Welsh waters: day 17

There was a lot of rain in the night, hammering on the roof.  Adrian was up early this morning, as he was catching a train from Chirk station first to Chester, and then on to Manchester for a conference.  As I did not need to be out the door by 6.15 I stayed in bed!  The rain carried on for much of the morning, so I did a bit of baking.  Then it cleared and the sun came out, so I went for a walk down to the aqueduct.

I then walked through the tunnel rather than over it as there’s a towpath through, and up the canal the other side a bit.  Then I walked into Chirk, had lunch, and came back over the aqueduct again.  I still needed steps, so went up the canal the other way, past the Poacher’s Pocket pub.  It got so warm I ended up having to take off not just my jacket but my jumper as well.

The internet signal remains dire — it occasionally makes an appearance and a load of messages come through, and then completely disappears again.  It’s a shame because Chirk is really nice.

0 miles, 0 locks.  (59 miles, 37 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 16

It was bright but still a bit breezy when we set off at about 8.30, with me walking up to the lock while Adrian brought the boat.  The lock was about half full, so didn’t take long to get ready.

Once we were up the lock, I walked on to the next one which was similarly half full.  A boat was also arriving at the top, and the crew came to watch us come up as they’d only collected the boat from Chirk yesterday and this was their first lock.  We then stopped on the water point and got the washing machine going.  Once under way again we met a few boats coming the other way.  At the Lion Keys hotel and bar, their basin with pontoons actually had a few visiting boats in it.

A bit further on, there’s a big new housing estate, with some of the houses facing the canal.

We pulled in at Chirk Bank, and Adrian walked ahead a little way to see what the mooring situation was.  We ended up on a bit of a bend before Bridge 21, with the bow on a ring but stakes at the stern.  We walked into town via the railway station to see how long it took, and then got a chicken and leek pie from the butcher’s for dinner.  We had lunch at Caffi Wylfa, which is in a sort of community hub.  It’s a good looking town.

Our route back took us via the tunnel portal, where we could look down on the pool between the tunnel, and the aqueduct.  A day boat had just come through, and reported there were six or seven more following — but he couldn’t get onto the aqueduct because of a boat coming the other way (slowly), so goodness knows where everyone was going to go.

Back at the boat, we waited for all the boats to come past, and then reversed beyond the boat behind us, where there was a straighter edge and we thought we might be a bit safer away from the bridge.  However, the mobile signal is just as bad, as we’ve resorted to a visit to The Bridge Inn just down the hill for WiFi.  They have a great view of the aqueduct and the railway viaduct beyond from their patio.

4 miles, 2 locks.  (59 miles, 37 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 15

The strong winds arrived right on cue at about 8 o’clock last night, but seemed to calm down a bit overnight.  We’d feared having trouble sleeping (recalling the terrible night we had in the storm at Salford Quays a few years ago) but it was fine.  However the winds picked up again as the sun came up, and at one point we’d decided we’d be staying put.  But after breakfast things seemed to calm down a bit, and a couple of boats came down the locks.  It also wasn’t raining, so we decided to go for it.  We quickly got ready, I went along to the Elsan, and on the way back there was a rainbow over the boat.

Have to say the facilities in the Weston Arm are great.  There’s a full range of rubbish and recycling bins in the car park, and there’s a little building with Elsan and loos.  Having decided to go, it was a bit gusty when we set off, in fact as soon as the ropes were untied the boat was off the side and I had to use a bit of power to get round the corner rather than being blown onto the offside.  But once we were behind the hedge on the approach to the locks things were better.  Adrian had walked round, and got the bottom lock open ready.

We did the two single locks, both of which were empty, and then the lock keepers spotted us and got the staircase ready.

It meant we were up the locks in quick time.  We moored at the top briefly, so I could interview one of the lock keepers for a future podcast, as he’s been involved in the restoration of the Monty since the late 1960s.  We decided to set off again as the winds weren’t too bad, and turned left at the junction.

Going this way, the bridge numbers reset to 1 again, with a W to show they’re the western sequence.

Loads of boats had crossed the junction just in the time we’d been there, and we were behind two ABC boats going very slowly for quite a while.  I was able to check on whether the towpath was still closed between bridges 3 and 5, after a request from Paul from Waterway Routes, to help his maps stay up to date.  It rained a bit on and off, and was a bit blowy at times, but nothing too bad.  We pulled over and moored up just before 12, below the New Marton Locks, where there was a queue of boats waiting to go up.

After lunch we went for a walk up the locks, and found plenty of boats in queues for both of them, and that the crews were struggling in the wind.  It’s blowing directly across the canal here, away from the towpath, and people are having to cling on to ropes to avoid their boat ending up on the other side.  The wind seems far stronger now that it was overnight or this morning, so we appear to have got our timing right again — although we are being rocked around on our mooring more than we’d like!

3 miles, 4 locks.  (55 miles, 35 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 14

With a forecast that said rain from late morning and strong winds from this evening, we thought we’d be best to get going sharpish today — so we were pulling away from our mooring at 8.30 in dry conditions without a breath of wind.  In the field behind the canal is a big solar farm; in fact rhere’s one on the other side too.

Between the lift bridge which is left up and the next bridge, there were two kingfishers.  At the lift bridge that needs lifting, Adrian did the honours.  When we got to Maesbury Marsh, we pulled onto the water point and got the washing machine going.  We then had a real struggle to get the brass cap on the water tank to unscrew.  As it’s brass, and so is the tool used to undo it, both have become worn over the years so neither the slot not the tool have any crisp edges on them any more.  After a good long while, it came loose and we could top up the tank, although it meant our stop was a bit longer than anticipated.

Before the locks, we met a boat in a fairly awkward place, although I could pull in between two moored boats to let them pass.  To be honest, there were worse places we could have met.  But at least it meant the locks were in our favour.  The house just blow the top lock has a false window in the end wall, and there’s another round the back.

The paddlesports club at Queen’s head were out in force, and the CRT work boat that’s moored there has a new crew member.

The next stretch is straight and alongside a road, and there are more long straight sections ahead.  This canal is definitely more appealing below the locks.  We met a couple more boats heading the other way.  There had been a couple of rather feeble showers, but as we approached Graham Palmer Lock it started to try harder to rain.  We did the lock, and were then hoping there would be a mooring in the Weston Arm, which used to be the start of the now-abandoned canal to Weston.  There was space, so we spun around and reversed in, so that if it’s as windy as forecast tomorrow we can just go straight out forwards — as we’re booked in to go back up the locks.

Since we’ve been here the rain has really come on, so we managed the timings pretty well again.  We’ve also lit the fire for the first time this season, which should also help get the washing dry.

7 miles, 4 locks.  (52 miles, 31 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 13

There was a lot of rain overnight, but it was pretty bright this morning when we set off at about 9 — past The Navigation, where we had an excellent dinner last night.  Adrian had the lamb shank and I had the duck, and both were very good.

A couple of bridges further on is a lift bridge.  It’s in a rather nice setting.

The first time we came down here, on Debdale in 2010, the end of the navigation was a couple of hundred metres further on.  When we were here two years ago, another couple of miles had been opened earlier that year.  Then we did the new bit and turned around and retraced our steps.  Today we were taking more time over it.  The canal is pretty narrow, but there’s some nice scenery.

When we got to the end, at Crickheath, we turned in the huge winding hole and reversed onto a mooring.  The edge here has been provided with huge yellow mooring rings.

Not long after we arrived, the rain started, and at times it was heavy.  So we decided we’d have lunch and head out after that.  It got to the stage where we just accepted we might get a bit wet, but had to go for it anyway.  The reason was that we wanted to walk the next section, which is being worked on by volunteers.  There are two miles between here and the next part that’s properly in water.  It goes from lined, to cleared, to full of trees; but Schoolhouse Bridge has been rebuilt and opened last year.

The part where there’s water, actually hasn’t got any at the moment because of the drought and some problem with a weir.

There’s a trip boat at Llanymynech Wharf which is currently sitting on the bottom.  The bridge there is the border with Wales.

We went into the canal centre, surprising the volunteers there, and had cups of tea.  They then suggested we take a look at the heritage area just behind, where there are some really well preserved lime kilns.  The chimney was the flue for a Hoffman kiln, used for the continuous burning of limestone

There used to be inclined plane railways up the hill to bring the limestone down using counterbalances.  We had a good wander round, then returned to the canal, crossed the dry bed, and walked back.  By now the sun had come out and it was warming up.  We’d walked about 2.5 miles each way, so we’ve done far more on foot than we have by boat today.

2 miles, 0 locks.  (45 miles, 27 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 12

Another day of sunshine and showers, and shortly after we set off at about 8.15 there was a very vivid example of what happens when you get both together.

We arrived at Frankton Junction less than half an hour later, and turned into the Montgomery Canal.  There were a few boats moored there, but only one that appeared to be set to go down so we tucked in behind to wait for the locks to open.  Shortly afterwards, a couple of lock keepers arrived and the boat ahead started to go down.  There’s a staircase lock first, and once they were in the lower chamber I reset the top one for us and we started on our way down.

There are then a couple of single locks, and we crossed with a boat coming up.  At the bottom, there was also another boat heading for the locks.  I opted to walk on to the next lock, which is about half a mile away.  The boat ahead of us was mooring at the junction with the short Weston Branch.  The next bridge on the mainline is No 70 — because the numbers continue from the Llangollen main line.  There was a hire boat coming through.

I warned the boat that Adrian was coming round the corner, and suggested they toot their horn as a warning.  I carried on walking, but Adrian says the two boats danced round each other very well.  At Graham Palmer Lock, a boat was arriving to come up, but the lock was in our favour with the gate half open, so I claimed it for us and Adrian was soon arriving.  It has a shallow fall of under 2ft.  The next section is long and straight, and very tree-lined.

At Heath Houses, the railway crosses the canal, and there’s an old packet house and a bridge beyond.

Unusually there were no boats moored at Queen’s Head, where the A5 crosses the canal.  Next come the three Aston Locks, which Adrian worked.  The top one needed filling, but a boat was coming up the middle one, and then a boat arrived below it as we were ready to leave.  This canal is so narrow and shallow, locks are probably the best places to meet boats coming the other way.  We carried on for another mile or so and moored at Maesbury Marsh, opposite the old bone works.  We are the only boat here.  Just as we arrived, there was a heavy shower of very big raindrops, but at least it only lasted for 60 seconds.

After lunch, we went for a walk around the village, which apart from some old buildings near the canal is largely fairly modern housing.  We walked down a lane to the next bridge, where the Canal Central cafe was open.  It’s only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so I think this is the first time we’ve been able to visit.  We had tea and coffee, and the tea pots had knitted tea cosies.

We have booked for dinner at The Navigation this evening.  This is another place that only opens at the weekend; we’ve been here both previous times we’ve been down the Monty, and it’s been very good.

The latest podcast is out today.  It’s about the IWA lock wind last month at Cholmondeston Lock, and you can listen to it here.

7 miles, 8 locks.  (43 miles, 27 locks)