Acton Bridge

A nice quiet night last night, but it never really got dark. This morning the rowers were about at about 8am but we didn’t see any after we set off at 10. We have seen more Goslings today than we have seen the rest of the trip, I don’t know if the white one in this group of 4 with young is a white “grey Goose” or just a feral one

We didn’t see any boats moving but one thing we noticed is how much the bank side vegetation has increased since out last visit 3 years ago thought. I would like this water feature in my garden.

One of our favourite moorings when we came on the river a lot was Devils Elbow, I don’t think we will be spending much time there this trip.

Soon we were at Dutton Lock and we pulled into the bank so Diana could go find the lock keeper, turned out he was one of the old seasonal lock keepers and a Narrowboater so we spent a bit of time catching up since we last met. There are only two seasonal keepers on the river now. The old wreck above the locks is slowly disappearing under the water. I have photographed it a few time over the years.

We only went as far as Acton Bridge as we have a table booked for dinner tonight.

Todays Journey

 

5¾ miles with 1 lock in 2½ hours.

Sutton Weaver - It’s a long one

Nice night moored in the basin at Ellesmere Port, there were two other boats in there. one for a week doing day visits by bike and train and the other left this morning.
We were booked to lock down onto the MSC at 10-15 am this morning so we were up in loads of time. About 10 0’clock I spotted a CRT volunteer, rather elderly and using a stick to walk. I thought strange if they have sent him to lock us down, but no. He came to tell us the swing bridge was out of order and our journey cancelled with no program to fix the bridge. I rang Matt at the Dry Dock and he said leave it with him, he would get back to us.
While this was going on there was a young lady a short way behind us pruning the trees that are growing in a boat. Yes that’s right.

Anyway after a short time a couple of calls from Matt and from CRT it transpired the bridge had jammed in the heat last week and they were worried they had damaged the hydraulics forcing it. A company had been contacted yesterday to come and look at it. This then got escalated and the next call said a man was on his way, if the bridge worked OK he would contact CRT, they would come and do the lock, Marsh lock team would be mobilised again and we would be on our way. The chap from the Council arrived, opened the bridge and the top gates of the lock and gave me a wave. It was five past eleven

and we were on our way. we stopped in the lock and he contacted CRT, I thought someone was going to come down from the museum, but no this chap was miles away so we sat in the lock for about 40 minuets  trying to keep the ducklings out. Once out

of the lock I contacted MCS Control and he informed me that the George Essburger had just passed so we were clear to go. I was pleased it was in front and not chasing me. .

We didn’t follow him too far before he slipped off into a dock on the port side.

Because they moor that side of the canal and there is no bridge to reach what is effectively the main land, they are on an island there is a ferry service for them, two small motorised flats with huts.
These flit back and forth across the canal as required moving boat crews etc.

When we came out from the port we turned right passing new housing, the museum and Stanlow refinery.

 

 

 

At the far end of the refinery there was another vessel moored, the Ghibli a LPG Tanker.

Once past the Ghibli I had to ring MSC again to tell them we were clear of the refinery. Normally on a Narrowboat 5MPH seems fast, today I had to keep checking I was moving. After the refinery which stank the bank is a solid high rock wall, in the past there have been wooden jetties along here reached by iron stairs from the top.

We weren't alone on the canal and soon this orange launch was catching us up before disappearing into the distance.

This boat appeared to have a crane mounted on her deck, I was expecting it to be a grab dredger buy no grab, just a hook.

There is a discharge quay for dredgers to berth at and to pump the mud ashore, we were to see a large dredger later.

After this the banks are littered with old lock gates and bits of wooden Dolphins.

At this point looking back I could see slowly catching up on me a big blue dredger, as he got closer I think he eased his speed knowing I was turning off onto the Weaver. Behind him you can see some of the wind farm on this very open area.

By now we were close to the entrance to the Weaver, the channel is marked with a couple of red and green buoys, Red to red and green to green going upstream and you need to look straight down the lock mouth before you approach, You can see our route on the attached Google Map.

We turned and followed the marked channel towards the lock with one gate wide open ready for us.

As there are problems opening and closing the gate on this lock there were 4 CRT chaps waiting for us to lock us up the short way to the river level.

Because there is no power to operate the gates it took them ages to shut the bottom gate, thank goodness they only opened one. For us to leave they just opened one top gate about half way to give us room to slide through. It took us 20 minutes getting through.

Once clear of the lock we pulled onto the lock waiting pontoon and had lunch before continuing up river to Sutton Weaver, luckily Diana spotted all the hedge debris floating in the middle of the river.

 

 

Today’s Journey

 

9¼ miles with 2 locks in 3¼ hours

Ellesmere Port

Boy did we have a thunderstorm last night, about half ten there had been a few spots of rain, about eleven we are laying there and Diana says she can hear thunder so I got up and shut the engine room door to be met with a big flash of lightning, this lead to a real storm with 7½mm of rain.
No rush to get away today as we were only going to the port for the night. Sitting on the front deck eating lunch and a Mandarin Duck with her three chicks paid us a visit. Of course the Beluga came over again.
We finally set off at quarter to two meeting a couple of boats on the way. Diana walked down and photographer the sink hole yesterday afternoon, it was fairly level then.

After last nights rain it a hole again and not level. The towpath is closed with barriers but as usual people are ignoring them and moved them away.

We chugged on towards the Port passing under this poorly bridge.

When we arrived at the Port we wanted to fill with water, luckily the boat on the water point was about to leave, this also gave time to buy a couple of ice creams. Once that was all done we set off down the two locks, the first lock has to be left full, probably because the danger of visitors falling in. There is a short pound between the two locks so it looks like a staircase, but the short pound is connected to the adjoining lock flight to maintain a level. Once in the lower basin we reversed into a mooring opposite the Holiday Inn to moor for the night. The island we are moored on has several orchids growing on it.

 

Today’s Journey

6 miles with 2 locks in 3 hours

Moston

It was so warm last night we went to bed with the engine room offside doors wide open and the rear slid slightly ajar.
This morning the first job was a trip to Tesco to stock up on essentials as shopping will be a bit limited from now and with the heat the beer shocks were falling. The end result it was twenty to twelve when we left. We chugged slowly passed the row of moored boats down to Northgate stair case locks meeting a boat on the way, so not only was the top chamber full but so were both top gates with at least three Volockies on duty. As well as the boat we met there was one going down ahead so the middle and bottom chamber were already empty.
When working boats were using these locks the wall below the cill of the top chamber was protected by heavy cast iron plated radiused to match the wall, Today only part of them remain.

The gates at the top of the middle chamber are rather unusual as they have steps cut into them.

Also in the middle chamber is this level gauge. If you are coming up the flight the water level in this chamber must be in the green before you you move from the lower to the middle chamber, any less and you may ground crossing the cill, any more and you may flood the chamber over the towing path, like a boat did last week.

After leaving the lock you pass under the railway bridge before a right angle right turn under another bridge. I have never checked but I am guessing this is a pathway cantilevered over the canal.

We chugged along for a bit before calling it a day at Moston. Tomorrow night we have to be at Ellesmere Port ready for going onto the Ship Canal on Friday morning.
So we are sitting here having lunch and there is a huge roar, I stick my head out of the doors and right over our heads is another Beluga on his approach run to Broughton just across the River Dee. it’s the second one we have seen today. I have since found this site which shows where they are but there is no timetable, they fly as required.
 Airbus BelugaXL Tracker | Live Beluga Aircraft Map | BelugaWatch

Today’s Journey

 

3¼ miles with 3 locks(staircase) in 1½ hours.

Chester

After a lot of deliberation we decided that this morning we would turn round and go back the Tattenhall Marina for a DIY pump out, the winding hole was about 100 yards ahead or us and the marina entrance about 250 Yards behind is. So just after 9 we set off and did the necessary. There are sone interesting craft moored there.

It was even hotter today and we erected the Bimini which I really should have done a couple of days ago. We were soon onto the Golden Nook Moorings, I am not sure how often the bus comes this way,

Something I was not expecting was to meet a wide beam coming the other way, it all went surprisingly well. One thing I noticed was he had a tiller extension like you have on a sailing dingy so that he could look down the side of the hull. We also passed a boat with an interesting figurehead.

I am not quite sure why someone would go to the trouble of having a glass fence put along the canal side and then plant a hedge behind it so you cant see anyway.

I wonder how many times the walls of the locks have been rebuilt over the years.

We have been under this bridge 3 times in the passed few weeks and this Roller looks as if it hasn’t moved. Parked in the same spot.

The Mill Hotel has what looks like duck houses along the edge of the canal, but its so clean I cant imagine any ducks using it.

We had hoped to moor just before Cow Bridge as usual but it was packed and we had to go through the bridge and below the walls. Here is a shot from the walls as we went for dinner in Chester Market which is full of food outlets.

 

Today’s Journey

 

7¾ miles with 5 locks in 6 hours