Nantwich

I checked the weather report yesterday morning and it seemed to be ok so I headed off towards Nantwich around 10am.

It was quite chilly but pleasant enough as I moved past fields

and not much happening, passing another boat moored up the owner asked me what Quinquireme  meant, a fairly common occurrence to which I gave my now normal response ‘an ancient warship with five deck of rowers’.

There are two fairly isolated locks on this stretch, the Hack Green locks, arriving at the first lock which was against me I was just about to fill it when I spotted a Canal and River Trust workboat approaching so I helped them through before moving through myself, this meant the second lock was in my favour, just a bit of a fill to get the top gate open, and I was through that one and away again.

Approaching the first lock

About to exit the second lock

Nantwich is a very busy canal area so I stopped at the first available mooring and then walked ahead to see if I could find better, I needed to be somewhere convenient for visitors coming on the 2^nd Jan to be able to park and get up on to the high embankment that exists along this section, I found somewhere a little better a few hundred yards ahead so moved on to that, it's a little way away from the action and so is fairly quiet but later I walked along to buy some milk and after the aqueduct ahead of me it was packed fairly solid for the next half mile or so with moored boats.

Current mooring

Total travel:  5miles : 2 Locks

This morning the very high winds were whipping up waves on the canal, my boat was rocking from side to side and the rudder was banging on the stern in a regular beat despite being secured with a bungy cord as I usually do, behind me on the bend in the canal the water was at its worst and was crashing into the boat moored behind me and washing over his stern deck, it was like waves at the seashore, quite a sight.

I popped into town, about a 20 minute walk, it looks very nice but the weather was not really suitable for sightseeing so I will return another day.

Christmas catch up.

Christmas Eve:

It wasn’t a great start, my timings were all wrong again. I walked through an absolute downpour to get my provisions, I think the staff in Morrisons must have thought me insane, I was dripping water all over the store.

Back at the boat and dried off and it cleared up a bit, but I put the waterproofs on anyway (better late than never) and set off about 10am, I wanted to do a short hop which included 5 locks and look for a nice quiet spot to moor for tomorrow.

Just a little way along from my mooring were these flats and houses with private moorings, a lot were unoccupied but some had boats on them.

I have heard of this boat through other blogs and thought I’d share the humor with you.

As I was approaching the first of the flight of five Adderley locks the heavens opened again, it was cold, wet, slippery around the locks and muddy on the towpath, at lock 3 it began to hailstone, lovely, what more could you want, oh yes, the boat got caught on the lock landing as the level  in the pound dropped, it was lodged solid and I could not get the centre line untied, ho hum.......ever wish you’d stayed in bed?

So with a lot of pushing and shoving on muddy slippery towpath and no luck I tried reversing and to my joy and relief she eased off the bottom and the rope slackened and I was away again.

At lock 5 the last for today the wind was almost blowing me off my feet, I could see my mooring spot ahead and could not wait to get to it, but this would be the worst time to try to rush, the stone edgings around the locks were treacherously slippery and I did not fancy ending up in the water.

So as I left the lock the sun came out, I could not believe it, the afternoon has been bright and sunny although still a bit blustery. I am moored at Adderley visitor moorings just after the locks.

Christmas Break Mooring

Look at that bright Sun.

My view for Christmas.

Total travel 24^th: 4 miles : 5 locks

Christmas day was quiet, as I intended it to be, I washed the roof, cooked a roast dinner and uncorked a nice bottle of Red I had treated myself to, I was halfway through eating dinner when I realised I’d forgotten the Yorkshire puds, how can you have a roast without them! Well I had no choice my brain was not on the dinner as I was dripping over Morrisons floor.

Yesterday it was back to howling winds and a rocking boat, good job I neither wanted nor needed to move.

Today was much better, no wind although a dampish feel as the sun wasn’t out when I set off for a short but physical cruise, I wanted to get through the 15 locks that make up the Audlem flight.

Just about a mile to the first lock through lovely countryside.

 And then the work begins, first lock.

They were all against me today, I had some joy when two boats came up the flight following each other, it meant those two locks were in my favour, but because of leakage the rest had drained before I reached them.

Looking down the flight, lock 4, I think.

I also had some nice walkers offer to close the bottom gates for me at three of the locks, that helps, some people are lovely.

Lovely former lock keepers cottage

I stopped in the pound after lock 11 and had a cuppa and a sandwich before setting off for the last 4 locks, passing The Shroppie Fly pub.

And then after about 4 hours the sight I was waiting for.

Final lock ahead.

I had intended to moor after this lock but did not like it so I carried on, passing more lovely vistas.

And then the fairly new Overwater Marina, it's another big one, I think the farmers must make a killing selling their land for these.

Beneath bridge 80 and a nice section of empty piling with nice open fields and that was me done for the day, you may gather I prefer to be out in the countryside moored up when I can, it's just peaceful compared to the more popular venues. 

Tonights mooring.

Totals Today: 4 miles : 15 locks

Closed for the Holiday.

I moved today, found a lovely spot to spend Christmas but.......why is there always a but? I have no phone signal at all and only a very weak internet, so Merry Christmas everyone, I will move on the 27th and hopefully be back to normal.

That's plastic.....

......Oh no it's not, more on that later.

Yesterday was a case of batten down the hatches and stay put, my mooring at Shebdon was on the top of an embankment twice the height of the nearby farmhouses and the wind coming across the fields below meant no travel possible and it rained on and off all day.

This morning I cast off around 10am, I had a fairly long day ahead to reach my intended destination.

Passing Premier foods small wharf, Cadbury used to own this bringing milk from the local farms for processing.

Crossing open fields with distant views of The Wrekin, in East Shropshire.

On past the village of Little Soudley.

To Goldstone Wharf where the Wharf Tavern sits but does not seem to want boats mooring while the tiller men slake their thirsts.

And then into Woodseaves cutting, running for about a mile and a half, this caused Telford problems while building the canal and is in places almost 100 feet deep, bits of sandstone still dislodge themselves and cause problems to boaters as the canal is narrow enough through here without finding a great slab of sandstone sticking out of the water, of course half way through this cutting the only other boat I saw on the move today appeared, that is him in the far distance in the first picture, but he was a real gent and not only did he slow to  a stop but he hopped off his boat to hold it against the bank to allow me to pass, as the rocks below and along the water’s edge were all on my side.

 This bridge gives you a perspective of the height through here.

Stopping at Tyrley Grange services to do the usual fill and empty, there was a Canal and River Trust workboat with a lock gate on board ready to be fitted into one of the Tyrley locks, there are 5 in the flight, during the closure programme commencing 4^th Jan.

The Old Stables  alongside lock no 1 has  its own information board.

 Further along after the lock flight I saw this chap and thought I’d snap a picture.

as I got closer I noticed the Kingfisher and assumed it was plastic, I took another snap zooming in a bit and realised it was real

but before I could get another it took off and dived in, coming up with a small fish, he was far too quick for me to get another shot in.

I have moored at Market Drayton as I am in need of supplies but will probably move on tomorrow just to get away from the town for Christmas day.

Tonights Mooring

Total today: 8 miles : 5 Locks

Not like Gnu.....

.... it’s Gnosall, pronounced No-zull.

I moved away from Wheaton Aston on Friday, another stretch of lock free canal ahead and as you travel along you can see just how much work went into altering the landscape in forming the embankments and cuttings to keep the canal level and eliminate the need for locks.

Open meadows and farmland with straight sections of canal passing through them until you reach this house just before High Onn

it made me think what it would be like snow covered, you wander outside slip on the snow and then slide/roll down the stepped garden and land in the canal, what fun.

Passing Lord Talbot’s Wharf

It would seem there is an ‘R’ Us for just about everything these days.

From embankment to cutting the journey continues

This project needs some effort and a new licence, it expired two months ago.

until you reach Cowley Tunnel

Still can't get my flash to work in tunnels.

 a short one at just 81 yards, it is unlined and the only tunnel on the Shropshire canal, the view as you leave the tunnel gives a nice sense of the work put in to complete it.

Shortly after the tunnel I arrived at the Gnosall visitor moorings stopping and mooring between bridges 34 and 35 which also puts me between two pubs, The Boat at bridge 34 and The Navigation at bridge 35.

The Boat

The Navigation

On Saturday I took a walk in Gnosall itself to get some provisions and have a look around, another beautiful church St. Lawrence’s

I liked this rather lovely old property.

And of course another pub

There are four pubs in the immediate area but a chap I spoke to at my moorings told me there used to be twelve, that would have made an admirable pub crawl.

Having stayed Saturday and watched the final of Strictly Come Dancing I set off yesterday and continued passing through more embankments and cuttings passing this Stop Gate, which appeared as if it could be put to use if necessary, effectively closing the canal if there were a breach somewhere close.

Into Norbury Junction.

It is no longer a junction as such, with the Newport Canal branch no longer navigable, but the initial section is being used for linear moorings.

Branch now just used for moorings

Passing through more beautiful countryside.

And then beneath bridge 39, I have seen many pictures of this unusual bridge with its stumpy, no longer in use, telephone pole built in the gap, on various blogs over the years and it seemed odd to suddenly find it facing me.

The weather took a turn for the worse as I passed bridge 43 with the wind building and rain coming down, it was so windy crossing the open area here I had to struggle a bit to keep the boat heading forward and away from the moored craft.

I decided to call it a day as I reached Shebdon and found a nice fairly quiet section of mooring to spend a night or two.

Last nights mooring.

Total Travel : 12 miles