Stoak Shropshire Union Canal

When we woke this morning it was dead calm, the wind sock at the chemical works hanging limp. We were due to lock out onto the Manchester Ship Canal at 11-20 this morning, By 11 the CRT chaps were there so we started the engine , untied and positioned ourselves in front of the partly open gate, it was like that when we arrived yesterday.

First they tried closing it which eventually happened, then they tried opening the other one, that didn’t work, so they reopened the first one just wide enough for us to get through.

Once in the lock the next job was to get the gate shut again, apparently one of the two battery powered power packs failed, once that was shut attention moved to the bottom end, the valves for the drain were opened and eventually the bottom gate started to open, there was a narrowboat the other side waiting to come in. I was happy for him to come in before we went out but the lock keeper told him to wait and get out of our way. It had taken us ¾ hour to clear the lock

Its essential that you don’t cut the corner when leaving the lock, the bush on the far bank makes a good sight line. We slipped through the part open gate and past the chap treading water outside.

Eventually I turned left, I don’t think Diana thought I was going to go the right way and we headed towards Ellesmere Port.

It all started nice a calm but after a couple of miles the breeze picked up to about 20mph but it was still nice and warm. There are a couple of buildings on the island between the MSC and the river Mersey, I have no idea what they are.

We passed a large flock of very mixed geese swimming around, I suspect there are a lot of cross breeds there with domestic geese, there must have been 50 or 60 or them, they split both sides of the boat. 

I think this is the dredger that was following us along the canal when we were going to the Weaver, the one that was moored here has disappeared.

I didn’t slow down and he didn’t shout at me. The chemical gas tanker was on the same berth as when we were last here, I don’t know if its been here all the time or is on a return trip.

I called Eastham Port Control just before we entered the section of canal through the Stalow Refinery as we passed the cliffs. They are fully grown trees on the top, not bushes.

One section of the bank between the canal and the river is just a row of piling with a walkway along the top.

On our way to the Weaver we followed a ship that was turning off to moor, today there was a different tanker in the berth.

It was now time to keep an eye out for the light house, this stands on the corner of the entrance to the Port, the entrance is between that and the block of apartments.

The entrance from the MSC is at right angles to the canal and doesn't look much, I wonder if any boaters miss it? The lock up to the Port is at right angles again, to the left and parallel with the MSC.

 

There are two people to man this lock, the CRT volunteer lock keeper to open and lock up the lock for us and a man from Cheshire Council to operate the swing bridge, in reality he also has a windlass and gives the CRT chap a hand.

There are then just two locks up through the museum, the top one has to be left full and they leave a top paddle up to ensure it doesn't drain. As we came up these locks a chap opened the gates for us and got chatting, he was waiting to transit to Manchester to support the “Fund Britain's Waterways” appeal, He kindly gave me a banner to display.

We continued on the Shropshire Union Canal until we found a spot a little further from the motorways.

Today’s Journey 10 miles with 4 locks in 3½ hours

Marsh Lock Moorings

We set off about 10am on quite a windy morning , often blowing at 35mph, it made winding by the disused lock mouth interesting as I had to get round bow to wind. I know what I should have done, but I didn’t. We headed down stream under the railway viaduct, I found out yesterday that the peregrine falcons have successfully hatched this year.

We carried on as far as Sutton swing bridge where we stopped to dump rubbish (one of the only two locations on the river) and have lunch, as well as doing the holiday blog and Diana going for a walk. We left there about half two passing the Frodsham Cruising Club with what looks like their permanent temporary foot bridge across the entrance.

We pushed on in the wind, at least the sun kept popping out to see us to moor for the night on Marsh Lock mooring pontoon ready for tomorrow morning .

Today’s Journey 6½ with no locks in 2 hours

Below Dutton Lock

Last night we had our last meal in Northwich at Relish, its very close and handy for the town moorings, unlike last Thursday night when the weather was hot and the place empty, last night they were quite busy.

A bit of admin to do this morning so we didn’t leave until 11-45am. heading down stream for the last time, I like this river. Down passed the Anderton Lift that still doesn’t work noting that the trip boat wasn’t there, we met it just a few minutes later and this time about half full. I don’t know how far they go and what it cost.

I called Saltersford just before the the dredging disposal site, today is Martin’s day off and his relief is a lady, today she was instructing another CRT member on how Saltersford  lock operates, the same chap will be locking us out of Marsh Lock on Friday. Down to Acton Bridge where I gave Bob at Dutton Lock a call so that lock was ready for us as well. The water must be gushing through the top gate of the lock at almost the same rate as an open paddle on a narrow canal lock.

Once clear of the lock we turned to face upstream and moored on the visitor moorings/waterpoint for the night again, while we were here we also filled the water tank.

Today’s Journey

 

6¾ miles with 2 locks in 2½ hours

Northwich Town Moorings

Last night we moored below Dutton lock in the same spot Robbie Cummins used for the TV show . I wouldn’t normally consider doing such a thing but there is next to nothing moving on the river.

A little before 10 I walked up and had a word with Bob the lock keeper about locking up, there were still 2 vans there doing maintenance work on the system. The bottom lock gates started to open and I moved forward, then they stopped, the whole system had tripped. Thankfully he was able to reset it and we were on our way.
Just above Acton Bridge someone has this on their empty mooring, I can’t even go that slow if I stay in gear.

The Heron we passed yesterday has lent his stilt to a Canada goose today.

At Saltersford Lock Martin had the bottom gates open ready for us, so straight in and up. We did meet one boat today, the CRT trip boat just below Anderton Lift, they must have had a coach load in.
We moored at the pontoons in Northwich to make a visit to Asda. Just before we left I checked my emails. I had one from the MSC saying my booking  for Friday had been refused and sent my money back, no reason given, but at least an email address, so I asked why. I had a reply within 10 minutes saying I had failed to attach my “sea Worthy certificate”. I felt sure I had and when I got back to the boat I checked, they were right, I had attached another surveyors report, not the one they wanted, so a new application sent ready for Friday. We then moved up to Northwich Dry Dock to see Matt who blacked our hull for us before mooring for the night on the town moorings again.

Today’s Journey

7¼ miles with 2 locks in 2¾ hours

Dutton Lock

Well in three days we have gone from sleeping with no bedclothes and all hatches open to every thing closed up and the duvet on. Last night or early this morning I photographed the moon, not easy as its low in the sky and we were down below the locks, plus its half one in the morning and I am naked .

This morning we went to the Dry Dock to find Matt without any luck, so back to Harnser and on our way down through town, this Cormorant was resting on the old British Waterways crane.

Down through the bridges and out of town, then passed the Anderton Lift, they looked to have a

couple of customers at the café and down to Saltersford Lock which fortunately was already full.Martin the keeper rang ahead to Bob at Dutton to hell him we were on our way. Shortly later Martin rang back and said we may get held up for a short time at Dutton as they were doing routine maintenance. Passing the Riverside Inn at Acton Bridge the water looks quite shallow unless this Heron had stilts on.

I rand Bob at Dutton and told him we would stop in Acton Bridge for lunch  so the chaps doing the maintenance could finish.
On the approach to Dutton Lock there is an old wreck, every year it decays slightly more and it must be heading towards the time it was removed before in breaks up completely into the river.

We were soon locking down as Bob had the lock full and the gate open ready for us. looking back as we dropped there was quite a bit of water coming through the top gate.

Once clear of the lock we chugged downstream for a bit looking for somewhere to moor, but as things we so overgrown we headed back upstream and moored just below the lock, it says no overnight mooring, but if Robbie can moor here on TV then so can I.

Today’s Journey,

7¾ miles with 2 locks in 3½ hours

Below Hunts Lock

This morning while we were having breakfast it started raining with a really heavy drizzle sort of rain, thankfully it had stopped before we set off. They call this Winsford Marina, its basically just a

basin with mooring rings, there is one tap, I didn’t try it but was told its out of order. As we were leaving just after 10 am this chap was surrounded with geese and swans.

Doesn’t this look inviting to cruise at the top of this section of the Weaver, Its not, its a flash, very shallow in places. I have creped some of the way up the edge here, taking depth soundings as I went dead slow.

We had spoken to the lock keeper yesterday and agreed that we would wait above Vale Royal for when he brought a cruiser  up from Hunts starting at 11-30, so that should have been around 12-15. Our plan to arrive a little after 11am and wait on the lock landing. Passing under Newbridge the level was about 2.1M, last time we visited the river it was about 1.8M .
Last time we visited the river the company name was on the cladding of this salt mine winding gear, so it must have been reclad since then.

We got to the lock moorings and waited and waited and waited, had lunch and rang the phone number displayed on the notice board, it went to voice mail, so left a message. Left it a while and tried again. same thing. We had  by now resigned ourselves with going back to Winsford for the night and booking a passage for Monday, then the phone rang. The lock keepers were at Hunts lock and would be with us as soon as they had worked the two boat waiting there to come up.When we finally locked down we had waited about 4¼ hours. The chaps had been called away to an emergency fix on the T&M. They locked up down before locking the other two boats up, so we had another wait above Hunts until they arrived to lock us down.
Once we left the lock we went down through the town , winded and filled the water tank, then back up stream to moor for the night just below Hunts Lock.
Today’s Journey

6½ miles with 2 locks in 7¼ hours

Winsford Marina

It was a good decision yesterday moving to the Town Moorings  as the housed gave us evening shade, I even had to get up during the night and close the hatches because we were feeling cold.This morning was much fresher, a bit of cloud and a breeze.
We pushed off at about 10am up to Hunts Lock which is maned at weekends. At the lock there was no sign of life but a notice in the window with a phone number saying they were at vale Lock so I gave them a ring to let them know we were waiting. They had two boats to lock down Vale and then they would be with us. It must have been about mid day when they arrived, just a barge came up and moored by the lock gate and a cruiser came in just in front of us. I went to see the lock keeper, a proper CRT one and he assured me, both us and the barge would get in together and we did.

 

We both thought they could have squeezed the cruiser in, but he locked up alone afterwards. Severn’s plan was to go up to Winsford and back down again this afternoon. He left the lock first and off he went.

when we reached Vale Lock he had just tied up to the wall and we tucked in behind him. We had bit of a wait for the lock keepers as they had to lock the cruiser up Hunts, close up and then drive to Vale Royal. The cruiser turned up just after they did. Again Severn went in first against went to the right bank and we lay beside him. Being 60 foot long even he looked small in the lock.

While waiting he lowered the forward section of his cloths so that he could clear Newbridge Swing Bridge with it’s 2M clearance. We waved him goodbye and pulled onto the visitor moorings for lunch.
A couple of hours later just before we set off again he came down the river heading back to Northwich.

I think the good people of Cheshire must all be doing their laundry today, looking at the outflow of the sewage discharge point. Loads of foam.

At the Red Lion a small dingy had just pulled in, he had ran out of petrol and had to row back, I offered him a tow to the slipway but he said if we had been an hour earlier he would have been glad of it. We carried on past the end of the CRT navigation to the

mouth of Winsford Flash where I decided to reverse down into the moorings. A real pigs ear as soon as I  stopped the wind caught my bows and tried to turn me round as I went back down. having the prop in the treacle in the mooring arm didn’t aid manoeuvring. There is only a little sailing boat  moored here, but as I wright this it is thundering and the heavens just opened.

Today’s Journey lots of hanging about.

5¾ miles with 2 locks in 4 hours