Welsh waters: Day 3

We really liked the Baddiley moorings: quiet, dark, and we were on our own.  There was rain last night and it was pretty miserable-looking when we got up — but as it wasn’t actually raining we decided to do a short hop to Wrenbury.  It was just grey.

A boat passed just before we set off, so we knew we’d be behind them up Baddiley Locks.  The bottom lock had only one working top paddle, so it takes an age to fill; then there was a boat to come down, so by the time we were up the lock about half an hour must have elapsed.  Other boats were also coming down, some of them traders who’d been at the Whitchurch festival last weekend.

We carried on round the big bend at Wrenbury Heath, and pulled in at the first set of moorings, between Bridge 18 and the manual lift bridge.  Shortly after we arrived there was a brief shower, but there were also some sunny intervals.  We decided to go to the Berries community cafe for lunch, and of course by the time we got there, across the fields from Bridge 18, it was raining heavily.  We had very good toasted sandwiches, and the whole place is very friendly and nicely done.  We came back via the shop and the path through the churchyard to the lift bridge.  I needed more steps for the day, so carried on walking; I went over the lift bridge following a footpath, which then went into a field of maize.  I think technically the path is supposed to go up the side of the field, but it was very overgrown and the well-trodden route was a path between two rows of maize.  As the crop was wet, I was soaked by the time I came out the other side.

I crossed another field to a stile in a hedge.

This led to a track, which returned me to behind Wrenbury Mill and then the canal.  This afternoon has actually been relatively sunny, and there have been plenty of boats through the lift bridge.  I have put together another podcast, so I’m well ahead now, but there’s not enough signal to upload and schedule it.  Tomorrow’s forecast is even worse, particularly after lunch, so we’ll see what happens.

2 miles, 3 locks.  (13 miles, 9 locks)