Heading North - Week 3

 Monday 20th March - Barbridge to Middlewich 

Setting off from our overnight mooring, with a view of the Barbridge Inn, the meal last night was very good!  It did start to rain just before we set off but it soon stopped and we had a dry cruise.  Once we got to the junction we turned right onto the Middlewich Branch of The Shropshire Union canal.  The turn was tight but Dave managed it brilliantly.

There are two locks both close to Marinas, and they are quite deep locks.  We were following another boat so I had to wait for the lock to be reset.  I am pushing the boat away from the towpath before bringing it into the lock.

This is the Top Flash, just before you get into Middlewich.  There are some delightful moorings here with splendid views across towards the River Weaver.

Toby and I worked the last lock of the day and then walked along the towpath into Middlewich.  There were very few boats moored up so we chose the first one we came to and secured the boat.

We went into Middlewich to do some provisions shopping but the shop we were looking for was closed and being pulled down.  The new Morrisons is now on the outskirts of the town centre along with an Lidl, but it meant that the town centre looked very sad indeed with many of the shops we remembered being closed.  A lot can happen in 5 years!

10 miles, 3 locks, 4hrs 0mins

Tuesday 21st March - Middlewich to Lion Salt Works

Another bright sunny day, so we set off from our mooring, Toby and I walked and did the first lock of the day.  Wardle Lock takes you down onto the Wardle Canal, the shortest canal on the network.  At 154ft it connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch and it was built so that the Trent and Mersey Canal could charge heavy compensation tolls on all traffic between their canal and the Middlewich Branch of  the Shropshire Union Canal.

Once under the bridge, Dave turned left and headed north along The Trent and Mersey Canal.

We stopped at the Town Wharf water point to fill up with water, the large red brick building in the front was a wharf storage building for housing valuable or perishable goods, the building behind was a cottage and offices.  The site has been sold for redevelopment but nothing appears to have happened so far.

The boat coming towards us is Minuet, we owned shares in this boat before we bought Ella.  It’s good to see her out and about still.

On the offside of the canal is a lovely mooring site, it has the remains of a tramway coming down to the canal, where the wagons would tip onto the waiting working boats, suggesting existence of clay or puddle pits.

All the bridges along this part of the canal are flat topped and this is so that they could be relatively easily raised in the event of subsidence caused by the production of salt in the area.

A brand new Marina, with pontoons, buildings and parking areas but no water.  I’ve never seen a dry marina before!

Passing through the Tata works which date from the late 19th century, the pipes cross the canal with dire warnings to evacuate if you hear a siren!  A large chemical site, certainly not the most attractive part of the canal.

We moored up at the Lion Salt Works with a view to visiting the Museum.  Unfortunately, their internet connection was down and they could only accept cash and as we didn’t have any with us we had to change our minds.  Perhaps another time.

8.25 miles, 5 locks, 4hrs 8 mins

Wednesday 22nd March - Lion Salt Works to Dutton Wharf Bridge

Wow, we are blessed at the moment with the weather, rain is forecast for later in the day, but the morning is warm and gloriously sunny!  Toby and I walked to the services at Anderton and then cruised on to the Visitor Moorings at the Anderton Boat Lift.

We met David from nbSilent Waters, another Bourne boat and had a pleasant chat about the boats and their builders.  He also told us that the Boat Lift was closed along with the Visitor Centre here he was hoping to get a super breakfast.

We wandered along to have a look and yes everything was closed down and the basin and boat troughs were dewatered looking a bit of a mess and very sad.  Work to the Anderton Boat Lift is ongoing, both caissons and cylinders have been released ready for the seals and bearings to be replaced. The east cylinder has been polished and dismantled as the old parts are cleaned and the new parts are inserted to make sure that the new oil stays in the system.

We travelled through two tunnels today, this is Barton Tunnel.  It is possible to see the other end of the tunnel and as there isn’t enough room for two boats to pass, you need to be sure no one is in the tunnel before you proceed.  You can just see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as the tunnels aren’t straight it is definitely off centre.

The second tunnel, Saltersford Tunnel, is operated on strict timed entry, as it is so wonky you can’t see to the other end.

We also rescued a dog bed which had blown off nbSilent Waters which was travelling ahead of us, Dave fished it out of the canal with our grabber and it was passed over to David via a moored boater.

We moored up at the visitor moorings just before bridge 212, the exact mid point of the significant breach of the canal which took place on Tuesday 25th September 2012. The canal was finally reopened on Friday 3rd May 2013.  We walked down to the River Weaver and along the banks before returning to the boat.  

At the site of the weir on the River Weaver there is a hydro electric station harnessing the power of the water.  The weight of water flowing through the Archimedean screw will cause the screw to turn thereby harnessing the energy in the water.  It was amazing to see this in action.

6.75 miles, 0 locks, 2 tunnels, 3hrs 24mins

Thursday 23rd March - Dutton Wharf Bridge to Lymm

The next morning was damp and overcast, but we set off and arrived at the southern portal of Preston Brook Tunnel.  Ella is ready to enter the tunnel with her headlamp and navigation lights on.  We also have all the cabin light on as well lighting up the tunnel the whole length of the boat.

The southern portal of Preston Brook tunnel, circa 1777 by James Brindley, it has no towpath and the horse track goes up through the houses along the length of the tunnel.

When you come out the other end you are on the Bridgewater Canal, Canal and River Trust have a reciprocal agreement with Peel Holdings for 7 days transit which is perfect for us.  We booked our passage on line, so hopefully there will be no problem.

We stopped at Midland Chandlery and stocked up on some boating essentials before continuing on to moor overnight in Lymm.  

12.5 mile, 1 lock, 1 tunnel, 4hrs 6mins

Friday 24th March - Lymm to Sale

The Bridgewater Canal is completely lock free, and we noticed a large increase in the number of boats moored in marinas and in long lines along the canal.  A lot of the boats are fibre glass ones as well, far more than we have seen on the canals in the West Midlands.

A very attractive bridge cottage, with the tree just coming into blossom, very pretty.

These are interesting buildings, possibly apartments over looking the canal shaped like the stern of a boat. 

Sale sea cadets boats, all set for the new season.  We decided to stop for the day in Sale, found a mooring along with other boats, and tied up with stakes knocked into the ground.  We had an explore of the town centre and found a fresh fishmongers shop, very exciting, so we treated ourselves to some lemon sole and halibut!

8.25 miles, 0 locks, 2hrs 36mins

Saturday 25th March - Sale to Worsley

We set off from Sale and it was quite windy so we had to work hard to push the boat off the mooring.  We got to Stretford Marina and stopped for water, diesel and logs.

We met Dave and Stephen at the Marina office, Dave is a baroque flautist and had a long chat with Dave and Stephen chatted about his girls, one of which is a millionaire.  You do meet some very interesting people!

Crossing the Barton Swing Bridge, one of the wonders of the waterways world.  The Barton Aqueduct was built in 1761, but it became obsolete as the ships coming up the Manchester Ship Canal became larger and couldn’t get under it.  It was replaced by a unique swing aqueduct that was opened in 1893 and was an even more daring structure than the original aqueduct, consisting of a channel that could be sealed off at each end to form a 235 feet long and 18 feet wide tank, holding 800 tons of water, that swung round on its pivot, situated on an island in the middle of the Ship Canal.

Ella moored in Worsley in front of the Packet House.  Passengers used to catch a fly boat from here, climbing down the steps in front of the house to board the boat.

The Delph shows the entrance to two of the canals that went underground to the network of  coal mines.  The tunnels were very narrow, and the slim boats known as ‘starvationers’ were used to haul the coal. The unusual name was probably given to them because of their thin shape, and pronounced ‘ribs’.

This building is the oldest building in Worsley and was built before 1725 originally as a house, then altered in 1789 to be used as a nailmaker’s shop. It became a reading room for villagers in 1844, this was a subscription library and also a meeting place. Then in the 20th century it served as a library, craft shop, art gallery and offices.  It is known as the Nailmaker’s House.

7 miles, 0 locks, 2hrs 12mins

Sunday 26th March - Worsley to Wigan Junction

A lovely start to the day, although a trifle chilly, but it was good to see so many people walking along the excellent towpaths along the canal.  This is RHS Garden Bridgewater, built on the site of Worsley New Hall, Once visited by Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, it survived a fire and two World Wars before it was demolished in the 1940s. The RHS are reviving the gardens of the 154 acre site to create the fifth and newest garden in their portfolio.

Gradually the evidence of mining gives way to the cotton factories with their dome like tops.  This one, Leigh Spinners, is still operative making carpets and synthetic turf.

 

On the other side of the canal is Butt’s Mill, but the weaving sheds have been replaced with modern housing.  It is the only large, early C.20 cotton spinning mill in the Wigan district and one of the best surviving examples of its type in the Greater Manchester area. However, planning permission has been granted at the beginning of this year to demolish it and replace with an employment building.

Cruising through Leigh we get to the end of the Bridgewater Canal and we are back on Canal and River Trust property.  Apart from the sign on the bridge there is nothing to mark the change from the capitalist waters of the Peel Group to the charitable waters of the Canal and River Trust.

A group of three ducks, but if you look closely, one is a male Mandarin duck.  Originating from the Far East, they escaped or were released from captivity into the wild.  They are unusual in as much as they nest in trees!

At Plank Lane road bridge we had to wait whilst a wide beam boat was having a pump out and we couldn’t get past them.  They then reversed back along the canal past us and we were able to go through, it saved Dave having to work the bridge which was very helpful!

We then worked our way through two locks at Poolstock.  The locks are generally shorter than those we are used to, 62ft rather than 72ft, and are wide locks.  Tomorrow we ascend 21 more of these locks and hopefully we shall have some volunteer help, fingers crossed!

Approaching Wigan Junction, we turned right to moor up at the bottom of the flight, but changed our minds and reversed to moor on the left hand side where there are other boats.  Safety in numbers!

13.75 miles, 2 lock 5hrs 6mins

Heading North - Spring 2023 Week 2

Monday 13th March - The Bratch

The start of our second week and we have decided not to move today.  High winds and squally showers are forecast for the whole day and neither of us are fond of cruising in these circumstances, so a quiet day on the boat!

However, a break in the showers saw us exploring the village of Wombourne.  It is a fair walk from the canal, tucked down a hill off the main road.  The village is four sides of a square around a sports playing pitch in the middle.    The parish church of St Benedict Biscop is a Grade 2 listed building and is a landmark building in the Wombourne Conservation Area. Records show that a church has existed on the present site for more than a thousand years.  

The Wombourne Institute is still very active today with many groups using it as a meeting place.  Above the door is a plaque saying “Let’s go hand in hand together, not one before another”, dated 1863, but still very relevant today.

We continued walking away from the village and arrived back at the Bratch Locks which we shall go up tomorrow.  

Tuesday 14th March - The Bratch to Compton

A beautiful start to the day and we soon got underway and headed for the locks.  Dave went ahead to set the locks and to our amazement there were a team of 3 volunteers and a trainee volunteer.  This meant I was very quickly lifted up through the flight.

As Dave really didn't need to do anything he stood and chatted with one of the volunteers.  The gentleman in red beside the lock gate is the trainee, being shown how to operate these fascinating locks.

John, helping us up through the top lock, a big thank you to the team for their much appreciated assistance.  

At the top of Dimmingsdale Lock there is a very sad looking boat, listing to one side and burnt out inside.  It must have been used as a trading boat as there are remnants of coal and wood inside the hull.  I wonder what the story behind this is?  

Approaching Wightwick Mill lock, our last lock of the day.  We shall moor up below Compton lock and find some more wood for the fire and top up our provisions for the next week.  We shall also have fish chips from the chippie in Compton, they are rather good!

4.25 miles, 8 locks, 2hrs 54mins

Wednesday 15th March - Compton to Brewood

Today we woke to a dry but grey day, all very good for cruising, so we set off with Dave going ahead to set Compton Lock.  All very quiet with no other boats moving at this time.

As we got closer to the junction I looked up through the trees and saw two Muntjac deer at the top of the embankment quietly grazing and watching us cruise slowly past, just as I took the photo they had moved out of line, but we were quite chuffed to have seen them.

The finger post to Birmingham up the Wolverhampton 21 locks.  This time we are continuing on and taking a left turn at the next junction, Autherley Junction, to join the Shropshire Union Canal.

The first thing you have to do is go through the Stop Lock of about 6inches.  These were installed to stop rival canal companies ‘taking’ their water.  Although this isn’t the case today we still have the stop locks to pass through.

We continued onto Brewood, this is the church from the canal.  When we lived in Market Drayton we used to use this canal all the time, it must be almost 5 years since we last cruised along it.  The main thing we noticed was that the towpath has been tidied up and is now entirely mud free, we always had to wear wellington boots to walk along here.

Speedwell Castle is a mid 18th century red brick house at the corner of Brewood's former market place. It has been designed in an irregular gothic style. The house was reputedly built by William Rock from the proceeds of betting on a racehorse named Speedwell.

7.5 miles, 2 lock, 3hrs 22mins

Thursday 16th March - Brewood to Gnosall

One of the things we had forgotten about is the notorious Shroppie Shelf, when the Shropshire Union Canal was constructed two hundred years ago the shelf was cutting-edge technology used to reduce wash and protect the embankment.  However, today it can be a nuisance when mooring unless you have suitable fenders which go low enough to protect your boat from banging against the shelf.

Whenever we moored in Brewood we would look out for the Christmas Tree, the photo below was taken when we left Overwater Marina and moved from Market Drayton to Worcester.  Nearly 5 years ago, see how much it has grown!

Here, the canal crosses the old Roman Road of Watling Street, now the A5.  The elegant aqueduct of iron, brick and stone construction is similar to the one in Nantwich.

As we approached Gnosall we entered Cowley Tunnel.  At just 81-yard (74 m), the tunnel was planned to be 690 yards (630 m) long, but after the rocky first 81 yards (74 m), the ground was unstable, and the remaining length was opened out to form the present narrow and steep-sided Cowley Cutting.

We found a pleasant mooring in the village and went for a walk to explore Gnosall which is set back from Gnosall Heath which is along the canal.  We found an interesting pub, The George and Dragon, this is George behind the bar.  They pride themselves on being a straight forward basic pub with no extras.  It was quite refreshing really, and the beer was excellent.

 

This is our mooring taken from the bridge as we walked back to the boat.  Very quiet and peaceful.

7.5 miles, 1 lock, 3hrs 42mins

Friday 17th March - Gnosall to Market Drayton

A very pleasant start to our day and we decided to cruise for as long as the good weather stayed with us.  We got to Norbury Junction where there has been a closure in place for work being done on the wash wall.  The canal is open again but the contractors are dredging in the area.  We had to wait for a boat to come through the bridge and then we were on our way again.

We are cruising through Grub Street Cutting, an 80 foot deep cutting, and this bridge carries the A519 over the canal.  The double arched bridge has a tiny telegraph pole in the top arch.  It is a survivor from the telegraph line which used to go along the canal.

Shebdon Embankment, 1530 yds long and absolutely dead straight, Telford’s canal drove a straight line relying on cuttings and embankments to cut through the countryside.

The top of Tyrley Locks and Tyrley Wharf, with these picturesque old stables.  Originally built as a private wharf, Tyrley quickly developed into a vibrant hamlet of workers cottages and an ale house, making Tyrley an important overnight mooring and stables for working canal boats.  Past occupants at the Wharf include a Lengthsman, Wharfinger, Game Keeper, Shoemaker, Boatmen, Horse Keeper and Estate Workers.  1917-1932 Cadbury leased the Wharf using it for loading and transporting milk churns from local farms to their chocolate factory at Knighton.  The stables have had many uses over the years, a Parish Hall, Meeting Room, Sunday School, Reading Room and Poll Station.

Tyrley Locks used to be a favourite walk of ours when we lived in Market Drayton

We moored up at the end of the Market Drayton visitor moorings and went for a walk into the town.  We ended up in the Red Lion where we regularly enjoyed a glass of Joule’s Ale and free sausage rolls on Fridays at 5pm!

13.75 miles, 5 locks, 5hrs 18mins.

Saturday 18th March - Market Drayton to Audlem

Another lovely start to the day, so we set off and stopped at the services to top up water, empty rubbish and use the Elsan.  The photo shows Betton Mill built circa 1905, initially as a warehouse for cheese, then as a mill from circa 1915. Conversion to ground floor offices (and cafe for a while) with residential accommodation above was carried out around 2000-2001.   The canopied building on Betton Mill Wharf replaced an 1870 warehouse in 1903. The wharf was used by Ted's Boatyard until about 2005.  We viewed a property here when we were looking at properties to buy in Market Drayton.

Victoria Wharf used to have a thriving boatyard, Orwell’s Boatyard, but it has been dismantled and there were plans announced 2 years ago for a marina to be built on the site.  There is no sign of work happening at the moment.

Approaching Audlem Locks, we shall descend 11 locks today and moor up for the day and finish off the three tomorrow.  At the top of the locks is a stall selling cakes, so I bought flapjacks and scones, yum!

We took a walk into Audlem with it’s church standing proud in the village centre.  Unfortunately many shops were closed and our favourite pub ‘Lord Combermere’ was shut down, we called in at the Shroppie but they stopped serving food at 2.30pm and we were too late, so it was back to the boat and the rugby!

6.5 miles,16 locks, 4hrs 24mins.

Sunday 19th March - Audlem to Barbridge

A bit of a dreary start this morning, but we set off and the weather improved as we got under way.

We had 4 more locks on the Audlem flight to do, so Dave took the boat and Toby and I walked and worked the locks.  This is Audlem Mill, a lovely canal side shop, which has been run by Peter and Christine since 2007.  The building and business is now up for sale, as they are retiring, so hopefully it will continue to thrive under new management soon.

The next building down is The Shroppie Fly, opened in early 1975, converted from a canal warehouse, built in 1916, once owned by the Liverpool & Birmingham Canal Company. It has had fluctuating success over the years and has spent quite a bit of time closed down.  It is now under new management and we understand that they are working hard to make it successful.  Part of the "famous bar" is supposedly a flyboat bow, but is actually part of a wooden BCN 'Joey' or dayboat. 

Just outside Audlem is Overwater Marina, our first marina for Ella.  As we passed we waved at nbThrepence Ha’penny, the boat we used to moor in front of and which is also another Bourne boat.

Love these cows, they look so cuddly.  The Belted Galloway cattle originated in the rugged hill country of southwestern Scotland. The native cattle of this region were consistently hardy and thrifty, though they varied in colour conformation, and horn type. Galloways came to be celebrated for their efficiency on rough forage, maternal ability, and high-quality beef. 

Approaching Nantwich, we crossed the aqueduct which is looking splendid in its new coat of paint. Constructed in 1828, the famous cast iron trough aqueduct is designated a Grade II* listed structure. Work in 2015 involved repairs to the supporting masonry and cast iron parapet railings, brickwork repairs and re-pointing. The structure was also repainted.

Hurleston Junction is the junction with the Llangollen canal, we have explored this canal on a couple of occasions and it remains one of my favourites.  We continued on to Barbridge and were lucky enough to find a mooring on the same side as the Inn but far enough away not to be too noisy - perfect!  Tonight we shall have a Mother’s Day supper and toast all our wonderful daughters as magnificent mothers.

9.75 miles, 6 locks, 3hrs 54mins