Greater Cheshire: Day 5

We had a rather slow start to the day, because Keith Wilson was coming at 11 to discuss an alteration to our new cratch cover, to make it fit a little better.  While we waited for him, we went for a walk to see the gardens of the Lion Salt Works, as it was much better weather than yesterday’s rain.  Their butterfly garden contains the Cheshire buddleia collection, which has more than thirty named varieties.  I didn’t even know there were that many.

Then we walked over the canal bridge, where there are two larges flashes.

Keith arrived and we came up with a plan which will mean we’re not without a cover for very long, and then we set off at about 11.30.  We continued to Anderton where we stopped on the services to get rid of rubbish and recycling (although there are no separate bins here yet), and fill the water tank.  Then we moved round the corner and moored up.  It turned out we were right in front of  Amy Jo, so we had a quick chat with Chris and Steve, whom we first met many years ago in Chester.  We walked up to the Anderton Lift visitor centre and have a very nice and very reasonably priced lunch in the cafe.  It has a great view of the lift.

Unfortunately the lift is out of action at the moment, otherwise we’d have taken the opportunity to go down onto the Weaver for a few days.  It needs £15 million pounds worth of works, which won’t happen quickly.  Our friend and fellow Braidbar owner, Erika, works there, so we were able to have a chat with her too.  We’ll be back here in a few days, so we decided to leave a proper look round the site until then, and set off once again north.  There is a nice house up on the hill overlooking the approach to Barnton Tunnel.

Barnton Tunnel is one way but doesn’t have the time restrictions that other tunnels up here do, because you can see right through it — although only really at the last moment.  

It’s only a short tunnel but it is far from straight.  In fact, the kinks in it are so pronounced you actually have to steer round them!  At the far end of the tunnel is a wide pool, before Saltersford Tunnel.  A boat was already on the best mooring, but we tied up with a lovely view out the front of the boat.

We went for a walk down the lane to the River Weaver and along to the Saltersford Locks.  The small lock clearly hasn’t been used for some time, and with the lift closed there must be very little traffic on the river at all.

Surprisingly, given that we’re surrounded by hill here, we both have excellent mobile internet signals.

3 miles, 0 locks.  (23 miles, 12 locks)

Greater Cheshire: Day 4

The heatwave is well and truly over.  Today we needed fleeces and coats.  It was raining before we got up, but for the first part of our journey at least it was dry.  We got the washing machine going before set set off, and then left at about a quarter to 9.  The first part is through woodland, but then there are a couple of examples of flashes — wide expanses of water caused by subsidence from salt extraction.  The first is very shallow, with warning signs; the second has been turned into a marina, open to the canal, with a tea room and bell tents.

Orchard Marina, which closed a number of years ago for refurbishment, appears to be completely finished — but still empty.  When we were investigating possible bases in March, we were told it should reopen in a month or two, so that hasn’t happened.

At Broken Cross there’s a very long established pub, which now looks rather nice.

In that area there’s a huge bakery, and there was definitely the smell of bread in the air.  But then you come to the Tata chemical works, which spans the canal.  There is a new sustainable energy plant being built — it’s the big building right next to the canal.  They had a couple of the biggest cranes I’d ever seen, and as you go past the unfinished building you can see six or seven turbines with huge blades.

Wincham Wharf was a nightmare with moored boats, including widebeams, so you can’t see if anything is coming through the bridge.  Fortunately nothing was.  It was raining quite hard by now, and we moored up a bit further along, outside the Lion Salt Works.  Once we’d had lunch, we went through the towpath gate just by our stern, paid our money (a reasonable £7.50 each) and went for a look around.

The whole area around Northwich in particular but also Middlewich and Nantwich has a history of salt production, and the Lion works used bit open pans with furnaces underneath to boil brine and leave salt.  They had recreated the effect of the steam, and we also liked the way some of the old machinery had been left if its decayed state.  I can’t imagine an atmosphere full of salt does equipment much good.

There were also lots of photos of the effects of subsidence in the area, with some buildings falling down, some being jacked up, and others on rollers so they could be moved.  There were cracks in the roads several feet deep that people could stand in, and there was a canal breach when a mine collapsed — although it was fixed in a fortnight.

It has brightened up slightly this afternoon, but to be honest we need the rain to start refilling the reservoirs.  The next couple of weeks looks as though we could get wet a few times.

6 miles, 0 locks.  (20 miles, 12 locks)

Greater Cheshire: Day 3

We didn’t have far to go today, but we’re still away at 8.30.  When we got to Wardle Lock there was a boat coming up, but there was also a boat in front of us.  The space above the lock is a bit tight when there are three boats trying to manoeuvre round each other — then another boat arrived behind us.  The first boat, an ABC hire boat went down the lock and turned right at the junction.  The boat behind was an Andersen hire boat which was supposed to be back at base at 9am — which was only a few minutes away, and they had not only Wardle Lock to do, but the three Middlewich ones as well.  We let them go ahead of us, which they were very grateful for.  They were two couples from the Netherlands and Germany, who’d done the Four Counties Ring in a week, and were annoyed they’d mistimed their last morning.  Eventually, it was our turn to go into Wardle Lock to go down.  The lock cottage still looks as though it could do with some work.

Wardle Lock makes up about half the length of the UK’s shortest canal, the Wardle Canal.  The rest of it does under a bridge to a junction with the Trent and Mersey, where we turned north.

The junction is really quite tight, especially with boats moored opposite.  Then there’s a bridge followed by Middlewich Wharf, where you really have to breathe in.

The hire boat in front were re-filling the locks for us, plus there were two volunteers on, so we sped down the three locks.  The hirers had returned their boat, not especially late, and were now off to Liverpool for a couple of days.  We went round the corner and moored by the park, so we could have a little look at Middlewich.  The church is quite impressive, but the main street doesn’t have a huge amount to recommend it, although the Alhambra, which presumably used to be a cinema, looks quite interesting.

We topped up with some fresh produce at the Tesco Express, then went back to the boat and went down Big Lock, which is wide.

We filled the tank at the water point below, then went across Croxton Aqueduct over the River Dane, which used to be wide enough for widebeam boats but was washed away in the 1930s and was rebuilt narrow.

We moored a mile or so further on, on rings on the towpath just before the offside Bramble Cuttings moorings.  We could have gone there as there was space, but this side we have the side hatch on the water side, and it’s a little more open.  We also have access to the towpath, so we’ve been for a walk to get our steps in.  Bramble Cuttings itself had filled up this afternoon, and there has been a flurry of boats going south.

3 miles, 5 locks.  (14 miles, 12 locks)

Greater Cheshire: Day 2

We really liked our shady mooring, and the Cobb barbecue did indeed come out last night.  The towpath was wide enough to get the chairs out too.  This morning we wanted to get going at a reasonable time, so we’d do our moving in the cooler part of the day.  We left our mooring at 8.30, with Adrian walking along to set Cholmondeston Lock (pronounced Chumston, apparently).  It’s a deep one, going down 11ft.

Below the lock is Venetian Marina, which is open to the canal.

At Minshull Lock, a boat had just come out so it was ready for us, and there was a chap to help from a boat approaching below.

The canal travels on long embankments, with far reaching views over the Weaver valley, which look much better in real life.

There’s a Jacobean style house alongside one bridge, and then there are converted stables, which were for sale last time we came along here — although we’ve realised that we’ve never done the Middlewich Branch in this direction before.

Lots of the route is very pretty, emphasised no doubt by it being so sunny today.  There are big skies, and pretty bridges.

The West Coast Mainline crosses the canal on a very angled bridge.

When we got to Stanthorne Lock we found ourselves third in the queue to go down.  Adrian went to help, which was just as well as the first boat was a single hander.  The lock is slow because the paddles are limited, after the breach here a few years ago was blamed on someone opening all the paddles.  Before it was our turn, we had two more boats behind us.  While we waited, the Emirates A380 went over, heading for Manchester Airport.

The crew from the hire boat behind were all very chatty, and came up to the lock for a look and to talk — but didn’t bring a windlass between them.

We stopped shortly after the lock, at the aqueducts.  There are some rings here but not many, so we are on a ring at the stern while the bow is on mooring stakes which don’t really go in very well.  It’s hot again, although there’s a cooler breeze today, so maybe another barbecue is called for, once the Wimbledon men’s final is done.

8 miles, 3 locks.  (11 miles, 7 locks)

Greater Cheshire: Day 1

We were up at a decent time today, because we wanted to get things done before it got too hot; the latest heatwave is supposed to peak today.  We beat the crowds and drove into Nantwich to do shopping, then when it was all crammed into the fridge, we took the car back to its resting place and walked back to the boat.  It meant it was nearly 10am when we moved through the bridge and onto the water point to fill the tank and get some washing going.  A boat had come up and the volunteer lock keeper had left the gate open, so when we were ready we could go straight in.

Adrian went down to get the second lock ready, and another volunteer set the bottom two.  

There was a boat waiting on the lock landing at the foot of the flight, so the lockie said Adrian could get back on board, which was good because it’s difficult to get back on board at the bottom.  The lockie also said there was a boat coming south, but it’s impossible to see if anything is coming north.  We turned north, and the boat on the lock landing headed in.

We pootled up past the newly reopened pub at Barbridge, and turned into the Middlewich Arm at Barbridge Junction.

There are quite a few moored boats along here so it’s not quick, but we were aiming to stop before the lockie also anyway.  When a space presented itself between Bridge 4 and the winding hole we took it, not knowing whether there would be another one up ahead.

This afternoon, I have edited a podcast episode about yesterday’s Electrika show, while Adrian read his book on the well deck.  Then we walked along to the lock and the marina, to get a couple of Magnums which we ate sat on a bench in the shade overlooking the marina.  As we walked back, we identified a nice shady mooring a bit further along, so when we got back to the boat we untied and moved forwards a few hundred yards, to the other side of the winding hole.  The towpath is wider here too, which means it’ll be easier to get the Cobb barbecue going.

3 miles, 4 locks.

Electrika show

Today we made use of the car to drive down to Brinklow Marina for the Electrika show, which focuses on electric and hybrid electric boats.  It was incredibly hot, and I suspect the heat kept a lot of people away, because it seemed rather quiet.  However, we saw quite a few people we knew, and I did a load of interviews for a podcast episode.  The drive home took rather a long time, even coming cross country to avoid problems on the M6.  The boat was absolutely roasting when we got home, even though we’d closed all the curtains to try to keep the heat out.

Shropshire (wind)lass: Day 7

I opened the side hatch first thing this morning while I got the breakfast things ready, and could hear a sort of crunching noise.  It took me a long while to spot a squirrel in the hawthorn bush on the towpath, hanging upside down from a branch munching away.

I’d been feeling a bit migrainey last night and this morning, so we were a bit slow to get going.  We set off as the church clock struck 9, with Adrian walking up to the lift bridge.  He then signalled that there was a boat coming the other way.  It turned out to be Alex and Alan on the Braidbar boat, Hollingworth.  It meant Adrian didn’t have to use the key of power to raise the bridge.

Even with two boats going through, there was only one vehicle held up in each direction (albeit there are three directions).  As we approached the three Baddiley Locks, it became clear that a moored boat was loose at the bow.  Adrian jumped off to try to sort it out, while I continued in order to get out of the way of a boat coming the other way.  In the end, they helped push it back in, and Adrian was able to re-tie it.  Fortunately its chain was still in the piling, and there was more rope wrapped round the T-stud.

As the other boat had just come up, the top lock was in our favour.  Then we met boats at each of the other two locks.  Before the Swanley Locks, we passed the latest in a series of glamping offerings, a little holiday hut on the offside.

There’s an even nicer one on the other side of the bridge, with a shady terrace on the end where this week’s occupants were finishing up breakfast.  We met boats at Swanley Locks too, then carried on to moor before Bridge 1 and the Hurleston Locks, in exactly the same spot we had a week ago (but facing the other way).  We hadn’t been here long when a familiar boat appeared.  What A Lark moored behind us, and we have a drinks invite a little later this afternoon.  In the meantime, we walked up to get the car, and Adrian popped to Morrison’s for a prescription.

6 miles, 5 locks.  (57 miles, 30 locks)