Wednesday 26th August

The Last Day!

After more rain overnight there was a lull so Graham mopped out the bilges while I went off to buy the paper. We were ready to go when I returned but the rain started again so we had coffee and finally set off at 11.30am when the weather cheered up.

It was a clear run back to the Marina with few difficult points- one being getting through the narrow bridge on a curve at Alrewas river section.

The design on this boat was stunning but doesn't show up well in the photo.

Back safely in the Marina with evidence of our Summer Holiday.

Not sure how much is suntan and how much is rust!

Some stats.

We spent 53 nights on board.

Travelled 366 miles

Worked 248 locks - thanks to friends and family who helped us.

Time to sort out the boat, hope the car starts, pack up and travel home on Friday.

Over the Winter we can get the books out again to plan next year's adventures.

Monday 24th August

We left about 8.30 after Graham mopped out all the water from the bilges after the downpour on Sunday. It was a clear run to the first set of Meaford locks but we found that we were 3rd in line. The lead boat was a hirer who was trying to turn round. Apparently they had tried once but were unsuccessful. They now had to go through a lock to try at the winding hole just below and then come back up again. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful again and continued on. It was 3rd time lucky as we met them later coming the other way. They told another boater that they had to be back at their base on the Macclesfield canal at 3pm.- they wouldn't make it.

We entered Stone which is always welcoming to boaters.

There are quite a few boat builders and hire companies based here and it is incredible to think that these relatively thin straps can support a narrowboat if it needs to be lifted from the water.

Still in Stone we saw the statue of Christina Collins who was murdered in 1839 further down the canal. 

 The last lock in Stone is next to the Star Inn which dates from the 14th Century and none of the rooms are at the same level - as accepted by the Guiness Book of Records. Being a Monday lunchtime there were not many gongoozlers watching our progress down the lock.

We had planned today's cruise so that we ended up at a village called Weston upon Trent. The menu of the pub called 'The Woolpack' looks very nice so we shall give it a try.

PostScript:- The Woolpack food was as good as it sounded. Very busy but quick service. Monday night turned out to be 2 for 1 on Steaks so that is what we had!

Tuesday 25th August

Knowing that we had a long day ahead we left just after 8am In quite good weather. The locks were not difficult to work and I even had time to take a picture of the marks made by ropes when horses pulled the boats.

Near Rugeley I was impressed by this weeping willow. 

Armitage are still making lots of toilets!

Then the rain started. It continued to rain heavily and solidly for over 4 hours. 

We could have moored up but we decided to keep going and finally stopped at Alrewas at 6.40pm. Time for a quick warming shower and then we could watch the World Athletics Highlights.

Sunday 23rd August

Not too much more rain during the night but Graham still had lots of mopping to do before we could start today. We left about 9am and filled with water at the entrance to the Caldon canal before reversing back onto the Trent and Mersey canal and tackling the first of the deep Stoke locks. I was steering the boat while Graham worked the locks. We were lucky in that they were either set for us or a boat came up just as we arrived.

All along here you pass old potteries and I hadn't noticed this sign before.

The Middleport pottery is still in production with a cafe open to visitors. Don't know whether or not they offer a tour.

One of the locks takes you down and under the railway line. It was strange waiting for the lock to empty with trains passing very close in front of you.

There has been a great deal of regeneration of this area and new apartments sit well with the preserved kilns although a bit of gardening wouldn't go amiss!

We moored at a favourite spot before Barlaston. Again there are few boats about. The forecast was not good so instead of an evening BBQ we decided to eat earlier. The baked potatoes were in the oven and Graham was just getting the BBQ out when the rain started......and continued.....It was very heavy so the food was cooked and eaten indoors. The weather cleared up later but everywhere was soaking.

We head for Stone and Weston upon Trent tomorrow.

Saturday 22nd August

Luckily the wind had dropped overnight and we woke to sunshine and a very quiet canal. Where is everyone? We cruised up the locks to Kidsgrove stopping to fill with water on the way. There is a lovely summerhouse in the garden opposite the water point.

When we were here 6 weeks ago one of the locks was undergoing repairs. These have now been completed as testified by the new plate on the lock gate. 

The long line of available moorings at Kidsgrove again made us wonder where everyone is. A shopping trip to Tesco, lunch and then through the Harecastle Tunnel from North to South. The tunnel keeper also commented on how quiet it is. Harecastle is a one way only tunnel and is 1 and three quarter miles long. It took us 45 mins. to pass through and we emerged to bright sunshine.

The welcome to Stoke on Trent sign was free of graffiti, sad to say that this is unusual on this stretch of the canal.

We moored at Westport Lake which is a nature reserve. There were lots of boats here and many hire boats passed us in the opposite direction. They are obviously starting the 4 counties ring. 

The weather was so nice that we were able to sit out on the stern to read the newspapers and debated about having a BBQ. Luckily we decided against it as by 7.30 we had heavy rain and thunderstorms! A good night for staying in and watching Tim West and Prunella Scales canal prog. This week they went along the Rochdale Canal and through the Standedge Tunnel which is what we had hoped to do this year until we found that In the Mood is too high. Seeing the sheer rock which they passed through we are glad that we didn't attempt it with our boat. Like Tim and Pru we shall hire at some point to take this journey.

Friday 21st August

Decided to get away early and have breakfast after we had a few locks under our belt. We left at 7.30am and did 10 locks in 2 and a half hours before stopping for breakfast at Hassell Green. It is usually a busy mooring site but there was only 1 boat there and very few boats moving on the canal. We set off again and many of the locks are duplicated. Some in good condition and others needing a lot of work.

There was always quite a strong warm wind coming from the south but after about 5 locks it became much stronger and it was very difficult to get the boat going as it emerged from a lock as the wind just pushed it to the side before we could pull away into the channel. At one lock we spent at least 20-30 mins trying different ideas before we got going again. There were no walkers or boaters to help. In total we did 20 locks - probably our single-day record for this holiday!

We moored at Church Lawton at 2.45 and after a very late lunch we had a look at the church - outside only as it was locked, and also picked some blackberries from along the towpath as can be seen in a very posed photo of Graham!

Thursday 20th August

Better weather to wake to and after clearing the water from the bilge we were ready to leave at quarter to 9. Everyone at our mooring had the same idea and 3 boats all pulled out one after each other. At the first lock we were fifth in line. Everyone helps each other and at one lock others did the work and Graham and I were able to travel down the lock together. Obviously a rare occurrence as one of us is usually in the boat and one on land.

There was a huge lump of vegetation travelling along the canal. We had to stop the boat and Graham managed to push it out of the way. It was too heavy to remove from the water.

This horse looked as if it had been put in the naughty corner.

We stopped at Middlewich for diesel and some shopping. Unfortunately King's Lock Chandlery were unable to fit 2 cover hooks so we shall have to get them somewhere else.

We are now on the Trent and Mersey canal and will continue on this until we are back at the Marina. Moored tonight at Wheelock ready for lots of locks tomorrow as we head up 'Heartbreak Hill' named for the many locks over only a few miles.

Wednesday 19th August

Definitely a day of two seasons. We woke to bright, warm sunshine and set off towards Hurleston Junction and the end of the Llangollen canal. The clouds started to roll in but it was still a pleasant day. The canal is fed by the River Dee at Horseshoe falls in Llangollen and the flow is strong at the lock tails where bypass weirs discharge. I tried to capture this in a photo but moving water is difficult to snap!

By the time we reached Snugbury's ( ice cream farm) we needed to wear fleeces for the walk over the fields and just after we bought the cones the rain started. No time to smile for the camera we needed to enjoy our ices quickly!

They have a new installation in the fields now. Usually it made from straw but this one is metal and reflects the owners' enjoyment of cowboy films.

Back at the boat we set off for the next set of locks and a water fill. It then started to rain heavily and continued on and off ( mostly on) for the rest of the day. We kept going as we want to get to Middlewich tomorrow morning. By the time we moored at 7.15pm it was like a November night. Cold, miserable and raining. Luckily we are nice and warm in the boat and we'll see what the weather forecast tomorrow brings.

Tuesday 18th August

A morning of jobs. We sailed round the bend to Whitchurch Marina and moored up for a very nice chap called Brian to empty and refill both the central heating and engine radiator with new antifreeze mixture. He was very thorough and hopefully we are set for another few years. Brian is on the right and Jason (Manager of the Marina) on the left.

We took the opportunity for me to wash the side of the boat and Graham mopped the roof.

As you can see the weather was lovely but it did cloud over later in the afternoon but luckily no rain. We didn't leave until about 2.30 but Grindley Brook, with its 3 staircase locks and 3 individual ones, was not too busy. We came through 4 more locks and 2 lift bridges before mooring at Wrenbury. The photo shows Graham after operating the Wrenbury Lift Bridge. 

After about 7 miles of cruising we stopped at 7.15pm.  We are testing the system to check that it all works as Jason suggested we call into their other marina here tomorrow if there are any problems. Currently it is like a sauna on the boat so hopefully all is OK!

We are off to sample the food at The Cotton Arms and to cool down!

Monday 17th August

We left Ellesmere about 8.40 and started the journey back to Mercia Marina. We have the boat booked in at a couple of places for some work but we hope to be back in about 11/12 days. We passed the 'Mosses' which are areas of peat bogs which were cut commercially until the 1990's. They are now nature reserves. It seems very isolated.

Other photos today include the annual 'cows in water' photo.

Also spotted a tree house which looks rather neglected now but must have been fun when the children were small.

There are no locks on this section of the journey but lift bridges appear from time to time. It is difficult to take a photo of our boat passing through as one of us is working the hydraulic mechanism with a windlass whilst the other is steering the boat. This is therefore a random boat passing through!

We are moored in the Whitchurch arm tonight ready to take the boat into a marina tomorrow for the central heating to be drained and refilled.

I liked this photo with the boat reflection.

Sunday 16th August

We were right about the cricket match. Lovely weather and a grandstand seat.

No movement on the water today. A trip to an excellent Laundrette and a visit to a pub to watch Man City v Chelsea. The outcome of the match means that Newcastle are currently above Chelsea in the division. How long will that last?

We head for Whitchurch tomorrow.

Saturday 15th August

No wifi here so this will probably not be posted until tomorrow / or even Monday. We left Queen's Head and cruised up to fill with water and then ascend the Frankton locks when they opened at noon. Graham quite liked the Montgomery canal but I thought it quite claustrophobic as the undergrowth was high on each side and there were no vistas to enjoy. There were very few moorings on the sections which we covered and a couple going up the locks ahead of us said that a few years ago it was much less overgrown.However, I did think that there were some good ferns! 

Maybe we will visit again if there is more to enjoy and the canal restoration has progressed further.

No problems getting up the staircase and soon we were turning right towards Hurleston Junction.

Ellesmere is usually a busy place as Tesco is just a few yards from the end of the arm. This boat sculpture shows that we have arrived. 

I wandered into town and purchased an umbrella stand which we had admired when we were here 8 days ago. It is now stored under our bed ready for the journey home!

We moored opposite the cricket ground where a match was in progress and I was fascinated with the amount of preparation which the groundsman did to the wicket - mowing, rolling, brushing, polishing (well it looked like that). He worked late into the evening so we assume that there will be a match tomorrow.

Friday 14th August

We woke to rain, heavy rain, so we waited until later in the morning to venture outside. We didn't intend to cruise today so the rain was not too much of a disappointment although we have become used to sunshine over the past week. The view from the window.

Still it meant that we had time to complete the jigsaw. Thank you. 

Very close to our mooring is the bus stop for Oswestry and we had decided to give that town a visit today. The bus arrived on time and the fare was reasonable considering the distance. We did feel that Arriva buses must employ former Formula 1 drivers as we hurtled through the countryside. Maybe it is because we are used to boat speed but we seemed to be going very fast.

Oswestry is a pleasant market town with an interesting museum and a good range of shops. We didn't take any photos so have decided to put a few on which Fiona took of life on the boat - preparing breakfast and then getting ready for the meal.

We are off to the nearby Queens Head for dinner tonight and then tomorrow will cruise back to the entrance of this canal in time to ascend onto the Llangollen canal between noon and 2pm.

Thursday 13th August.

Today we planned to enter new territory as we had booked to go down the Frankton locks onto the Montgomery Canal. 

This canal is only navigable for a few miles and in fact there has been a breach so at the moment you can only go as far as Queen's Head - approx. 4 miles. Only 12 boats are allowed down and 12 up each day. Because of the breach there are very few around. In fact there are only 7 boats including ourselves here at the moment. We are not sure where more boats could moor. Most of the canal provides insufficient room for boats to pass each other and at Queen's Head there is only room for 3 to moor. It seems very isolated.

After mooring we took a walk down to see the breach and the drained locks. They hope to open again during next week although to us it seemed that a lot of work is required before that point is reached. One interesting sign is displayed. Couldn't they have just said 'Empty canal'

Wednesday 12th August

We left Llangollen about 9am and managed to get through the narrow section (one way working) without incident and then moored for a late breakfast.

Trevor basin was very busy with boats turning in all directions but the wait to go across Pontcysyllte was not too long and it was a perfect day weather wise. Looking back we were able to get a good view of the aqueduct. 

Good weather enabled us to enjoy lunch on the stern wearing the In the Mood T shirts.

It was onward to Chirk with a short wait for the tunnel to clear and then Fiona was able to take us across the Chirk aqueduct and onward into England.

After mooring we walked back across for Fiona to catch her train back to Bristol and Graham and I were able to see the aqueduct from above.

We moored for the night near Gledrid Bridge and were able to enjoy a BBQ, our first since week 1 as the weather has not been conducive to outdoor eating this year!