Anderton Friday 2 March 2018

Well the temperature has been above zero for the past 24 hrs but there is still an icy wind blowing. This morning we walked the ¾ mile back to the marina and our car to go into Davenham to get a few odds and ends before taking the car back to the marina. Just as we walked back to the canal a boat passed breaking the ice heading towards where we were moored. The canal in some places was open water like where we were moored but other places it was over 30mm. We really needed to move as the mooring was fully exposed to the 30+ mph winds we are getting today. As the boat was breaking ice we were just about able to keep up with him but just after passing Harnser he came to a standstill, 30mm thick ice and very shallow water, he was on the mud. It took him some time to extract himself, get into deeper water and carry on. Our immediate thought was follow him to Middlewich but another moored boat asked how far he was going and the answer was not far.

We settled down for lunch and the other boat that was moored ahead passed us, so after lunch we set off. it wasn't easy getting away from the bank with the wind and ice but eventually the bow moved out and round we went.

We passed this Wagtail sitting on the ice picking around.

We now had a path where two boats had been breaking the ice, unfortunately the one we were following stopped at The Lions Salt Museum but we carried on to Anderton, stopping at the services to refill the water tank, that means a shower in the morning, once full we carried on round to the Anderton Lift Visitor Centre to moor. We chose this spot because the canal is icy, and an icy canal means no 30+mph winds.

Today's Journey 5½ miles in 2½ hours