Floating about: Day 9

This morning we walked up to Barnton to get my prescription from the pharmacy, which was pretty efficiently done.  Barnton is having a Scarecrow Trail, with the theme of film characters.  We particularly liked Mary Poppins.

We set off at about 9.20, heading for Barnton Tunnel, which you can just about see through so doesn’t have any restrictions.  It’s still far from straight inside though.

Saltersford Tunnel is only available for northbound traffic from the top of the hour until 20 past, because it’s so unstraight you can’t see whether anything is coming.  We had just over five minutes to wait for 10am to come round.

After that it’s a pleasant plod through wooded sections and farm land.  We arrived at the Dutton breach site moorings to find them completely empty, so we put ourselves where the hedge is lowest, so the plaque marking the centre of the breach is right outside the dinette window.

After lunch we went for a walk.  Last time we were here we walked down from the previous bridge to the River Weaver and went to look at Dutton Locks.  This time we took the path down to the river but went upstream, to look at Acton Bridge.  It’s a swing bridge, but doesn’t have to swing very often these days.

We walked up the road to the canal, and back along the towpath.

5 miles, 0 locks.  (42 miles, 13 locks)

Greater Cheshire: Day 7

We had a great evening with Erika and Ian last night.  They came over to BR for a drink as they’d never been on board, and then we all went over the bridge to their house where we had a takeaway.  Lots of boating stories were exchanged.

This morning we got a wash load going before we set off, and then untied at about 8.30.  It had been raining, but cheered up a bit before raining again.  Just around the corner was a view of the water tower.

The Runcorn Arm is actually very pretty all through Norton, with long wooded sections.  Then there’s a riot of concrete road bridges.

As you get into Runcorn, there’s a building which looks as though it could be a nuclear power station.  It’s actually the Brindley Theatre — although it does look better from the other side.  It’s also having work done at the front.

Then you get views of the iconic Runcorn Bridge.

The end of the canal happens rather abruptly at Waterloo Bridge.  There used to be locks beyond the bridge, going down to the Runcorn and Weston Canal, and the Manchester Ship Canal.  But for now, it’s where you have to turn around.

We turned and went back to moor on rings outside the theatre.  Going that way you also get views of the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

We walked into Runcorn to get some shopping at the decent-sized Co-op, then set off back down the arm.  When we got to the marina we stopped at the water point to fill the tank, and had lunch.  Then we went back out onto the main line, and turned south again.  We were much too early for the timed entry to Preston Brook Tunnel, which is for ten minutes at half past each hour, so we had about half an hour to wait.  We walked up above the tunnel mouth to see if we could spot any of the air shaft chimneys, but it’s too wooded.  But we did find the final Trent and Mersey mile post — which is above a point a few yards inside the tunnel, where the T&M technically turns into the Bridgewater.

I also had time to do a Kingley Vale blog post, with the latest photos of the build.  Of course no boats had come north, and we set off at 1.30.  Two of the three air shafts are off centre in this tunnel.

When we got to the other end a boat was arriving to go through.  They then set off, even though they were ten minutes early.  At least from this end you can see there’s nothing coming.  We did the lock and then the bendy bit of canal, and moored on the rings at the site where the canal breached in 2012.  It had turned into a sunny and warm afternoon, so we took a walk along to the next bridge and down to the River Weaver, this time to look at Dutton Locks.  There’s a graceful bridge over the weir stream to take you onto the lock island.

Further down the valley is the long railway viaduct.

One of the houses by the locks had a very decadent-looking parasol in the front garden.

In the weir stream, next to the sluices, is an Archimedes screw power plant, with the flow of the river turning the screw to produce enough power for 150 homes.  Because of all the fencing around it, it’s very difficult to get a photo.

And the old ship that’s been here for decades has deteriorated some more.

11 miles, 1 lock.  (40 miles, 14 locks)

Northern Exposure: Day 12

The mooring at Barnton Pool is really lovely.  Even though we appeared to be moored right next to a road, it was only the driveway to the little car park here and the Saltersford Locks down on the river, so there were only a couple of cars driving past.  Otherwise it was exceptionally quiet; this morning among the other birdsong we could hear a woodpecker hammering away.

There was rain overnight, and it was still raining this morning.  We’re in no rush now, as we’re waiting for stoppages to finish — and it’s not as if we can catch up with friends who live in the area, as everyone is avoiding social contact.  Going north, Saltersford Tunnel can only be gone through between the top of the hour and twenty past; as it kept raining, we delayed leaving until 11.  I made the filling for a cottage pie while we waited.

The tunnel is quite short but has some very significant kinks in it, which you really do have to steer around.  We weren’t going far, and we did it quite slowly in order to give the batteries a bit of a charge and to make some hot water.  There are wooded sections, and places where you can see the River Weaver in the valley below.  Standout landmarks to spot include Acton Swing Bridge, Dutton Lock with the white bridge over the weir stream, and the Dutton viaduct, which crosses the river.

We moored up at the Dutton breach site, where the replacement bank has rings set into it.  There’s a great view through the towpath hedge to the river and the viaduct.  Another boat was also tying up here when we arrived, so we said our hellos at a safe distance.  Everything is very odd at the moment!

4 miles, 0 locks.  (147 miles, 95 locks)