Historic Working Boats

From the Llangollen canal we returned briefly to the Shropshire union and then turned onto the Middlewich branch.  This canal is just 10 miles long but because it is raised up over it's surroundings it has some outstanding views. 

View from the canal - across the River Weaver and a lake looking towards Winsford.

As we approached a bridge we saw a boat coming towards us, an old working boat now selling rope fenders, coal, diesel etc.  As we passed each other Kev asked the price of diesel and decided to fill up.  We moored up and the working boat reversed back and tied up to us with the diesel pump in the right position.  We enjoyed a chat while filling up, bought some coal  and then untied and continued our journeys.  All very easy and convenient.

We saw some more old working boats which were travelling to an event at Ellesmere Port for Easter.  At Middlewich the canal joins the Trent & Mersey and we head south.  The view changed dramatically; a busy road, industrial areas, a salt factory and houses now flank the canal.  As we headed out into the countryside we came across another working boat which was stuck sideways across the canal.  The owner was trying to turn it round in a winding hole, a place where the canal has been widened to enable boats to turn.  Unfortunately it wasn't deep enough for the boat loaded with bags of coal.  We assisted by trying to push and when that failed by pulling on a rope tied to his stern.  A guy with a van obliging pulled a rope that was attached to the bow.  Eventually the old boat turned and was able to go on it's way which was, bizarrely, in reverse to the next lock down.  Apparently it had got stuck going through forwards but the owner thought it would be OK in reverse.   

Taken during a pause in the proceedings, our rope is tied to a cleat on the stern and the van on the left pulled a rope attached to the bow.

It was getting late so we moored up just before the next lock and Kev noticed the water level had dropped.  We assumed the guys with the old boat were still having a problem going through the lock. 

At 9 o'clock the water level had dropped by 18 inches and we were resting on the bottom.  We walked down to the lock to see what was happening and found the lock paddles had been left partially open.  This meant the water was running straight through the lock and draining our section of the canal.  There was no sign of the old boat so we shut the paddles and walked up to the lock above our mooring to let in some water.  The boat owner's phone number was on one of my photos so I gave him a ring but he denied leaving the paddles open. 

The next day the water was still low but we were able to continue.  Boaters coming in the opposite direction told us there was a problem at Wheelock Locks the day before.  The water had mysteriously drained out and engineers had been checking for leaks.   It was more likely another case of opened paddles. 

As we headed south-east we gradually climbed up towards the Peak District and noticed the canal water had turned brown.  This gradually changed to rusty brown and at Kidsgrove it was orange.  The colouring is caused by ironstone leaching in the Harecastle tunnels.  

At Kidsgrove we turned onto the Macclesfield Canal which, unusually for a canal, loops back and crosses over the Trent and Mersey on an aquaduct.  

We've come along the orange Trent and Mersey at the bottom of the picture and then turned onto the Macclesfield Canal which loops back to cross over on the aquaduct.  

Between Middlewich and Kidsgrove we've climbed 288 feet in 31 locks.  Many of the locks have a duplicate lock which prevents bottlenecks on busy days. 

Duplicate locks at Thurlwood

Our route from Baddiley to Kidsgrove.

Spring and winter

We planned to take the return journey at a steadier pace but it turned out slower than we intended. 

Warm dry weather and lambs frolicking in the fields suggested spring was in the air.  The canal had come to life and we met cheerful hire-boaters starting their holidays.  A gaggle of geese honked noisily as we moored up near Chirk.  The walk to Chirk village took me down and up the other side of the steep Dee valley.  It was worth the walk as there was a good selection of shops including an excellent butchers. 

Bess and Brin enjoy playing on the towpath in the sun.

  At Ellesmere we resolved the first of our technical problems.  Brin wasn't very smart when she chewed the charger for Kev's smartphone but a universal charger soon had the phone working again.  Ellesmere was also useful for shopping as Tesco is alongside the canal basin.  We moored 100 yards from the store's entrance and stocked up.   

Our other technical issue was worrying.  My email account had been hacked and was being used to send out spam emails.  Apologies to anyone who received these.   The spam emails are easily identified, they just contain a link to a website without any text from the owner of the account.  I've since heard of several other instances of this type of hacking.   

The signs of spring disappeared when cold weather gripped the country.  We were lucky we did not have a heavy snowfall but it was very cold and windy so we decided not to move on.  We were also lucky that we had moored up outside the Willeymoor Lock Tavern which serves hearty meals to hungry boaters and has a selection of real ales.  We felt sorry for the hire-boaters who, huddled in layers of winter clothing, had to keep going to return to their hire bases.  

The weather improved on Monday so we resumed our journey passing through the last of the manual lift bridges which are a feature of this canal.  The bridge is lifted by turning the lifting gear with a windlass.  It isn't hard to turn the windlass but a lot of turns are needed to raise and lower the bridge.  

Raised manual lift bridge

Our journey from Pontcysyllte to Baddiley

Tunnels & Aquaducts

As well as being narrow our Nicholson's guide advises the Llangollen canal is also shallow.   Before turning onto the canal I checked if it would  accommodate our draft.  The Canal & River Trust confirmed we could make the trip but we would drag the bottom in places.

The depth of water was more than adequate for the first half of the trip but shortly before Ellesmere we heard the first scrapes and bangs from below as the canal became shallow.  We made slow progress cutting through farmland to New Marton Locks.  From here we could see the Welsh foothills, our intended destination.  Luckily shortly after the locks the canal deepened making travelling easier.  The lack of any more locks also helped.

Incredibly the canal remains at the same level on it's route through the hills.  This is achieved initially by following contours and then the Chirk Aquaduct crosses the River Dee.  A matching stone rail viaduct runs alongside the aquaduct giving an impressive close up view of the architecture. 

Immediately after the aquaduct we entered Chirk Tunnel.  At 459 yards this was our longest tunnel yet and it's only wide enough for one boat.  At the entrance we could see straight through to the small arch of light at the exit.  The way was clear so we switched on our spotlight and slowly sailed through the dark arched tunnel.

Chirk Aquaduct  - the matching railway viaduct is on the left and the entrance to Chirk Tunnel on the right

We emerged into woodland with the canal running parallel to the deep Dee valley.  Through the trees we glimpsed the elegant Pontcysyllte Aquaduct which is 1000 feet long and stands 126 feet over the River Dee.  

View of Pontcysyllte Aquaduct from the canal

This slender aquaduct contrasts with the stone structure at Chirk.  The canal flows in an iron trough which is supported by stone arches.  The towpath with a protective railing runs along one side.  On the other side there is just the lip of the trough and a sheer drop.  The views are spectacular. 

Brent III on the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct. 

The far side of the aquaduct was busy, it is a hire boat base as well as a tourist attraction and plenty of people were walking round.  We'd realised something was round the prop so pulled over and found swathes of polyester which would have to be cut off.  It's tough cutting underwater so, standing on the back deck, Kev sharpened our 10 inch kitchen knife with the steel.  I don't know what the passers-by thought but no-one stopped to chat.  

After freeing the prop we made our escape back over the aquaduct.   The canal is too shallow for us to go on to Llangollen but we were very pleased to have sailed over the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.

Our journey from Grindley Brook to Pontcysyllte Aquaduct

Ellesmere Port

From Tattenhall we sailed towards Chester.  The rural landscape gave way to the village of Waverton which has plenty of interesting back gardens along the canalside.  The canal took us back through history as we passed the old industrial buildings and steam mill before cutting through the dark red sandstone below the Roman walls.  The walls with their towers and gates across the main roads into the city, make an interesting circular walk giving good views across Chester.

The canal cuts through the red sandstone and under Northgate Bridge.  In the top left hand corner you can see the Roman Walls and the Northgate entrance into the city.

Brin quickly settled into travelling.  After looking out from the back deck she retired to bed taking Bess with her.  Later we found she'd also taken the opportunity to check the bookcase and worktops, helping herself to anything worth chewing.  In future everything will have to be placed out of her long-legged reached. 

This branch of the Shropshire Union links with the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port, our next destination.  Unfortunately this last stretch of the canal was full of rubbish which continually wrapped itself around our propeller and rudder.  We had to make frequent stops for Kev to delve into the weedhatch to pull out plastic bags, clothing and sacks.  

The Shropshire Union on the left joins the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port is also the home of the Boat Museum and as we arrived a large crowd stood around the basin.  We realised they were watching a demonstration of model boats as it was an enthusiasts' weekend.  It was interesting to see the detail of the models and the speed at which they motored across the basin.  The highlight of the visit to the museum was stepping into a restored working boatman's cabin.  I can't imagine how the working boat families managed in such a small space.  

As we didn't want to venture onto the Manchester Ship Canal we retraced our route back to Hurleston Junction where we turned onto the Llangollen Canal.  This is a narrow canal with extremely narrow locks and our slim black tubular fenders had to be lifted before we entered.  

The Llangollen Canal is rural and peaceful and in common with Tattenhall we often see hawks sat in trees.  However we were surprised to see a duck fly up and land in a tree as we passed.

This canal is very popular with tourists but we prefer to be here out of season.  Moorings are plentiful but in places the towpath is very wet.  We've picked the driest spots and have dog towels at the ready for muddy paws.  

Our route from Tattenhall Marina to Grindley Brook, the retraced route is shown in orange.

Leaving Tattenhall

We've been lucky with the weather during our first winter aboard Brent III.  A Karcher vacuum window cleaner has helped with the condensation but after prolonged wet weather we started to notice damp patches on the wood panelling.  On investigation we realised it wasn't just condensation,  the air vents in the roof were no longer water tight and rain was running down into the shell of the boat.  A temporary fix with silicon prevented any more leaks and we now have replacement vents.  

We're looking forward to continuing our travels but we've enjoyed seeing family and friends before we sail off.  We were pleased to see John, Cath and the kids who braved the weather to visit us.  Later in the month we enjoyed a stay with Nic and Gaz which gave us the opportunity to catch up with Shaun & Laura, Pat & Karl and John & Sue.  Bess & Georgie immediately started playing but Brin wasn't so sure.  Eventually she joined them and showed  how fast she can run by leaving them behind.  

Preparations to continue our cruising have been underway.  To reduce our deep draft we've removed some of the lead blocks which serve as ballast and handily we were able to sell them as scrap.  We've also had a good sort out and took off the items we don't need.   

Kev's been busy with general maintenance and servicing the engine and we've been out for a short trip to check all is running properly.  On the domestic front we've made good use of the mains electric.  The washing machine has been working overtime and all rechargeable batteries and appliances have been charged.

I've been testing Chester's reputation as a shopping centre and accompanied by Mum, I went to buy an outfit for Jo's wedding, happily we were successful.   Having bought everything else we may need and stocked up on supplies we were ready to start the next stage of our journey.  On 1st March we sailed out of Tattenhall Marina.