Lymm to Billinge Green Flash
Sunday 22nd July
Dunham Town at Dunham School Bridge.
Hallelujah brother, the weather was fine yesterday and we finally finished the red paint on the port side of the boat. It still looks patchy of course, but we’re hoping the new red bits will fade over time. We’ll give it a couple of weeks and then get the polish out and give it a good buffing.
Late yesterday afternoon we spotted two coach loads of people arriving at the local community hall. “Looks like a party going on this evening”, says Wifey. Sure enough, lots of fun and merriment ensued later on and continued until about midnight. Fortunately the festivities were shielded by the nearby bridge and trees otherwise we might have had to move the boat in order to get some sleep.
Today, after breakfast, we’re going to take a walk through the village her, suss out the local pub and visit the local farm shop which, quite aptly, is situated in Cow Lane!
Monday 23rd July
What a gorgeous day yesterday and, with the light breeze, not too hot.
We took our walk around the village, most of which leans towards rather expensive properties. This was reflected in the prices at the Axe and Cleaver pub. Two drinks with crisps and nuts set us back over £8, proving that Chef and Brewer haven’t changed where pricing is concerned. The Stella was £3.35, which is not unusual, so the crisps and nuts must have been pretty exorbitant.
The Nicholson’s Guide refers to this place as Dunham Town, as does the car atlas that we carry with us but, walking through the village yesterday morning, we noticed that the Village Hall refers to it as Dunham Massey. Perhaps the word ‘massey’ means town in Olde English!
It’s looking like a good day for cruising weather-wise, so we’ll turn around and head back to Lymm this morning.
Tuesday 24th July
An odd thing happened whilst we were at Dunham Town, which I forgot to mention. I only mention it now because it happened again here at Lymm yesterday. Just a couple of miles further along from Dunham are the outskirts of Sale and, consequently Manchester. We were sitting in the boat when we heard a roaring noise, which was gradually getting louder and, quite obviously closer. The noise eventually flashed past us in the shape of a motorbike.
Within British Waterways jurisdiction this is definitely not allowed and, in fact, where there is an obvious danger of this happening, BW have put barriers up to prevent access to the towpath. What prompted me to mention it was the fact that it happened again yesterday, here at Lymm.
On both occasions the young men riding the bikes also carried a large, yellow bag across the shoulder, something like a boy might carry when delivering newspapers, so perhaps they are couriers of some sort. They might even have permission to do this, although I rather doubt it.
Apart from the noise of course, is the danger to life and limb of those people walking or cycling along the towpath. Admittedly, the bikers were being very careful in Lymm, simply because there always seems to be more people about, but the speed at which the biker roared through Dunham was quite scary. Indeed, had I chosen the moment he passed to take Rusty out, I dread to think what might have happened.
Needless to say the Manchester Ship Canal Company have been informed.
Yesterday was a bit of a scorcher and, looking out there this morning, we could be due for another day of sunshine. Bring it on, I say, and not before time.
We’ll be returning to Moore this morning, but not until Wifey picks up a few bits of shopping.
Wednesday 25th July
Summer has started and just in time for the school holidays, which means we will now be face with many more holiday boaters.
Yesterday was another scorcher and, needless to say, we did absolutely nothing except read and relax.
This morning we’ll be returning to the Trent and Mersey, via Preston Brook tunnel and will stop at bridge 211, just above the River Weaver.
Thursday 26th July
Preston Brook Tunnel is on a timer, meaning that boaters have certain times when they can pass through it. From the Trent and Mersey side it is on the hour, and must enter no later than ten minutes past. From the Bridgewater side it is on the half hour plus the ten minutes. Yesterday we arrived with only 10 minutes to wait before we could go through.
We stayed at bridge 211 overnight and, whilst I had a quick plonk on the uke, Wifey took a long walk to the next bridge, down to the Weaver and up the path that we took last week. It was far too warm for me to even think about such a walk, which she reckons was about three miles.
Today looks to be very much like yesterday, staring out cloudy and turning up the heat later in the day. Although, I had a text from my pal Alan, who has a flat near Stoke, that that were suffering rain. My request for him to send it our way made no impression whatsoever, and we were left to swelter. So much for friends!
Friday 27th July
Yesterday was another scorcher, but Rusty and her dicky tummy held us up at leaving time, so we missed our slot for Saltersford tunnel and were obliged to wait about 20 minutes before we could go through. After that it was an easy trip through that and Barnton tunnel, where we stopped for the rest of the day, taking time to catch the bus into Northwich, which, from here, was much easier because the bus stop is a couple of minutes walk away.
Apparently, from information Wifey read on a nearby notice, Barnton is the largest village in the UK Also, the village is named in the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was called Bartintune, it covers 720 acres and lies 100 feet above the Weaver Valley. This begs the question as to why it hasn’t been designated a town. After all, Dunham is pretty small and yet it is called Dunham Town. Odd!
Today we’ll move along to Anderton, dispose of our rubbish; of which we now have two bags, the Bridgewater Canal seems sadly lacking in such basic facilities. We’ll also pop along to the chandlery and, assuming it has been ordered as promised, collect our new brass hooter. Then, if the weather is a bit cooler, I’ll fit the thing and rearrange the wiring under the cratch cover. And that will be that for the day.
Saturday 28th July
At last summer seems to have turned up, well, in this part of the country it has. We’ve now had four continuous days of sunshine and long may it last.
Having moored overnight just this side of Barnton Tunnel on Thursday, we moved along to the Anderton Lift yesterday morning and walked along to the local chandlery to pick up our horn. The man we asked to order it wasn’t around and, after a good look around by his deputy, it didn’t appear to be in the office, so I rather suspect he didn’t get it. No matter, we’ll be calling in again this morning on our way to Marston, so we’ll soon see what’s what. If he doesn’t have it we’ll find one eventually.
Yesterday afternoon after lunch we paid a visit to the Lift, had a good look around and bought a couple of things, including the book about Timothy and Shane Spall’s trip around the British Isles in there sea-going barge, Matilda, which I have already started reading. BBC4 showed the series about their trip some time ago and, if you haven’t seen it, you should give it a go when it comes around as a repeat, which it is bound to do at some point. We also joined the new canal charity as Friends, which is costing us the minimum donation of £3 per month. Well worth it if it helps keep the canals free of weeds and rubbish.
Today has dawned calm and cloudy and we’ll be off to Marston after topping up with water and diesel.
Sunday 29th July
We called into the Marina for diesel and to see if our hooter had turned up, but, even though we had stipulated a brass one and told Dave that we knew it would be dearer than the stainless steel one, he didn’t get it because he thought we might consider it to be too much. He’s going to try again for us over the weekend and, if he gets one, he will bring it down to us at Marston.
Soon after we arrived here yesterday morning Wifey took a walk to the local shop. This, as she remembered later, was a shop cum café, but is now just a café. However, the proprietor did point her in the general direction of a Tesco, a walk that took her to the outskirts of Northwich and where she picked up a few things, including the Daily Mail. She arrived back before the rain started. Who’s a lucky girl then?
We always, always try to ensure that we are somewhere where we can buy the Daily Mail on Saturdays. Primarily this was so that we had the TV programmes for the rest of the week but, since we rarely watch the box these days, we only really have it for radio programmes and the puzzle pages.
Well, summer isn’t over yet, we had lots more rain yesterday, and last night and it’s raining even as I type, so, no more paintwork done yet.
Today we’ll spend an hour or so in The Salt Barge. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll move on to our usual moorings away from habitation completely, and then it will be on to Middlewich.
Monday 30th July
Now there’s a good start to the day, it’s peeing down with rain, it’s pretty chilly inside this boat at 5.30 am and the heater has decided not to fire up. Yep, I’d say that was a pretty good start. Not to worry though, if the rain keeps up, we can stay here at Marston for another day, and the heater will work when I switch the engine on, but that won’t be until 8 am. I think I might go back to bed!!
Yesterday was pretty good, mostly dry and sunny and a pleasant hour spent in The Salt Barge. Other than that I finished Shane Spall’s book about their trip around Britain in their 35ton barge, Matilda and started and finished another book by Kathy Reichs. In other words, a pretty lazy day.
Question: How do those little biting critters get inside your socks?
Tuesday 31st July
And another rainy start to the day! Coming down like stair rods, it is! On top of which our Rusty has a dicky tummy again.
Still, there’s no rush to get to Middleswich, because my prescription can’t be filled until Aug. 1st.
We moved on to, what is known as, Billinge Green Flash yesterday morning, once the rain stopped, of course.
A ‘Flash’ is a much wider section of canal, usually quite short, but where boaters have to keep to the towpath side, simply because the far side can be pretty shallow. In this one there’s an old wreck of a barge sitting in the middle and, on the opposite bank there lies a dairy farm. It’s as good a place to stay as any other in nasty weather.
So, with nowhere to visit and the boat too wet to do any painting, we enjoyed a pretty slow day.
Wednesday 1st August
This is Summer! Yesterday, rain practically all day, this morning, more of the same, with the addition of a high wind, which will be in our faces if we decide to move on to Middlewich, a most unlikely occurrence as the wind is very much stronger this morning than it was yesterday.
The dodgy weather has certainly put off all but the hardy holiday boater this year. We pass a few boatyards on our travels and they all seem to have very few out on hire.
Well, as I have a reasonable strong signal here at the flash, and I’m not sure about the strength of it at Middlewich, assuming we actually get away today, I’m gonna post. Sadly no photos today because those that I would choose from are still on Wifey’s camera.
Cheers for now
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Friday 20 July 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 17
Bridge 22 Middlewich Branch to Lymm on the Bridgewater
Friday 13th July
It’s raining again and we have to be in Middlewich this morning. Great!
Saturday 14th July
Fortunately the trip to Middlewich was only a short one and we didn’t get too wet on the way. However, our walk to and from Tesco was a wee bit damp, as was the walk down the canal to the local boatyard and into town. We needed to know what time the boatyard opens in the morning and, because it runs a holiday hire outlet, they’re open at 8 am, which means we can buy a gas bottle and empty our cassette.
From the boatyard we have another four locks to pass through before we get to the nearest water point, after which we can find a mooring place and walk back to town.
This morning is a bit brighter, but the damn boat is a bit chilly, due to the heater refusing to work this morning. With the weather so damp and cool these days, the inside of the boat is a wee bit uncomfortable at 5.30 am and, unless we have the fire on all day, which is a bit daft on the days when it is sunny, then I have to run the heater for half an hour when I get up. The problem, I hope, is just a touch of damp in the electrics, in which case I just need to unplug it and give the plugs a clean up and spray with WD40. Oddly enough we have no trouble with it when the engine is running!
“”Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?””
Incidentally and in case you’re wondering, we’ll be on the Trent and Mersey Canal from today, heading for Anderton and on to The Bridgewater Canal.
Sunday 15th July
We left our moorings on the Middlewich Branch at 7.45 am and headed for the Wardle Canal and Lock. This is a very short stretch of about 100 yards, with a lock in the middle and leads onto the Trent and Mersey, where we turned left and pulled in at the boatyard for a gas bottle.
From there we carried on through another three locks and pulled in again, because I wanted to take a look at the Craft Fair that was being run at the school near Tesco’s. Sheila seemed to think that it didn’t start until 10.30. Oh, if only that were the case. So, since we were a little early, we had a cuppa first and then set off.
I have to say, that I was really flabbergasted, not to mention upset, when I discovered it didn’t start until 1.30 pm and, how stupid can you be, finished at 4.30 pm. What? Two and a half hours to wander round a school sports hall and a whole bunch of stalls, in only 2½ hours? What were the organisers thinking about?
Needless to say, we walked away in disgust, did some more shopping and cast of for the final lock and cruised until we found a mooring spot. Once again we see the lack of work carried out by BW, with the canal becoming narrower than is safe in places, due to spreading reed beds and weeds. How this organisation is going to survive as a charity, and how much they are going to expect in donations, goodness knows. But, it will be us boaters who suffer. I’m sure that it won’t be long before they demand a huge rise in licence fees and still they will say they don’t have enough money coming in.
Monday 16th July
Yesterdays trip, from our moorings near bridge 176 on the Trent and Mersey, to The Salt Barn pub at Marston, took us 2½ hours, most of which we were sandwiched between weeds on the towpath side, some as high as 7 ft, and reed beds on the opposite side, much of which was at least 6ft deep. This is not a pretty canal and is not one where you can suddenly decide to moor up, because it is so unattractive.
Even at Marston, where there are some mooring rings before the bridge by the pub, mooring up has been made very difficult because, with the sides of the canal lined with concrete blocks, and the towpath, which has been gravelled over, reaches right to the edge of the blocks. Therefore, when mooring up, not only do we have to use our pins, but we also have to break through the towpath, or look for holes that have already been made by previous boaters’ pins. We chose the latter.
Anyway, no sooner had we safely tied up, than along came the rain. I tell you, we have been so lucky in that regard, that I’m sure there is someone up there watching over us. It really is quite odd that, if it’s going to rain and hasn’t already done so by the time we decide to move on, it usually holds off until we’re moored up.
From the towpath to the pub there are two fence lined pathways. This is because, directly across the road from the pub, lie the old salt works. These have been awarded a Lottery Grant for renovation work, which will include a showcase of how the place functioned back in the 19th C. The bulk of the works lie on the road opposite, but there is also a derelict building on the pub side, and all of it is right beside the bride, making it hazardous walking to the bridge in order to gain access to the canal.
So, having discovered the pathway nearest to us, we then approached the pub from the rear and car park. On our last visit in 2009, we approached via the bridge and, on arriving at the pub, paid for our drinks and sat in the front bar, leaving by the front door an hour or so later. This time, by entering through the back, we were made aware of the size of the place. Unbeknown to us, there’s quite a large restaurant at the back and, alongside the front bar, there’s a pool room too.
Also on our earlier visit, we arrived just as the pub was changing hands to new owners, at which time they were selling beer at £1 a pint. Needless to say, I took advantage of their generosity. Yesterday we were greeted by the licensee with a friendly, “Hello, how are you both?”, even though he had never set eyes on us before. Of course, we replied in kind and I asked if he was the same person who had taken over three years ago. When he agreed that he was, I then reminded him of his £1 pint and asked if he had kept the tradition alive in the interim. Poor man, my question left him speechless!
We can take our time leaving this morning, because we’re only going on to Anderton, which is only a mile away. We’re hoping to catch a bus into Northwich, just to see what the town is like, and to take advantage of our bus passes before this coalition decide to take them away from us. Who knows, with two State Pensions coming in, they will probably decide we’re far too affluent to be needing them.
After Anderton we’ll be heading for Preston Brook tunnel and The Bridgewater Canal.
Wednesday 18th July
I was so busy yesterday whilst sitting at our mooring at Marston that I completely forgot to update the blog. Still, due to the rain we didn’t do much worth reporting.
As for the rest of yesterday, now that’s a different story. The day started out fairly good weather-wise, so we decided to move on to Anderton, where the famous boat lift is situated. It was only a mile away and how wet can you get in a mile, even if it does rain?
On arriving at Anderton we took time for another cuppa and then, having studied our canal books, decided that since the bus from the nearest stop only runs every two hours or so, we would walk along the towpath and catch the bus from a different stop. What looked easy on paper, turned out to be far from it.
After much foot slogging and walking too far along the towpath, we eventually retraced our steps and, after another, uphill slog, arrived at the stop, only to find the bus arriving 10 minutes later than expected.
We arrived in Northwich at about 11 am and wandered around looking for a particular Art Shop, but even though we asked a couple of people, the place wasn’t that easy to find. It seems that this town is chock full of banks, building societies, estate agents and coffee shops, with very few food shops any where.
The reason for the Art Shop? I have decided to chance my arm with pastels. This came about when we were in a market some time back, where, on a whim, I purchased a CD by a chap called Colin Bradley that contained several demonstrations in this art form. I am now the proud owner of a set of pastel pencils, pastel blocks and proper paper for my efforts. All I need now is an instruction book on the subject which, when I have a strong enough signal, I shall be downloading from the Internet. Strange to say, I didn’t see any in the Art Shop or Smiths!
Today we intend to sit here until about 9 am and then take a walk back to the local chandlery, where we’ll purchase another pot of green paint, if they have any, after which we’ll move on about four miles, which will take us through two tunnels. Tomorrow we’ll go through the third tunnel at Preston Brook, which is seven miles from here and will take us onto the Bridgewater Canal.
Thursday 19th July
We are, as you all know, now cruising the Trent and Mersey.
After paying a visit to the local chandlery at Anderton and purchasing our paint and ordering a brass hooter, we set off for moorings that we had previously used, just past bridge 210. Alas, just like the Worcester and Birmingham last year, the whole area is overgrown with weeds and reeds. But, eventually, after cruising for about a half mile further, we managed to find a ‘suitable’ spot just before bridge 211.
Fortunately for us we were blessed with a really bright and sunny day and, after Wifey took Rusty for a walk, she returned and immediately started looking through the Nicholson’s Guide for this area. Would you believe it, bridge 211 has a footpath; albeit a badly overgrown one; that leads down to the River Weaver? It didn’t take us long to get our walking boots on, grab the dog and lead, and set off.
In fine weather the river is stunningly beautiful although, in this morning’s strong wind and dark, threatening clouds, it will probably be anything but. We sat by Dutton Lock and whiled away a few minutes on a bench and took a few photos, Sheila with her camera and me with my mobile. Just as we were about to leave, along came a couple of women, just out for a stroll, with whom we spent a very pleasant 15 minutes or so, talking about this and that.
The walk back to the boat, much of which was uphill, pooped me and was a wee bit too much for Rusty, but she soon galloped ahead when she realised we were close to home.
A good day was had by all but, if this wind continues, and especially if it is accompanied by rain, we won’t be going anywhere. Rain alone is just about acceptable. Rain, accompanied by a high wind, is most definitely not.
Friday 20th July
Yesterday was yet another washout, what a contrast to Wednesday, where we had bright sunshine all day and took that walk down to the Weaver.
We had to sit around until 11 am before the wind died down and, even then, a lengthy part of our trip involved the big brolly over our heads. It was raining for most of last night, which didn’t endear us to Rusty when she decided that she wanted to go out at 2 am, poor thing.
The six miles, one lock and Preston Brook tunnel, which links the Trent and Mersey with the Bridgewater canal took us just two hours to complete and we are now on the Bridgewater Canal at bridge 6. Today we’ll be heading for Lymm, where we’ll do a bit of shopping, stay overnight and move on a few more miles. The intention then will be to stay overnight elsewhere and return to Lymm for the weekend.
Saturday 21st July
Friday went well. No problems weather-wise and we arrived at Lymm safe and sound and dry.
The usual procedure followed, with a cuppa before shopping and back to chill out for the rest of the day.
Today we’re moving on, but we haven’t decided where to yet. That piece of info will be revealed in the next blog. Meanwhile I will post this one and add an old picture of Lymm.
Happy days from,
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Friday 13th July
It’s raining again and we have to be in Middlewich this morning. Great!
Saturday 14th July
Fortunately the trip to Middlewich was only a short one and we didn’t get too wet on the way. However, our walk to and from Tesco was a wee bit damp, as was the walk down the canal to the local boatyard and into town. We needed to know what time the boatyard opens in the morning and, because it runs a holiday hire outlet, they’re open at 8 am, which means we can buy a gas bottle and empty our cassette.
From the boatyard we have another four locks to pass through before we get to the nearest water point, after which we can find a mooring place and walk back to town.
This morning is a bit brighter, but the damn boat is a bit chilly, due to the heater refusing to work this morning. With the weather so damp and cool these days, the inside of the boat is a wee bit uncomfortable at 5.30 am and, unless we have the fire on all day, which is a bit daft on the days when it is sunny, then I have to run the heater for half an hour when I get up. The problem, I hope, is just a touch of damp in the electrics, in which case I just need to unplug it and give the plugs a clean up and spray with WD40. Oddly enough we have no trouble with it when the engine is running!
“”Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?””
Incidentally and in case you’re wondering, we’ll be on the Trent and Mersey Canal from today, heading for Anderton and on to The Bridgewater Canal.
Sunday 15th July
We left our moorings on the Middlewich Branch at 7.45 am and headed for the Wardle Canal and Lock. This is a very short stretch of about 100 yards, with a lock in the middle and leads onto the Trent and Mersey, where we turned left and pulled in at the boatyard for a gas bottle.
From there we carried on through another three locks and pulled in again, because I wanted to take a look at the Craft Fair that was being run at the school near Tesco’s. Sheila seemed to think that it didn’t start until 10.30. Oh, if only that were the case. So, since we were a little early, we had a cuppa first and then set off.
I have to say, that I was really flabbergasted, not to mention upset, when I discovered it didn’t start until 1.30 pm and, how stupid can you be, finished at 4.30 pm. What? Two and a half hours to wander round a school sports hall and a whole bunch of stalls, in only 2½ hours? What were the organisers thinking about?
Needless to say, we walked away in disgust, did some more shopping and cast of for the final lock and cruised until we found a mooring spot. Once again we see the lack of work carried out by BW, with the canal becoming narrower than is safe in places, due to spreading reed beds and weeds. How this organisation is going to survive as a charity, and how much they are going to expect in donations, goodness knows. But, it will be us boaters who suffer. I’m sure that it won’t be long before they demand a huge rise in licence fees and still they will say they don’t have enough money coming in.
Monday 16th July
Yesterdays trip, from our moorings near bridge 176 on the Trent and Mersey, to The Salt Barn pub at Marston, took us 2½ hours, most of which we were sandwiched between weeds on the towpath side, some as high as 7 ft, and reed beds on the opposite side, much of which was at least 6ft deep. This is not a pretty canal and is not one where you can suddenly decide to moor up, because it is so unattractive.
Even at Marston, where there are some mooring rings before the bridge by the pub, mooring up has been made very difficult because, with the sides of the canal lined with concrete blocks, and the towpath, which has been gravelled over, reaches right to the edge of the blocks. Therefore, when mooring up, not only do we have to use our pins, but we also have to break through the towpath, or look for holes that have already been made by previous boaters’ pins. We chose the latter.
Anyway, no sooner had we safely tied up, than along came the rain. I tell you, we have been so lucky in that regard, that I’m sure there is someone up there watching over us. It really is quite odd that, if it’s going to rain and hasn’t already done so by the time we decide to move on, it usually holds off until we’re moored up.
From the towpath to the pub there are two fence lined pathways. This is because, directly across the road from the pub, lie the old salt works. These have been awarded a Lottery Grant for renovation work, which will include a showcase of how the place functioned back in the 19th C. The bulk of the works lie on the road opposite, but there is also a derelict building on the pub side, and all of it is right beside the bride, making it hazardous walking to the bridge in order to gain access to the canal.
So, having discovered the pathway nearest to us, we then approached the pub from the rear and car park. On our last visit in 2009, we approached via the bridge and, on arriving at the pub, paid for our drinks and sat in the front bar, leaving by the front door an hour or so later. This time, by entering through the back, we were made aware of the size of the place. Unbeknown to us, there’s quite a large restaurant at the back and, alongside the front bar, there’s a pool room too.
Also on our earlier visit, we arrived just as the pub was changing hands to new owners, at which time they were selling beer at £1 a pint. Needless to say, I took advantage of their generosity. Yesterday we were greeted by the licensee with a friendly, “Hello, how are you both?”, even though he had never set eyes on us before. Of course, we replied in kind and I asked if he was the same person who had taken over three years ago. When he agreed that he was, I then reminded him of his £1 pint and asked if he had kept the tradition alive in the interim. Poor man, my question left him speechless!
We can take our time leaving this morning, because we’re only going on to Anderton, which is only a mile away. We’re hoping to catch a bus into Northwich, just to see what the town is like, and to take advantage of our bus passes before this coalition decide to take them away from us. Who knows, with two State Pensions coming in, they will probably decide we’re far too affluent to be needing them.
After Anderton we’ll be heading for Preston Brook tunnel and The Bridgewater Canal.
Wednesday 18th July
I was so busy yesterday whilst sitting at our mooring at Marston that I completely forgot to update the blog. Still, due to the rain we didn’t do much worth reporting.
As for the rest of yesterday, now that’s a different story. The day started out fairly good weather-wise, so we decided to move on to Anderton, where the famous boat lift is situated. It was only a mile away and how wet can you get in a mile, even if it does rain?
On arriving at Anderton we took time for another cuppa and then, having studied our canal books, decided that since the bus from the nearest stop only runs every two hours or so, we would walk along the towpath and catch the bus from a different stop. What looked easy on paper, turned out to be far from it.
After much foot slogging and walking too far along the towpath, we eventually retraced our steps and, after another, uphill slog, arrived at the stop, only to find the bus arriving 10 minutes later than expected.
We arrived in Northwich at about 11 am and wandered around looking for a particular Art Shop, but even though we asked a couple of people, the place wasn’t that easy to find. It seems that this town is chock full of banks, building societies, estate agents and coffee shops, with very few food shops any where.
The reason for the Art Shop? I have decided to chance my arm with pastels. This came about when we were in a market some time back, where, on a whim, I purchased a CD by a chap called Colin Bradley that contained several demonstrations in this art form. I am now the proud owner of a set of pastel pencils, pastel blocks and proper paper for my efforts. All I need now is an instruction book on the subject which, when I have a strong enough signal, I shall be downloading from the Internet. Strange to say, I didn’t see any in the Art Shop or Smiths!
Today we intend to sit here until about 9 am and then take a walk back to the local chandlery, where we’ll purchase another pot of green paint, if they have any, after which we’ll move on about four miles, which will take us through two tunnels. Tomorrow we’ll go through the third tunnel at Preston Brook, which is seven miles from here and will take us onto the Bridgewater Canal.
Thursday 19th July
We are, as you all know, now cruising the Trent and Mersey.
After paying a visit to the local chandlery at Anderton and purchasing our paint and ordering a brass hooter, we set off for moorings that we had previously used, just past bridge 210. Alas, just like the Worcester and Birmingham last year, the whole area is overgrown with weeds and reeds. But, eventually, after cruising for about a half mile further, we managed to find a ‘suitable’ spot just before bridge 211.
Fortunately for us we were blessed with a really bright and sunny day and, after Wifey took Rusty for a walk, she returned and immediately started looking through the Nicholson’s Guide for this area. Would you believe it, bridge 211 has a footpath; albeit a badly overgrown one; that leads down to the River Weaver? It didn’t take us long to get our walking boots on, grab the dog and lead, and set off.
In fine weather the river is stunningly beautiful although, in this morning’s strong wind and dark, threatening clouds, it will probably be anything but. We sat by Dutton Lock and whiled away a few minutes on a bench and took a few photos, Sheila with her camera and me with my mobile. Just as we were about to leave, along came a couple of women, just out for a stroll, with whom we spent a very pleasant 15 minutes or so, talking about this and that.
The walk back to the boat, much of which was uphill, pooped me and was a wee bit too much for Rusty, but she soon galloped ahead when she realised we were close to home.
A good day was had by all but, if this wind continues, and especially if it is accompanied by rain, we won’t be going anywhere. Rain alone is just about acceptable. Rain, accompanied by a high wind, is most definitely not.
Friday 20th July
Yesterday was yet another washout, what a contrast to Wednesday, where we had bright sunshine all day and took that walk down to the Weaver.
We had to sit around until 11 am before the wind died down and, even then, a lengthy part of our trip involved the big brolly over our heads. It was raining for most of last night, which didn’t endear us to Rusty when she decided that she wanted to go out at 2 am, poor thing.
The six miles, one lock and Preston Brook tunnel, which links the Trent and Mersey with the Bridgewater canal took us just two hours to complete and we are now on the Bridgewater Canal at bridge 6. Today we’ll be heading for Lymm, where we’ll do a bit of shopping, stay overnight and move on a few more miles. The intention then will be to stay overnight elsewhere and return to Lymm for the weekend.
Saturday 21st July
Friday went well. No problems weather-wise and we arrived at Lymm safe and sound and dry.
The usual procedure followed, with a cuppa before shopping and back to chill out for the rest of the day.
Today we’re moving on, but we haven’t decided where to yet. That piece of info will be revealed in the next blog. Meanwhile I will post this one and add an old picture of Lymm.
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| Moorings at Lymm on the Bridgewater Canal |
Happy days from,
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Thursday 12 July 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 16
Burland to Middlewich Branch
Thursday 5th July
This morning, at the request of our local engineer, Eric, we attempted to reverse ‘Shiralee’ into the winding hole. Up to a point this operation was successful, in that we did indeed get said boat into the winding hole. However, once in there I was unable to move the darn thing to where I wanted it to go, namely to the side so that we could moor up. What is more, I had trouble getting it out again. (Have you ever had a day when you know things just ain’t going to go right?)
At a very sloooow rate of knots, I finally managed to move the boat back to the towpath and, after much blue air, removed the chuff that was fouling the prop.
Having done all that and wasted an hour or so, I sent a text to Eric explaining the situation and, about an hour after that, our esteemed engineer phoned to say that he was unable to order the size of belt that we asked for and had been obliged to get the next size up, which is 13mm longer. Hopefully, when he calls tomorrow to fit it and carry out the oil change, the belt will not be too long.
It seems that his supplier is unable to order the smaller belt; we’ve had this problem with a couple of chandleries about this, so he had to settle for the longer one, which is why we are having to wait until tomorrow. No matter, we have plenty of food to last, but we really must be on our way as soon as Eric finishes here.
Friday 6th July
At last, a good bit of sunshine yesterday, this meant that Sheila could finish painting the top of the bow. She also washed the starboard side down and painted over a small section of red below the hatch. We now have to wait until we get to Nantwich where, if we have some sunshine again, or at least if it’s dry, we can paint over the patches on the port side and restore the rest of the red.
We really would like to get to Nantwich this morning and take the bus into town, but this all depends upon what time Eric gets here and, of course, the weather. If yesterday evening and during the night is anything to go by, when we had torrential rain, thunder and lightning, I have my doubts. But, the last time we topped up with water was before we left Grindley brook on Saturday, so we’re getting a little low and Wifey has done two lots of washing since then. The next water point is at the top of Hurleston Locks, two miles away and, once we reach that water point we will have to go down the locks, regardless of the weather.
We can only await Eric’s arrival.
Saturday 7th July
Eric arrived at about half nine, by which time it was coming down in stair-rods and I had to hold our big brolly over him whilst he worked. Luckily we had the oil and filter, so that saved some cash, but he did replace the fuel filter which, if memory serves, would have cost about £40 back at Mercia. Eric charged us £14! I think we’ll be asking Andy to carry out any servicing in future.
For the rest of the day the weather was quite bad and so, instead of sitting here reading, we watched Federer beat Djokovic, followed by Murrey beating Tsonga. If you watched both games, what do you think was different about the end of each one? Well, I’ll tell you. Federer had the usual smile on his face and applauded the crowd for their support, whereas Murrey looked like he was about to burst into tears. Is he always like that when he wins a match?
I’ve just noticed something about MS Word. Federer, Djokocic and Murrey, all have a red line under them which, I presume, means that Word does not recognise those words. How come Tsonga has not been given the same treatment? Most odd!
Ten minutes ago we had blazing sunshine, well, not blazing really, it’s too early in the day for that, but now we are looking at heavy cloud again. I spoke to a fisherman when I took Rusty out and he reckons we should be on our way as early as possible, ‘cos we’re in for a soaking later. So, what’s new? We’ve got to go anyway because, if we don’t, then we’ll surely run out of water. We’ve left it longer than normal as it is.
Next stop, Barbridge on the Shroppie and then, on Monday, the Middlewich Branch.
Sunday 8th July
We left Burland at 7.47 yesterday morning, intending to beat everybody else to the locks. There’s nothing worse than finding yourself in a queue of holiday boats!
Anyway, disposed of rubbish and topped up with water and, lucky old us, went through the first lock ahead of our nearest rival. There are four locks at Hurleston, which take you from the Llangollen to the Shroppie, or vice versa and they are all separated by a short pound, so Wifey is able to walk between them and, whilst the one I am in is emptying, she can wander off to fill the next one.
So, I get to the third lock down and, whilst the water is flowing out, she trots off to fill the next one. When she comes back, she empties the lock and opens the gates and I move forward and head for the last lock.
Great, one lock to go and we’ll be in Barbridge nice and early, catch the bus into town and settle down for the weekend. Huh! No such luck.
Hurleston locks are a little narrower than most single locks and, as you approach them at the bottom, there’s a sign warning you to make sure all side fenders are raised, so as to avoid them getting stuck or broken off.
Now, this would be our 8th time of passing through these locks in Shiralee and this will be the first time we have become jammed fast in one of them, but that’s exactly what happened. Sheila tried letting more water into the lock, in hopes of raising the water level, but that was a no go. She then tried pulling on the centre rope, but no joy there either.
Eventually she took my mobile and wandered off to the top of the locks, to where she could get a signal, planning to phone BW. Meanwhile, the boater behind us came along and offered no help, although he did suggest to Sheila that she might call out the nearby engineer!!???
After giving the engine as much welly as I could, along with fishtailing the rudder, in hopes that I could persuade the wretched boat to move, along came another boater. He, at first, tried pulling on the centre rope, to no avail. I then suggested throwing the bow line to him, which I did and, with a good old British heave-ho, out she popped.
We eventually arrived at Barbridge a good ¾ of an hour later than expected, settled in for a cuppa and then took the bus to Nantwich, arriving back at the boat at about half past one with a trolley and two bags full.
The rest of Saturday remained dry and bright, but with the odd flutter of rain. Today has also started out fine, except that our heater refused to come on, which is a bit odd because there should have been plenty of power in the batteries, as we didn’t watch telly last night. So, will run engine after 8 am and see if it will start then If not we’ll have to call Eric out and, I have no doubt, spend even more money on this recalcitrant beast.
Monday 9th
July
We spent a very pleasant hour in The Old Barbridge Inn yesterday lunchtime, followed by a few hours of torment watching Murray get beaten by that Swiss chappie. Some of that time was spent listening to the pouring rain – again, and the rest of it reading until bedtime.
Today is looking heavily overcast and, hopefully, by the time we get back from Nantwich, it will be OK to set sail, weigh anchor and head for Middlewich. We’re only moving a couple of miles and will pull in at a boatyard to see if they have the paint we will need for finishing off the boat. I’m assuming that the rest of the summer is not going to be as wet.
Tuesday 10th July
Yesterday afternoon, having returned from Nantwich at midday, I turned the engine on to allow Sheila to use the washing machine, prior to departing for pastures new.
Even in her small machine the process takes about 1½ hours and so, since there are no other water points after the one at the junction with the Middlewich branch, we decided to let the washing finish before leaving.
After Wifey had sorted the washing out and we’d had a cuppa, still with the engine running, I climbed out front, rolled up the cratch sides and lowered the TV aerial, when I heard a shout from across the canal.
At the bottom of the garden opposite our moorings were a middle aged couple sitting at a table having lunch. The lady of the house, asked me, quite politely at first, if I wouldn’t mind turning the engine off. I was about to explain that we were about to move off, when she then started ranting about us being there for a week and running the engine all day.
Well, ‘red rag to a bull’ springs to mind. As you all know, we didn’t arrive there until Saturday afternoon due to the delay in extricating ourselves from the lock at Hurleston and, with domestic fuel costing almost £1 per litre, we’re hardly likely to run the engine all day.
The strange thing is, this lady has a very polite notice pinned to her garden fence, requesting that boaters respect their privacy and refrain from mooring across their garden, and she even started her request to us in a very polite manner, but then started spitting nails.
After waiting for several boats to pass us, we then moved off to the water point and we are now moored just before the lock and Venetian Marina. How long for is anybody’s guess, depending, as it does, upon the weather.
Wednesday 11th July
Well, I’m sorry to say, nothing to report for yesterday due to pretty poor weather, apart from a walk down to the Venetian Marina where the chandlery is no longer open. Another one bites the dust. Oh, and we enjoyed a lovely roast dinner, just for a change.
Today? Probably off to Church Minshull where, according to a boater we spoke to at Wrenbury, a pub called The Badger is, or should be open again.
Thursday 12th July
Just as we were about to leave our mooring this morning, along came two boats, heading for the lock. Whoopee, we thought, a nice, long wait before we can descend the first of the two locks to Church Minshull. On the first boat was an old acquaintance of ours from Pillings Lock, whom everybody knows as Ridsy. I’m not sure of his full surname, but Ridsy is a diminutive of it and even his Jack Russell has the same name.
Anyway, as soon as he and his friend passed, we untied Shiralee, with the intention of slipping in behind them at the lock and waiting for them to both go through. Fortunately for us; although not so fortunate for Ridsey’s travelling companion, who had a rope trapped around his prop; John waved us through and we were on our way much earlier than expected.
The trip to Church Minshull was wet, so wet in fact that Wifey had to dig out the big brolly. It didn’t stay that way for long though and we arrived at bridge 14 at about 10 am, with the clouds slowly clearing away to leave a bright and sunny day. We had thought to have a go at restoring the red on the port side but, as that was now wet, we’ve decided to attack it at our next moorings, which will be at bridge 22, which is just short of Wimboldesly Wood and has a terrific view down to the River Weaver and Top Flash Lake.
Church Minshull is accessed via a narrow lane from bridge 14 and contains a pub, called The Badger and not much of anything else, except a bus stop. The Badger has now re-opened and looks to be quite an impressive building. We took our lives in our hands in walking up there, because the traffic is quite heavy for such a narrow lane. Sadly we were too early for a snifter but as we’re returning this way later, we might just give it a try.
Our plans for this year have been somewhat revised, mainly due to the damaged prop that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Even at the maximum speed of 4 mph allowed on canals, I am finding it necessary to hold the tiller arm slightly towards the left in order to maintain a straight line. I wouldn’t call it a struggle exactly, but I have some misgivings about the current flow on the River Weaver, especially when running against it where the strain may prove a little tedious, to say the least.
So, when we arrive at Anderton, instead of taking our boat down on the lift, we’ll see if we can take the Trip Boat down. After that we’ll head for the Macclesfield Canal and, at Marple Junction, take the Peak Forest Canal down to Bugbrook Basin where, if memory serves, there’s a rather nice country pub. Of course, since that’s a dead end, as is the Whalley Bridge branch, we’ll have to return the same way in order to get back to Marple Junction.
Also, instead of doing Liverpool and the Ribble Link to the Lancaster Canal, we’re going to plan it all for next year and book it all well in advance. We could probably still book for Liverpool, but definitely not The Ribble Link, and so for the rest of this year we’ll just poodle around as the fancy takes us.
Sadly, once again we have no Internet service here, which is a pity because I now have nine pages to post. Ah well, maybe at bridge 22, Middlewich or Anderton.
Friday 13th July
We made it to the spot overlooking the River Weaver by 10 am yesterday, with bright sunshine and shirt sleeves all the way. This was too good an opportunity to miss, and so out came the restorer and we set to. We still have the rust preventative patches to paint over, but that can wait until we’re past Middlewich, which is where we’ll be heading today, assuming this rain gives up. Yep, after that lovely day yesterday, we have more rain.
Now that we have a strong signal here, I think I’d better post this blog.
And, some gallows humour to end with
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Have a good weekend
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Thursday 5th July
This morning, at the request of our local engineer, Eric, we attempted to reverse ‘Shiralee’ into the winding hole. Up to a point this operation was successful, in that we did indeed get said boat into the winding hole. However, once in there I was unable to move the darn thing to where I wanted it to go, namely to the side so that we could moor up. What is more, I had trouble getting it out again. (Have you ever had a day when you know things just ain’t going to go right?)
At a very sloooow rate of knots, I finally managed to move the boat back to the towpath and, after much blue air, removed the chuff that was fouling the prop.
Having done all that and wasted an hour or so, I sent a text to Eric explaining the situation and, about an hour after that, our esteemed engineer phoned to say that he was unable to order the size of belt that we asked for and had been obliged to get the next size up, which is 13mm longer. Hopefully, when he calls tomorrow to fit it and carry out the oil change, the belt will not be too long.
It seems that his supplier is unable to order the smaller belt; we’ve had this problem with a couple of chandleries about this, so he had to settle for the longer one, which is why we are having to wait until tomorrow. No matter, we have plenty of food to last, but we really must be on our way as soon as Eric finishes here.
Friday 6th July
At last, a good bit of sunshine yesterday, this meant that Sheila could finish painting the top of the bow. She also washed the starboard side down and painted over a small section of red below the hatch. We now have to wait until we get to Nantwich where, if we have some sunshine again, or at least if it’s dry, we can paint over the patches on the port side and restore the rest of the red.
We really would like to get to Nantwich this morning and take the bus into town, but this all depends upon what time Eric gets here and, of course, the weather. If yesterday evening and during the night is anything to go by, when we had torrential rain, thunder and lightning, I have my doubts. But, the last time we topped up with water was before we left Grindley brook on Saturday, so we’re getting a little low and Wifey has done two lots of washing since then. The next water point is at the top of Hurleston Locks, two miles away and, once we reach that water point we will have to go down the locks, regardless of the weather.
We can only await Eric’s arrival.
Saturday 7th July
Eric arrived at about half nine, by which time it was coming down in stair-rods and I had to hold our big brolly over him whilst he worked. Luckily we had the oil and filter, so that saved some cash, but he did replace the fuel filter which, if memory serves, would have cost about £40 back at Mercia. Eric charged us £14! I think we’ll be asking Andy to carry out any servicing in future.
For the rest of the day the weather was quite bad and so, instead of sitting here reading, we watched Federer beat Djokovic, followed by Murrey beating Tsonga. If you watched both games, what do you think was different about the end of each one? Well, I’ll tell you. Federer had the usual smile on his face and applauded the crowd for their support, whereas Murrey looked like he was about to burst into tears. Is he always like that when he wins a match?
I’ve just noticed something about MS Word. Federer, Djokocic and Murrey, all have a red line under them which, I presume, means that Word does not recognise those words. How come Tsonga has not been given the same treatment? Most odd!
Ten minutes ago we had blazing sunshine, well, not blazing really, it’s too early in the day for that, but now we are looking at heavy cloud again. I spoke to a fisherman when I took Rusty out and he reckons we should be on our way as early as possible, ‘cos we’re in for a soaking later. So, what’s new? We’ve got to go anyway because, if we don’t, then we’ll surely run out of water. We’ve left it longer than normal as it is.
Next stop, Barbridge on the Shroppie and then, on Monday, the Middlewich Branch.
Sunday 8th July
We left Burland at 7.47 yesterday morning, intending to beat everybody else to the locks. There’s nothing worse than finding yourself in a queue of holiday boats!
Anyway, disposed of rubbish and topped up with water and, lucky old us, went through the first lock ahead of our nearest rival. There are four locks at Hurleston, which take you from the Llangollen to the Shroppie, or vice versa and they are all separated by a short pound, so Wifey is able to walk between them and, whilst the one I am in is emptying, she can wander off to fill the next one.
So, I get to the third lock down and, whilst the water is flowing out, she trots off to fill the next one. When she comes back, she empties the lock and opens the gates and I move forward and head for the last lock.
Great, one lock to go and we’ll be in Barbridge nice and early, catch the bus into town and settle down for the weekend. Huh! No such luck.
Hurleston locks are a little narrower than most single locks and, as you approach them at the bottom, there’s a sign warning you to make sure all side fenders are raised, so as to avoid them getting stuck or broken off.
Now, this would be our 8th time of passing through these locks in Shiralee and this will be the first time we have become jammed fast in one of them, but that’s exactly what happened. Sheila tried letting more water into the lock, in hopes of raising the water level, but that was a no go. She then tried pulling on the centre rope, but no joy there either.
Eventually she took my mobile and wandered off to the top of the locks, to where she could get a signal, planning to phone BW. Meanwhile, the boater behind us came along and offered no help, although he did suggest to Sheila that she might call out the nearby engineer!!???
After giving the engine as much welly as I could, along with fishtailing the rudder, in hopes that I could persuade the wretched boat to move, along came another boater. He, at first, tried pulling on the centre rope, to no avail. I then suggested throwing the bow line to him, which I did and, with a good old British heave-ho, out she popped.
We eventually arrived at Barbridge a good ¾ of an hour later than expected, settled in for a cuppa and then took the bus to Nantwich, arriving back at the boat at about half past one with a trolley and two bags full.
The rest of Saturday remained dry and bright, but with the odd flutter of rain. Today has also started out fine, except that our heater refused to come on, which is a bit odd because there should have been plenty of power in the batteries, as we didn’t watch telly last night. So, will run engine after 8 am and see if it will start then If not we’ll have to call Eric out and, I have no doubt, spend even more money on this recalcitrant beast.
Monday 9th
July
We spent a very pleasant hour in The Old Barbridge Inn yesterday lunchtime, followed by a few hours of torment watching Murray get beaten by that Swiss chappie. Some of that time was spent listening to the pouring rain – again, and the rest of it reading until bedtime.
Today is looking heavily overcast and, hopefully, by the time we get back from Nantwich, it will be OK to set sail, weigh anchor and head for Middlewich. We’re only moving a couple of miles and will pull in at a boatyard to see if they have the paint we will need for finishing off the boat. I’m assuming that the rest of the summer is not going to be as wet.
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| Chaos at Barbridge Junction |
Tuesday 10th July
Yesterday afternoon, having returned from Nantwich at midday, I turned the engine on to allow Sheila to use the washing machine, prior to departing for pastures new.
Even in her small machine the process takes about 1½ hours and so, since there are no other water points after the one at the junction with the Middlewich branch, we decided to let the washing finish before leaving.
After Wifey had sorted the washing out and we’d had a cuppa, still with the engine running, I climbed out front, rolled up the cratch sides and lowered the TV aerial, when I heard a shout from across the canal.
At the bottom of the garden opposite our moorings were a middle aged couple sitting at a table having lunch. The lady of the house, asked me, quite politely at first, if I wouldn’t mind turning the engine off. I was about to explain that we were about to move off, when she then started ranting about us being there for a week and running the engine all day.
Well, ‘red rag to a bull’ springs to mind. As you all know, we didn’t arrive there until Saturday afternoon due to the delay in extricating ourselves from the lock at Hurleston and, with domestic fuel costing almost £1 per litre, we’re hardly likely to run the engine all day.
The strange thing is, this lady has a very polite notice pinned to her garden fence, requesting that boaters respect their privacy and refrain from mooring across their garden, and she even started her request to us in a very polite manner, but then started spitting nails.
After waiting for several boats to pass us, we then moved off to the water point and we are now moored just before the lock and Venetian Marina. How long for is anybody’s guess, depending, as it does, upon the weather.
Wednesday 11th July
Well, I’m sorry to say, nothing to report for yesterday due to pretty poor weather, apart from a walk down to the Venetian Marina where the chandlery is no longer open. Another one bites the dust. Oh, and we enjoyed a lovely roast dinner, just for a change.
Today? Probably off to Church Minshull where, according to a boater we spoke to at Wrenbury, a pub called The Badger is, or should be open again.
Thursday 12th July
Just as we were about to leave our mooring this morning, along came two boats, heading for the lock. Whoopee, we thought, a nice, long wait before we can descend the first of the two locks to Church Minshull. On the first boat was an old acquaintance of ours from Pillings Lock, whom everybody knows as Ridsy. I’m not sure of his full surname, but Ridsy is a diminutive of it and even his Jack Russell has the same name.
Anyway, as soon as he and his friend passed, we untied Shiralee, with the intention of slipping in behind them at the lock and waiting for them to both go through. Fortunately for us; although not so fortunate for Ridsey’s travelling companion, who had a rope trapped around his prop; John waved us through and we were on our way much earlier than expected.
The trip to Church Minshull was wet, so wet in fact that Wifey had to dig out the big brolly. It didn’t stay that way for long though and we arrived at bridge 14 at about 10 am, with the clouds slowly clearing away to leave a bright and sunny day. We had thought to have a go at restoring the red on the port side but, as that was now wet, we’ve decided to attack it at our next moorings, which will be at bridge 22, which is just short of Wimboldesly Wood and has a terrific view down to the River Weaver and Top Flash Lake.
Church Minshull is accessed via a narrow lane from bridge 14 and contains a pub, called The Badger and not much of anything else, except a bus stop. The Badger has now re-opened and looks to be quite an impressive building. We took our lives in our hands in walking up there, because the traffic is quite heavy for such a narrow lane. Sadly we were too early for a snifter but as we’re returning this way later, we might just give it a try.
Our plans for this year have been somewhat revised, mainly due to the damaged prop that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Even at the maximum speed of 4 mph allowed on canals, I am finding it necessary to hold the tiller arm slightly towards the left in order to maintain a straight line. I wouldn’t call it a struggle exactly, but I have some misgivings about the current flow on the River Weaver, especially when running against it where the strain may prove a little tedious, to say the least.
So, when we arrive at Anderton, instead of taking our boat down on the lift, we’ll see if we can take the Trip Boat down. After that we’ll head for the Macclesfield Canal and, at Marple Junction, take the Peak Forest Canal down to Bugbrook Basin where, if memory serves, there’s a rather nice country pub. Of course, since that’s a dead end, as is the Whalley Bridge branch, we’ll have to return the same way in order to get back to Marple Junction.
Also, instead of doing Liverpool and the Ribble Link to the Lancaster Canal, we’re going to plan it all for next year and book it all well in advance. We could probably still book for Liverpool, but definitely not The Ribble Link, and so for the rest of this year we’ll just poodle around as the fancy takes us.
Sadly, once again we have no Internet service here, which is a pity because I now have nine pages to post. Ah well, maybe at bridge 22, Middlewich or Anderton.
Friday 13th July
We made it to the spot overlooking the River Weaver by 10 am yesterday, with bright sunshine and shirt sleeves all the way. This was too good an opportunity to miss, and so out came the restorer and we set to. We still have the rust preventative patches to paint over, but that can wait until we’re past Middlewich, which is where we’ll be heading today, assuming this rain gives up. Yep, after that lovely day yesterday, we have more rain.
Now that we have a strong signal here, I think I’d better post this blog.
And, some gallows humour to end with
Have a good weekend
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 15
Top of Grindley Brook Locks to Burland
Friday 29th June
My apologies for the lack of photos in the previous blog, although the signal was somewhat stronger than that at Whitchurch, I didn’t feel it was sufficient to be uploading photos to Blogger. Also, as much as I would like to offer some new photos of this trip, the weather has been against us for the most part. Excuses, excuses!!
It does not look too promising for our planned trip down Grindley Brook locks and on to Wrenbury this morning, it’s far too windy and, I suspect we’ll be in for a soaking if we attempt it. But, if it stays dry, we will at least be able to cover the rust preventative on the port side with red paint. Also, since Wifey had a dicky tummy yesterday, we might be able to celebrate the birthday and anniversary today, rather than wait until we finally get to Wrenbury.
Regarding the blocked chimney, having asked our friend Andy; who’s still at Mercia finishing off some work before him and his wife Sandy go cruising; how best to remove the blockage, he has asked around and informs me, that the only way to achieve a complete clearance, is to take the chimney out and work on it from both ends.
Both the top and bottom ends of the stack are secured bu a wide collar and heat proof filler, so this removal is not going to be an easy task. However, having been advised by Sandy, that her good old hubby has already tackled the installation of four such stacks, we’ve decided ‘horses for courses’ and Andy can have the job when we return to Mercia. Well, somebody has to give the lad some work after all that relaxing cruising, don’t they?
Saturday 30th June
Not much to report for yesterday, except still more rain and high winds that prevented us from moving on. We had hoped to be in Wrenbury, but the incessant rain put a stop to that.
However, with Fedderer on centre court, we did at least have something to watch in the evening and, what another corker! After two sets down and looking decided dodgy on the third, we fully expected another shock defeat. But, as usual, he kept his cool, despite the Frenchman’s efforts at delaying tactics and illegal use of his trainer for an impromptu massage. All’s well that ends well.
This morning we’ve had some rain but, with the sky considerably lighter and a very light breeze, I’m hoping to get away before there’s a queue at the top of the staircase locks. Under normal circumstances, during the hours of 8am and 5pm, the lock keeper is in attendance but, if we can get away before 8, we can do the job ourselves and won’t have to worry about holiday makers holding us up.
Now, I know I said we wanted to be at Wrenbury but, about half way down there’s a little village called Marbury that we have yet to visit. It’s only about half a mile walk from the canal and, according to Nicholson’s Guide, is well worth a visit. And, besides, it also has a pub that we haven’t visited either. So, instead of waiting until Barbridge to celebrate our recent anniversary and birthday, we might stop off there instead and investigate. If the pub doesn’t suit, there’s always the one at Wrenbury or the Barbridge Arms.
Sunday 1st July
Another miserable and wet day yesterday, in which no work was carried out on Shiralee. Instead we decided to take a walk into Marbury, the South Cheshire village near which we moored in the morning.
About 150 yards ahead of us is Marbury lock and the road that runs up to the village. Beside the lock is a big notice inviting boaters and other passers by to visit The Swan pub and local Norman church, so, even with the threat of rain, off we trotted, brolly in hand, for the half mile, uphill stroll, and were very glad that we did.
At the top of the lane and on the left hand side, are older houses whilst on the right is a fairly recent estate of newer properties. From here it was a short walk around the corner to aforementioned church and pub, opposite which is an oak tree on the green, surrounded by a wooden bench seat.
With trusty new mobile in hand I even managed to take a few photos and will try to include them in this blog.
With nothing better to do and with the possibility of paying the pub a visit on the morrow, we took the plunge and stepped inside. To the left of the main entrance was another door leading to the restaurant, whilst to the right a door to the lounge bar. The lounge is a simple oblong shape, with a raised deck and seating at the furthest end, whilst the serving area joins bar and restaurant. Pictures and ornaments adorn the walls, with a definite leaning towards horses and the hunt.
We enjoyed a couple of drinks and a packet of crisps, at not too exorbitant prices, with me adding a pickled egg to mine, something I have been unable to do for many years, because so few pubs offer them for sale nowadays. We’ll be returning tomorrow for Sunday lunch.
We erected the aerial, in hopes of watching some tennis but, as is often the case in rural areas, were unable to find a decent signal. When we did get a signal we found the picture was breaking up, so we abandoned the idea. No matter, we still have another week to go.
Monday 2nd July
How sad that, having delayed our usual birthday cum anniversary celebration due to Wifey’s upset tummy, we were presented with a less than satisfactory meal at The Swan in Marbury.
Equally sad was the fact that, being somewhat timid creatures, we chose not to complain. At our ages we don’t want a stand up and knock down confrontation with a less than happy chef.
As Sunday lunches go the lamb was very tender, but appeared to have been prepared very early in the day, because the whole meal was at rather less than room temperature. What is more, at the overly inflated price of £9.95, the meal consisted of just two slices of meat, one portion each of red and green cabbage, one small spud quartered, and about half a carrot, the slices of which were piled on top of each other. Even the gravy was barely warm.
In Derbyshire we have two pubs that offer a Carvery, one at £5.95, the other at £6.25, with two types of meat on the same plate, plus vegetables and roast potatoes, all of which are kept hot and all of which you can pile as high as you like.
We actually paid the pub a visit on Saturday, at lunchtime and, even though we knew of the inflated price, we still decided to give it a try, expecting a far better meal than we were given. It’s no wonder that, by the time we left at about half past one, the restaurant was empty. We had been the only diners on the day so far.
Today has dawned fairly bright, but with a pretty strong tail wind and we’re hoping to move on the two miles to Wrenbury.
On Saturday, as I think I mentioned, I took some photos of Marbury with my new LG Mobile. This morning I thought I might download them to the laptop with the intention of including a couple when I post this blog.
So, having plugged the wretched thing into the laptop, via its very own connector cable, I waited a while, but nothing came up on the screen. Not to be defeated just yet, I consulted the User Leaflet – no proper manual with these things – and discovered that I first needed to visit their website and download their PC Suite.
Having accessed the website, I then discover that I need to log in. But I do not have any log in info, which probably means I will first have to register the product. This also means that they will want to know where and when I purchased the mobile, which, at this moment in time, is beyond my capabilities regarding my internal memory. Thankfully my dearly beloved has a far better memory than I do and, with the aid of our Money programme, will be able to help me achieve the objective. Thy will be done some time later today because Wifey has yet to surface and face the world.
Ah, ha, but then I can be just as sneaky as the next guy. How about I simply enter PC Suite in the Search Bar in MS Internet Explorer? There it is! Easy peasy, downloaded in a couple of seconds. All I need to do now is install the prog. Job done! Who’s a clever boy then?
Tuesday 3rd July
What a bummer, here I am with the phone prog installed, but with no Internet access at all. In fact the indicator panel is telling me No Service, and that is most unusual, even for this neck of the woods.
Yesterday? Well, yet more rain, so nothing done on the boat. We did walk to the shop and we did throw out a bottle of milk that had turned, and we did call into the local hire boat company chandlery but, no paint. So, a rather dead day.
Today, depending upon the weather, we’ll either take the bus into Nantwich, or move on to Burland. With the weather still not settled, I rather suspect the former and, since the timetable is such that we will only have ¾ of an hour in town, we won’t be out very long.
Wednesday 4th July
You will not be surprised to learn that yesterday was yet another wet one, but we did manage to take a bus into Nantwich to deposit a prescription at the chemist, to be collected later in the week.
Our plan for the next few days is, firstly to move off from Wrenbury to Burland this morning, tomorrow morning, through Hurleston Locks and on to the Shroppie to Nantwich, where we’ll take the bus into town, either that same day, or on Friday morning. On Saturday morning we’ll trot off to Barbridge and stay the weekend, with a Sunday visit to Barbridge Inn at lunchtime. Since there are no pubs within walking distance on our next stretch of canal, the Middlewich Branch, the Barbridge stop is essential.
Now, having downloaded the necessary programme with which to transfer my phone pics to the laptop, I’ll leave this and get on with that.
Thursday 5th July
Boating does have its downside at times, and yesterday was one of those mornings. We left Wrenbury at about 08.15 and passed through the two lift bridges and, about 15 minutes after that, ‘snap’ went the fan belt. Now, I knew we had a spare, but I also knew I would not find it easy to fit, but do we stop immediately to fit it, or do we carry on to Burland?
Such difficult decisions are very much the norm as any live-aboard boater will tell you.
Anyway, after much oooing and aaahing we decided to press ahead, mainly because we didn’t want to be stuck miles from nowhere without domestic power. At least, if we moved on to Burland, we would be close to a marina and could spend the night there if necessary.
After arriving at Burland and allowing the engine to cool down, down into the bowels of the engine bay I plunged and proceeded to struggle with the new belt. Well, even after giving it a good soaking in hot water, that thing would not do as it was told.
Next stop the telephone. Wifey called Swanley Marina who obligingly gave her the local engineer’s number. She spoke to a very nice man named Eric, who promised to be along within the hour. After 2 ½ hours with no sign of Eric, I phoned him again and the conversation went something like this:
“Hi, is that Eric?”
“Speaking”
“My wife phoned you about two hours ago about our fan belt?”
“Did she?”
“Yes, and you said you would be along in about an hour”
“Oh my God, so I did, I’m ever so sorry, I can’t apologise enough, I’m afraid I got sidetracked and completely forgot you. Look, I’ll have to finish up here but I’ll be along in an hour or so”
“Well, look, if you can’t……..”
“No, no, I’ll definitely be there, don’t worry, I won’t let you down”
With that he disconnected and we sat and waited. Well, true to his word Eric turned up and was all apologies again. Apparently, he was on his way to us, via Morrison’s, when, just as he was leaving he received another urgent call and went straight there, completely forgetting about us.
Anyway, to cut a very long story just a wee bit shorter, although he did manage to fit the belt, with an almighty struggle I have to say, he realised that the belt was the wrong width and that, as a result, the alternator could not be given enough of a gap away from the throttle cable. Even at the correct width he reckoned it would still have been a problem.
It seems that all belts have a serial number, which denotes their length. What I wasn’t aware of, is that they also come in varying widths and, where we needed a 10mm wide belt, what the previous chandlery had given me was a 13mm one.
Eventually, with another struggle, Eric removed the offending item and fitted a temporary one, just so we could charge the batteries overnight. “I’ll order a couple this evening and they’ll be here in the morning. If I’m not here by 10 o/clock, give me a bell”
We now have to reverse the boat back to the nearby winding hole and await his arrival. The winding hole has a car park beside it and will make it easier for Eric to access the boat, rather than hiking down the towpath.
Incidentally, I still haven’t downloaded my phone pics to the laptop. Why is this? Well, having installed the programme and ‘transferred’ the photos, I then discovered that they were not in the designated folder and, what’s more, they had not been ‘transferred’. So, I opened the programme again and, lo and behold, there were my photos. They had not been ‘transferred’, merely copied. I now have to attach the mobile to the laptop, open the programme and drag and drop them into the designated folder.
And that's it for this blog.
All abreast until next time
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
Friday 29th June
My apologies for the lack of photos in the previous blog, although the signal was somewhat stronger than that at Whitchurch, I didn’t feel it was sufficient to be uploading photos to Blogger. Also, as much as I would like to offer some new photos of this trip, the weather has been against us for the most part. Excuses, excuses!!
It does not look too promising for our planned trip down Grindley Brook locks and on to Wrenbury this morning, it’s far too windy and, I suspect we’ll be in for a soaking if we attempt it. But, if it stays dry, we will at least be able to cover the rust preventative on the port side with red paint. Also, since Wifey had a dicky tummy yesterday, we might be able to celebrate the birthday and anniversary today, rather than wait until we finally get to Wrenbury.
Regarding the blocked chimney, having asked our friend Andy; who’s still at Mercia finishing off some work before him and his wife Sandy go cruising; how best to remove the blockage, he has asked around and informs me, that the only way to achieve a complete clearance, is to take the chimney out and work on it from both ends.
Both the top and bottom ends of the stack are secured bu a wide collar and heat proof filler, so this removal is not going to be an easy task. However, having been advised by Sandy, that her good old hubby has already tackled the installation of four such stacks, we’ve decided ‘horses for courses’ and Andy can have the job when we return to Mercia. Well, somebody has to give the lad some work after all that relaxing cruising, don’t they?
Saturday 30th June
Not much to report for yesterday, except still more rain and high winds that prevented us from moving on. We had hoped to be in Wrenbury, but the incessant rain put a stop to that.
However, with Fedderer on centre court, we did at least have something to watch in the evening and, what another corker! After two sets down and looking decided dodgy on the third, we fully expected another shock defeat. But, as usual, he kept his cool, despite the Frenchman’s efforts at delaying tactics and illegal use of his trainer for an impromptu massage. All’s well that ends well.
This morning we’ve had some rain but, with the sky considerably lighter and a very light breeze, I’m hoping to get away before there’s a queue at the top of the staircase locks. Under normal circumstances, during the hours of 8am and 5pm, the lock keeper is in attendance but, if we can get away before 8, we can do the job ourselves and won’t have to worry about holiday makers holding us up.
Now, I know I said we wanted to be at Wrenbury but, about half way down there’s a little village called Marbury that we have yet to visit. It’s only about half a mile walk from the canal and, according to Nicholson’s Guide, is well worth a visit. And, besides, it also has a pub that we haven’t visited either. So, instead of waiting until Barbridge to celebrate our recent anniversary and birthday, we might stop off there instead and investigate. If the pub doesn’t suit, there’s always the one at Wrenbury or the Barbridge Arms.
 |
| The Church at Marbury on the Llangollen |
Sunday 1st July
Another miserable and wet day yesterday, in which no work was carried out on Shiralee. Instead we decided to take a walk into Marbury, the South Cheshire village near which we moored in the morning.
About 150 yards ahead of us is Marbury lock and the road that runs up to the village. Beside the lock is a big notice inviting boaters and other passers by to visit The Swan pub and local Norman church, so, even with the threat of rain, off we trotted, brolly in hand, for the half mile, uphill stroll, and were very glad that we did.
At the top of the lane and on the left hand side, are older houses whilst on the right is a fairly recent estate of newer properties. From here it was a short walk around the corner to aforementioned church and pub, opposite which is an oak tree on the green, surrounded by a wooden bench seat.
With trusty new mobile in hand I even managed to take a few photos and will try to include them in this blog.
With nothing better to do and with the possibility of paying the pub a visit on the morrow, we took the plunge and stepped inside. To the left of the main entrance was another door leading to the restaurant, whilst to the right a door to the lounge bar. The lounge is a simple oblong shape, with a raised deck and seating at the furthest end, whilst the serving area joins bar and restaurant. Pictures and ornaments adorn the walls, with a definite leaning towards horses and the hunt.
We enjoyed a couple of drinks and a packet of crisps, at not too exorbitant prices, with me adding a pickled egg to mine, something I have been unable to do for many years, because so few pubs offer them for sale nowadays. We’ll be returning tomorrow for Sunday lunch.
We erected the aerial, in hopes of watching some tennis but, as is often the case in rural areas, were unable to find a decent signal. When we did get a signal we found the picture was breaking up, so we abandoned the idea. No matter, we still have another week to go.
 |
| The Swan at Marbury |
Monday 2nd July
How sad that, having delayed our usual birthday cum anniversary celebration due to Wifey’s upset tummy, we were presented with a less than satisfactory meal at The Swan in Marbury.
Equally sad was the fact that, being somewhat timid creatures, we chose not to complain. At our ages we don’t want a stand up and knock down confrontation with a less than happy chef.
As Sunday lunches go the lamb was very tender, but appeared to have been prepared very early in the day, because the whole meal was at rather less than room temperature. What is more, at the overly inflated price of £9.95, the meal consisted of just two slices of meat, one portion each of red and green cabbage, one small spud quartered, and about half a carrot, the slices of which were piled on top of each other. Even the gravy was barely warm.
In Derbyshire we have two pubs that offer a Carvery, one at £5.95, the other at £6.25, with two types of meat on the same plate, plus vegetables and roast potatoes, all of which are kept hot and all of which you can pile as high as you like.
We actually paid the pub a visit on Saturday, at lunchtime and, even though we knew of the inflated price, we still decided to give it a try, expecting a far better meal than we were given. It’s no wonder that, by the time we left at about half past one, the restaurant was empty. We had been the only diners on the day so far.
Today has dawned fairly bright, but with a pretty strong tail wind and we’re hoping to move on the two miles to Wrenbury.
On Saturday, as I think I mentioned, I took some photos of Marbury with my new LG Mobile. This morning I thought I might download them to the laptop with the intention of including a couple when I post this blog.
So, having plugged the wretched thing into the laptop, via its very own connector cable, I waited a while, but nothing came up on the screen. Not to be defeated just yet, I consulted the User Leaflet – no proper manual with these things – and discovered that I first needed to visit their website and download their PC Suite.
Having accessed the website, I then discover that I need to log in. But I do not have any log in info, which probably means I will first have to register the product. This also means that they will want to know where and when I purchased the mobile, which, at this moment in time, is beyond my capabilities regarding my internal memory. Thankfully my dearly beloved has a far better memory than I do and, with the aid of our Money programme, will be able to help me achieve the objective. Thy will be done some time later today because Wifey has yet to surface and face the world.
Ah, ha, but then I can be just as sneaky as the next guy. How about I simply enter PC Suite in the Search Bar in MS Internet Explorer? There it is! Easy peasy, downloaded in a couple of seconds. All I need to do now is install the prog. Job done! Who’s a clever boy then?
Tuesday 3rd July
What a bummer, here I am with the phone prog installed, but with no Internet access at all. In fact the indicator panel is telling me No Service, and that is most unusual, even for this neck of the woods.
Yesterday? Well, yet more rain, so nothing done on the boat. We did walk to the shop and we did throw out a bottle of milk that had turned, and we did call into the local hire boat company chandlery but, no paint. So, a rather dead day.
Today, depending upon the weather, we’ll either take the bus into Nantwich, or move on to Burland. With the weather still not settled, I rather suspect the former and, since the timetable is such that we will only have ¾ of an hour in town, we won’t be out very long.
Wednesday 4th July
You will not be surprised to learn that yesterday was yet another wet one, but we did manage to take a bus into Nantwich to deposit a prescription at the chemist, to be collected later in the week.
Our plan for the next few days is, firstly to move off from Wrenbury to Burland this morning, tomorrow morning, through Hurleston Locks and on to the Shroppie to Nantwich, where we’ll take the bus into town, either that same day, or on Friday morning. On Saturday morning we’ll trot off to Barbridge and stay the weekend, with a Sunday visit to Barbridge Inn at lunchtime. Since there are no pubs within walking distance on our next stretch of canal, the Middlewich Branch, the Barbridge stop is essential.
Now, having downloaded the necessary programme with which to transfer my phone pics to the laptop, I’ll leave this and get on with that.
Thursday 5th July
Boating does have its downside at times, and yesterday was one of those mornings. We left Wrenbury at about 08.15 and passed through the two lift bridges and, about 15 minutes after that, ‘snap’ went the fan belt. Now, I knew we had a spare, but I also knew I would not find it easy to fit, but do we stop immediately to fit it, or do we carry on to Burland?
Such difficult decisions are very much the norm as any live-aboard boater will tell you.
Anyway, after much oooing and aaahing we decided to press ahead, mainly because we didn’t want to be stuck miles from nowhere without domestic power. At least, if we moved on to Burland, we would be close to a marina and could spend the night there if necessary.
After arriving at Burland and allowing the engine to cool down, down into the bowels of the engine bay I plunged and proceeded to struggle with the new belt. Well, even after giving it a good soaking in hot water, that thing would not do as it was told.
Next stop the telephone. Wifey called Swanley Marina who obligingly gave her the local engineer’s number. She spoke to a very nice man named Eric, who promised to be along within the hour. After 2 ½ hours with no sign of Eric, I phoned him again and the conversation went something like this:
“Hi, is that Eric?”
“Speaking”
“My wife phoned you about two hours ago about our fan belt?”
“Did she?”
“Yes, and you said you would be along in about an hour”
“Oh my God, so I did, I’m ever so sorry, I can’t apologise enough, I’m afraid I got sidetracked and completely forgot you. Look, I’ll have to finish up here but I’ll be along in an hour or so”
“Well, look, if you can’t……..”
“No, no, I’ll definitely be there, don’t worry, I won’t let you down”
With that he disconnected and we sat and waited. Well, true to his word Eric turned up and was all apologies again. Apparently, he was on his way to us, via Morrison’s, when, just as he was leaving he received another urgent call and went straight there, completely forgetting about us.
Anyway, to cut a very long story just a wee bit shorter, although he did manage to fit the belt, with an almighty struggle I have to say, he realised that the belt was the wrong width and that, as a result, the alternator could not be given enough of a gap away from the throttle cable. Even at the correct width he reckoned it would still have been a problem.
It seems that all belts have a serial number, which denotes their length. What I wasn’t aware of, is that they also come in varying widths and, where we needed a 10mm wide belt, what the previous chandlery had given me was a 13mm one.
Eventually, with another struggle, Eric removed the offending item and fitted a temporary one, just so we could charge the batteries overnight. “I’ll order a couple this evening and they’ll be here in the morning. If I’m not here by 10 o/clock, give me a bell”
We now have to reverse the boat back to the nearby winding hole and await his arrival. The winding hole has a car park beside it and will make it easier for Eric to access the boat, rather than hiking down the towpath.
Incidentally, I still haven’t downloaded my phone pics to the laptop. Why is this? Well, having installed the programme and ‘transferred’ the photos, I then discovered that they were not in the designated folder and, what’s more, they had not been ‘transferred’. So, I opened the programme again and, lo and behold, there were my photos. They had not been ‘transferred’, merely copied. I now have to attach the mobile to the laptop, open the programme and drag and drop them into the designated folder.
And that's it for this blog.
All abreast until next time
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
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