A little hop forward

Yesterday was as forecast with wind and rain all day, the village of Hassall Green is very small, nothing of note there so I didn't venture out into the rain to look around.

The forecast for today was for rain later so after my normal Sunday breakfast of bacon and eggs I got myself sorted and cast off at 10:30.

It was quite warm in fact after the first two locks I was in need of removing my top coat.

The view in the distance, not quite sure where that is and it is on quite a heavy zoom so it looks more misty than it actually was.

The two Pierpoint Locks were again against me, these are single locks with a rise of 14' 6" so they didn't take too long to empty and fill. A short run then to the outskirts of Rode Heath and the first of the two Thurlwoood Locks with a rise of 19' 4", the right hand lock was empty so that was a little less effort. The difference of the view to the right and left was very obvious.

On the right of the locks older properties below canal level.

On the left new buildings above canal level

The next lock had one ground paddle and one gate paddle on the top gate, the gate paddle appeared to be leaking quite badly but after going into the lock and walking forward to open the paddles I found that the last person through had left it partially open.

The arrangement of paddles varies, sometimes you have only ground paddles, these let the water into the lock by way of a culvert which allows the water to enter the lock from the sides below the water level,

Borrowed from Wikipedia

sometimes you only have gate paddles which are, as the name implies, built into the gates themselves and the water enters the lock at a higher level often above the bow level of your boat, so care has to be taken to not flood your bow well deck, this area only has small drainage holes and so it can in turn flood the boat itself through the front doors, so care must be taken either by keeping the boat back from the gate or by only partially opening the paddles,

Gate Paddles in full flow

some locks have both and if there are both types you would open the ground paddles first to fill the lock above the gate paddle level and then you can safely fully open the gate paddles,


Rode Heath looks to be fairly recently developed with lots of newer buildings as I approached my intended overnight.

I could have carried on but the next batch of nine locks will take me to the next services and I think that will be enough for another day, I also have a bit of a sore right knee so I wanted to rest that a bit.

I have moored up just around the corner from the above picture, opposite ;'The Broughton Arms'.

The visitor moorings are in need of a little attention with most of the mooring rings missing but I managed to get a rope through the loop that remained bedded in concrete  to the stern and for the first time in forever I had to use pins at the bow, the main issue was being careful to avoid the piles of dog mess that owners had kindly left for me.

View from the side hatch.

It's actually quite a nice view but with the boat a bit low I should have taken
it from the towpath :-)

Totals Today: 2 miles : 4 locks

Another day another move

It was a cold start again with the canal covered with thin ice, I had decided as long as it wasn't raining I would move, the forecast for the next three days starting tomorrow is rain so I wanted to take advantage of a dry day today.
I set of at 10:30, it was chilly but sunny and I was quite happy, just ahead was the first lock of the day, actually most of the locks along Heartbreak Hill are duplicated so a pair of locks side by side to help speed up progress of boats, you can use either, whichever is best suited to you, so if one is empty and you are going uphill you take that one, you get the idea. Unfortunately as I am going uphill nearly all of the locks today were against me as leaks from the top gates fill the locks after a boat has gone through and with little boat traffic they stay full until I arrive and empty one of them!

First pair of 10 today

Having emptied lock 64, the third one of today, and moved into it I discovered one of the paddles on the top gate was not functioning so that was annoying and it took a while to fill. There was a notice stapled on the lock beam saying that the right hand lock ahead (63) was shut for works so it was necessary to use the left lock, I think I might have noticed.

Having tied up on the landing and walked across the road bridge to get to the left hand lock I found it was 3/4 full and I was just about to empty it when I saw a boat approaching, so I waved them ahead and filled the final bit and opened the gate for them, they were very grateful.

With locks coming thick and fast and not much worthy of a picture it was head down and keep going until I reached lock 59, the wind began to pick up and it is quite open here, I struggled a bit to get the boat onto the lock landing. Lock 58 is immediately after the M6 motorway bridge and you tie up under the motorway, so there was a bit of a respite from the wind at that point.

M6 behind me in lock 58

I was in to minds before setting off whether to stop at Hassell Green after 10 locks or continue on to Rode Heath, another 4 locks ahead, but the wind really made the decision for me,
I had just passed a gap that looked reasonable but was trying to see a bit further ahead if there was anything better and decided there wasn't so I began to reverse back into the gap, not easy even without wind but I was doing ok when the chap from the boat alongside me came out and gave me a hand, he was well aware of the wind having not long moored up himself and I was grateful for his assistance.

Tonights Mooring







Totals today: 2 miles : 10 Locks

Brrrrr......a chilly start again.

Tuesday 16^th February:

Another cold night and morning, the canal was frozen not too thick probably 8-10mm but enough to make the decision on staying put easy.

That be frozen.

A boat passed by about 10am and the noise inside my boat was quite loud, I dread to think what real thick ice would sound like.

I decided to have a walk around the town, and so once it had warmed up a bit I set off to find Tesco first and bought some provisions, after taking that back to the boat I had a wander, I have to be honest and say there was very little that I found appealing, the actual canal junction is nice and there is another huge Church and quite a few pubs and shops but generally the town looked in need of a makeover, lots of development sites that look to have been empty for some time and ‘The Narrowboat’ pub in the town appeared to be closed down, it all looked a bit run down.

Just three pictures.

The High Street

On the way back to the boat I stopped in the Chandlers and bought a new chimney for next winter, the current one is rusting away and I think it will fall apart when I take it down, some door rope, glue and blacking for the stove, it needs to be cheered up a bit.

Yesterday was wet, all day just continuous miserable rain, I stayed put again.

Today I set off at 10:30, I have 31 locks over the next 13 miles, most of which are on the section known to boaters as Heartbreak Hill, no doubt I’ll find out why when I get started on that.

After going through Wardle Lock the last of the locks (or first) on the Middlewich branch I needed to do a sharp turn right onto the Trent and Mersey canal and as it was a blind exit for me I gave a long blast on the horn not expecting anything to be there, but there was a boat just about to turn in, he managed to quickly reverse out of my way, and said ‘that got my attention’, well that was what it was meant to do so I was glad I did it.

Into Kings Lock with the pub of the same name alongside

The Canal at this point is very wide a strange feeling after the narrows of the last few months.

The Pub opposite Rumps lock looks like being turned into a private residence.

The A533 runs alongside the canal and it does nothing to enhance your passage, it's noisy and on the right to begin with then crossing the canal to be on your left, it’s not until you get to the third of the Booth Lane locks that you leave the road behind and find a more rural curving landscape but there is a lot of housing being built, the cruise was ok, the weather was kind, but not the most picturesque of landscapes.

Passing beneath the Crewe to Manchester railway at Ettily Heath.

I pulled over and moored up at the Wheelock visitor moorings as just ahead is the first of the next 10 locks that I think I will do in one go.

Tonights mooring

Totals Today: 6 miles : 6 locks

Goodbye to the Llangollen..........

.........and on to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal

Sunday 14^th February:

This morning was frosty and chilly but after a full English breakfast I was keen to get going, with everything about ready I went outside to see a boat approaching heading in my direction, with the four Hurlestone locks ahead it wasn’t what I wanted to see but such is life, luckily following along behind him I stopped at the services just before the locks and emptied and filled as he began his descent.

Servicing finishing I headed into the first lock.

View down the Hurlestone flight from the top lock

Once through the first lock and entering the second lock I was happy to see a boat in the third lock coming up, that helped as it meant I could leave the bottom gates open and they would leave the top gate open and we could pass each other in the short pound between the locks, once in the third lock the same thing happened and entering the last of the four someone waiting to coming up locked me through, it was like the middle of summer, so many boats on the move, more than I have seen for a few months!

Hurlestone Junction is at the bottom of the locks and turning left I headed up the Shropshire canal main line passing the large reservoir that stores water from the canal, fed by the River Dee, and is used to provide water for the people of Crewe.

 On towards Barbridge Junction passing the Olde Barbridge Inn.

And then turning right under bridge 1 to enter the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.

Junction on the right

Almost through

 A long line of moored boats means slow progress to begin with.

Nicely lined up, look at all those moored boats

Approaching Cholmondeston Lock, which according to Canal & River Trust latest figures was the fourth most used lock on the system last year, and a deep one at 11’ 3”, I could see two men at the top gate and assumed a boat was coming up, I hung about mid canal for a while and not much seemed to be happening, when they walked away I headed for the lock landing and tied up, walking up to the lock I was surprised to see the chap I had followed first thing now filling the lock, I was puzzled, I asked what was happening and he said “I am delivering the boat to the Marina” (Venetian marina is just after the lock), I asked where his boat was, a bit baffled and he said “it’s behind yours”, it’s a long lock landing (due to it being a busy lock) and he had tied up right at the start of it, I hadn’t noticed his boat I had assumed it was just one of the line of moored boats near the lock, anyway a bit puzzled still I told him to go get his boat while I opened the top gate,  he then proceeded to move off and steer across the canal colliding with a boat moored opposite saying later that the wind caught his bow, anyway he came into the lock and I locked him through, I must admit I am still a bit baffled by it all.

Leaving that lock I had to negotiate a fishing match of about 12 pegs, what a lovely bunch of fella’s, they nearly all had something polite to say or a bit of banter, it made a pleasant change, often fishermen don’t even acknowledge you passing.

I was also lucky at the next lock, Minshull lock, as a boat was coming up as I approached, some days it goes well J

Approaching the lock I could see people working it.

It’s another deep one at 11’ 0” and one of the first locks for a long time where I have needed to tie up and go back to close the bottom gates, there was just no way to get back up on the lock side from the mouth of the lock, there are steps but there is some sort of obstruction preventing access to them.

The steps are on the right but there is a barrier in the water

I then passed the Aqueduct Marina.

And moored up at Church Minshull just before bridge 14.

Totals today: 6 miles : 6 locks

Monday 15^th February:

A cold start, I didn’t realise how cold until around 8am I ventured outside to find ice over the canal behind me, not thick ice, but on this straight sheltered section it had been cold enough to freeze.

Not very obvious, but it is iced over.

I decided to walk into Church Minshull, a small village with not much there but I thought as I had stopped here a look around was warranted. The first 700 metres or so was another take your life in your hands country lane with not path or verge to keep you off the narrow busy road, downhill from the canal and with bends in the road it is not a pleasant experience in either direction.

A few pictures before heading back to a now lovely warm boat.

St Bartholomews

There are lots of white painted timber framed houses, the church and pub and not much else, a beautiful village but quite a busy couple of roads running through it. There was a sign for the pub on the towpath (stating 700 metres away) but I would not fancy the walk back at night after a couple of beers, a hi- viz jacket might help!

I wanted to move up to Middlewich today and as it was only a short run of just over 4 miles with one lock I left it until 12:30 before setting off, it was sunny but bitterly cold and I was surprised to find myself doing some ice breaking.

It wasn’t thick probably 9mm as the worst points but there was a lot of it.

Some lovely countryside and views generally

After going through Stanthorne lock, another deep 1 at 11’ 1”, I arrived at Middlewich

Entering Middlewich

And moored up for a day or two, pleased to find good internet and not bad phone signals, haven't bothered to try the TV.

Tonights mooring

Totals today: 4 miles : 1 lock

Some days it’s better to not do anything.

Yesterday began with a very heavy frost, I had already decided to move and was in good spirits when I got ready, the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a lovely cruising day down to and through the six locks at Grindley Brook and then three more locks to arrive at Marbury, a total journey time of roughly four hours.

Something was out of kilter though, I think it was me, I was definitely tired and soon lots of silly little things began to go wrong and everything annoyed me changing my mood to one of frustration, only little things, forgetting to pick up my windlass before walking to the lock, getting my centre line tangled around my feet, leaving a paddle up! it just wasn’t going well, having got down the staircase of three locks at Grindley Brook without killing myself or anyone else things did not improve but I soldiered on and eventually arrived at my intended stop, the final straw was a really muddy towpath, boy was I glad to get moored up and put the kettle on, a day to forget J

No pictures, I wasn’t going to risk dropping my camera in the cut.

Total that day! : 5.5 miles : 9 Locks

Today was a cold damp misty start, I was in two minds about what to do but decided to walk into the small village of Marbury and have a look around, it’s about 10 minutes along a country lane and I was pleased I did.

There is not much there, the mandatory church, another huge one given the size of the village and of course the pub.

At the back of the church is ‘Big Mere’  and a smaller one which I assume is ‘Little Mere’ a few pics of the big mere and St Michaels Church.

Big Mere

The church viewed from the mere.

And up close

The lych gate is a memorial to those from the parish who gave their lives in the 1914-1919 war and on the church side has these words carved into the horizontal member “Ye who live on mid English pastures green, remember us and think what might have been”.

The village green with its seat around the tree and the Swan Inn public house beyond.

The Village hall, not huge but I would imagine at one time the centre of activity, 1929 over the entrance.

A delightful little out of the way quiet English village.

Back at the boat I got myself ready and set off, for I hoped, a better trip, and it was, although the weather was not wonderful all was right with Quinquireme and me, back to normal, if there is such a thing. Just ahead was the first lock of the day, Marbury lock and then I was off and away.

I mis-timed my approach to the electric lift bridge at Wrenbury, I could see the Red traffic lights showing someone was coming through it as I approached but I was too far away to slip through with them and I thought ..... 'here we go again'........,but no, having tied up at the bridge I thought I’d pop in the chandlers first and buy some fender rope, as I was coming out I saw a fitter and asked if he could check my batteries, he said yes, reverse your boat in and I will take a look, he then offered to operate the bridge for me, so it was all good, I reversed in between the other boats without hitting them and he confirmed my batteries need replacing, it wasn’t a shock, I have suspected for some time that they were on the way out.

I left there and had a pleasant cruise through the three Baddiley Locks

Leaving one of the three.

Through the two Swanley Locks and past Swanley Marina all withought incident, I was a happy chappy again J

I have moored for the next day or two between bridges 4 and 3 a quiet spot with just me here, I need to source some new batteries!

Tonights mooring

Totals today: 7.5 miles : 6 locks : 3 lift bridges