Nantwich to Market Drayton
Monday 3rd June
We have another really bright start to the day and,
according to those in the know, it’s set to stay this way for most of the week.
This is just as well, because we have lots to do on the boat.
After walking into town early for shopping, rather than wait
until we can use our bus passes, we will be heading for a really pretty stretch
of moorings called Cool Pilate. This place also has park benches to sit at and,
I do believe some barbeque settings but, since we’re not into such fripperies,
we’re hoping to get one side of the boat polished as the paintwork is looking
rather dull of late.
We also want to sand down and varnish the back doors, prior
to attaching our new panels. So, lots to do that all depends on the weather.
The two jobs mentioned above are just the start. We didn’t get around to
re-painting the roof last year, due to bad weather, so we’re hoping for
improvements and plenty of dry days this year.
Yesterday was also pretty good weather wise, but it was also
very windy, so I didn’t bother with the sanding down of the back doors.
However, we did pay a visit to the Oddfellows pub at lunchtime. This pub, which
is just a short walk towards town, looks pretty small from the front, but
actually has loads of room and it also seems to have been refurbished fairly
recently.
The rest of Sunday was just a case of chilling out and
taking it easy. Well, why not, we’re retired and can choose when to ‘work’.
Tuesday 4th June
Wow, did we have some sunshine yesterday? It was blazing all
day, which made it too uncomfortable to work on the boat. That’s my excuse and
you’re stuck with it.
This morning has also turned up with a clear sky, so it
could be a proper flaming June day, in which case we probably won’t get much
done, unless we do so while it is still early.
Last night, for the first time since leaving Mercia, we
didn’t bother lighting the fire. This was not a good idea as the interior of
the boat was like an ice box when I got up this morning and there was no point
lighting it then, because we would have suffered for it later in the day. Even
with all windows, doors and hatch open, it would be like a furnace in here.
So, we had lunch sitting at one of the park benches
yesterday and spent some time out there later in the evening. I’m not too sure
that it would be wise to stay here another day, if it gets really hot, as the
forecast suggests, we’ll be in for a roasting.
Wednesday 5th June
Well, after two really scorching days, we now have cloud
cover but, for me this makes for a more comfortable day.
Yesterday, at last, we tidied up the back doors; which
involved sanding down and re-staining and varnishing, fitting new hardware –
shoot bolt, vents and handles; then we fitted our silly panels. I have to say,
they’re looking pretty good, even if they don’t conform to the normal castles
and roses. Dare to be different, I say.
Today we’re off to Audlem, where we can buy some milk, which
we’re getting rather short of. Even though we usually have plenty to spare, no
doubt due to this hot weather, we had to throw some away yesterday, so we’re
down to our last pint.
Thursday 6th June
Yesterday morning, bright and early and in somewhat cooler
weather conditions, we took our time in travelling the 2 miles and 2 locks to
Audlem. We only stopped here in order to fill out a prescription and, had we
been able to do so, no doubt we would have gone through the other 13 locks.
But, since most chemists do not stock the test strips I use, we have had to
wait until this morning to collect them, and that won’t be until 11 am.
If the weather remains calm today we will probably make our
way to the bottom of Adderley locks, where we’ll stay overnight.
As for the rest of yesterday, well, since we had worked so
hard on Tuesday, we felt the need to recuperate, so we rested up and did a lot
of reading.
Friday 7th June
Wow! What a morning, completely clear sky and looking to be
warmer than yesterday, so we’d better make an early start if we’re to avoid the
rush. We want to get to the bottom of Adderley Locks this morning and we have
13 of the Audlem Locks still to do, but first we have to top up with water.
Yesterday, after walking into the village to pick up a
prescription and a few other bits and pieces, we decided to stay another day.
It just didn’t seem worthwhile to start out when half the day had already gone.
We’re hoping to get to Shebdon Wharf for Sunday where
there’s a pub called The Wharf Inn, which is only open evenings and weekends
and which we’ve not managed to visit yet. According to a boater who moors at
the Wharf, this is worth a visit. But first we have to get through Market Drayton.
We also need to stop at Norbury Junction for a new chimney
and, if we can get to the diesel point, top up with fuel. We’re now down to
about six inches of fuel, which probably equates to about 11 gallons and we
don’t want it going so low that the engine starts sucking up sludge.
We’re waiting until Norbury because, unlike the chandleries
on the rest of the Shroppie and the Llangollen, they don’t charge an arm and a
leg for the stuff. On our way through here several weeks ago we topped up at
Wheaton Aston, where diesel was about 80 pence per litre and Norbury are only a
couple of pence more.
Saturday 8th June
Another scorcher yesterday and, after topping up with water,
we managed to get started on the 13 locks at Audlem by 8 am. The only problem
was, we had two fellows on a boat in front who really didn’t know what they
were doing. It turns out that they only picked the boat up the day before. As
luck would have it a boater from the long term moorings took it upon himself to
help them through the first few locks, which did save some time. Apparently the
owner of the boat; the bloke steering it; lived in Spain and only had a couple
more weeks there, so he had bought the boat to live on when he returns to UK.
We finally arrived at the bottom of Adderley locks at 11 am,
so not a bad time for all those locks and the 3 miles in between.
The rest of the day, as you can imagine, was a case of
relaxing and trying to keep cool.
Later in the evening after dinner and once the sun had gone
down enough to cast a shadow, we had our folding chairs out and sat in the
shade. Our neighbours on the boat in front also had their chairs out and, after
a few minutes Roy came along to have a chat, telling us all about his boat and
Overwater Marina, which is where they moor it. Sadly, although he described it
as a really great place, it’s far too far away from Harlow for us to consider
and besides, they don’t actually live on their boat, so they can’t really judge
what it’s like to do so.
Today we have 5 locks to go through and then we’ll be at
Market Drayton, but we won’t be spending the weekend there, instead we’ll move
along to Shebdon Wharf on Sunday morning and give the pub there a try. You
never know, we might also take it upon ourselves to have a pub lunch.
Sunday 9th June
Our intention yesterday, when we left the bottom of Adderley
Locks, was to stop at Market Drayton, do some shopping, stay overnight and then
move on to Shebdon Wharf. But, having walked into MD and made stops at various
Charity Shops, we had filled the shopping trolley almost to full capacity and
so, rather than lug full shopping bags back to the boat, we decided to continue
our shopping spree this morning. Besides which, there is a pub in town that we
haven’t used yet, so The Wharf Inn at Shebdon will have to wait for another
day.
Actually, we were very lucky yesterday with our charity shop
visits, as we found several books by Wilbur Smith whose books we only recently
started reading. We found one book called Monsoon, that’s absolutely ginormous,
and which will take me at least a week to get through.
The other bit of luck was at Smith’s, where we found the
final book in the Stieg Larssen trilogy. If you like crime novels you really
should read these. Larssen was Swedish and died at a very young age, but he
produced this trilogy; about a woman named Salander; and they are called, in
order of writing, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, which has been made into a
film, ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’ and ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’.
I do believe, having read up on him at Wikipedia, that he
produced several other books, but that they have yet to be published. I don’t
know how true that is though.
So, today we stay at Market Drayton and tomorrow we’re off
to Shebdon Wharf and, since the pub there only opens evenings and weekends,
we’ll try it some other time.
Monday 10th June
Yesterday, after all that walking for shopping, we decided
to use the nearest pub, The Talbot, rather than walk into town again. So many
changes this week, I don’t know hoe you lot keep up!
Well, a week ago we were at Nantwich and in that time we
have travelled a massive eight miles, all of which took us just under six hours
of cruising. Hmm, we don’t seem to be making much headway of late. But then,
that’s why we spend so much time cruising, we’re retired and have the whole of
summer to play with. I can think of no nicer way of whiling away the time in my
twilight years. How about you?
Ok, let’s get this thing posted. Have a good week folks.
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
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