Tattenhall to Wigan

We usually stay in a marina during January but this year we had other plans.  After enjoying a month at Chester with Mum and Dad we returned to Brent III in Tattenhall Marina on 2nd January.  Lighting the fire to warm her through was a priority along with stowing away all our belongings, we'd bought so much in Chester we had to buy another holdall to bring it all back. Then we checked CRT's winter stoppages to make sure our intended route to the Leeds Liverpool Canal would still be open.  We were surprised to see the Bridgewater Canal would be closed near Leigh on 9th January; this wasn't in the original schedule and meant we would have to cover 62 miles to pass the stoppage.

The next day it was barely light as we sailed out of Tattenhall Marina accompanied by Chris & Geoff on Geordie Spirit who are travelling the route with us.  Chris and I found the first locks hard work after our break but we called in at the Calveley Mill Shop and bought some treats for later.  At Barbridge Junction we turned onto the Middlewich Canal and moored up shortly afterwards at Cholmondeston.

On Wednesday we were off again at daybreak but stopped for some logging which took longer than intended and as we sailed off the boats were considerably lower in the water.   There are some good views from the Middlewich Canal and as we sailed along the embankment a couple of birds perched on the hedgerow watched us pass. 

Avian spectators on the hedgerow

At Middlewich we turned east onto the Trent and Mersey Canal and moored up after the flight of single locks.  During the night a hard frost created thick ice on the canal and our ropes had to be thawed out before we could cast off.  The first lock was a double lock, bizarre as the locks either side are narrow.  We crunched our way noisily through the ice creating some interest for walkers on the towpath,  our bow smashing through the ice was the subject of a lot of photos.  The entrance to the Anderton Boat Lift looked desolate as we passed, it is also closed for maintenance but there aren't many boats on the move anyway.  

The entrance to the Anderton Boat Lift

The ice was particularly thick in the wide basin in front of Barnton Tunnel and we had an audience as Brent III ground to a halt.  Kev reversed back and rammed his way through, at least there was no ice in the tunnel but it wasn't very straight.  The second tunnel, Saltersford, was only 424 yards long so we were surprised to see passage through it was regulated by time slots; travelling north we could only enter between the hour and twenty past.  Once in the tunnel we realised why, its bends were disorientating and prevented us seeing through to the other end, a bit hairy.  The next day we found a similar system in place at the Preston Brook Tunnel which is 1239 yards long.  At Preston Brook the Bridgewater Canal takes over from the Trent and Mersey.  This canal is owned by the Bridgewater Canal Company and is wide, deep and, best of all, doesn't have any locks.  

On Saturday we awoke to thick fog which slowed our progress but we continued on through Lymm which looked as if it might have been a nice place to stop if we'd had more time.  A long straight stretch of canal took us through Sale and we moored up within walking distance of its busy town centre.

On Sunday we sailed passed Trafford Park and over the Manchester Ship Canal on the Barton Swing Aqueduct which rotates the canal, water as well, through 90 degrees to give access to tall boats on the ship canal below. 

Crossing the aqueduct with Geordie Spirit following

Shortly after passing Worsley we reached Vicars Hall Bridge, the cause of the canal stoppage but there didn't seem to be any preparation for the works.  After mooring up I walked back to check a notice attached to a post, it was for planning permission and was dated December 2016, the works certainly wouldn't be starting the next day.  We didn't do much that day either, heavy rain kept us inside. 

On Tuesday we sailed into Leigh and stopped briefly for shopping.  The jurisdiction of the Bridgewater Canal Company ends at Leigh and we were now travelling on the Leigh Branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal.  During that night the wind picked up and was still gusting in the morning so we stayed put but we did use the wind to our advantage.  Boats can be prone to condensation if not properly aired and during the cold damp weather we'd battened down the hatches a bit too tightly, some damp spots were appearing.  We opened up the doors and let the strong winds blast away the damp.  

On Thursday the winds had died down and we sailed through to Wigan stopping short of the flight of 17 locks.  Wigan is a good shopping centre so we had a walk round and bought a potato ricer for perfect mash or, if you're following Kev's diet, perfect mashed turnip.  

Over the next 2 days we ascended the Wigan Flight and then had a day off to enjoy Sunday lunch at the friendly Kirkless Hall pub. 

Our journey from Tattenhall Marina to Wigan