Last night we could hear the owls calling, this morning we could hear them again in the distance, but by 8am the bird scaring gun was going off a lot closer so by 9.30 we were off. Not as warm as yesterday but fine.
You may have read of a new hobby, Magnet Fishing in the canals, people are using strong magnets to see what they can pull up. It would be OK if they took their rubbish away with them and not leave it by bridges.
A lot more traffic about today and we met the first one in a bridge hole, only this time he stopped and waved me through.
Our first stop was by the fuel boat Halsall as we needed a pumpout. We found them getting ready to set off from the moorings at Nanney's Bridge, had we been any earlier and they would not have been onboard.
Diana walked ahead to set Minshull lock and as I approached I pulled up a sunken log straight into the prop stalling the engine, the end of the log was just below the water level and in the weedhatch so I sawed it off but still couldn't move the rest, so using the mooring hammer I tapped the prop round and released it. As I picked it up in reverse it was wedged between the top blade and the end of the hull and the blade going round in a forward direction released the pressure. I was unable to retrieve it through the weed hatch so it fell to the bottom. As luck would have it I had just bought a pair of long sleeved rubber gloves, They are a bit small for my hands but today they were a lifesaver.
Once that was off we were on our way and as we left the lock there was a boat coming the other way so we could leave the top gate open. We met more boats before Cholmondeston Lock and a moored boat pulled away ahead of us, but he stopped for call at Venation Marina so we carried on to the lock, again there was a boat heading down so we could leave the gate.
CRT are installing a new water point just beyond the lock moorings, they removed the one at Barbridge some time ago so there was no water point between Nantwich Calveley and Middlewich.
I wonder if anyone has lost a canoe recently along this stretch of canal as there is one laying on the towpath by the winding hole.
We only met one more boat before we got to Barbridge Junction where we turned right on the Shropshire Union canal, We are now on a broad canal, well it is from Ellesmere Port to Nantwich. The cheese factory is now open 7 days a week and also do Sunday lunch in their cafe, but we had already eaten.
Just beyond the Calveley services there are some 48hr mooring where we have moored for the night.
Today's Journey
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