….

We said our goodbyes a little later.
I don’t know when we’ll see Sue and Vic again, but we may meet up with Chas and Ann as we head south for Oxford next month.

The flight of locks leading up onto the Llangollen will be open this evening on schedule, but our plans may have changed a bit now. More on that later.

There's a website that's informative and useful for experienced and newbie boaters alike. Find it here.

Locks 0, miles 2

A plan (of sorts) for the next couple of weeks

We waited out the weather at Hurleston. It’s been pretty grim at times, with strong winds and heavy showers. Not cruising weather, but it didn’t deter some hardy souls.

There have been a few breaks in the weather, giving me a chance to get some of our log supply sawn up….

And to get Meg out on some decent walks.

Hurleston Junction from the reservoir.
Hammered pewter effect on the reservoir
Ploughing with an attendant flock of gulls.
Ivor and Mel Batchelor, on the coal boat NB Mountbatten and butty Jellicoe, are moored near Barbridge Junction. I arranged to collect some smokeless from them when the weather improved.
And the work on Hurleston Locks is expected to be completed on time.
We need to visit a service point in the next few days, so we decided to collect the coal today, then turn around and go back to Nantwich for shopping and the services, before returning to Hurleston in time for the flight to open Friday or Saturday. Then we’ll head off up the Llangollen for a few days, maybe to Wrenbury, before returning to the Shroppie and heading off on the final leg to Ellesmere Port to arrive around the 26th.

This morning was not promising with a brisk breeze still, and drizzly showers blowing through. But by midday it was showing signs of improvement, so we got away.

Approaching Mountbatten and Jellicoe, for the solid fuel.
Just for info, the pair are Admiral class narrowboats, built around 1960 by Yarwoods of Northwich.
I like to buy from the coal boats if possible. It’s a treat to see commercial boats still making a living on the canals. They deserve to be supported. (And the product is generally cheaper than the boatyard’s!)

Loading up.
Pointing south again at Barbridge Junction
As the afternoon wore on the weather got better and better. Long warm sunny spells showed the pastureland of the Cheshire plain at its best.

Looking west across South Cheshire.

We’re actually only a couple of miles from where we started this morning, but we’ve covered 3 times that distance, going to Barbridge Junction and the winding hole past Nantwich to turn around.

Locks 0, miles 6

Stocked up, and a short cruise to Hurleston.

I made several trips up into Nantwich over the last couple of days. So the cupboards are now well filled and I managed to get a replacement axe from Focus.
I also had some good walks around the area, but the footpath signs are a bit patchy in places. That’s when the old GPS comes in handy!

Acton is a pleasant little village on a crossroads just to the NW of Nantwich. It has an impressive church, which dates back to the 13c. Unfortunately The Star next door has succumbed to the downturn in trade, and is boarded up.

St Mary’s, Acton.

There’s a “Sculpture Trail” along Nantwich embankment, anchored at one end by this horse.
Convergence of boat names at Nantwich Basin.

We got away around 13:00 today. We would have been a bit sooner, but I got chatting with the bloke on the boat behind, and then we had a short shower to wait out. No point in getting wet if you don’t have to.

A stop at the services next to the basin ensured that the water tank was full and the bin and loo tanks empty, then we had a slow cruise to Hurleston.

Nantwich Basin
This is the original terminus of the Chester Canal, built to carry freight (mainly salt) from Nantwich to the River Dee at Chester.

There are stop gates either end of the embankment to be used in the event of a breach. I hope they’re in better condition than they look.
The southern one is even worse!

We haven’t seen any more rain this afternoon, but the wind has increased in strength, to the point where navigation would be tricky. In a crosswind the boat becomes a 30m² sail. After we moored a hire boat from Anderton had trouble lining up for the bridge at the junction. They had to fend off with the long pole, then drifted sideways into the 2 boats moored ahead of us. They’d got their act together by the time they got to us, so we were spared any intimacy.

Moored just south of Hurleston Junction
The Llangollen canal heads off from the main line just 100 yards up the canal. Or it would do if Hurleston Locks were not closed for maintenance till the 13th. This is part of the BW winter stoppage programme.

No Entry to Hurleston Locks.
There’s just the bottom lock to finish, now. It’s dewatered for repairs to the top cill.

Hurleston Lock 4

It’s unusual to be able to see the cill at the bottom, and the paddle below the winding gear that is lifted to fill the chamber.

Hurleston Locks from the top. The 4 locks lift the canal just over 34’
We’ll be here tomorrow, it’s supposed to stay windy and showery.

Remember Paul Miles, who we met on the Staffs and Worcester in February? He'd hired a narrowboat for 7 weeks, as a taster for living aboard, and was writing an article about his experience. Well, it was published today in the House and Home supplement of FT. Have a look, it's interesting.

Locks 0, miles 2¼

Trip to sunny Nantwich

We hung on at Coole Pilate till today. I’m afraid this will be pretty much our schedule for the next 3 weeks; 2 or 3 days on the bank, followed by a short cruise.
We don’t need to be at Ellesmere Port till about the 26th, and its only about 6 gentle days cruising. At the museum we’re planning to hire a car to go to Liverpool for my first race of the season, then nip “up North” to see the family.

Meg and I have had a couple of good walks in the area, although yesterday’s was a bit of an assault course. To get to the Weaver, we had to cross a very deeply ploughed field, gateways full of slurry and waterlogged fields. But it was worth it.

Like a petrified sea….
You can imagine Meg thinking, “You’ve got to be joking!”

The Weaver.

At this point the river’s heading north, having turned from it’s SE’erly course near Audlem. It’ll go through Nantwich, Winsford and Northwich before emptying into the Mersey at Runcorn.

From just above Winsford it has been made navigable, and can accommodate coastal vessels. Or at least it could. It’ll need a good dredging to fulfill that role again.

Meg needed a good clean up when we got back...
Tuesday was a bit grim, strong winds and heavy showers, Oddly enough we saw more boats traveling that day than either yesterday or today, when it has been fine and dry. Some people are suckers for punishment.

We got off soon after 11:00 this morning, the “Simpson Sky” making it look warm but the cold northerly ensuring it was the opposite.

BW are making a meal of cutting the hedges near Hack Green. I think it’ll be a while before they need to come back!
At Hack Green is “The Secret Nuclear Bunker”. Sue on No Problem has already mentioned that it’s not so secret with dirty great signs pointing to it!
This is where in the event of a thermonuclear war, those selected would find themselves holed up, while us ordinary mortals watched our hair and teeth fall out….

Down the 2 locks at Hack Green, I told Mags that these will be the last narrow locks we’ll work for a while. North of Nantwich the canal was built in 1779 at broad gauge. This is the original Chester Canal, and although the canal is no wider, the locks and bridges are able to take vessels of 14’ beam.

Leaving Hack Green Bottom Lock

The bit we’re on now was built as the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, and the whole became the Shropshire Union in 1845.

We arrived at Nantwich around 13:00, and moored on the embankment south of the aqueduct. In fact the town centre is about a mile to the west. I’ll go shopping tomorrow. One essential is a new axe. I cracked the head of my old one splitting wood on Tuesday.

Nantwich Embankment Moorings.
The embankment and aqueduct here is another case of a local landowner refusing permission for the canal to cross his land. In this case it was the resident of Dorfold Hall. So the canal had to swing in an arc to the west, requiring the building of the embankment pierced by the main road. We shouldn’t complain though. The revised route gives us another of those fine cast iron aqueducts that Telford was so fond of.

Nantwich Aqueduct.

Looks like it’s leaking a bit though.

Locks 2, miles 4

Sunny trip down Audlem Locks.

I can’t believe we’re in March already. It only seems 5 minutes since Christmas!

We were away a bit earlier than usual this morning. With the 15 lock flight at Audlem to do, we thought we better had. It was a fine bright sunny morning after a bit of a frost.

Last night’s sunset was impressive.
Bright start to Audlem.

The top lock of the Audlem flight is a bit of a surprise. You come under a bridge, through a shallow cutting, around a corner and there it is.

Audlem Lock 1

We were following another boat down, so apart from a couple around 8 and 9 when a boat came up, all the locks were against us. I expected to see more traffic on the flight than that.

Working our way down Audlem
A Saluki at Lock 9 was keen to make Meg’s aquaintance…
We stopped off at the waterpoint outside The Shroppie Fly, then just had the last 3 locks to deal with.

The Shroppie Fly and Lock 13
Lock 15. What, is that it already?





Meg was off, running backwards and forwards all the way down the flight. I think she’d had enough when we reached the bottom.
Just south of the village the canal crosses the infant River Weaver. An embankment was thrown across the valley to carry the canal, the river following a tunnel through it. The river rises 10 or 11 miles to the northwest, in the Peckforton Hills.

The Weaver
Comprehensive stern fenders on NB Canopus Can’t think what they remind me of….
We pulled over a couple of miles from Audlem, on the SUCS moorings at Coole Pilate. It’s a pleasant spot, out of the way, and we were surprised to be the only ones here. As we tied up the wind started to freshen, bringing a few drops of rain. A sign of things to come. The forecast is for wet and windy weather for 2 or 3 days.

Locks 15, miles 4½