Chester again: Day 2

There was rain overnight and it’s been pretty dull all day.  We’ve done a long day — for us!  We set off at about 9, retracing our steps to Barbridge Junction and turning right towards Chester.  There’s a road immediately alongside the canal, which is why we don’t moor here.

A bit further on there’s a big industrial estate on the other side of the canal, with a very narrow bridge.  There’s a constant stream of lorries over it, some taking it quite gingerly.

We stopped at the Calveley services to fill the water tank and put the washing machine on.  It all took quite a long time, so can’t have been the fastest of taps.  While we were there we chatted to some people from a hire boat, who were on their way back from Chester.

When we got to Bunbury Staircase Locks, we were on our own — unlike the other three times we’ve been through, when we did the Bunbury Shuffle, with three boats in the locks.  The top one was empty and took an age to fill.  We’re back to wide locks here, of course.

Tillstone Lock still has only one top paddle working, so we were braced for it to take a long time.  But two boats were just coming out as we arrived.  The two Beeston Locks both needed filling, and the iron lock in particular seemed not to want to make a level.  It took both of us pushing the gate to get it open.

At Wharton Lock our luck was in again though, as a boat was coming up.  We’ve carried on to moor outside Tattenhall Marina — and it was nearly 2pm by the time we finished.  The major feature of the landscape in these parts is Beeston Castle.

This afternoon, I’ve finished an article and sorted out the photos, and Adrian has a call to do.  We’ve also had more photos from Braidbar, so there’s an update on the Kingley Vale blog.

9 miles, 6 locks.  (15 miles, 6 locks)

Chester draws us: Day 9

A nice sunny morning and at last the wind had dropped.  As we were moored pretty much next to Tesco, we went for shopping for the next few days.  Once all that was stowed, we set off at about 10am, passing the same landmarks we saw on the way in.

At the first lock, Hooke Lane, a boat was coming down and seemed to take ages.  Adrian was up at the lock and said it kept getting stuck on an underwater ledge on the offside.  We eventually went into the lock, but then waited because I’d spotted a boat coming.  It was a single-hander who’d been moored near us last night. In some ways it makes it easier having two boats in the lock, because the water is quite turbulent and one boat gets knocked all over the place.

There was another wait at the third lock as a boat was coming down.  Then at the final lock, Christleton, Adrian spotted a bucket of bouquets of flowers by the fence, with a sign saying they were left over from a wedding, a little past their best but still cute, and to help yourself.  So he took one and so did our lock companion.

We wanted water at Christleton but there was a boat already there.  It was a hire boat crewed by people dressed an oompa-loompas who were not getting water but having a coffee while they decided whether to go down to Chester or turn round and head back.  They decided to reverse through the bridge and turn.  We started filling the tank, got some washing going, and had lunch.

The next stretch is lock free, but after Waverton we had the mile of moored boats to go past.  At the midpoint is a bridge, and you get views of the Peckforton hills.

It took just over 35 minutes to pass all the boats.  Some of them have sheds or summerhouses, and I liked the one with a retro library of videos and DVDs, and room for just one chair.  The final one has a mannequin fishing and a bus stop on their antenna pole.

We moored up on some piling just past Tattenhall Marina, and have resisted walking to the ice cream farm nearby.

7 miles, 5 locks.  (23 miles, 16 locks)

Big Trip - Day 20

We had a good evening chatting to Chris and Steve about boats and all sort of other things.  Steve was able to answer lots of our questions about the Stanlow oil refinery, such as what type of oil goes into the ships, and why pipes have bends in them.

And this morning we saw them again, as they volunteered to help us up the huge triple staircase locks at Northgate.  We set off at 9am, and Chris and Steve were already emptying the bottom lock and filling the top two, in preparation for our ascent.  In spite of the low cloud, there are fantastic views of the Welsh mountains.

They are very deep and imposing locks.  Unfortunately the paddle gear is hydraulic, so each paddle takes dozens of turns, but they fill really quite gently.  A passer-by helped open a few gates, and a very docile pigeon sat on the gates and was completely unpeturbed by them being pushed open.  Steve has put a full description on his blog.  Many thanks for the help, and we hope to meet Chris and Steve again when AmyJo is on the water.

At the top of the locks, the canal takes a course round the city walls of Chester, and under the Bridge of Sighs -- between the jail and a chapel where condemned prisoners could get the last rights before being executed.

Our journey up the lock had been timed so that we could visit Tesco which is right by the city centre moorings.  This plan was slightly scuppered when it turned out that the store didn't open until 11am.  So we ran a wash load, lit the fire, and I washed the Anderton boat lift drips from the side of the boat which was now next to the towpath.  A second visit to Tesco was also short-lived as I found I needed a pound coin for the trolley.  But then everything went to plan as I shopped during the browsing time and had the goods on the conveyer belt when the tills went live at 11am.

The rest of the canal through Chester is also quite interesting, with lots of old and new buildings.

The area round the lead shot tower is being redeveloped.  Fortunately the tower itself is listed.  They used to make shot by pouring molten lead through a sieve at the top, and by the time it reached water at the bottom it had formed itself into perfect spheres.  Together with the water tower with its blue tank, it means Chester has a notable skyline.

All the locks were in our favour, and we met three boats coming down so could leave some gates open for them.  The locks are vicious on the way up though, and opening a paddle -- any paddle -- fully means the boat is swept across the lock and whacks into the opposite wall.

There is a lovely lock cottage for sale right next to Tarvin Lock.  Yours for just £455,000. 

As the forecast torrential rain hadn't arrived, we decided to carry on for a bit.  We passed the Cheshire Cat pub, where we've eaten very well in the past, went through Waverton, and past the interminable moorings at Goolden Nook.  I confess I passed on slightly more than tickover: the wind was strong and gusty, and any lower speed would have had us scraping down the sides of the moored boats; plus they were being buffetted by the wind far more than by our wash.

We moored just before the entrance to Tattenhall Marina at about 2.30 -- good timing as it turned out, as there have been some torrential downpours since we stopped.  We have another family visit planned for tomorrow, so we won't be going far, and if the winds are as strong as forecast, we may not go anywhere at all!

8 miles, 8 locks.  (239 miles, 131 locks)