Home alone: Day 3

Another busy day.  The last few times we’ve got a gas bottle, I’ve been a bit concerned about the state of the gas locker floor.  There are vents at floor level to allow any escaped gas to get out, but this means that if you’re going up in locks, water gets inside.  So this morning first thing I got the gas bottles out, and set about trying to get the loose rust out.  The hatch is too small to get into, so I set up the plank so I could lay on it, with my head and arms inside the locker.

Using a wire brush and the coal shovel, I loosened and got out a load of rusty bits.  Then I got a roller out and applied Fertan to treat the rusty surface.  This takes at least 24 hours to dry and get to work, which is why I wanted to get it done first thing.

Then I thought I’d set off, heading back to Barbridge Junction and turning south.  The people who live by Bridge 100 were gardening when we came past a couple of weeks ago, and the whole place now looks really neat.

I’d planned to stop on the moorings just north of Hurleston Junction, but they were full and I know the bits at either end have an even worse shelf under the water than the moorings themselves.  So I carried on to the Henhull winding hole, turned around, and returned to moor just south of Hurleston, where we were the other day.  I’d have had to run the engine a bit longer for battery charging anyway, so a bit of extra travel was no issue.  There was loads of room, and the rings seem better spaced at the far end so I have properly reversed ropes which stops the boat swinging about so much.  There’s the shelf of course, so the tyres are deployed.  As it was coming in to moor, there was a bang and the tiller started juddering.  Of course the day after an oil change, I wondered if I’d forgotten to do something and the engine was complaining.  But once I’d moored up I checked the weedhatch, in case there was something round the prop.  It was clear — but then I noticed several bits of orange plastic floating about near the boat, which I fished out.  Had they once been a cone?  Anyway, I’m hoping that was on the prop and that’s all the problem was.

As the boat is the best part of a foot out from the bank, I thought this was the ideal time to touch up the gunwales, so I got the black paint and a roller out and did this side.  It looks pretty good (from a distance!)

After lunch, I walked down to Nantwich to pick up my parcel from a locker, so I’ve more than done my steps today.  It’s annoying not being able to put the kettle on!  I’ve had the gas locker lid open all day to try to help the drying process, but it’s not quick particularly at these temperatures.  I will have to put the gas bottles back in later though, because I do want to eat.

4 miles, 0 locks.  (10 miles, 0 locks)

Home alone: Day 2

I’ve been waiting for a parcel to be delivered to a collection point, and had been hoping it would arrive yesterday.  Of course it didn’t, but was due today — but only before the ‘end of day’.  As I had things to do, I decided to head off anyway, and I’d deal with picking it up tomorrow.  It was very grey and still again today, and I set off at 8.45, heading across the aqueduct to the water point.

Here I filled the tank, got the washing machine on, and dealt with rubbish and a load of recycling.  I also made some tea ready for when I could set off again.  I’d decided to head up to the moorings before Cholmondeston Lock.  This was partly to give the batteries a decent charge, and also because I needed to do an oil change and had run out of paper towels; I knew they had them at Chamberlain’s Chandlers.  On the way, I passed a hire boat from Stone — not normally an uncommon sight, but they’ve been very scarce over this side this year because of the Cheshire Locks on the Trent and Mersey being closed by water shortages.  They’ve now reopened, so I wondered whether this boat was doing the Four Counties Ring, which had been out of action for much of the season.

There were big flocks of geese flying around and making a racket by the junction, and a vast length of the fence on the reservoir embankment was occupied by gulls.  This was only about a third of them.

There were more bird-related sightings once I’d turned onto the Middlewich Arm.  By one of the bridges was a lovely jay, although he didn’t stay still long enough for a photo.  And then just after I’d moored, I was sorting ropes out when a small bird of prey flew low along the towpath between the boat and the hedge before swooping up into a tree.

I turned at the winding hole after Bridge 4, but the official moorings were much fuller than last time we were here, so I didn’t fancy the reverse to a space.  But a boat had just left a decent spot between the winding hole and the bridge, so I went there.  Once tied up, I walked along to the chandlery to get the paper towels, then had lunch back on board, and started the oil change.  It’s always difficult to know how long to leave the engine before starting: you want the oil warm enough to still be loose, but not too hot.  This time I had a bit of a struggle to get the old oil filter off, but it turned in the end.  I had a look at the air filter and decided it had been turned enough and a new one would be a good idea.  And I decided to change the gearbox oil too, as it’s been a little while.  Getting the old oil out is a pain.  There’s a nut to release on the bottom, but if you put an ice cream tub or similar underneath to catch the oil, thee’s not enough room to get it out again.  So I cut a hole in a plastic water bottle, put that underneath, and hoped the hole was approximately under the nut.  I also always forget that there’s more oil in the gearbox than the spec says, because there’s extra for the cooling system, so I had to quickly put the nut back in when the bottle was nearly full, and then repeat the process.  I walked back down to the chandlery and got a new air filter.  In our engine hole, you have to take the whole housing off rather than just the lid, because there’s not enough room between the air filter and the wall.  By the time I’d tidied up and put everything away, I felt I’d done a day’s work, not least because of having to contort yourself to reach most things!

5 miles, 0 locks.  (6 miles, 0 locks)

Home alone: Day 1

Adrian is spending a few days down south seeing various family and friends; he left about 7 this morning to get on the road.  I have a few boat jobs to do.  This morning, I untied, went along to the winding hole, and came back to exactly the same spot.  It all took about 40 minutes, which also helped put some juice back in the batteries.

After lunch, I walked down to Nantwich Station, as I was seeing someone in Whitchurch for a podcast thing.  There’s a little two-coach train that shuttles back and forth between Crewe and Shrewsbury.

When I was dropped back at the station I had a bit of time before the train was due so went for a look at the old Joyce clock makers building.  It’s now the home of Trevanion Auctioneers.

It was a much nicer train on the way back, and as it didn’t stop at Wrenbury only took 9 minutes.

1 mile, 0 locks.

October Braidbar visit

On Saturday, we moved the car close to the Nantwich embankment so it was ready for today’s trip to Braidbar.  We left about 8.15, and it was about an hour and a quarter’s drive.  There’s a full report on what’s been going on with the build of Kingley Vale on the NBKV blog.

On the way back we stopped at Morrison’s for a top up shop while we had the car with us.  Then we still needed a lot of steps for the day, so we walked along the canal and down to the railway level crossing — and as I still needed more I headed off the other way and explored the footpath across the fields from Bridge 96.

Chester again: Day 13

Adrian’s birthday today, so there were presents and a limited number of cards; now we’re living on board, there’s nowhere to send them to!  It was also very foggy, and hadn’t cleared all day.

We didn’t want to get to Nantwich too early in case people hadn’t left yet, so we set off around 10 into the murk.

In fact there were loads of spaces on the moorings, so we picked a convenient one just over the aqueduct.  We’d booked lunch out, so walked into town, to Nine Mill Street.

The Sunday roasts were excellent, and as I’d put it note on the booking, a little extra turned up at the end.

We walked back through the park and the residential area were explored the other day.

2 miles, 0 locks.  (55 miles, 26 locks)

Chester again: Day 12

Very grey and overcast to start the day.  We set off about 8.45, hoping no-one else would be heading to the water point yet — and indeed no-one appeared to be heading anywhere.  While the tank filled, we got the washing machine going, and I walked down to the chandlery and got a big sack of logs.  When we were done, we plodded along the familiar couple of miles to Hurleston Junction, turned around, and tied up on the moorings just to the south.  The rings are poorly spaced and there’s a Shroppie shelf, but it’s a nice spot.

This afternoon we went for a walk and bumped into the Debdale owners who bought our share 15 years ago.  As they were stationary, we were able to have a chat for the first time.  The sun came out during the afternoon and it’s been pleasantly warm.

2 miles, 0 locks.  (53 miles, 26 locks)

Chester again: Day 11

We were re-tracing our steps from a couple of days ago today, leaving our lovely moorings at Coole Pilate and heading back into Nantwich.  The two locks at Hack Green both needed a top up, but were polished off pretty quickly and we were back on the embankment overlooking the rooftops by mid morning.  Once moored up, I got the bucket out and washed the roof of the boat, a job that badly needed doing.

After lunch we had a walk through part of Nantwich we’ve not been to before, mostly residential, with one or two much older houses.  This turns out to be the only photo I have taken all day.

This afternoon I have made another podcast for release in a fortnight’s time.  One came out today, which even though I do say so myself, I think is quite fascinating.  It looks at the way water is brought down the Llangollen Canal to Hurleston Reservoir, and then becomes drinking water for the people of Crewe and Nantwich.  Have a listen here.

3 miles, 2 locks.  (51 miles, 26 locks)