Sunday 28th July 2019
Middlewich to Rookery Visitor Moorings - Trent & Mersey Canal
4.75miles, 6 locks
It rained! The camera is still in its case. All outerwear had to go in the washing machine to spin out. The heating is on and the saloon is adorned with drying clothes.
One incident en route. As I was preparing the penultimate lock of the day, I opened the gates and nothing happened. I waited and waited and then went to see if Chris was okay. The umbrella had blown off the boat into the canal and instead of floating away gracefully, it sank. A boat hook was required to retrieve it. It was no wetter when it came out than it was went it went in!
There is nothing more to say apart from - 'Will someone please turn off the tap'!!!
Sunday, 28 July 2019
A Wash Reunion in Middlewich - 26th - 27th July 2019
Friday 26th July 2019
Cholmondeston VM to Middlewich B30
8.5 miles, 3 locks
We were up and off a bit earlier today and down the first lock and waiting on the pontoon at Venetian Marina before they opened at 09:00. Spotted before we dropped down the lock
With full fuel tanks we headed off - a much shorter and easier trip than yesterday and thankfully it was much cooler.
It was a straightforward journey with a bit of queuing at the locks, but nothing as bad as yesterday and oh the joy of being back to paddles that do not need to be wound up and then down 50 times!
In less than an hour Cleddau had caught us up after they had refueled.
We came across this work boat adrift. I managed to get a rope and pull, but it was firmly aground with no signs of any means of mooring in the vicinity. A phone call to the company elicited a promise that they would get someone to come and sort it out, but a local said it had been there for ages.
En route we came across this family of cygnets with one that was unusually white for its size
This is a very busy waterway - our last lock for the day
We had three priorities when choosing a mooring
Cholmondeston VM to Middlewich B30
8.5 miles, 3 locks
We were up and off a bit earlier today and down the first lock and waiting on the pontoon at Venetian Marina before they opened at 09:00. Spotted before we dropped down the lock
With full fuel tanks we headed off - a much shorter and easier trip than yesterday and thankfully it was much cooler.
It was a straightforward journey with a bit of queuing at the locks, but nothing as bad as yesterday and oh the joy of being back to paddles that do not need to be wound up and then down 50 times!
In less than an hour Cleddau had caught us up after they had refueled.
We came across this work boat adrift. I managed to get a rope and pull, but it was firmly aground with no signs of any means of mooring in the vicinity. A phone call to the company elicited a promise that they would get someone to come and sort it out, but a local said it had been there for ages.
En route we came across this family of cygnets with one that was unusually white for its size
This is a very busy waterway - our last lock for the day
We had three priorities when choosing a mooring
- an address I could use for a Tesco delivery for Saturday
- within in easy walking distance of the Fish & Chip shop near King's Lock
- good road access for Sue and Ken's granddaughter to be delivered on Sunday
Thankfully we managed on all accounts.
When the two boats crossed the Wash from King's Lynn to Boston in 2014 we were joined by Patrick and Angela on nb Chouette. They were coming from the north and would also be in Middlewich for Friday evening. A text was received that they were moored opposite the chippy at King's Lock. So it was to be a Fish Friday for the 'Wash reunion'. The six of us have kept up since 2014, but it is rare that we are in the same place at the same time. It was a great catch up with a lot of chat.
Our mooring is quite peaceful
Opposite us is a great 'man shed'
Most of the gardens along this stretch are well tended.
Saturday 27th July 2019
Middlewich
This says it all! Even the ducks have left the water!
The Tesco delivery arrived in good time. We then took Monty for a walk along the tow path and then onto Tesco Express for a couple of bits we forgot to order. Other than that we have just hunkered down and had to break out the jumpers to keep warm!!
Friday, 26 July 2019
The Bunbury Shuffle - 25th July 2019
Thursday 25th
July 2019
The Shady
Oak, Beeston to Cholmondeston Visitor Moorings, Middlewich Arm of the
Shropshire Union Canal
7 miles, 6 locks
Today was forecast to be the hottest ever recorded in the UK and we had six
big locks ahead of us. We set off at
08:35 hoping to get ahead of the crowd – we were five minutes too late. Just as we were about to untie two boats came
past heading for the lock ahead of us.
There is a pretty good view of the Castle
Back at the lock at 09:00 the two boats ahead of us were rising sedately
We took a peek at a footpath that goes from the other side of the lock –
ripe for exploration if we come this way again
Fifteen minutes later and it was our turn to go up in the world
But look what is happening above the lock! A very hasty untie and they are off. There will be more, much more to this tale to follow...
.
It is the construction of this lock that makes it unsuitable for 2 boats
The first two ahead of us made their way up slowly, meanwhile the queue behind
us was growing and wondering why we were holding so far back
– as you approach the lock the towpath
has fallen away into the canal, so it is very shallow. Too close to the lock and the current as the lock empties makes for interesting times. Add to that a waiting boat using the bridge for shade and a boat travelling down trying to get through made it even more fun!
The boat that had taken off with indecent speed at the previous lock was waiting just below the lock feeling the full force of the current as the lock emptied - another good reason for holding back.
I think the man hanging on to the rope for dear life was the helmsman
When he got back on the boat at the stern to join the two ladies the boat was grounded and not going anywhere. It took a shouted suggestion from Ken to ‘get
the weight off the back' for two crew members to move to the bow and magically the stern floated free.
It was not a happy boat – I think the crew were about to mutiny! It was a share boat – the helmsman was the
share owner and was in a highly stressed state.
The male from the couple travelling with them told me that he thought
this was supposed to be a relaxed enjoyable affair. Apparently, they were having breakfast today where
they had moored overnight above the first lock and as the first two boats went
past the helmsman threw his toast away and ordered them to all get moving! I somehow doubt they will ever holiday with
them again! At least not on a narrow
boat!
Worse was to come. He brought the
boat into the lock, issued instructions standing on the bench in the semi trad stern –
that was bad enough – worse was to follow. Sue and I obeyed his instructions regarding the paddles, but – the boat went all over the place and the poor man trying to
hold the rope was ordered to throw it onto the boat at which the helmsman left
the stern and climbed onto the roof to sort the rope out!! I have to confess that I bellowed at him to ‘GET
DOWN’. His wife was saying she keeps
telling him not to get on the roof, but he won’t listen. I know that a lady died in a lock at Atherstone
last week – locks are not to be trifled with.
Once the boat was up, he disembarked and came and ‘thanked me’ for
shouting at him! I apologised and added in
my defense that he had frightened the life out of me. I am glad to say that we never caught up with
them again.
We eventually got both of our boats through the lock – from arriving to
departure took 1 hour 10 minutes.
Our wait was rewarded in some ways – there was a steam train doing a
test run to Chester and back – had we got through quicker we would have missed
it!
The next couple of locks passed without incident or delay and we arrived
in a timely manner at our last locks of the day – the Bunbury staircase. The site of the ‘Bunbury Shuffle’. There was one boat coming down and two of us
going up.
In we went
The singleton entered at the top
Level the water and ‘shuffle’
Chris moved in to join the singleton
Ken shuffled across and the singleton filled his space
Chris moved across and Ken moved in to join him – the Bunbury shuffle.
We had both done this before, but it was the first ever staircase for
the other boat. It all worked splendidly
From here it was just straight sailing with a stop at Calverley services
to empty and fill as required. It was
definitely a day to break out Monty’s cool coat.
Opposite Barbridge Junction (we were turning left back towards Middlewich)
there is a lot of construction of rather posh houses taking place
The prices start at £569,950 - The Moorings - it sounds idyllic with a view of a canal. There is one major downside - a very busy main road between them and a canal means lorries thunder past just a few feet from their front doors.
We need to go into Venetian Marina tomorrow for diesel, so we stopped just above Cholmondeston lock. It was a very long, hot day and as we moored there was a very short, sharp, wet cloudburst. Sadly there was no shade, so we have been condemned to a very hot afternoon and evening on board, The fan has been unearthed and is doing its best to help.
Thursday, 25 July 2019
The Crawl Again! 24th July 2019
Wednesday 24th July 2019
The Cheshire Cat to The Shady Oak
7 miles, 0 locks
One always hopes a storm will clear the air, but no such luck today I am afraid. Still we only had a long slow cruise to do, so it could be worse.
Monty and I walked ahead with Chris following slowly behind - with no locks the two boats could 'do their own thing'.
It was not the longest walk in the world, but it would have to do until it cools down later this evening.
Whilst we spent almost half and hour crawling past the line of moored boats I vacuumed and mopped the floor - too hot to do anything else!
I took a leaf out of Ken's book today and prepared a flask of iced water - it was a life saver.
Our target for the day was to be within sight of Beeston Castle - you can see it for a long time before you actually arrive. Sue and I climbed up to visit it in 2016. That won't be happening today!
Also tucked away in the distance there is a view of the remains of Peckforton Castle.
When we arrived there was one boat in front of us in the prime spot for a view of the Castle
Sue and Ken pulled in behind us
Gradually the space behind them filled up
The boat ahead of us had left just after Sue and Ken moored leaving the prime spot empty
No one had the inclination to expend the energy to move to make the most of the view. Also the little bit of hedge gives us a small amount of protection from the sun. Talk about sweltering.
How else to end a hot day than with an al fresco dinner for Monty and Pimms for the rest of the crews
Despite the heat it has been a better day. Onwards and upwards - we have 6 big locks to tackle tomorrow!
The Cheshire Cat to The Shady Oak
7 miles, 0 locks
One always hopes a storm will clear the air, but no such luck today I am afraid. Still we only had a long slow cruise to do, so it could be worse.
Monty and I walked ahead with Chris following slowly behind - with no locks the two boats could 'do their own thing'.
It was not the longest walk in the world, but it would have to do until it cools down later this evening.
Whilst we spent almost half and hour crawling past the line of moored boats I vacuumed and mopped the floor - too hot to do anything else!
I took a leaf out of Ken's book today and prepared a flask of iced water - it was a life saver.
Our target for the day was to be within sight of Beeston Castle - you can see it for a long time before you actually arrive. Sue and I climbed up to visit it in 2016. That won't be happening today!
Also tucked away in the distance there is a view of the remains of Peckforton Castle.
When we arrived there was one boat in front of us in the prime spot for a view of the Castle
Sue and Ken pulled in behind us
Gradually the space behind them filled up
The boat ahead of us had left just after Sue and Ken moored leaving the prime spot empty
No one had the inclination to expend the energy to move to make the most of the view. Also the little bit of hedge gives us a small amount of protection from the sun. Talk about sweltering.
How else to end a hot day than with an al fresco dinner for Monty and Pimms for the rest of the crews
Despite the heat it has been a better day. Onwards and upwards - we have 6 big locks to tackle tomorrow!
Wednesday, 24 July 2019
It was a better day! 23rd July 2019
Tuesday 23rd July 2019
Chester to The Cheshire Cat
3 miles, 8 locks
Chris' toe was good to go this morning, so we pulled pins and set off as planned. First we had to wind (turn round)
and then negotiate the staircase of three locks.
Today there were two volunteers on hand to help out, so it was all fairly painless. I was pleased to see that the ones on duty today were all wearing life jackets.
At one of the locks we had a passenger as we opened and shut a gate
As you near the top there is a pretty good view back down.
I commented three years ago that it is rather like sailing along a moat at times as you leave the city - I stand by what I said
At some point on our way out, Chris spotted a boat called 'Plan B'. He asked what Plan A had been - they had had a house in the Caribbean that got swept away with all their belongings in a hurricane.
The first stop was Waitrose for supplies. There was still no signs of any Peregrines - just a sign inside the store advertising 'Peregrine chicks flying - Sat 3 Aug'. I wonder if anyone has told the Peregrines?
We reckon they must be somewhere on the Shot Tower - these are views taken today
A very different sight to that taken in 2016
This is a photo I obtained from Wikipedia of times gone by taken by By Espresso Addict - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3962367
The tower is a Grade II listed building, so will have to remain sandwiched between two sets of 'Waterside Apartments'. It used to be part of the Chester Lead Works. If you want more information have a look HERE.
Once the shopping was stowed away we set off to tackle the next five double locks. On the way into Chester Monty, Ken and I walked between the locks - today we rode most of the way! It was just too hot to exert more energy than necessary.
I am not really a fan of garden gnomes, but in this little display they look perfect
Back to Tarvin Lock and Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club where they were playing a match today - an even more quintessentially English scene
If you look closely at the photo below you will see a pair of legs in the air - a spectator amusing herself / keeping fit by doing somersaults and cartwheels!
Two more locks to go and we were all flagging. Monty decided to supervise from the shade - however small that was!
The water tanks were topped up and then it was just a short hop to find a mooring before The Cheshire Cat. The pollen count must be very high and that, along with general over heating, sent me to my bed for a couple of hours. We had dinner with Sue and Ken, for which many thanks and retired replete for what we hoped would be a quiet night.
Sadly it wasn't. We knew there was a chance of a storm, but you always hope it will miss you. It didn't! The sky lit up, the thunder rumbled and Monty shook and salivated as he is terrified of thundery weather. Chris is sleeping on the dinette at present as he keeps knocking his sore toe on the side of the boat when in the cross bed. Monty tried to get in with him and even tried to push past him to hide against the side of the boat. When he was ejected, he came and joined me and despite the bed being attached to the floor everything shock with him!
So yes it was a better day than yesterday, but there is still room for improvement.
Chester to The Cheshire Cat
3 miles, 8 locks
Chris' toe was good to go this morning, so we pulled pins and set off as planned. First we had to wind (turn round)
and then negotiate the staircase of three locks.
Today there were two volunteers on hand to help out, so it was all fairly painless. I was pleased to see that the ones on duty today were all wearing life jackets.
At one of the locks we had a passenger as we opened and shut a gate
As you near the top there is a pretty good view back down.
I commented three years ago that it is rather like sailing along a moat at times as you leave the city - I stand by what I said
At some point on our way out, Chris spotted a boat called 'Plan B'. He asked what Plan A had been - they had had a house in the Caribbean that got swept away with all their belongings in a hurricane.
The first stop was Waitrose for supplies. There was still no signs of any Peregrines - just a sign inside the store advertising 'Peregrine chicks flying - Sat 3 Aug'. I wonder if anyone has told the Peregrines?
We reckon they must be somewhere on the Shot Tower - these are views taken today
A very different sight to that taken in 2016
This is a photo I obtained from Wikipedia of times gone by taken by By Espresso Addict - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3962367
Once the shopping was stowed away we set off to tackle the next five double locks. On the way into Chester Monty, Ken and I walked between the locks - today we rode most of the way! It was just too hot to exert more energy than necessary.
I am not really a fan of garden gnomes, but in this little display they look perfect
Back to Tarvin Lock and Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club where they were playing a match today - an even more quintessentially English scene
If you look closely at the photo below you will see a pair of legs in the air - a spectator amusing herself / keeping fit by doing somersaults and cartwheels!
Two more locks to go and we were all flagging. Monty decided to supervise from the shade - however small that was!
The water tanks were topped up and then it was just a short hop to find a mooring before The Cheshire Cat. The pollen count must be very high and that, along with general over heating, sent me to my bed for a couple of hours. We had dinner with Sue and Ken, for which many thanks and retired replete for what we hoped would be a quiet night.
Sadly it wasn't. We knew there was a chance of a storm, but you always hope it will miss you. It didn't! The sky lit up, the thunder rumbled and Monty shook and salivated as he is terrified of thundery weather. Chris is sleeping on the dinette at present as he keeps knocking his sore toe on the side of the boat when in the cross bed. Monty tried to get in with him and even tried to push past him to hide against the side of the boat. When he was ejected, he came and joined me and despite the bed being attached to the floor everything shock with him!
So yes it was a better day than yesterday, but there is still room for improvement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)