Welsh waters: Day 27

A change in the weather today: cloudy and a bit blustery, but a bit warmer.  We set off at about 8.15, but not before three ABC hire boats presumably due back at Whitchurch Marina.  It was just a shirt hop initially to the water point, where the washing machine went on.  The tap is nice and quick, so before long I walked down to set the staircase locks, while Adrian brought the boat.  Someone had already come up so I could just open the gate of the top lock, but the middle and bottom ones needed emptying.  Adrian was just in the top lock when a boat arrived below.

We had help from the crew of the boat below — well, kind of.  They were also setting the staircase up for themselves, and when I went off to get the first of the individual locks ready as we descended the bottom one of the staircase, they disappeared —  so that when I returned I was surprised to find it was Adrian who was opening the lock gates, having climbed up the ladder.

There was a boat coming up the middle of the individual locks, and another at the bottom one, so we were down remarkably quickly, then heading through the little tunnel.

Povey’s Lock was empty, and then as we approached Willeymoor Lock a boat that had clearly spent the night there set off right in front of us.  It wasn’t as if they’d already set the lock, because they hadn’t, and then it also transpired they then turned the lock on a boat which had just arrived below.  Adrian and the lady from that boat had a good chat about that, and various other things.

Once down Quoisley Lock we negotiated the blind bridge and then moored up before Bridge 24, just before Marbury where we stopped on the way up.  It was only about 11.15.  There are lots of single boat length spaces between the reeds here, where you can tuck in and feel all alone.  This afternoon we went for a walk along the towpath and bumped into fellow Braidbar owners, Carol and Rob whom we last met at Calcutt some time ago, so it was nice to have a quick catch up with them.  Not long after we got back there was a brief rain shower, but the main rain is forecast for this evening and tonight.

3 miles, 9 locks.  (103 miles, 48 locks)

Welsh waters: Day 4

With heavy rain forecast from around 11, we got ourselves under way in good time, with Wrenbury church clock just striking 8.30.  Adrian walked down and wound up the first bridge.

He then walked on to the electric lift bridge by the mill, but waited a bit before raising it so I was a bit closer.  At that time of day we held up a few cars.

When the bridge goes down, the people waiting on the mill side always seem to be first off the mark to get across.  Adrian said the car coming the other way had actually been there first, but had to wait the longest.  We were expecting to have to raise the bridge by the garden centre, but it was already up.  We suspect they lift it during closed hours, as it’s excellent security.  And it appears it’s their land on the towpath side, so it’s only them and customers who need to use it.  They had some attractive displays by the bridge today.

Along the next stretch it rained a bit, but not heavily.  This was horse fly central last time we came this way, but now we’re later in the year there fortunately wasn’t one to be seen.  We’d passed a few boats coming the other way so suspected Marbury Lock would be empty.  It had a little water in it, but not much.  The main interest was a chicken on the lock side.

Presumably it had got out of the lock cottage garden.  It seemed to take a liking to Adrian, even following him across the top lock gate when he went over to wind the offside paddle.  We carried on past the Marbury moorings we used last time as they’re under pine trees, and we thought the forecast heavy rain might bring a load of pine cones down.  We instead stopped the other side of Bridge 24 in a nice open spot; it was only 10am.

We had a couple of hours of rain, but not particularly heavy.  Lunch was chicken soup made by Adrian, and then the sun came out for a bit.  We’ve not been idle though: I have made a chilli, half of which will go in the freezer, I’ve made use of the excellent signal here to upload and schedule another podcast, and I’ve cleared a semi-blockage in the bathroom basin drain.  Adrian has been through some of his clothes and had been doing charity stuff.  There have been sharp showers in between the sunny spells.

3 miles, 1 lock.  (16 miles, 10 locks)

Shropshire (wind)lass: Day 1

We have a week before our next planned use of the car, so will be exploring the English part of the Llangollen Canal, which means mostly Shropshire.  A bright start to the day, and we got a wash load of towels on the go before setting off.  With the wash part of the cycle done, we prepared to set off only to see a boat coming, then another.  They were the two Chamberlain fuel boats, heading to be docked at Stretton.

It’s very pleasant Cheshire countryside round here.  When we got to the Swanley Locks we found we were following a share boat.  It was the same story at the three Baddiley Locks, although there were also so,e boats coming down.  Because the Llangollen transports water from the River Dee down to Hurleston Reservoir, there are quite fierce bywashes, which often make steering into the locks a bit tricky.  The water pushes the bow over, and when you’ve compensated for that, it pushes the stern over.

One of the boats coming down turned out to be Ivy, a boat built completely by the owner, which I wrote a feature on in 2012, and which gave me a Canal Boat front cover.  After the locks, the obstacles become lift bridges.  The first one, before Wrenbury, is a manual one so a windlass is needed.

Adrian walked on to the electric bridge by the wharf, and signalled to me that there was a boat to come through the other way.  He used his key of power to lift the bridge and the other boat came through first.

Then it was my turn, and by the time I was going through the queue of traffic being held up went right round the corner.  There was also a very large lorry waiting on the other side.

The next lift bridge leads to a garden centre which now has a smart cafe we don’t remember being there before, built from shipping containers.  We might have to go there on the way back.

We had lunch on the move, then went up Marbury Lock, where the village pub has a good sign.

We continued to the moorings just before the next bridge, where there are rings to moor on, and there are plenty of them.  We went for a walk to have a look at Marbury village.  There are some nice old buildings — the one on the left is the pub’s outbuildings, while the house on the right looks very wonky.

We walked to the church, which sits on a bit of a hill overlooking a lake called Big Mere (there’s also a Little Mere in the village).

The village green has a bench encircling a tree trunk, and the Swan pub looks very nice.

We walked back via Marbury Lock, to make it a circular route.  Since we got back it’s been trying to rain, to add to the gusty breeze we’ve been battling most of the day.

The latest episode of my podcast, The Water Road, was out this morning, and I’m delighted by how many more people are listening.  Here are the links for the Foxton episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

8 miles, 6 locks.