Day 10 – Hunting Bridge to Gailey

Monday 30th March 2015

The forecast for this morning was good, but with bad weather coming in during the afternoon. Setting off early was the order of the day!

There were plenty of boats on the move, and I was surprised by the number of old working boats that we have seen on this trip. There is no doubt that the canals are much busier now than they were 10 years ago when we were last afloat.

Autherley Junction

 

It didn’t take long to get to Wolverhampton Boat Club, and we ticked-over past the moored boats. Shortly after we were at Autherley Junction, where I hoped to get a pump out. However the place was full of their hire boats, and the only place we could get near was in the stop lock. We decided to give Oxley Marine a try, and found a busy boat yard, but a very helpful man who made space for us, and pumped out both tanks.

Good value pump out

 

We exchanged chatter about the correct idle speed for the boat, and the fact these boats are ‘under propped’ to prevent misuse by hirers. Hmm. Something to investigate further I think. A better matched prop might mean a slower engine speed for cruising, which would be quieter, but more importantly might improve the stopping power.

When we were done we cast off and headed towards Aldersley Junction, where the Wolverhampton 21 locks lead up to the Birmingham Canal Navigations. We passed under the railway bridges, and Anne managed to grab a photograph of some well-executed graffiti.

Aldersley Junction was deserted as I executed a perfect turn. There are never witnesses for when it goes right, only when disasters occur! We were soon heading back to Autherley, overtaking a boat that had broken down just before the junction.

Aldersley Junction

On our way to Great Haywood

Anne was inside making coffee as passed through the narrows at Pendleford Rockin’ – so unfortunately no photos at this point. On the plus side we didn’t meet anything coming the other way, and before long we were through the M54 bridge and back into open country.

The canal twists and turns through Coven Heath where we had to reverse out of the way of a hire boat who made it to the blind bridge hole at the same time as us. At the same bridge a girl who was out jogging was being terrorised by three geese who didn’t want to let her pass. Again the camera wasn’t in evidence to watch a gallant chap from the hire boat leap on to the towpath to her rescue.

On the next bend we encountered a working pair, Spey and Betelgeuse, so we kept well over to the offside to allow them to use the deeper channel. This time Anne did manage to get some photos.

Spey and Betelgeuse

So far the day had been beautiful and sunny, abut now the cloud was rolling in from the west, and the biting wind was picking up. We passed through Hatherton and alongside the Marina and then entered the chemical works stretch. This was quite intimidating with all the warning signs on the fence and bridges.

Hatherton Junction

With the rain now starting we pulled in at Gailey to take on water, and then through the first lock. It was time to stop and once more wait out the bad weather.

Hours: 7

Miles: 12

Locks: 2

Pump Out: 2

Day 9 – Brewood to Hunting Bridge

Sunday 29th March 2015

With the very strong winds and rain, the goal for today was to get out of the cutting and find somewhere with a view to sit out the storm.

So it was a very short cruise today down to bridge 7, where we even got a 4G internet signal!

It was also good to have a grassy towpath rather than a muddy one, so Poppy was able to spend a bit more time outside.

Once tied up, we had a cosy, relaxed day watching the more macho boaters fighting past in the wind.

 

Miles: 2

Hours: 1

Locks: 0

Day 8 – Gnosall to Brewood

Saturday 28th March 2015

The overnight storms arrived as promised, but we were very sheltered on the visitor moorings, so had a peaceful night. In the morning though we discovered a large amount of the trees around us had taken refuge on the roof! Despite the continuing rain, it was quite mild, and there were plenty of boats on the move. The new wet weather gear was broken out, and we set off at 9.30 am.

There was little rain, but the wind was troublesome. We had to ‘crab’ down the canal, and get the adjustments exactly right to avoid being blown into the sides of the bridge holes. As the day wore on I became more practised, and managed some neat manouvres.

Shortly after leaving our overnight moorings, we passed through Cowley Tunnel. This was hewn through the rock, and was left unlined. In fact the original plan was for a much longer tunnel, but due to faults in the rock strata most of it had to be opened out, leaving just 81 yards closed in. I observed a large fault line in the rock as we entered the tunnel, and couldn’t help wondering how secure it was!

I spent the early part of the day alone on deck, Anne wisely deciding to stay below and find some odd chores to do. The poor weather indicator is the closed hatches, but fortunately they would pop open from time to time, and an arm bearing a fresh mug of coffee would appear, the arm being snatched back in as quickly as possible once the mug had been retrieved. It reminded me of a bizarre cuckoo clock!

Not a cuckoo but a goose and duck who seem to be best pals

The run down to Wheaton Aston was uneventful, and we couldn’t resist stopping at the famous Turner’s Garage to top up with diesel. We have been out for 8 days, and have also been using the heating quite a bit, so I was keen to see what our consumption looked like. We took on 58.75 litres, which I thought was pretty good. I decided to manufacture a fuel gauge with a broom handle I had acquired for the purpose. Before filling I dipped the tank, and marked the current level. The I filled the tank, and dipped again, marking the full level. when I am not so tired I should be able to do the maths and work out the tank capacity exactly, but from a quick estimate it looks like we hold around 200 litres, so about enough for a month’s cruising and heating combined.

The roof was full of ducks too!

After refuelling, we pulled over on to the visitor moorings so that Anne could get her daily fix from the local Spa shop. Then it was on to the water point to fill the other tank. It was quite busy in the area, two boats were filling with water (or at least pretending to be, one chap was actually using the concrete landing as a base to chop wood!) He saw me winding up the hose, so leapt into action to get to the lock before us. He was single handed, so Anne took pity and went to assist him. There were two boats waiting to come down, so plenty of hands available to work him through, let the first boat down, and then take us up. I felt a bit sorry for the last boat, as they were left to work the lock on their own.

Historic Boats at the Yard

We continued to cruise southwards, and were soon crossing the Telford Aqueduct over the A5.

Telford’s Aqueduct

I have pointed this out to Anne every time we have been over to Chirk, saying that ‘One day, we will be bringing our boat back across here!’ Well that day had finally arrived, and did it feel good!

Over the A5

The visitor moorings at Brewood were almost full, but not quite – we managed to fit in on the far end of the line of boats. As we were tying up the rain started fall heavily, so we retired to the cabin for tea and cake.

Hours: 6

Miles: 8

Locks: 1

Deisel: 58.75 litres.

Day 7 – New Brighton Bridge to Gnosall

Friday 27th March 2015

We slept really well last night, and awoke late this morning. The forecast was for a bright day, but clouding over later. We are still establishing things like how much water we have – since the breather hole was unblocked and the tank fills properly we have not run out, but we have been careful with our supply, including taking showers on alternating days. Today, however we knew we would soon pass another water point, so decided to try out our water capacity. We both had showers, and there was plenty of hot water to go round!

Through the bridge hole

Then followed the customary bacon sandwich for breakfast, and we finally set off at around 11.15 – a real leisurely start. It was pleasantly warm throughout the day, and the promised cloud stayed away. Before long we were at Norbury Junction where we replenished the water, and Anne visited the shop for milk, and came back with several books. The trip to Norbury was interesting for us both as we passed under High Bridge in the Grub Street Cutting, which we both know by a more familiar term ‘One Step to Heaven’. This is because a particularly challenging geocache makes use of the bridge feature as one of its clues.

One Step to Heaven

Although there was plenty of room to moor on the embankment beyond Norbury, we decided to carry on down to Gnosall. On another Geocaching challenge we had walked onto the towpath from the old railway track, and remembered the spot well as passed, this time by water. The moorings at Gnosall were pretty full, and we crept through on tick-over, enjoying the scenery of this quaint canal-side place.

Not just old boats by the canal

After the Navigation pub, we passed under the bridge, and spotted a space that might just be long enough for City of Durham. I chose to reverse in, figuring that I would know better when to stop if I could actually see the end of the boat. It worked like a charm. I got the back end in close to the bank, and Anne used the centre rope to bring the front end into the side. Mooring rings were conveniently available at the front and rear, so we were soon snugly tied up for the night, even though it was only 3.30 in the afternoon!

Heron sat still for this photo

Even though we were in a slight cutting, the afternoon sun managed to find its way onto the back deck, and we enjoyed a really pleasant couple of hours feeding the ducks. It really doesn’t get much better than this!

Anne took Poppy for a walk along the towpath, but I was concerned to see another dog walker, with two large dogs approaching. Poppy is never very pleasant to other dogs, so I feared there might be a confrontation. Surprisingly she was very pleasant and greeted the new arrivals like friends. Before her patience could be tested though, a cat wandered onto the towpath, saw the dogs and scuttled away. it was like a scene from a cartoon watching the lady dog walker waterskiing on dry land as her two dogs tried to chase the cat!. Poppy, to her credit showed no interest, instead turned around and headed back to the boat.

Sadly we have no phone signal here, we were planning to see if Morgan wanted to join us for the weekend.

Hours: 4

Locks: 0

Miles: 8.5

Day 6 – Market Drayton to New Brighton Bridge

Thursday 26th March 2015

Having exerted ourselves yesterday with 20 locks, we were both feeling a little fragile this morning, so we opted for a very late start and a short hop into Market Drayton, so that we could explore “this attractive town with some interesting old buildings” (Nicholson) and pick up some provisions at the same time.

Swan

The promised rain had arrived overnight, and it was very windy, making the run into the visitor moorings quite a challenge. However we were soon hitched to the side once again, and packed four shopping bags into the rucksack. Leaving the towpath at signposted public footpath we began walking through a modern housing estate. The pain in the knees was beginning to tell as Anne started talking about getting a taxi back.We followed the signs towards the town centre, the route giving little promise of what the town had in store. Eventually we rounded a corner to be confronted with Asda! I reminded Anne that we only had four bags and a rucksack, and a long walk back to the boat, so she said that we had better only have a little trolley then.

The tour of Asda began, and loads of special offers soon made their way into the trolley, much to my dismay! Ok, five tins of tomato soup at that price was good, but maybe packet soup would have been lighter? With the trolley so heavily laden that its tyres were flat we made our way to the checkout, and miraculously fitted everything in to the bags. That was fine until we tried to lift them.

We trudged back to the boat in silence, stopping every few hundred yards to swap hands. It was such a pleasure to get back on board and slump into a seat with a bottle of pain-killers!

With our groceries stored, we realised that all we could write about on this blog about Market Drayton was the Asda store, but neither of us felt like the walk back for a proper explore.

We wanted to refill the water tank, but in this part of the world the towpaths are on the wrong side for our filler point, the new extra one not yet being completed. A look at the map determined that we were only a short hop from Tyrley Locks – a brief flight of five, topped by a water point and a winding hole. The plan was to turn around in the winding hole, fill with water, and then reverse back to turn around again, all to avoid the climb down the gunwales and risk losing the key and filler cap in the cut. Progress through the locks was rapid – we met a boat descending at each of the first three locks, the fourth was set in our favour, and only the final lock needed to be turned. There was also a boat following us up, so we benefitted from some extra help from their crew.

At the top I spotted the water point, but there was a work boat moored in front of it. Two other boats were actually moored in the winding hole, so getting water would not have been possible without blocking the canal. So we pressed on.

The wind was strong, but the rain held off as we crept through Woodseaves Cutting – somewhat nervously because of the dire warnings about the dangers of falling rocks. Out the other side we attempted moor, but could not get close to the bank due to a line of piling under the water’s surface and a couple of feet out from the bank. So we pressed on some more.

Woodseaves Cutting

The wind was picking up even more as we crawled passed a long line of moored boats at Goldstone Wharf, where I spotted a water point that wasn’t shown on the map. Refusing to be intimidated, we pulled up, and I did the treacherous climb along the side and managed to unscrew the filler cap without losing it or the tool into the water. I even managed to stay dry myself. The dog took the chance to get some exercise (she can now manage the boat steps very well, and will even jump a small gap to the bank). While we were waiting for the tank to fill Anne asked “Could you have turned in there?” – pointing to the winding hole opposite. Well had I not been so fixated on the tap, I might have spotted it myself, but instead gave the excuse that the wind was in the wrong direction, so it was better to stay pointing in the direction we wanted to go in.

There were no available spots on the visitor moorings, so we pressed on, yet again.

By now the wind was was blowing a gale, and the rain had started to lash down, so we decided to choose the next likely spot, and make do, even if we couldn’t get right into the side. As it happened, we came to a spot between two bridges, that was fairly sheltered, and we were even able to get right to the edge. However there were two swans taking a keen interest in us (Poppy hates swans), so we… stopped anyway, we’d had enough.

It was bliss getting in out of the cold, and Anne got the dinner under way.

We had travelled much further today than we had intended. We had better slow down or we will be home before the end of our holiday!

Miles: 6

Locks: 5

Hours: 4.5

Day 5 – Audlem to Market Drayton

Wednesday 25th March 2015

Locks, locks and more locks! Today dawned foggy and cool, but the forecast was for sunshine and warmth. Ideal then to tackle the Audlem flight of 15 locks.

Audlem Wharf

We were soon through the first two, and stopped at the water point to top up the tank, and to take the rubbish to the refuse point. Even at this early hour the locks were busy, with two boats heading up before us, and one down.

Waiting for the Lock

By the time we were ready to tackle the third lock, the sun had broken through, and we were able to get some photos of the wharf and the Shroppie Fly. A boater who had been moored on the visitor moorings saw us coming, and was determined to get ahead of us, so he untied and bow-hauled his boat onto the lock landing. Only then did he start to take his pram cover down and start the engine! We were in no hurry, so let it pass.

Lock Crew Hard at Work!

The fourth lock was soon completed and the coats and jumpers had come off – it was turning into a perfect, glorious day!

In we go!

Some people talk about locks as being a chore, or a nuisance, or hard work, but I love them. They break up the monotony of a journey, they provide a great chance for the lock operator (Anne) to have a good gossip with other boaters, and I don’t even break into a sweat when she is heaving on the heavy lock gates! As Timothy West says ‘Someone has to steer!’

Up she goes!

The advantage of a long flight like Audlem is that it gives us a chance to get into a rhythm, and to work out our best way of working together. Anne is not yet confident enough to steer the boat through a lock, so she does end up doing most of the windlass work. I join in wherever I can. When going up this usually means winding down the offside ground paddle, and assisting with the top gate.

Rising

There was a continuous stream of boats through the flight today, and this meant that at many locks we would meet someone descending. Instead of having close the gate behind us, we could leave it open, and enjoy the fact that the bottom gates on our next lock were already open for us.

There were a couple of very strong bypass weirs emptying in front of the locks, and it took me several before I had mastered the power and steering adjustments necessary to get into the lock without embarrassment! Thank goodness once again for the hire boat livery! – It is also interesting how many long time boaters are prepared to offer their advice!

Eventually we reached the top, and pulled over onto the visitor moorings for a late lunch, fortuitously provided by the stall outside the lock cottage.

After an hour’s rest we continued on towards Market Drayton, and in the few minutes between the lock flights Anne was able to have a rest, make the coffee, sweep the boat through and do the washing up. I bet she was glad to be back outside for the Adderley flight of five!

We carried on for about an hour from Adderley Top Lock, and moored just north of Market Drayton. The forecast for tomorrow is overnight rain, but then a warm and bright day, if a little breezy.

We settled down for the evening realising how many more long forgotten muscles had been called into action today. I think a rest day might be in order soon.

Miles: 4

Locks: 20
Hours: 7.5

Day 4 – Wrenbury to Audlem

Tuesday 24th March 2014

I think we are really settling into life aboard City of Durham, we actually slept until 7.30 this morning, and despite the overnight frost it didn’t feel too cold when we woke. With the later start and a long day planned we didn’t linger for breakfast, instead settling for two cups of coffee and then we were off.

The day started bright but with a very chilling wind. Our first task was to descend the three Baddiley Locks, which went smoothly until a strong crosswind held us pinned to the lock landing. It took quite some time, and a fair few revs to release ourselves and position for the lock.

In the lock

We made a planned stop at Swanley Bridge Marina for a pump out. As we have never had to do this before I was unsure how long we would have left before it became urgent. We had been out on three weekends and now three days cruising, so I figured that it would be as well to take the opportunity as we were passing. The staff at Swanley were very helpful, braving the hail storm that began a few minutes before we arrived. Once the pump out was complete we topped up the water tank, and by this time it was getting on for midday. Around the next corner from the marina was a bridge advertising Burland Stores, so we pulled over oping to find something nice for lunch. Unfortunately the store is now closed down, so we went away empty handed and empty bellied.

Repairs are under way

Before long we were at the top of the Hurleston flight of four locks, which lower the canal to its junction with the Shropshire Union Canal. The helpful lock keeper had the top gate open as we approached, so we sailed straight in. While Anne emptied the lock, he went ahead to prepare the next one. As the bottom gates of the second lock opened we were signalled to stay put. There was another boat rising in the third lock. It was a tight manoeuvre between the locks, but we managed to pass successfully, and enter our respective locks to continue our journeys.

At the bottom lock another boater arrived and asked us to leave the bottom gates open for them, so Anne was able to walk over the bridge with the intention of meeting me in the bridge narrows on the Shroppie. Unfortunately the wind wasn’t going to allow this, and my right hand turn was completely ruined by being blown into the lock landing. In the end it proved easier to put the nose on to the far bank and to turn with forward throttle and tiller hard over. Anne gave the nose that crucial nudge at just the right moment and i was through the bridge, but had forgotten to pick her up!

No matter, it was calmer beyond the bridge and I was able to get close enough to the bank for her to clamber aboard.

Our next plan was to stop in Nantwich for supplies and that much needed lunch,but this was not to be either! Moored boats began on the outskirts of the town and continued non-stop until well out of the other side. Even the 48 hour moorings (which so far this trip have been empty, but topped and tailed by obvious live-aboards) were packed full.

The Aqueduct at Nantwich

So we decided to press on to Audlem and the late night Co-op. Two boats followed us out of Nantwich, and they were clearly travelling much faster than us past the lines of moored narrow boats, so obviously City of Durham has a much lower tick-over speed than everyone else 😉

Crossing the Aqueduct

Once clear of the moored boats, and on a suitably wide straight stretch, we slowed to let them past. I really hate the sense of being pressured by a following boat right on our rear end, so I was quite relieved when they had gone ahead.

Anne took another turn at steering (her first go on the Llangollen had felt quite hard because the canal was so narrow) but here on the wider Shroppie she was more confident, and did well.

Before long we had reached the two locks at Hack Green, and here we caught up with the second boat to pass us earlier. Mistaking us for first time hirers (our disguise was working wonderfully!) the steerer dispensed loads of useful advice about how to moor, and how to steer into a lock. Even if it were our first day, we had already done 9 locks, and frankly some of his advice sounded really suspect to me! Still we never saw them again, as they had disappeared into the distance by the time we climbed out of the second lock.

The sun was peeking through from time to time, and it was actually quite warm when the wind paused. We cruised passed the large Overwater Marina, and began to look for somewhere to moor below the Audlem Locks. We were fortunate to find a spot just past the Moss Hall aqueduct, where famous Shroppie Shelf didn’t impede us getting up to the bank. We have a magnificent view across the valley from our towpath side windows!

Anne made for the Co-op to buy provisions, while I walked the dog, and then supervised the central heating, and began to defrost.

Later we went to the Shroppie Fly for a celebration steak, the first we had had to eat all day. It was very welcome and delicious!

Hours: 8.5

Locks: 11

Miles: 12
Pump Out: 1

Day 3 – Whitchurch to Wrenbury

Monday 23rd March 2015

It turned out that my cunning plan to moor away from everyone so that I could run the engine very early was unnecessary. I awoke at 6am, and immediately noticed that it wasn’t quite as cold as the previous two mornings. Nevertheless I pulled on some clothes and prepared to do battle with the heating system, but decided to give it a quick go while I waited for the kettle to boil. Such joy when it fired straight up!

So this morning we had a lovely warm boat, and this made the whole process of waking up and getting ready for our day’s cruising so much more pleasurable. Instead of rushing to get out of the door and move around, this morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and relaxed watching the wildlife out of the window.

We were much later setting off than the previous two days, and were soon at Grindley Brook, where we took on water and disposed of our refuse.

I can now confess that I was worried about getting through the staircase locks. I have been through them several times before, but always on the back of the boat. Anne is still getting to grips with standard locks, so we tied the boat up at the top lock and both went to investigate. There was a useful instruction board by the top lock with instructions for going down, so we had a better idea of what to do. The flight needed turning. The last boat through last night had come up the flight, and overnight leakage had left the top lock full, the middle one completely drained so you could see the bottom, and the bottom lock was about half full. We let the water down from the top lock to raise the level in middle chamber to the mark on the gate, and made sure that the bottom chamber was empty. Then we went to refill the top lock ready for our entry.

With the boat safely in the top lock, we took some time to fish out a large branch (didn’t want that jamming) and then had a last check before setting off. Good job too! Leakage had caused the middle chamber to fill again, so we spend another few minutes adjusting the levels again. Once set up, the passage through was actually very simple, and we managed it in light drizzle without any further problems.

After the staircase locks, three individual ones follow in quick succession. These were all in our favour, and within an hour we were tied up beyond the railway bridge for a well-earned cup of coffee.

Wrenbury

After a short rest, we started off again, and arrived at Povey’s lock at the same time as another boat arrived at the bottom. As the lock was in our favour, we went first, and it is amazing how much time is saved by having an extra pair of hands at a lock! We were soon on our way again, and were very tempted to moor at Wileymoor Lock as the cooking coming from the pub smelt delicious. It was too close to our cooked breakfast to be a serious threat though, so we pressed on to Quoisley Lock, where the wind had done us the favour of blowing the top gate open so we were able to drive straight in. Anne is really getting an easy time of it so far today!

At Marbury Lock, a hire boat was exiting as we arrived, so another drive-in, and quick passage. There followed a stretch without locks that was long enough for Anne to make coffee, and we were soon at Wrenbury Frith Lift Bridge – Lucky Anne, this one is chained open all the time! To make up for it I started to brief Anne on the operation of the Wrenbury Lift Bridge, which is push-button controlled and operated with a facilities key. Anne was clearly concerned about whether she would get this right – given that there is a busy road that crosses the bridge. However her luck held. We pulled in to the bridge landing and were met by some CaRT workmen who were replacing the control panel on the bridge.

Hard at work

 

We were asked to wait until a hire boat on the other side of the bridge was ready, and then the workmen would manually raise the bridge for us. So that was another task avoided! We had several minutes wait, and took the opportunity to have a good look around and grab a couple of photos.

Leaving Wrenbury

Leaving the boatyard behind we were soon at Wrenbury Church Lift Bridge, so finally Anne got to have another go with her windlass. By now the wind had turned quite cold, so we decided to stop for the night above the Baddiley Locks, where we have a good internet connection and TV signal. It was a good day today with progress being better than expected. We almost covered as many miles as previous days despite all the locks!

Miles: 10

Locks: 10

Lift Bridges: 4

Hours: 6.5

Day 2 – Ellesmere to Whitchurch

Sunday 22nd March 2015

Another bitterly cold start to the morning, as the heating wouldn’t fire up again. As we were moored in the arm with boats all around we decided that we couldn’t start the engine at 6.00 am, so we wrapped up and boiled the kettle to get a little warmer.

The next two hours passed slowly, but eventually 8 o’clock came around, and the engine was started, allowing the heating to fire up straight away. We cast off straight away, and led a queue of hire boats down the arm. The water point was available so we took the opportunity to top off the tank, and drop off our rubbish. We then reversed back into the arm so that we could turn and continue our journey. We passed NB Bendegig which was moored at the junction, and whose blog I read.

It was slightly warmer this morning, and the sun was trying to break through as we passed Blackwater Meadow and crept towards Ellesmere Tunnel. We were soon passing Blake Mere, in the cool sunshine, and admired a Kingfisher that almost landed on the front of the boat. Anne wasn’t quick enough with the camera though.

By the Mere

The views of Cole Mere through the trees were spectacular in the morning sunlight, accompanied by the chirping of the birds. There were more boats moving today, and we passed several from local hire bases, the season having well and truly started.

There were plenty of dog walkers too, with a couple of labradors swimming in the long straight at Whixall Moss. The junction with the Prees Branch was peaceful, and Anne then leapt into action for her first lift bridge of the day. It took 54 turns to raise, and 34 to lower – apparently. (I am breaking into a sweat just thinking about it!).

We moored for lunch at Platt Lane, followed by the obligatory afternoon nap. It was certainly much warmer waking up this time than the last!

As we were preparing to leave, another blogger, NB Muleless pulled in behind us.

In between the lift bridges, Anne prepared the sunday dinner, and we were soon wending our way past Whitchurch and the final lift bridge for the day.

We moored soon after, in a spot where we hope to be alone tonight – I plan to start the engine regardless tomorrow to get the heating to start.

Miles: 12.5

Locks: 0

Lift Bridges: 4

Hours: 5.5

Day 1 – Chirk to Ellesmere

Saturday 21st March 2015

Having gone to bed so early, it was perhaps no surprise that we were both awake at 6.00 am.

The boat was quite cold, so I turned on the central heating which failed to start, presumably from a lack of charge in the batteries (the fridge had been running all night, but we hadn’t put in the engine time yesterday to make up for it). We also discovered the lack of hot water due to the same reason. At least we had plenty of cold water! The kettle was soon boiled, and we huddled in the chilly cabin trying to fend off the chill until 8.00 am when I could run the engine.

I was half expecting my presumption to be wrong, and had decided that we could wait till the marina was open to get some help, but once the engine was running, the heating kicked into life. Whew!

There seemed little point hanging around any longer, so at 8.15 we untied and began our adventure.

New territory at last!

In no time we were through the Chirk Tunnel and onto new territory, for today we could actually cross the aqueduct and keep going.

Anne managed to grab a photo of the Welcome to England sign just as the batteries in the camera died. We really must get ourselves organised!

Welcome to England!

It was a beautiful sunny morning as we wound our way around Chirk, taking the opportunity to enjoy the views and the amazing feeling of knowing that we could keep going this time. In fact we passed a boat with the inscription “To infinity and beyond… but back by Sunday!” – well not for us this time!

The sun continued to shine so Anne decided that we should breakfast on the move, and soon that wonderful smell of bacon was in the air. Somehow bacon and boats are a perfect match! The canal takes a meandering course through some spectacular countryside, arriving eventually at New Marton Locks. We stopped at the water point to top off the tank, and then did our first lock in City of Durham. At 55’ it is a comfortable fit into the lock, but seems to occupy so much more of it than my previous 40’ boat did. We were soon safely through both locks, but starting to add layers of clothing – when the sun went in, the breeze was bitingly cold.

There were plenty of boats on the move again today, clearly the hire boat season has begun. It is fun masquerading as one of them! We passed the Mastermyn hire base, where most of their boats appeared to still be tied up, and moored just before Frankton Junction for a dog walk and some lunch.

We won’t get to visit the Montgomery Canal on this visit, which is a shame as the canal to the first lock looks so inviting.

Whether it is the fresh air, or the use of long forgotten muscles I am not sure. But after lunch a sleep beckoned. It was only going to be for half an hour, but I was so warm and cosy that I slept for two! I would probably have still been in bed now if it hadn’t been for a passing boat that caused us to bump into the bank so loudly that I woke with a start.

Our next target was Tesco’s at Ellesmere, but I wasn’t convinced we would be able to moor in the arm so late on a Saturday afternoon. Anne suggested that we try anyway, and were fortunate enough to get the last space.

Anne ventured into the shop to buy batteries for the camera, while I supervised the heating system ;). She returned with a trolley full of groceries. After dinner we did the crossword, and I fitted the new shower curtain. I intend to try the shower out tonight while the water is still warm.

Miles 12.5

Hours: 7

Locks: 2