Titanic of the Canals and an Agressive Swan.

 Wednesday 24th July 2024 in Middlewich.

We awoke this morning to a beautiful sunrise or, as you can tell by the height of the sun, slightly after sunrise!

At Church Minshull moorings, we passed this tiny version of "Titanic", clearly a small narrowboat with big ambitions. At least it was still on top of the water!

We often pass swans on the canals with a brood of cygnets. Sometimes they can be quite defensive but this particular swan became very agressive and charged MM's stern trying to push us away from his brood. He continued this for quite a way before giving up, thinking he had clearly taught us a lesson and his honour was thus satisfied.

At Middlewich, we decided to go no further as M was in need of a "few bits" from the local large Morrisons. R walked into Morrisons with a shopping list while M did the domestics. Sadly, M found later that there were a few more bits needed (what a surprise!!), so R walked back to Morrisons for those. Luckily, though, it rained while R was there so he was forced to stop and have a cup of coffee (no surprises there either!) while he waited for the rain to stop.

Today: 6 miles,1 lock and 2.9 hours.

TRip: 87 miles, 65 locks and 49.2 hours.

Martin, Brenda and Sox Visit for Lunch

 Tuesdsay 23rd July 2024 in Middlewich.

Last night, we moored up in Nantwich and found this morning that we were moored next to a hire boat with three delightful Danish couples on board. We fell into conversation with the ladies as their menfolk had walked into town to buy coffee, of which they apparently drink a lot, according to the ladies! They were just completing the Four Counties Ring and were clearly having a great time, not least because the weather has been so much kinder to them than in previous years.

We had arranged to meet our friends Martin and Brenda for lunch in the wonderful Coffee/Bookshop in the town. The shop was extremely busy on such a sunny day but the staff managed to find us a table where we could also have Martin and Brenda's dog "Sox" beside us. The owner and staff at the Coffee/Bookshop are always so very helpful and the food, as ever, was excellent. It was lovely to spend some quiet time catching up with Martin and Brenda.

The canal is quite a walk from the canal and, on the way, there are two houses on opposite sides of the road that we both always stop to admire. This one looks very old and is definitely a "project" that R would enjoy making into something special.

This elegant cottage, on the other side of the road, is one of M's favourites with its beautiful front garden.

At Barbridge Junction, the Middlewich Arm branches off the Shropshire Union Canal and here we turned towards Middlewich.

There are only four locks on the Middlewich arm but they are all quite deep, like this lock at Minshull. For once, M was actually driving the boat in this photo as R was up top doing the gates!

Just after Aqueduct Marina, we moored up for the night at a beautiful spot with a lovely view and even our own picnic table, where we sat to have our dinner.

Today: 6 miles, 2 locks and 2.7 hours.

Trip: 81 miles, 64 locks and 46.3 hours.

Back on Board at Last

 Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th and Monday 22nd July 2024 back to MM

Not yet back on board (not long to go and counting!), but a narrowboating day nonetheless. 

Our very good friends Shelley and Harley (aka nb "The Lazy Bee") were moored up at Rode Heath, which was only a minor diversion on our route from Huddersfield to Overwater Marina. To our delight, they were looking out for us as we drove into the car park opposite.

It was so good to see their smiles of welcome!

Lunch together was at the Broughton Arms pub, a convivial four hours of good food and catching up. We'd not seen the since this time last year and will be travelling to Liverpool together as from next week, so there was lots to talk about.

We spent the night on MM in Overwater Marina and unloaded all the heavy stuff that we had brought up in the car to save us carrying it on the train from Reigate next week. We'd forgotten the security code for the moorers' gate and so were obliged to scramble over (R) and through (M) the fence with all our bags, a highly undignified procedure!

A lovely sunset after days of unsettled weather and rain.

Just as we were getting ready in the morning, a lovely friendly pusscat walked on to MM, along the roof and eventually inside, where he/she settled on R's lap.

Breakfast was in the Marina's excellent café before we set off for home, happy in the knowledge that we will be back on Monday.

FINALLY! It is Monday 22nd and we are back on board. It is strange, but lovely, to go from 125mph on the train to 3mph on MM! The weather was glorious and it was a joy to be out boating once more. Overwater is a most imaginatively and attractively laid out marina and we would happily moor there again.

Shortly after we set off, we came to Hack Green Locks. There was no sign of the problems that caused the locks to be closed, interrupting our travels for three weeks.

The little flower is "Restharrow", rarely seen these days. M spotted it growing beside the lock.

Today: 5 miles, 2 locks and 3.6 hours.

Trip: 75miles, 62 locks and 43.6 hours.

Brenda, Martin and Socks Visit.

 Saturday 28th annd Sunday 29th June in Audlem.

Our good friends Brenda and Martin, with their dog "Socks", who now live in this area, came to visit us for lunch. We met up in the "Shroppie Fly" a few yards from our mooring. It has to be one of the most photographed pubs along the waterways. Not a brilliant photographic example, as the sun was absent.

This was formerly a busy wharf and is named after the "Fly" boats that used to travel day and night as fast as possible with perishable goods - and also beer (which always needed to arrive quickly). The bar in the pub is famous for its own "Shroppie Fly".

We had a splendid lunch and a chance to catch up with Brenda and Martin. They were so very helpful last year when our toilet broke as we were able to have spare parts delivered to their house and they then kindly drove them over to MM in Audlem..

After lunch, they came to MM for tea and coffee. It is clear that Socks enjoyed being back on a narrowboat (B&M have their own share boat) and made himself quite at home, even being allowed to sit at the dinette with us!!

When the time came for them to leave, we walked to the car park with them and then went on into town to look for a post box.

As we walked into town, we passed many people carrying chairs, picnics and umbrellas. They were all on their way to Audlem's annual "Party on the Park", an evening of music that was celebrating its 25th year. We did think about going but every ticket was sold. Anyway, the "Park" was just 100 yards from our mooring and, although there was a narrow wood restricting our view, we could hear everything as if we were there anyway. So we saved ourselves £50 on tickets!

The sound system was excellent , very clear and the two bands were very good and played many of the same tracks that we have come to know and love through Randy & the Rockets. So, it was a brilliant evening and we listened to the last hour of the concert warmly tucked up in bed. Probably warmer than the crowd as it started to rain at the end but judging from the cheers, nobody minded!

On Sunday morning, we walked back into town for an excellent breakfast at No. 11. Then R backed MM up to the water point and gave her a thorough wash down before we set off through the two remaining Audlem locks. Below the locks we moored up for the night.

Today: 1 mile, 2 locks and 1.1 hours.

Trip: 70 miles, 60 locks and 40 hours.

What lovely round numbers (see above) to mark this pause in our travels!

In the evening, the distant sky was very threatening but the sun brought a special light to the foreground to make another image worthy of a Constable painting.

 

Tomorrow morning we shall put MM into Overwater Marina, which is just a couple of hundred yards down the canal and then go home. We are planning to go back north to Liverpool but are temporarily blocked by the closure of the lock at Hack Green just a couple of miles further on. Because we have to be home the weekend of 6th July and the weekend of 13th, and because we can go no further until Hack Green reopens sometime around 6th (?), we decided to go home for three weeks

So, we expect to be back on MM on 22nd July to continue our travels... Watch this space ...

The Audlem Flight

 Friday 28th June 2024 in Audlem.

Our "peaceful mooring" was not so quiet overnight. Despite being in the middle of the countryside, where it is pitch black at night, the lights and sounds of the emergency services woke us up at 1:15am, along with the sound of voices and people running down the towpath with flashing torches.

The emergency vehicles were parked on the bridge, which you can just see in the distance in the photo below. Their powerful lights were shining all down the canal towards us. We never did find out what the emergency was and, by the time we left, all three boats behind us had already gone so there was no one to ask.

We love it when the cows come down to the water to drink and M loved the fact that the swan was watching her carefully.

The fifteen locks of the Audlem flight were ahead. MM almost vanished in the top lock - not because this is a downhill lock flight  but because the lock surrounds have not been mown and are heavily overgrown.

We have noticed all summer that locksides and towpaths have not been mown. If the locks are left like this they will rapidly deteriorate and will soon be invaded by brambles and trees, likewise the towpaths.We are not sure whether the lack of mowing is an environmental issue or whether it is down to funding cuts - the latter, we suspect.

No prizes for guessing the prevailing wind here!

Next to one of the locks, this gate beckoned you to follow the path through it - until you looked at the notice behind it!

The Audlem flight went extremely quickly, not least due to the great help from a "lock wheeler" from the boat coming down behind us, who kindly closed the gates as MM left each lock, which saved R having to close them himself. M went ahead and set each lock, almost all against us, so that the gates were open by the time that MM arrived.

We moored just below Lock 13, exactly where we moored for a week last year when our toilet broke.

We remembered the new tearoom, called "Number 11", in the middle of Audlem, and set off to find our reward for completing the flight in record time. Their cakes are amazing and HUGE!

The lovely lady owner remembered us from last year and gave us a warm welcome.

Audlem villagae is dominated by its imposing church, which sits in front of Audlem's own "Butter Cross", now a bus stop.

We will stay here until Sunday as we will not go into Overwater Marina until Monday and the marina is only two locks and two miles away.

Today: 2 miles, 13 locks and 2.3 hours.

Trip: 69 miles, 58 locks and 38.9 hours.

Adderley Locks.

 Thursday 27th June 2024 at Adderley Locks.

Somehow, I don't think that this boat owner will be voting for either Labour or the Conservatives!

Ten years ago, we seriously considered buying one of the two town houses in the centre with its own mooring on the doorstep.

Up until last year, the moorings were private and we had used them in the past for a short-term mooring. Now they are run by the C&RT and are only available as long term moorings and - guess what? - they are standing empty! It seems that C&RT are turning as many mooring places as they can into long term moorings, presumably to make money, including many visitors' moorings that now stand empty and unavailable.

This is the top of the Adderley flight of locks, where there used to be a little stall selling meats, bacon, cakes and the best pork pies in the world (according to M). Everything was produced by the neighbouring farm and was of the highest quality. Sadly, it did not re-appear after Covid.

This is classic Cheshire countryside, rolling pastureland and lots of dairy herds. Traffic is mostly tractors and milk tankers.

A very quiet mooring and a chance for M to do a wash, which dried quickly in the sunshine and quite strong wind.

Today: 4 miles, 5 locks and 1.9 hours.

Trip: 67 miles, 45 locks and 36.6 hours.

A Market Drayton Day.

 Wednesday 26th June 2024 in Market Drayton.

As we have until Monday to get to Overwater Marina, we took today off and stayed in Marlet Drayton. The day was hot and sunny.

Wednesday here is Market Day, so we set off to town to find some breakfast. This is the old Buttercross in the centre of town and the start of the open market.

Opposite the Buttercross was a tea room named after it and we had enjoyed nice food there a number of times in the past. Sadly, it had closed since last year. M went into the delicatessen next door to buy Billington's renowned gingerbread and asked for recommendations for somewhere else nearby where we could have breakfast. We were referred to "The Hideout" a few yards down the road. It was formerly a pub and we received a warm welcome and an excellent breakfast.

Market Drayton has a wealth of handsome old buildings such as this former flour mill, now up for sale.

In the centre is this very impressive Tudor House Hotel, which could rival anything in Chester. Sadly, however, there were many empty shops and signs that Market Drayton is not thriving.

M liked this road sign, but listened in vain for music!

There is a large Morrisons in town and M went in for a "few bits" but managed to keep it to just a single bag full, much to R's relief!

Close to our mooring is this very austere pill box. During the Second World War, the canals were used as possible defensive lines and there are many of these along the waterways but most are not in such good condition.

A quiet and relaxing afternoon followed. Even MM had a rest in the hot sunshine.