Shropshire (wind)lass: Day 3

There was very heavy rain at 5.30 this morning, which woke us up with the noise on the roof.  It continued raining on and off, but by the time we’d had breakfast and were ready to set off at just before 9, the sun was actually out.  A couple of bridges ahead of us was a lift bridge, the one where the deck is almost in the water.  Then we reached Prees Junction, where we bore right to stay on the main line.

Shortly after this, which looking at the sky might not come as a surprise, it began to rain.  Then we crossed into Wales, marked by a tiny flag on a towpath post.

We were back into England after about a mile and a half.  After Hampton Bank there were pipes in the canal on both sides.  I wasn’t sure whether a farmer was extracting water from both, or whether there’s a pipe that crosses the canal bed.

A boat that had come up Grindley Brook in front of us yesterday was now ahead — I think they’d come off the Hampton Bank moorings.  It was quite useful, because their reactions gave me an indication of what was ahead.  So I was expecting that a boat might be coming the other way at one bridge, which meant I had to go backwards to get out of their way, but I was less prepared for another one close behind.  It was two hire boats of Norwegians.  At Cole Mere, you only get glimpses through the trees, although I could see that people were windsurfing.  There are much better views of Blake Mere.

Ellesmere Tunnel is only 87 yards long, but going this way you can’t see if anything is coming until you’re right up to it.  Fortunately I could let the boat ahead worry about that, while I just followed them through.

At Ellesmere Junction, they turned into the arm, but we turned left staying on the main line.  There’s a big CRT yard there.

We had lunch on the move, as we went through some pretty countryside.  A farm has some black sheep which have white fluffy ends to their tails.

We carried on to moor at Val Hill, a spot we liked last time we were up this way between Bridges 66 and 67.  This afternoon, we worked out a circular walk, starting by going along the towpath to Frankton Junction  where the Montgomery Canal goes off, and then heading up a narrow road and onto a footpath which was part of the Shropshire Way.  We had to go along a very narrow path in the corn, but there were nice views of the Welsh mountains in the distance.

The next field was maize, as we skirted round Val Hill itself.

We got back to the canal at Bridge 63, and walked back.  Numerous boats have been past, many of them hire boats.  This evening, we have a chicken to roast in the oven.

10 miles, 0 locks.  (27 miles, 15 locks)