Home alone: Day 6

Everyone seemed to be on the move early today — probably to beat the forecast rain.  As I got ready to go at 8.45 a boat came past, and then just as I was setting I had to wait for another to come through the bridge.  Before the junction, I passed three more.  There was going to be quite a queue at Cholmondeston Lock at 9am on a Sunday!  It was actually brighter than I expected, and the light just after I’d turned out of the junction was quite attractive.

I was aiming for either set of moorings by Hurleston Junction.  The northern ones had a couple of boats on them, but one seemed to be making moves to leave.  I crept forward, and could see through the bridge that the south moorings were full.  So I reversed back into the spot the other boat had just left.  The shelf under the water means were so far out from the bank that even our tyres would be useless — but I’ve put a fender on a very long rope between the shelf and our baseplate, to reduce the scraping.

Adrian arrived back in the car about 12.30, so I walked up the locks to meet him.  We had lunch and then headed out in the car to get some food in, and drop off a parcel.  After we’d brought our shopping back, we took the car back to its hiding place — so we’ve walked up and down the locks numerous times.  It’s been raining most of the afternoon, but not particularly heavily.

2 miles, 0 locks.  (19 miles, 0 locks)

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)

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)

Welsh waters: Day 1

We are going to head up to Llangollen, as we haven’t been all the way to the end this year, and it’s one of the few places still left open to us!  But it looks as though we’ll take our time getting there.  We set off at about 9.30, and because of all the moored boats the first mile is all on tickover.  When we got to Hurleston Junction, we should really have gone up the locks — but took a diversion instead.  A few weeks ago, we ordered some new covers for the porthole bungs at the stern of the boat, as the currrent ones are disintegrating, from Nik at Venitian Marina.  We thought we’d collect them on the way back from the Bridgewater, but last week it turned out he was on holiday, due back today.  We left a message this morning, and then phoned again later, but only got voicemail.  So we thought we’d pop along and see if they were ready.  So we carried on to Barbridge Junction, took the right hand turn onto the Middlewich Arm, carried on the Bridge 4, and turned around at the winding hole.  Then I reversed to the moorings, and we tied up.  Then it rained really quite heavily for a couple of hours, during which time we had lunch.  When the sun came out, we walked along past the lock to the marina, and found the Cover & Canvas office all shut up.  So we walked back to the boat and set off again, retracing our steps.  Initially, it was quite pleasant.

Before we got to the junction it had started to rain again, though.  As I approached the junction, a boat sped across it on the main line, and the steerer looked behind him, and made some sort of gesture.  I took this to mean there was another boat behind him, so edged out of the junction very cautiously.  There was another boat, but it was a good way back — although coming out so slowly meant I had to use a blast of reverse to get round the corner.  Moments later it absolutely chucked it down.

All the way to Hurleston Junction it rained on and off, and when it was on it really went for it.  Our favourite spot was free on the northern moorings, so we tied up.  I thought we’d timed it right for a dry spell, but in fact some of the heaviest rain of the afternoon came on just as we were trying to moor.  There was no point in us both getting soaked, and I was already wet, so Adrian went back inside.  When I went in, I needed a change of clothes.

So we’re not quite even on the Llangollen Canal yet, but we will be tomorrow.

7 miles, 0 locks.

Floating about: Day 18

There was rain forecast from about 11, so we thought we’d try to get where we were going before it started.  Consequently, we got some washing going about 8.15, and set off around 8.30 — under blue skies and sunshine.  As we approached Minshull Lock a boat was just going in.  Adrian got off at the bridge and walked up, then turned the lock for us.

Above the lock, Bridge 7 has such a big crack in the parapet you can see daylight through it.  It looks as though something has hit it, and I don’t remember it being this bad last time we came this way.

At the railway bridge, we again coincided with a train.  This one was a Chester to London Euston.

We pulled in at the chandlery at Venitian Marina, mostly for yet another gas bottle, but also a small top up of diesel.  When we changed gas bottles about three weeks ago, I thought the new one didn’t feel heavy enough; when we replaced the empty one about two weeks ago, shuffling the bottles around also suggested the one we were then using was surprisingly empty.  It ran out a couple of days ago, after only three weeks, whereas the previous one had lasted three months.  Ruth at the chandlery suspects it had a faulty valve, and has probably been gently leaking since we bought it in May (and possibly before then too, I suppose).  She’s going to stick a label on it, so it can be checked before it’s refilled.  Once all that was sorted out, Adrian walked round to the lock, where a boat was just coming out.  I signalled to them that we would be coming in, so we could swap.

There were two boats waiting at the top.  One was an Andersen hire boat, so Adrian asked them where they were going back to — given that they’re at the bottom of the now-closed Middlewich Locks.  The hirers said they hadn’t been told anything.  The other one was  Cheshire Cat hire boat, who asked how far they’d be able to go before hitting closures; they’ll be able to go as far as Middlewich Junction, where they’ll have to turn around.  We also noticed that some of the Black Prince boats from Acton Bridge are now at Venitian.

We carried on to Barbridge Junction and turned left.  Our usual spot on the northern Hurleston Junction moorings was taken  and there was another boat at the other end, so we came through the bridge to the southern moorings instead.  It’s nice here, but being a bit more shielded from the junction means the entertainment value is much less!  Since we got here, Adrian has been doing some charity admin, and I’ve been doing some interviews for a future podcast on the water shortages.  There have been a few showers but nothing very significant, but it has been very windy again.

6 miles, 2 locks.  (101 miles, 23 locks)

Painting and shopping

It was due to be warm today so I wanted to paint the gunwales before it got too hot.  I was out with the paint tray and roller before 9.  Adrian arrived back at about 11, so I walked up the locks to meet him.  Near the top of the flight there’s a damson tree which is loaded with fruit, although they still seem a bit on the hard side.

After lunch we went back to the car and popped into Nantwich for some food shopping.  Once that was stowed away we returned the car to its storage spot.  It has indeed got quite warm, but that means the paint has dried nicely, and one side of the boat now looks a bit better.

Lock wind

Adrian has gone to a former colleague’s summer party in Mansfield today, so this morning we walked up and got the car.  Adrian then dropped me off at Venetian Marina, which wasn’t quite on his route but didn’t add much to his journey.  I wanted to visit Cholmondeston Lock, because the local branch of the IWA is doing a lock wind weekend, where they work the lock for boaters and do some awareness and fund raising.

I interviewed people for a future podcast, then had lunch at the marina cafe and walked back via Barbridge Junction.  This afternoon I have rubbed down parts of the black below the gunwales and got some primer on, and edited my interviews.  I’ve also walked up to the reservoir, because yesterday we spotted a load of blackberries up there.

They seem early this year, and as we’ve run out of strawberries and blueberries for dessert and breakfast, these will take their place.

Chester draws us: Day 11

We really liked our mooring last night, although the internet signal was decidedly weak.  This morning we set off in the sunshine at about 8.45, first passing Chas Hardern’s boat yard.

Beeston Iron Lock took a while to come to a level and then took two people to get the gate open.  Fortunately a boat arrived to come down.  Beeston Iron Lock also leaks like anything; this one has a cottage alongside.

At Tilstone Lock, a CRT man was fixing one of the bottom paddles, so asked that we only use one gate.  That was fine  because it’s what we’d do anyway.  One of the top paddles in out of action, so it takes even longer to fill.  Near this lock there’s a former mill, now a house.

While the lock was filling, Adrian pulled a load of weed and reeds out of the water above the top gate.  the CRT man was grateful, because he said he’d have had to do it otherwise!  Before the Bunbury staircase, Adrian jumped off at the railway bridge to get the lock ready.  In fact a boat had just come down so the bottom lock was open and ready, but then passing each other while also passing all the Anglo Welsh hire boats required a bit of breathing in.  There was also another boat to go up, so we joined him, and there was a boat coming down too.  In fact there were two to come down, but the second one said he didn’t mind waiting.  This is only the third time we’ve done this pair of locks, and we’ve done a Bunbury Shuffle every time.  When the two locks were level, I went forward, the other uphill boat moved over  the downhill boat went into his space, I moved over, and then he came alongside.

We stopped at the Calverley services to top up the tank and get a wash load of bedding on.  The building used to be a transhipment wharf between the canal and the railway.

Once we were past Barbridge Junction it felt as though we were coming home, because we’ve spent quite a bit of time round here.  We were aiming for the moorings just before Hurleston Junction, preferably the northernmost space, as we were here a couple of weeks ago.  A boat moored a couple,e of rings from the end was just about to leave, so we waited for him to go and then moored on the same rings we had last time, just facing the other way.

This afternoon we went for a walk round the reservoir.  There have been quite a few boat movements up and down the locks and the pound between the top two was very low.  An ABC hire boat was unable to get out of the top lock and a boat coming up was stuck on the offside.  The same CRT chap we’d seen earlier was there, and organised the running down of some water.  The boat on the offside seemed unable to get off the mud, even though he also appeared to be floating, so the hire boat took a rope and gave him a tug.  We reckoned if he’d put his tiller over and some power on, he’d have been ok.

During the day we received photos from Donna at Braidbar of progress on Kingley Vale.  The big change is that the huge battery bank has been installed.  There’s a full post on the KV blog.

6 miles, 5 locks.  (32 miles, 22 locks)

Latest Braidbar visit

Another non-moving day, at least by boat.  We walked up to get the car and drove up to Braidbar to see the latest progress on Kingley Vale.  We have an engine!  There’s more details on that and progress in the galley on the KV blog.

Both there and back our journey took us over or under several canals, as Google sent us through Middlewich, Church Minshull, and Barbridge.  It was nearly 4pm when we got back, with some nice sunshine.  For once, the locks were fairly quiet as we walked back down them.

Re-stocking

A non-moving day today, but not so for other people.  We heard the first boats heading for Hurleston Locks and the Llangollen Canal at 7am, before we were up.  After breakfast there was a steady stream of boats heading for the junction, and there seemed to be a constant queue.  We needed shopping, so walked up to the car and drove into Nantwich for a visit to Morrison’s, conscious that we’d have to carry it all back down the towpath.  When we got back, a boat that had been at the bottom of the locks was only just getting to the top, so it had taken a while.

I spent the rest of the morning editing interviews for a podcast, then we had lunch.  Shortly afterwards, our former share boat, Debdale, came along and had Carole and Nick on board who were owners at the same time as us.  It took Carole a moment to realise it was us!  They joined the queue for the locks, and we walked down to have a chat with them at the start of a walk round the reservoir.  At that point they were maybe fourth in the queue, and with other boats just wanting to go through the junction it was chaos.

It was also chaos up the locks, because people had kept coming up, even though there was nowhere for them to go.  A couple of the pounds had more than one boat waiting, in not much room.  From up at the reservoir, we could see that one hire boat had got itself into the reeds on the offside — and it was the pound which loses water so was very shallow.

We walked round to the other side of the reservoir, which seems to have more water in it than when we were here a couple of weeks ago.  On our way back, the hire boat was just coming into the top lock, so it had taken them a while.  The volunteer lock keeper told us they were from Switzerland, and that the boat behind them had overtaken them, rather than help them.  He wasn’t impressed.  By the time we got back down to the bottom of the flight, Carole and Nick were next in line for the bottom lock, but were in no hurry to turn it because there were three boats in the pound above.

Boats have continued up the flight; we reckon there must have been more than 30 go up during the day, plus a handful down.  This afternoon I have put together a podcast and scheduled it, so I now have three lined up to publish over the next few weeks.  Adrian has been doing more of his charity role, and we’ll watch the Lionesses in the Euros final while our chicken is roasting.

Greater Cheshire: Day 15 — and floating market

This morning we were up and setting off by 8am, retracing our steps to Hurleston Junction.  There were no gaps on the moorings south of the junction, but no boats at all north of it, so we tied up there.  The next job was to take the cratch cover off, as it’s going for an alteration — and as it had rained overnight it needed a dry off first.  Then we walked up to where the car is being kept, and drove down to Market Drayton.  We’d arranged to meet Keith Wilson in a car park to hand over the cratch cover, then walked down to the canal where a floating market was taking place.

We first located Andy and Helen on the Jam Butty and dropped our things in their boat.  Then we had a good look round.  Purchases included a print of a painting by one of the artists there, Emma Bradley, and a pizza from the pizza boat for lunch.  I did a load of interviews for a future podcast too.  Once the punters had faded away, we joined Andy and Helen for drinks and then dinner on board, plus plenty of the usual chat.  We drove home and walked down the locks, arriving back at the junction just as the sun was setting over the reservoir.

2 miles, 0 locks.  (72 miles, 20 locks)

Wending to Wales: Day 21

The Whitchurch Arm moorings were very quiet, although the towpath is a very popular dog walking route.  It rained in the night and was still trying this morning when we left at about 8am, although it was never enough to make it worth putting a coat on.  There is no right turn out of the arm because it’s too tight, so while I went the 200m or so to the winding hole, Adrian waited by the bridge to lift it.  Once we were heading in the correct direction again, we were soon at Grindley Brook Locks.  A single hander was on the service point and wanted to wait for the lockies to come on duty, so we headed down the staircase.

In fact the lockies were already about, it’s just that they do a load of checks on everything before they start helping boaters.  At the three individual locks, we started meeting boats coming up.  At the bottom lock, I walked ahead to see if there was anything coming through the old rail bridge, which is a bit like a tunnel.  There was, so Adrian held back until they were through.

The weather was cheering up a bit.  Povey’s Lock is very rural, and seems raised above the surrounding landscape.

Individual locks came and went, and we passed numerous boats going the other way.  At Wrenbury, Adrian got off with the key of power to do the bridge, but a lady was already there from a boat coming the other way.  So they came through and then we did.

We’d made very good progress, partly due to meeting so many boats at locks and never really having to turn one, so we moored up in Wrenbury and took a footpath across a field and through the churchyard to the village green and the very well stocked shop.  We bought a loaf and a few other things, and walked back.  The church is built of red Cheshire stone.

We had lunch, then set off again.  We met more boats at Baddily Locks, and more at Swanley.  Just beyond Swanley Bridge Marina  the fuel boats, Mountbatten and Jellico were moored up.  They have a couple of other working boats there too.

As it was still quite early (and not raining, like it might be tomorrow) we decided we’d go down Hurleston Locks as well.  There was a boat about to go down, after an Andersen hire boat came up the top lock.  They thought they had something round their prop — they did, a tent!  We’d finally run out of boats going the other way, so we were following the boat down, and they weren’t as efficient as us so we kept having to wait.

At the bottom lock, there was a boat to come up, but they couldn’t get into the lock because the downhill boat was waiting for someone to come through the bridge.  There was a lot of hanging about going on!

We finally come down and I walked to the bridge to check for traffic.  There was a boat coming from the north who wanted to turn into the Llangollen, so he held back while Adrian turned south.

We slotted into a space on the moorings just south of the junction bridge.  We suspect it was left because of a bit of Shroppie shelf sticking out, but we’ve deployed the tyres and we seem to be fine.  There’s now a chicken in the oven roasting.

14 miles, 19 locks.  (252 miles, 153 locks)