Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 18

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