The peace of our lovely quiet mooring was disturbed yesterday evening when three plastic boats came through Barnton Tunnel, music blaring, and moored up for an evening round a camp fire. They did actually turn the music down, and they didn’t really take any notice of us, but every sound echos round the pool. Then at about 10.30 they all packed up, turned the music back up, and headed back through the tunnel.
It rained overnight and was still a bit drizzly this morning. Saltersford Tunnel is timed entry, from the top of the hour until 20 past going north, so we set off at a couple of minutes to 10 and entered the tunnel bang on the hour.
It’s only a short tunnel, but the reason it’s timed is that it’s so kinked inside that you can’t see from one end to the other; actually going north you get the briefest glimpse of a sliver of light from the other end — but once inside you can see that part way through there’s such a bend that the other portal is at a completely different angle. Once through, there are glimpses of the Weaver valley below, and if you know where to look you can seen bridges and the location of locks. There’s also a big viaduct over the valley.
After almost two hours we reached the one lock of the day, the Dutton Stop Lock, built by the Trent and Mersey to stop the Bridgewater Canal taking their water. It’s only about 2 inches fall, and is neither narrow nor wide. Just before it is a dry dock with a railway style canopy over it — principally because it was built by the North Staffordshire Railway, when they owned the canal.
We were a little early for the timed entry to Preston Brook Tunnel — just ten minutes from the top of the hour at this one — so we tied up.
It was clear someone was coming through as there was a woman waiting, but it turned out to be two guys in a kayak, doing a sponsored paddle. They’re doing Preston Brook to Middlewich now, and Llangollen to Middlewich in August.
At 12 we set off, and it takes about 15 minutes to get through. A couple of feet before the end of the tunnel, the Trent and Mersey changes to the Bridgewater. It’s owned by Peel Ports, and these days, boats with a CRT licence, like us, have to book. We rather like these flats, just beyond the tunnel.
A little further on is Midland Chandler’s, where I came by car a couple of months ago to get new batteries.
Immediately beyond the M56, we turned left onto the Runcorn Arm, and moored just beyond the next bridge. Our friends live on the opposite side of the canal, but the mooring on their garden currently has a wasps nest, so we’re keeping well away! We’ll see them this evening.
This afternoon, we walked along to the next bridge and up the hill to Norton, to look at the water tower which is visible on the top of the hill for miles around. You can’t get very close because it’s still operational.
When we got back to the bridge, we decided to continue down the lane. It took us to a level crossing over the railway line where we happened to see a freight engine towing a steam engine and a single carriage. It appears it was being moved from Carlisle to Crewe. Then we came to the mainline of the Bridgewater Canal, which is up on an embankment, with the lane continuing through an underbridge.
We walked down the towpath to the junction, across the bridge, through some housing, and back to the boat.
6 miles, 1 lock. (29 miles, 13 locks)
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