Monday 18 February 2018 Beeston

Well back to our normal 10 am starts and a sunny run as far as Aqueduct Marina where we stopped to visit the chandlery, I didn't see much of this part of the journey as I was replacing the spring in our toilet flush mechanism, I expected it to be gold not steel as a new one cost me over £30.

Anyway Iain got a new float switch at Aqueduct and we were soon on our way again  and up through Minshull Lock with us leading the way. A boat pulled out ahead of us just before  Cholmondeston lock but he was on his way up by the time we got to the lock so only a few minutes delay.
There were some interesting cloud formations as we made our way towards Barbridge.

At the junction we turned right, straight across the canal from the junction is the site of the old Jolly Tar pub that has been demolished for some time just leaving the pub sign standing, now however there are hoardings erected all along the boundary and work going on behind them.

Our plan was to go down to Chester for a couple of nights, I knew Northgate Lock was closed but I missed the Wharton's lock closure so we will wind just before it.
A brief stop at the services to top up the tanks at Calveley and then on our way, we had just got under the next bridge and there were a few spots of rain, but the sky to the south was bright with sunshine, however to the north of us was

black with a nice double rainbow, but like the rain it didn't last long.
Just before the winding hole on the right are some old Lime Kilns, I don't know if someone is working on them because I dont remember them being so open and in view last time we were this way, they look in very good condition and you could see right inside the arches.

Bunbury staircase was not only against us but someone had left the bottom gate open and the paddle up, as usual the canal below is well full of hire boats and its bit of a squeeze getting past the last pair and under the bridge, especially considering this is a wide canal. We carried on through one more lock and moored just above Beeston Brick Lock for the night. I think we have made up for yesterday doing over 5 hours today.
Today's Journey

11 miles, 5 locks in 5½ hours.

Sunday 17 February 2019 Middlewich Branch

Last night we had dinner with Ann and Iain in the Big Lock, I was a bit concerned from some Facebook postings it was becoming a burger establishment, nothing could be further from the truth. The Burgers are very good but only a small part of their menu.
This morning before we could leave we had to do a bit of shopping for perishable things we couldn't bring with us, so at 10am we were off to Lidl which is a very short walk from where we were moored. While we were there I bought a new smoke detector as the old one is playing up. this one has a 10 year none replaceable battery, so one thing less to worry about.
Back on the boat we set off up the locks, just as we were losing the ropes a boat came passed so the Middlewich three were with us, the only thing was they left the bottom paddles open, but they had only just bought the boat from Kings Lock so lots to learn.
Straight into bottom lock but Diana was unable to draw the top paddle, I went up and tried and was able to bounce on the windlass without moving it, red dry rust on everything, we eventually got it open and gave it a good oiling before we left it.
We turned hard right into the Wardle canal and them up through Wardle lock which the boat travelling ahead of us just vacated. Above the lock we exchanged pleasantries with John and Gillian who where out in their front garden. Passing the site of the breach repair I noticed that CRT have installed some mooring rings at the west end of the new concrete section, although we had met a boat Stanthorne lock was against us. Ann and Iain had left before us this morning while we were shopping but we found them moored overlooking the Weaver between bridges 21 and 22, so we slipped in and moored just ahead of them, we had planned on going a bit further but they stopped for lunch and the weather was not as pleasant as yesterday so decided to call it a day.
For some reason I am unable to post to Blogger from Open Live Writer if the posting contains a picture so I am adding the map afterwards
Today's Journey

http://gps.motionx.com/maps/0b3ecfd2d260fe8af44c7ae3b7c1ebc5

3¾ miles, 5 locks in 2¼ hours

Saturday 16 February 2019 Middlewich

Well we got back to the boat around lunchtime, everything looks fine with no frost damage, but I had drained the domestic water system. While Diana unloaded the car I refilled the water system, luckily we had just enough water in the tank to do it.
Once we were sorted it was time to be off, as we approached the marina entrance we saw Ann and Iain Street on their boat, also getting ready to leave so we had a quick word and then we waited for them in Big Lock.
We only met one boat and that was on a nice straight bit but when we arrived at Big Lock there were two boats going up, it didn't matter as we had planned to fill with water below the lock anyway. It nice to see the daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses out, that and the sun shine made it very spring like.
CRT have closed the footbridge over the foot of Big Lock saying its unsafe, This make it a bit more walking to do over the top gate while working the lock. I do wonder what sort of risk assesment CRT have carried out before closing the bridge and just how much danger it presents as there is a steady stream of people carrying dogs and children now crossing the top lock gates, and I just wonder which presents the greatest risk, that or if the bridge was still open.
Today's Journey 4½ miles 1 lock in 2¼ hours

http://gps.motionx.com/maps/d4b8172e7ecda96dd8cc4a7393d6b23e

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Saturday 16 february 2017 Middlewich

Well we got back to the boat around lunchtime, everything looks fine with no frost damage, but I had drained the domestic water system. While Diana unloaded the car I refilled the water system, luckily we had just enough water in the tank to do it.

Once we were sorted it was time to be off, as we approached the marina entrance we saw Ann and Iain Street on their boat, also getting ready to leave so we had a quick word and then we waited for them in Big Lock.

We only met one boat and that was on a nice straight bit but when we arrived at Big Lock there were two boats going up, it didn't matter as we had planned to fill with water below the lock anyway. It nice to see the daffodils, snowdrops and crocuses out, that and the sun shine made it very spring like.

CRT have closed the footbridge over the foot of Big Lock saying its unsafe, This make it a bit more walking to do over the top gate while working the lock. I do wonder what sort of risk assessment CRT have carried out before closing the bridge and just how much danger it presents as there is a steady stream of people carrying dogs and children now crossing the top lock gates, and I just wonder which presents the greatest risk, that or if the bridge was still open.

Today's Journey 4½ miles 1 lock in 2¼ hours

Home Moorings Friday 4 January 2019

Well I must admit I found the moorings at Wincham Bend very enjoyable. As we had a busy day ahead of us we were away at 9AM. Although the temperature did drop below freezing sometime over night the only Ice we saw was on a pipe bridge just outside our marina.

It wasn't long before we were passing The Old Broken Cross pub, on the opposite side of the canal is a new building site, while we have been away they have installed the footings, but these are now under 6" of water.

Outside the pub there are a row of mooring rings but for some reason this security conscious boater had chained and locked his boat, but he has not used a ring but driven his stakes in. I would have thought it easier to pull a stake than get a padlock off a ring.

It only took us an hour to get back to our moorings but at least that put something back into the batteries.

So this trip in 18 nights we have done 148 miles and 84 lock, I have also lost count of the number of Kingfishers we have seen, probably 30.

Today's Journey 2.2 miles in 1 hour

Wincham Bend Thursday 3 January 2019

Last night we decided to eat at The Leigh Arms which is on the banks of the River Weaver, we are on the Trent and Mersey Canal some 50 feet above the river level and about a third of a mile down the footpath, trouble is , its a third of a mile UP coming back.

Our mooring is the blue blob and the pub the red ring

This morning I tried to time our departure to arrive at Saltersford Tunnel at 10-30 AM so we left at 9-45 AM. This would have been OK if I had managed to turn in the winding hole at the first attempt, but I didn't. Its not helped by a boat being moored on the towpath directly opposite the hole, well its an excuse anyway. We finally arrived at he tunnel mouth at 10-40 AM. which was OK as you can enter this way between half past and ten to the hour.
It felt quite mild when we set off, no frost about but the temperature did dip below zero last night, however by the time we reached the tunnel I was getting quite chilly so once clear of Barnton Tunnel I light the back cabin stove. I don't thing we saw any boats moving at all while we were travelling although one came by once we were moored up. As we are going home tomorrow I decided to moor at Wincham Bend which still gives us a couple of hours to get a bit of charge back in the batteries. Its the first time we have ever moored here, a couple of years back CRT re-piled the bank and while they were at it put some mooring rings in making it a handy wild mooring, just what we like.
Just one other thing, if you moor your boat like this please don't complain to me if your front pin comes out.

Today's Journey 7¼ miles in 3 hours.

Bartington Wednesday 2 January 2019

I looked out this morning and someone had been dusting the place with flour, well it did go down to -3 last night and was still freezing at 10AM.

It was 11 before we got away, when we came out 2 weeks ago I noticed a water leak on a hose running beside the field, I expect it feeds a drinker for the horses that live there, well this morning this was the result of that very fine water mist all night.

I can't remember the last time the pressure was this high and not a drop of wind. the canal is just like a mirror.

Yesterday it was starlings on the wire, well today its white doves all swinging together at Orchard Marina. We stopped at Anderton Services to fill with water and dump the rubbish before continuing on past the Anderton Lift and through Barnton Tunnel, we had a 15 minute wait before we could enter Saltersford Tunnel at 3PM. We weren't expecting to be able to come up here as CRT had planned a stoppage for the 2 January, but that has been deferred for a couple of weeks. Progress this afternoon has been a bit troublesome. Picking up debris at every bridge hole and vibration on the rudder, so after we moored it was a quick nose down the weed hatch, it the clear water I could see the problem straight away, a B&M reflective jacket round the prop, They are quite strong and the blades of the prop had gone through an arm hole a couple of times, but I fiddled it off, no way could I tear it out.

Today's Journey 11½ miles in 4¾ hours.

North Middlewich Tuesday 1 January 2019

My word they like their fireworks in these parts, they started at about 8 pm and we went to bed well after midnight and I was still woken up by some in the early hours.
We pushed off at 10-30 am, not the first on the move I must say. I wonder why the starlings all like to sit right next to the pylon? It reminded me off offshore, in the winter they would all sit on the handrail all bunched together until one fell off, after lunch they all bunched up again and waited for the next one to drop.

CRT have just spent 9 months and a small fortune repairing a breach on the Middlewich Branch, I wonder if this will be the site of the next one, or if they will do something about it before then?

We were third in line at Stanthorne Lock, the boat we were behind said the one in front had problems getting the bottom gates open but we both managed OK.

I thought I would take a photo of the spill weir below Stanthorne Lock, I bet its all nice and clear now, as well as being free running. It looks as if it should have a good capacity.

Several of the boats moored at the bottom of gardens along this stretch have now returned and things seem pretty much back to normal. One thing I don't understand about the work is the new tow path above Stanthorne Lock, there use to be a row of mooring rings before the lock bollards so if there was more than one boat waiting to go down you could tie up, with the new tow path surface they have gone, a backward step.

Once through Wardle Lock we turned left and down the Middlewich 3 which are due to close tomorrow for 6 week to fit new gates and do masonry repairs.

We continued down through big lock where the Pussy Willow is already starting to burst outand moored on the top path mooring rings just before Bramble

Cutting, we were going to moor there but there were already 2 boats there so no point in crowding up.

Today's Journey 7½ miles, 6 locks in 4 hours.

Church Minshull Monday 31 December 2018

Just as we were about to leave a boat came down the flight past us backwards. So we followed him down. Passing Overwater Marina there is still a fine collections of submersible pumps and equipment.

A little further along the offside bank has been trampled down by cattle, its not long ago that CRT spent money reinforcing the bank with soft edging, as you can see there is now a fence along to keep the cattle back.

We arrived at Hack Green locks to join a queue of 4. The bottom lock had dropped a paddle so was taking for ever and a day to fill. I didn't expect that on the last day of the year.

As you approach Nantwich the towpath has been resurfaced, the path is open but there are still hundreds of yard of plastic mesh.

Nantwich was not as full as I expected it to be and we had a steady but slow run through. Once through Nantwich we passed this boat piled high with all sorts, the boat has been moored here for several years now.

At Barbridge Junction it was hard right down the Middlewich Branch, we didn't meet anything turning in, in fact we didn't meet anything until we were leaving Cholmondeston lock which was in our favour with the top gate ajar, We were to meet even more boats at Minshull lock, one before the lock, one in the lock and a third approached as we were leaving. We continued on to moor at the visitor moorings at Church Minshull.

As this is the last day of 2018 I thought I would post some statistics for us this year. We have spent 166 nights on board,, done some 745 locks and covered 1360 miles.

Today's Journey 13½ Miles, 5 locks in 5½ hours.

Audlem Sunday 30 December 2018

I had a Little job to do this morning before we left. The solar Panel control unit had a red light showing yesterday as well as the green to indicate the sun was almost shining, overnight in the dark, no lights, this morning in the day light just the panels green and the other red. Turned out that I had dislodged the fuse in the charging line when I changed the batteries last week. Only problem is my back is now complaining after lifting the tool box awkwardly, so it was 10 30 again before we were away.

Just as passed under the bridge before the locks a boat came up which was good new as the flight of 5 Adderley locks would all be with us, however the bad news was they had met a boat going down just before they entered the bottom lock, so it didn't sound to good for the 15 down into Audlem. CRT have a work boat moored part way down the Adderley Locks as they are cutting recesses to refit the safety ladders in the lock walls, now there will be room to get your toes through the ladder when standing on the rungs, there was about a 30mm gap before.

This area really is a high capacity dairy cattle keeping part of the world with lots of the cows living in large open sided sheds, these ones were outside and probably going in for milking.

We arrived at the top of the Audlem flight and the first two locks were full. The cottage by the top lock has been greatly extended lately which has lead to a lot of discussion on the internet as not being in keeping with what was there.

There is bit of a gap between the top two locks and the third, but as we arrived we were very pleased to see a boat emerging, the Lock Gods were looking down on us. All the locks down to lock 11 would be in our favour, we even met another boat so were able to leave gates open for them. I was going to tuck in for water in front of the Shroppie Fly but a boat was already pulling in backwards so we dropper through lock 13 and used that tap. The Shroppie Fly is closed again for another change of management, they don't seem to last long here. Once filled wit water we did one more lock before mooring for the night.

Todays Journey 4½ Miles, 19 Locks in 4¼ Hours.

Market Drayton Saturday 29 December 2018

Well we went for a pint in the Anchor, not been in a pub like that since I was at school and saw in the Live and Let Live in Fleggburgh, a nice coal fire and just one other couple in there when we arrived, unfortunately it was empty when the four of us left.

We were a bit late getting away this morning, 10 30am. I blame it on our late night after watching Quartet on BBC2 last night.

I had to post this photo of yet another Kingfisher we passed today, the total has now exceeded 20 this trip but we were right beside this one before it took off.

This is not my favourite canal, there are lots of long featureless stretches interspersed with lots of long term offside moorings. On of the features that does stand out on this length of canal is Woodseaves cutting which was cut through solid rock in places,in other parts the banks are battered back, but in these areas there is often land slips on both the towpath side and the offside. As you can see it runs dead straight.

We stopped for a bit to eat above Tyrley Locks which turned out to be a good move, as when we set off we met a boat coming up after the first lock. At the bottom of the flight a couple of tree roots have lost the fight to hang on in to the side of the bank above the tow path.

We pushed on to Market Drayton where we moored and made a trip to Lidl for a few odds and ends that we had run out of. By the time we returned it was getting on for half four and getting dark but we still decided to move on mooring up a little before 5 PM. just short of bridge 66.

Today's Journey 10¾ miles, 5 locks in 4½ hours.

High Offley Friday 28 December 2018

The owls where we moored last night were quite vocal and we could hear them over the TV.

Not the best of starts this morning, at 6AM I heard a boat go passed, what time and where he set off from I don't know, I think he was travelling south then at 7 AM there was a Text, my sister is in hospital so thought it may be that, but it was Santander telling me I had nearly gone overdrawn and there want enough in the account to pay the credit card bill. They should have tried again this afternoon to give me a chance to top the funds up, fingers crossed.

So after sorting out the bank, hopefully we set off at twenty past ten. I was rather taken by the sign requesting you don't speed passed moored boats at High Onn, well it made me smile.

Coming through the cutting it looks as if the trees are all making a guard of honour as they grow out from the banks seeking the light from the sky. We stopped in Gnosall for a little look round, a few shops, post box and a couple of pubs, so quite a handy place. By now the weather had brightened but it didn't last and we even had just a couple of spots of rain. In Gnosall I saw my first bulbs in flower of the season, I expect they have probably been under cover for a bit, they were just outside the pub.

We passed what I think is the site of a Kingfishers nest in the offside bank.

At Norbury there is a large study being carried out by Birmingham University to try to measure the effects of high levels of CO2 on our woodland, The trees and masts are quite visible from the canal.

In my Blog I posed a picture of an Owl on a boat, I thought I would include one of his owl box .

We had to negotiate another tree down across the canal today, it was already down when we passed in the other direction but its deep enough to go overtop of it, I expect they have been reported to CRT but I will drop them an email in case.

Another ¾ of a mile and we moored for the night just passed the Anchor pub at High Offley.

Today's Journey 8¾ Miles in 3½ hours.