Barbridge

A little late getting away this morning. First thing it was foggy and the morning remained very overcast and no where near as hot as previous days. we even had 5 minutes of drizzle and the sun only popping out now and again.The pound to Minshull lock was several inches off weir and we heard repeated tails

of boats stuck, no water etc. One boat said he had turned back, anther said water levels were very low ahead, not sure how they can be lower in one part of the pound to the other. You can see the base of the wall here, but you just need to keep away from it.
I had been told today was the Aqueduct Marina grand duck race, I am not sure if these were the main field, stragglers at the end of just checking the course before the race started.

As we approached Minshull lock I could see it was running on weir, so the level above would be good, I thought being a shortish pound it may be down. CRT are in the process of re-piling the lock moorings here below the lock.

To ensure boaters don’t waste water at locks it looks as if CRT are employing  supervisors to keep an eye on us.

A few weeks ago the canal was closed while nannies Bridge was repaired, I wonder how long it will be before this one requires attention.

It was nice to travel along a pound so full of water, but after Cholmondeston Lock we were on the Shropshire Union level and this is a few inches down. At Barbridge Junction we turned left on the SU, it looks as if CRT have recently replaced the notice on the bridge.

We have a table booked at The Barbridge Inn for this evening so have moored for the night against there gardens. Thankfully there are no longer boats staying here indefinitely and customers can get a mooring for the night.

Today’s Journey 7½ miles with 2 locks in 3½ hours.

Wimboldsley

It was quite hazy when we set off at 10 this morning but things soon brightened up. When we came the other way last week I didn’t appreciate it was Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men with Weed floating around in the cut.

Just after this we realised we had a stowaway onboard, a tiny Toad probably smaller than a 50p piece was legging it around on a very dry boat roof. it was captured and put safely ashore in the long grass beside the canal.

Wincham Wharf was quite congested, the wide beam with the overstaying ticket was still on the towpath 48hr moorings and had been joined by another, Narrowboats were three abreast on the off side and we met a poor hire boat as we came through the bridge, he did very well.

Passing through Broken Cross this Swan had all the cygnets lined up for inspection.

We came up Middlewich Big Lock with another boat who was doing it backwards. He had gone down yesterday and couldn’t find any shade so was coming up to moor by The Newton Brewery. We stopped by the park for lunch and a visit to Lidl. We had considered calling it a day there but I was concerned about water levels up the three locks with the Cheshire Lock being closed. Shopping done we set off, not one of the knitted bollard covers has been vandalised which surprised me. There is one on every post. A little further on there are a couple of interesting looking trucks behind a very high fence, if there hadn’t been a boat there I would have stopped and climbed on the boat roof.

We had a good run at the three locks, a boat had just left the bottom, but it had filled a little bit, a boat was coming down the middle lock and as we finished the middle lock a boat was coming down the top lock. All the pounds were down a bit all the way to Kings Lock and a went aground swinging into the Wardle Canal. As we arrived at Stanthorne Lock a cruiser was coming down. They had just bought the boat at Ellesmere Port and were heading to Liverpool with it with no clue about the Bridgewater being closed, just using a map on the phone. There was also a second boat waiting to come down so that made life even easier. We passed this nice pair of ex-working boats, we last saw them at the top of Anderton Lift last weekend.

Photos are much better with the light in the right place. Then passed the long term offside farm moorings, it looks as if the farm suffered a fire in the barn. HS2 was planned to cross here .

On a bit further and look to moor further from the railway than last time. We can still hear it but no where near so bad.
Had we have moored in Middlewich we would have tried to book a table at the Badger tomorrow night, but now we this far I have booked a table at Barbridge Inn.

 

Today’s Journey 12 miles with 6 locks in 5¾ hours

Marston

Bit of a late start, we had the dawn chorus about midnight when something upset all the roosting birds so didn’t wake up too early. It was almost 11am before we set off. I knew it was going to be hot when I saw all these cows in the shade.

We arrived at Saltersford Tunnel just after mid day so had a little over twenty minutes to wait for our window at 12-30 , I think there were only two carvings last time we came this way.

We had a clear run through Barnton tunnel which is not timed entry, first come first served and stopped for lunch just through bridge 202. We don’t normally stop but we needed a pump out at Anderton Marina and didn’t want to get there at lunch time, 2Pm and we were off again. There was a land slide by bridge 201 back in 2021 and the footbridge is still closed 5 years later.

 

the canal channel is marked by buoys , I am not sure why they are on the towpath side, I can understand them being the other side where the water is shallow .

Passing the boat lift even the visitor centre was closed when we passed, two of the ex-working boats  have left the top basin and made there way back to the River via Chester and the Manchester Ship Canal. it would have been 15 minutes in the lift. We carried on to Anderton Marina where they emptied the black tank for us, somehow we also bought a couple of ice creams. We then went over to the CRT services on the other side of the canal to fill with water and dispose of recycling before heading off to moor a short way before the salt Museum. A Cormorant followed us most of the way, diving and swimming behind us, when we got further away he would fly to catch us up and the dive just behind us, maybe we disorientated the fish.

 

As a foot note, the cows weren't wrong about the weather and its been another stinker. It is now playing havoc with the canal water levels so we are having to consider out route home.

Today’s Journey

7 miles with no locks in 3¾ hours

Dutton

Our original plan for this morning was to leave the mooring at 10 and go through Preston Brook tunnel at 1030am. But then we thought now we are here we may as well go to the end of the Runcorn arm and back. The Bridgewater company don't seem to have a problem putting barriers to help control towpath traffic.

We only met a couple of boats as we made our way towards the end, but there is development along most of the towpath side land with footpaths closed. Last time we were this way there was a company making canoes in this building, now it looks empty.

It looks as if the mural has been repainted in the past 4 years from how bright it is .

We went to the end and winded, there were two boats, a wide beam and a Narrowboat belonging to Unlock Runcorn who are working to restore the locks from the end of the arm down to the Manchester Ship Canal.
We decided not to stop at the end but just wind and head back to Preston Brook junction. There use to be a small canal side garden centre which is now closed and up for sale, it has a very nice mooring but as it not been used the lilies have taken over.

We arrived at the entrance to Preston Brook Tunnel  at about ten to two outside out passage window so had to wait until two thirty before we could enter. I got one very poor shot of the repairs part way through the tunnel which are basically a concrete box. It collapsed in 1981.

As we came to the other end of the tunnel Diana noticed we were chasing a duck, I hope we hadn’t chased it all the way from Preston Brook.

A couple of years ago a boat got into the tunnel at Preston Brook and then got wedged which required the fire brigade to get them out. Ahead was Dutton Lock which was against us, all 20mm of it. The tunnel is 4M wide but Dutton lock is probably only 3M. which limits the size of boats that can access the T&M canal. We probably only did another mile when we spotted a row of mooring rings on a concrete edging, all in the shade.

Today’s Journey

12 miles with 1 lock in 5 hours

Preston Brook

Last night we ate at Elmas the Mediterranean restaurant, this was not our first visit and very enjoyable. This morning the first job was a visit to Sainsburys, its only a small one but we got everything we need. The day again was very sunny but quite hazy.
This seamed a good idea, skips in the hold of a barge, once full they can be lifted out.

We passed the converted offshore lifeboat again with the grafted on wheel house.

We met two broad beam boats today, thankfully both had skippers who could steer, the first was the Wizard II a wide beam charity trip boat, the second was  a Bridgewater work boat

It looks as if this farm building has reached the ends of its days with a large pile of brickwork behind it.

On our way up here I spotted this, but was far to slow to get a photo, so on our return I made sure I captured this.

You can see how hazy it was from this photo of the chemical works.

With all the development at Preston Brook both sides of the canal the developers are building a new bridge across the canal. There is still a lot or work

 

to do to complete both the bridge and the housing estate, I wonder if they have included bus stops in the road layout .We only went a little further until we spotted a nice oak tree on the towpath, our only hope of shade so that was it, we pulled in and called it a day. We may regret this mooring as although its in the shade its rather close to the railway line.

Today’s Journey

9¼ Miles with no locks in 2¾ hours

Lymm

Quite a cool breeze this morning making steering quite pleasant. We passed this converted lifeboat, I think its the first time I have seen one with a wheelhouse grafted onto it.

Then we came to the fishing match, the time was 1043 and they didn’t start until 1045 so I said to the first one we will be clear by then, I could only see six anglers, then we went round the corner and saw the rest. What I have never seen before was two EA officers complete with stab vest and body cam checking all the fishing licences.

We were undecided whether to stop in Lymm or carry on to the breach, it depended on the mooring situation. When we got there there was loads of spaces so we carried on to the breach. The canal is

buoyed off and a chain across just beyond the winding hole, a full length boat would have problems turning there as  they would have trouble getting the stern round, they may manage it doing it the same way as I did. Bows to the towpath and stern round into the winding hole, then pull the bows round to leave. Thankfully the wind was in the right direction. The scaffolding/sheet dam is doing nothing with the water level both sides, its the stone/earth dam that is holding the water back.As we were stopped to have a look, we couldn’t see the work site we thought we may as well have lunch before setting off again. On our way back to Lymm we passed this boat with an interesting porthole layout with spectacle covers.

We also passed a continuous line of moored wide beam boats, we have met one on the move this week and even with the width of the Bridgewater, depending where it is it can be interesting.

Between Lymm and Hesford Marine is an old waterside warehouse with an attached house, the house looks lived in but the warehouse is getting into a poor state and could use a bit of love .

 

 

  Back in Lymm there was only a single boat moored on both sides so we pulled in on the town side just through the bridge for the night and eat out tonight.

Today’s Journey

9½ miles with no locks in 3¾ hours