Ella Repainted Autumn 2026 Week 1

 Monday 31st August - Audlem to Coole Pilot Visitor Moorings

Today we decided to move the boat down towards Nantwich.  We set off towards Audlem and turned the boat in the winding hole before the locks then continued back the way we had come.  As you can see from the photo it was very overcast and surprisingly windy, so when we reached the moorings at Coole Pilot we decided that was enough and moored up for the night.

We were quite close to the Hack Green Secret Bunker and as we had never been decided this was a good opportunity. The  bunker stayed secret for more than 50 years but now you can visit the labyrinth of rooms and authentic equipment used to run this defence region in the event of a National Emergency. In the event of World War III the Russians would not need to occupy the British Isles to achieve a military victory. They did however, arm and plan to neutralise Britain. Should that eventuality have occurred Hack Green stood ready yet again to play its part to oversee the survival of Cheshire and the government, post nuclear war.

During one of my walks I found several blackthorn bushes ladened with sloes and picked about 600g with the intention of making sloe gin. When we are in Nantwich I will need to buy a Kilner Jar, gin and some sugar to start the process off, we shall then have sloe gin for Christmas!

1.75 miles, 0 locks, 48mins

Tuesday 1st September - Coole Pilot to Nantwich

We are moving on today to Nantwich, here we are approaching Hack Green locks.  Completed in 1835 as part of the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal, the engineer Telford designed this stretch to be as straight and efficient as possible. By using long embankments, deep cuttings, and minimizing the overall number of locks, the canal company sought to compete with the rapidly emerging railway networks.

Below the locks is this winding hole.  When we used to moor the boat at Overwater Marina this used to be one of our favourite excursions, cruise down the canal, through the locks, turn the boat, back up the locks and moor at Coole Pilot for a cream tea!   

Once we had moored up, a trip into Nantwich in search of Kilner jars and gin!

3.75 miles, 2 locks, 1hr 42mins

Wednesday 2nd September - Nantwich

A lazy day, a walk in to Nantwich and some relaxing time on the boat.

Thursday 3rd September - Nantwich to Audlem

After a day relaxing in Nantwich, it is time to move on.  We have decided to continue towards Chester and wind the boat at the first winding hole, come back the way we have come and go as  far as Coole Pilot.  This is Nantwich Aqueduct, recently renovated and looking very smart. Restoration work was carried out in 2015. The project won the restoration and historic environment category of the Canal & River Trust's Living Waterways Awards in 2016.

At the Hack Green locks there is a building which used to stable the horses that towed the Shroppie fly-boats along the canal.  Running non-stop, day and night, with an all male crew they delivered the important and perishable goods, around the clock over the UK waterway network.  We moored up at Coole Pilot and had some lunch but there was a tractor in the field across the canal which seemed to be running it’s engine in order to extract water from the canal so we decided to move on to Audlem.

A quick shop in Audlem especially calling into the butchers - Oxtail and Trotter - where they sell excellent fresh meat.

 

Sunset over the canal.

8.5 miles, 2 locks, 4hrs 30mins

Friday 4th September - Audlem

Today we have emptied and tidied all the lockers in the stern and bow of the boat.  We’ve treated the bow lockers with a rust converter and will paint them with a special bilge and locker paint as soon as we are able.  De-cluttering and organising the lockers was extremely satisfying!

Saturday 5th September - Audlem to Cox Bank

A lovely start to the day and we decided to cruise up the locks to Cox Bank.  The lock beside the Shroppie Fly was very busy with on lookers and people using the pub.  We had stopped below this lock to fill up with water and used our newly sorted bow locker!

The next lock along is this one with a very strong by water coming down the side of the lock and straight into the path of the boat.  Unfortunately a lot of bumping along a wood barrier placed strategically along the left hand of the lock entrance, but not too much damage done to the blacking.  The touch up paint will come in useful here!

We moored up at the Visitor Moorings above Lock 3 and went for a walk on the other side of the canal.  A lovely view of Ella.

The walk took us into Cox Bank village, very quiet and picturesque, then down the hill towards the canal to the lock beside the farm which has a shed full of cakes, pasties and ice cream!  So armed with brownies and shortbread we returned to the boat and settled down for the evening.  

1.25 miles, 13 locks, 2hrs 24mins

Sunday 6th September - Cox Bank

A quiet admin day, catch up with correspondence and banking before lunch and a walk across country to Audlem and back up the 13 locks in the afternoon.

This farmhouse is on the land the footpath passes across and the brick arch makes me think of carriages arriving carrying lavishly dressed people for a celebratory ball, the carriages and horses being cared for in the stables in the yard behind the house.  Bridgerton comes to mind!

Walking across the field towards Audlem, the large church on the hill visible on the skyline.  This used to be a favourite walk when we lived in Market Drayton.

At the bottom of the slope you cross a little stream, beautifully clear and very inviting for Toby, he loves gently flowing water to drink and cool off in.

This is the Old Grammar School in School Lane. This is a grade II* listed building, founded in  1655, and is one of the finest in Audlem, second only to the Church in historic importance.  It was used s a Care home for many years but has been sold at auction and there appears to be work going on behind herrous fencing.

As we sat at the Shroppie Fly, the large working boat moored opposite the pub moved across the canal, it is called nbStanton, built in 1936 and used to carry coal for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Co until the 1960’s.

Ella Repainted Autumn 2026

 Friday 28th August - Overwater Marina

Today we travelled by car to our new mooring at Nelson’s Wharf where we met Steve (the owner) and left the car.  Steve then drove us to Rugby Railway Station where we caught a train to Crewe.  Delays meant that we missed our connection to Nantwich and in very heavy rain we managed to get a taxi to take us to Overwater Marina.

This is Ella as we left her at the end of the Repaint Cruise, looking very tired and sad.

Andy Russell has worked on Ella over the past month and worked miracles with a lovely new paint job and updated signwriting.

He has even signed the boat ‘Lovingly Hand Painted by Andy Russell’ exactly as I wanted!

We have the traditional sun and moon depicting working from dawn to dusk with the contrasting harlequin diamonds.

Andy has even put the boat name Ella on the gunwale at the bow of the boat, that was a surprise when we found that!

New scroll for our motto…

…and Ella with Diglis and extra scrolls to even out the design.

Ella, looking resplendent in her new livery.  A super job done by Andy and also thanks to Matt and his team for the blacking and all the little extras they have done.  

We stayed overnight on this pontoon as it was very heavy rain and we shall move Ella out of the Marina tomorrow.

Saturday 29th August - Overwater Marina to Audlem Winding Hole

Woke this morning to sunshine and blue skies so decided to move out of the Marina and onto the Canal.  We turned right out of the entrance and travelled all of 0.5 miles.

We moored opposite the River Weaver and just below the start of the Audlem Locks.  Soon after we had tied up the rain started and has kept going most of the day, this is the view out of the pram hood, lots of rain which we desperately need!

The view back along the canal, a whole line of boats stretching back almost as far as the Marina.  The 14 day ruling for moving boats has been suspended because of the low water situation but hopefully this rain will help to improve the problem.

0.5 miles, 0 locks, 10mins

Sunday 30th August - Audlem Winding Hole

Today we have decided to stay on our mooring and spend the day sorting the boat and arranging where to put things on the roof.  We walked into Audlem during the morning and visited the Bank Holiday Fete, coming away with local honey, eggs and books, a good haul!

The River Weaver flows close to Audlem here before heading northwards across the Cheshire Plain towards Nantwich.  This is one of the ponds close to the river which attracts many wading birds.  The Kingfisher regularly breeds in the sandy banks of the river and along the canal.

The Repaint Cruise - Summer 2026

 Monday 20th July - Brewood to Gnosall

This week will see us arriving at Overwater Marina and leaving Ella there for her transformation.  So we are enjoying a gentle, stress free cruise along the Shropshire Union Canal.

This is just outside Brewood, we used to moor here many years ago and this Christmas tree was only tiny.  It’s great to see it doing so well, even producing fir cones at the top of the tree.

These are non-residential moorings at Little Onn, they look quite new, and not being used at the moment.  We were quite interested in a mooring here when we lived in Market Drayton.

Cowley Tunnel as you come into Gnosall Heath, only short with a towpath on the side, once through the tunnel we moored up and walked up to the Navigation Inn where we met friends Anne and Steve who drove over from Perton.

The tunnel is quite beautiful, the unlined rock makes for some lovely patterns.  It was originally planned (by Telford) that it would be much longer, but conditions meant that it was more cost effective for most of this length to be a cutting, with just this final stretch actually being bored through the rock.

7.75 miles, 1 lock, 3hrs 42mins 

Tuesday 21st July - Gnosall to Norbury Junction

A short hop today to moor at Norbury Junction as it is a favourite of ours.  

We passed this little yacht moored up as we approached Norbury, I have never seen a yacht under sail on a canal but there’s always a fist time!

After our lunch we did our favourite walk back along the canal, under the canal and back down the other side.  This is the road bridge going under the canal, bends at each end so traffic is blind so lots of horns being used.

The BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute for Forest Research Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) facility, located in a Staffordshire woodland, is one of the world’s largest climate change experiments.  Since 2016, it has been simulating the predicted 2050 atmosphere by pumping carbon dioxide (CO₂) around mature oak trees.  A fascinating project.  

Our return route took us past the Junction cafe and a welcome pot of tea and a slice of carrot cake.  We watched the day hire boats that had passed during the day return and moor up at the end of their day’s cruising.

2.5 miles, 0 locks, 1 tunnel, 1hr 6mins

Wednesday 22nd July - Norbury Junction to Market Drayton

As we prepared the boat for moving onto Market Drayton I spotted this heron sitting between the permanent moored boats clearly watching for his next catch.

A good cruise wth Dave doing most of the driving whilst I cleaned through the boat.  It was good to see Tyrley Wharf looking so neat and tidy with the same boat moored in front of the house.

Beautifully looked after tubs and hanging baskets outside one of the houses looking much neater than the last time we were here.

Leaving a lock coming through Tyrley locks, the bottom of the five locks is cut directly into and through the red sandstone bedrock. The approach to the lock is lined with tall mature trees so is gloomy and damp except when the sun manages to shine across in the afternoons.  Much of the canal is narrow and shallow through here.

Sid’s Place is adorned with a flowery hat and a fishing rod today, we have seen him in various different guises, but this one is quite pretty!

After we had moored up we walked into Market Drayton looking for a bakery but with no luck.  Most of the shops were already closed for the day at 3.30 and there were many empty shops, but we did call into The Red Lion where I had a glass of of my favourite craft lager, Green Monkey, straight from the barrel suspended from the roof!

11.25 miles, 5 locks, 4hrs 54mins

Thursday 23rd July - Market Drayton to Cox Bank

After a pleasant evening moored at Market Drayton we began to make our way through the town.  This is Talbot Wharf, where there used to be a thriving boatyard and chandlery, but today it looks very quiet and unloved.  When we lived here 11 years ago, we walked down to this wharf one Christmas evening with a very young Toby to see Father Christmas set out on his boat.

When we were looking for a property we viewed one of the apartments in this renovated mill, it wasn’t quite what we wanted at the time, but it was a fascinating place.

Outside of the town stands the remains of the bridge carrying The North Staffordshire Railway as it crossed the canal.  Whilst the NSR was a relatively small railway company it became affectionately known as “The Knotty”, due to the adoption of the Staffordshire Knot as its logo on both its rolling stock and staff uniforms. The headquarters for the company were founded at Stoke, in the heart of the smoky Potteries, with the NSR network spreading across North Staffordshire into the more scenic areas such as the valley of the River Churnet.

Betton Cutting near Market Drayton has always had a dark reputation among boating people, legend has it that a shrieking spectre has been seen and heard and older boating folk avoid stopping whilst travelling through here.

Five locks at Adderley, quite close together and very easy to work.  A short hop then to the top of the Audlem Locks.

At lock no 1 on the Audlem flight is a farm which has a table, fridge and freezer stacked full of edible goodies!  I discovered Cheshire Farm Ice cream, quite delicious especially the Honeycomb Ice cream.  We moored up for the night after lock 2 at Cox Bank and went for a walk down the locks into Audlem past all the heritage boats that had already arrived for the weekend.

5 miles, 7 locks, 3hrs 12mins

Friday 24th July - Cox Bank

Today we spent the day at Cox Bank watching the heritage boats arriving and descending the locks into Audlem.  This weekend is the Festival of Transport and heritage Boats Gathering.  Audlem is very busy with all the boats so we decided a mooring at the top of the locks would be much quieter.

Saturday 25th July - Cox Bank to Overwater Marina

Today we begin the final day of this cruise taking us down the locks, through Audlem and out to Overwater Marina.  This is looking back up the locks towards Cox Bank.  The pounds between the locks are reasonable to walk and we made good progress.  We were joined by 2 volunteer Lock keepers who helped us down the locks.  On our way we passed two other boats going up the locks, but otherwise it was pretty quiet.

Coming down lock 12, under the bridge and we start to see the heritage boats moored up.  All mooring from here has been allocated to the Gathering which will be fascinating to cruise through.

Our 2 volunteer lock keepers, Derek and Kevin, were brilliant today, very much appreciated their help.  Derek usually works the locks at Grindley Brook but as the locks are closed due to the breach on the Llangollen canal he has moved to help out at Audlem instead.

Audlem Mill is now closed, it used to be a lovely canal shop and craft centre.  It is supposed to be re-opening as a community space but not at the moment.  The top floor has been turned into holiday accommodation as an Airbnb.

Passing through the heritage boats moored alongside the MIll and the Shroppie Fly, threading my way through boats double breasted with just inches to spare.

Once through the locks we cruised on until Overwater Marina, moored on the service pontoon and checked in.  We were directed to a vacant mooring on Erodium and once we were tied up went back to the Cafe for some lunch.  This is the sign for Andy Russell who is going to do the work on Ella.  She is going to be hand painted all over by Andy, at Bourne’s she was spray painted and the sign writing was hand painted by Andy.

1.75 miles, 13 locks, 2hrs 54mins

Sunday 26th July - Overwater Marina

A leisurely day preparing the boat and visiting Audlem to watch the vintage car parade.  Unfortunately it was very windy, cold and rainy, but it was fun to see all the vintage cars, lorries and tractors.

On Monday, we leave the boat and return to Ventnor Marina by taxi, train and taxi to collect our own car and drive back to Worcester.  The repaint begins on 3rd August, lasts for 4 weeks and we shall return at the beginning of September to collect Ella in her shiny new livery and cruise her back to her new mooring at Nelson’s Wharf.