Well a good nights sleep last night in the peace and quiet, I didn’t want to wake up this morning.
We were away about half ten with no boats passing going up but some coming down, so the first lock should be with us, wrong, a boat had left the far side or the bridge and was about ¾ of the way up So that was the first we had to turn and work alone.
There was a much better view of the castle today with the light in a better quarter.We visited it once, got lost going to it and then used all our cash paying a kings ransom to English Heritage to get in. While I was waiting for the lock to fill I looked back and could see that BWB or CRT have used plastic interlocking piling here, I couldn’t see how much was plastic.
We we reached Chas Harding’s I could see two boats ahead waiting to enter the iron lock and one boat coming down about to leave. That’s when it went pear shaped. The boat leaving the lock stuck his bows and then stern in between the lock and lock moorings to pick up his crew and switched his engine off ending up across the lock mouth hard aground. After a while the two boats waiting managed to get him off the rocks and told him to go forward, that’s when they found his engine switch off. By the time this was sorted out and the two boats ahead had gone singerly up the lock and we had turned it yet again to go up a Chas Harding boat who under instruction had been down, winded, instructed how to moor up below the bridge had walked up to be instructed how to do a lock, so our locking was somewhat slower than normal. When we finally arrived at Beeston Stone lock the boat ahead was waiting for us, even though there were two boats above waiting to come down. This is the lock with just one operational top paddle and took for ever to make a level. Looking back as we left you can see someone has had break failure coming into the lock.
We carried on partnering Nb.Easy Tiger for the rest of the wide locks. Approaching Bunbury staircase, we had to wait as a boat was going up ahead I got a good view of Anglo Welsh yard with the painting on the end of the building still very visible, I think it would be nice if it could be saved.
After leaving the stair case locks, the last of the wide locks this trip the view of the old stable buildings is also quite striking.
A brief stop at Calvary services to dump the rubbish and it was on to Hurleston Junction and hard right for the Llangollen canal. We timed it right, the bottom lock empty, a boat just coming out of the next lock up, a Volockie at the third who also set the top. The way it should work.Looking back at the bottom gates in I think it was the top lock it looks as if CRT have found a good use for some of their signs.
Diana went for a walk round Hurleston Reservoir and it looks to be well full.
We stopped at the top of the locks to fill with water and then passed these horses with rather attractive head apparel. Maybe its the Lone Rangers horse?
We slid into the first nice vacant mooring we came to well clear of trees between bridges 2 and 3.
Todays Journey
1 comment:
It is to keep the flies out of the horse's eyes.@
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