Friday 31st July

Time to leave Nantwich. The photo is taken from the Aquaduct.

We headed for the Llangollen canal and ultimately Wales.

The first lock was very narrow and the sign advising you to lift the fenders is too late to be seen as you are mid channel heading for the lock entrance. Once again I was steering and became stuck!

No time to get the camera out as Graham and Nigel again mounted the roof to push me out and help to put the fenders up.

Although Nigel was on lock duty he had time to find out the latest cricket score as the lock was filling!

After lunch we walked through the fields to Snugbury's for dessert.

Thursday 30th July

We decided to move on before eating breakfast but still arrived in Nantwich at 10.15 and managed to moor at the Aquaduct. Chris and Alan left for Chester by bus while we did the washing and walked into   Nantwich for shopping. All along this stretch of the canal there are carved wooden sculptures. Some are very large.

Wonder if we can fit a small car onto the back of In the Mood?

Nigel arrived tonight and we joinrd in a local Pub quiz.

Wednesday 29th July

A day of short showers and longer showers with a brief glimpse of sunshine - but don't blink or you will miss it! We walked down to Bunbury from Tilstone Lock and had a look around the very large church. It is a good walk from the canal but luckily the rain held off for most of the time!

Near this lock is a lovely old signal box for Beeston and Tarporley Junction.

At Bunbury staircase lock we ascended with another boat but a volunteer lock keeper insisted that a boat came down at the same time. This involved a manoeuvre (The Bunbury Shuffle) to move the boats around. It would have been far more sensible to move 2 boats up and then 2 down. 

Moored for the night at Barbridge where we ate at The Olde Barbridge Inn.

Tuesday 28th July

Awoke to rain which continued on and off all day. The temperature was so cold. 

We passed over a hundred boats moored along the canal. They are permanently moored but going past at tick over took ages.

After giving Chris and Alan the treat of visiting a Marina to witness a pump-out, we moored just outside the Marina for lunch and then a short walk across the fields to Cheshire Icecream Farm. This obviously started as a small enterprise and now has an enormous indoor and outdoor play area with crazy golf, mini bikes and diggers to name just three. 

We all returned to childhood and then just had to taste one off the 30+ ice creams on offer.

Moored near the Shady Oak pub where we went for a drink. So different from last week when we were able to sit outside. Tonight we were wondering if they could light a fire!

Monday 27th July

After the treat of a shop in Waitrose - just 500 yds. along the canal, we walked up to the station car park to meet Alan and Chris. It took about half an hour to pay for the parking by mobile - the only way that was allowed for parking of more than 1 day. It also involved 2 mobile phones and an iPad!

Travelling up the 5 locks out of Chester we were lucky to find 4 of them set for us and then it was a water fill at Christleton before we moored for the night at Egg Bridge. Alan and Graham were on water duty as surprisingly it was raining!

Sunday 26th July

What a difference 24 hours make. Rain on and off all day - mainly on. We walked round the city walls and had another good look at the Rows ( elevated walkways). A very nice city but time to move on tomorrow when Chris and Alan join us for the return cruise to Nantwich.

Saturday 25th July

Sunshine! Our friends left early for the train to Crewe and we took a guided walk around Chester with a most informative and amusing guide. Peggy Grimshaw knows lots about Chester, and is closely associated with the Civic Trust. She also seems to know lots of people. We also visited the Roman amphitheatre, walked along the river Dee, climbed the tower in the Cathedral and attended evensong (remembering that it is 16 years since we were at St. George's Windsor at least once a week to hear Nigel sing).

The tower is not strong enough to hold the original bells so they are now housed in a 1970's bell tower in the grounds - it looks better from above than on the ground!

In the original bell tower there is still the curfew bell which is rung each night about 9pm. All Welshmen had to have left the city by then. Luckily it doesn't apply now.

Our informative guide had told us about the various buildings which had Roman remains in their basements. This hypocaust is in 'Spud U Like'

Tomorrow's forecast is not good so we made the most of the sunshine today for sightseeing.

Friday 24th July

The haul into Chester today. The weather was very drizzly and the 5 locks quite hard. Luckily we went down with another boat to share the work. This poor man was spotted near Egg Bridge.

We managed to find a mooring quite easily in Chester and there is no sign to say how long we can stay. We will be here until Monday when we pick up Chris and Alan. The weather continued to be miserable but Graham and I walked down to the 3 staircase locks which luckily we shall not have to descend. The middle gate is massive as it is between 2 locks.

A lovely Thai meal in the evening and the 'promise' of finer weather tomorrow for sightseeing brought to an end another lovely few days spending time with friends.

Thursday 23rd July

The first locks which we encountered were the two making up the Bunbury staircase. The photo shows 2 boats crossing halfway. You have to work out which locks to leave full and empty for this system to work.

We then moored and walked to Bunbury for a newspaper. The guidebook said 1 mile - we are not so sure how they measure distances here!

At all of these locks there is a very neat round toll house from by-gone years.

Beeston has two locks in quick succession. One stone and one iron. The iron lock built because the underlying ground is sand and very unstable.

We had a quick look at an auction in progress in Beeston and stopped for a drink at Shady Lock where the temperature was warm enough to sit outside and admire Beeston Castle in the distance.

During the day we passed some Giant Hogweed which is in the news lately. Sap on the skin reacts in sunlight causing very painful blisters. In some places attempts have been made to kill it.

Not the greatest of moorings tonight as it was difficult to get into the bank but a lovely sunset.

Wednesday 22nd July

Jill and Jon arrived at lunchtime by train from Crewe. We walked back to the boat and headed a little way down the Shroppie to wind the boat, pass over the aqueduct again and fill the boat with water before heading to our first stop Hurleston Junction. 

A walk along a very busy A51 to Snugburys for an ice cream and then back down the towpath passed the Hurleston flight before continuing our journey. 

We moored near Calveley and initially walked to a non existent pub. They open and close so frequently that you cannot rely on the guide books. Luckily a sign directed us to another 500yds further on. It seemed further when we were walking there but strangely enough we seemed to get back much more quickly!

Tuesday 21st July

No movement today as the engineer came to repair the heating system. He took it away and then brought it back this afternoon hopefully repaired.

It has been really windy over the last couple of days. I think our suntanned feet may be partly due to wind burn and rust from the rain!

Monday 20th July

A day off from boating as we took the train from Nantwich to Ellesmere Port to visit the National  Waterways Museum. The journey involved 4 trains and therefore 3 changes each way. You can sail to Ellesmere Port from Chester but I'd heard that the journey was not particularly pretty so we decided to go by train instead. We had never been to Crewe and it certainly is a big station. Although we were told 2 different platforms and times by different members of staff.

The area in Ellesmere Port where the museum is based is within 10 mins walk of the station. It is a huge site with many old working boats being restored when funds become available. It was a very busy commercial port right through the 19th Century and you can see all the buildings needed to supply the businesses such as stables, a blacksmiths, pumping station to work the hydraulic cranes etc.

One working boat was fitted out as it would have been with a family living on board. Such a small space to fit everything in.

Sunday 19th July

A good day today as we covered a lot of ground (water) and reached our goal. 

We woke to rain but, although it had been heavy during the night, it cleared by 9am and we had no showers during our cruise.

The section of the Shropshire Union canal between Middlewich and Barbridge is very rural and you don't pass through any settlements. The first of the two locks always seems to have a queue although it was shorter than 2 years ago. We ate our lunch while waiting for the lock. 

Some cows seemed to think that sunbathing was in order.

Disused canal house stables have been converted into attractive homes.

At Hurleston junction the canal branches off to Wales. We'll be going up there in a couple of weeks. The signpost could do with a coat of paint'

And so to Nantwich. We managed to moor exactly where we needed to be for the road into town, the laundrette visit and the engineer coming to fix the hot water system on Tuesday. Two years ago we couldn't get moored anywhere close. I'm wondering if they have cut the length of time people can stay.

Tomorrow we hope to take the train to Ellesmere Port to visit The Narrowboat Museum. You can travel there in your own boat from Chester but we have heard that the journey is not too interesting so we'll have a day out on the train.

Saturday 18th July

Cruised down to Middlewich stopping for water just before The Big Lock. This is a wide lock but not very deep. We stopped for shopping and a visit to a very nice coffee & cake cafe with free wifi enabling us to book car hire for our trip home at the beginning of August.

Middlewich is a large boat-hire centre with at least 2 businesses having fleets of hire boats here. Saturday is their main turnover day but when we left at 2pm we were not held up a great deal as new hirers learnt how to work the locks. 

After filling with diesel we turned up the shortest canal on the system (100yds), the Wardle canal. We moored shortly afterwards for a very late lunch and decided to stay the night. The residents here have back gardens on a very pretty stretch.

The house owner opposite us feeds the ducks and they were all over his garden. As the sun began to set the ducks all suddenly started frantic grooming, and then collectively tucked their heads round and went to sleep. What I would like to know is why do they sleep standing on one leg? Seems rather difficult to balance!

Friday 17th July

Heading upstream we passed an enormous rock salt mine. Over 500' down there are miles of chambers where the salt is extracted and the worked out seams are now used to store data and valuable artefacts.

There are no moorings at Winsford and only just enough room to turn In The Mood. Heading downstream we passed a boat yard with lots of different shapes and sizes of boats in various states of repair. There never seems to be anyone working at these sites and some boats must have been there for years.  Even the cover over the boat needs a lot of repair.

I don't think  'Proceed' will be taking to the high seas anytime soon.

Back at the lift we had a 3 hour wait before an available slot so plenty of time for a leisurely lunch. We were one of the last 2 boats of the day and Saturday is fully booked so it is a good job we arrived when we did.

We cruised towards Middlewich and then stopped about 7pm to watch the golf and  to feel relieved that the weather is better here than at 'The Open'.

Thursday 16th July

We left Middlewich about 8.30am and cruised up to the Anderton lift. The route passes several large 'flashes' or shallow lakes where the land sank due to salt mining. When we came past here 2 years ago there were wrecks of old working boats to be seen as they were left here to rot in the 60's. They seem to have disappeared now so someone maybe thought that it was worth salvaging them for scrap.

You also pass large chemical works and canal bridges with an unusual flat top ( as opposed to the normal arch). They were built this way so that if they subsided the bridge could be raised by adding a bit underneath.

We were very lucky when we arrived at the lift as we were given a slot only 40mins. later. The structure is enormous and is basically 2 troughs of water which raise and lower boats to the River Weaver. The photos show us following another boat in and looking down on the boats about to rise.

The lift itself doesn't take long but there is a wait while water levels are balanced between lift caisson and canal/river. Once down we sailed to Northwich where there were no free moorings and I managed to nip to Waitrose whilst Graham was on a British Waterways workboat mooring. 

We then passed upstream through 2 manned river locks and onto some very pleasant countryside moorings at a place called Royal Vale. Tomorrow we will head to the top of the navigable River Weaver before retracing our path to the lift.