Time flies

Its amazing to think its only 5 weeks now and we will be back home and its 2 weeks since I last posted so here's a potted summary of the last 14 days or so.

As I mentioned in the last post we went as planned down the other arm of the Caldon towards Froghall. We spent the first night at Cheddleton where there is an old flint works, in fact two together, both water powered although unfortunately they only open at the weekends but some good picture opportunities. The following day we moved on to see if we could go down to Froghall but the weather was so atrocious and the pub we had wanted to stop at for lunch had no available moorings so in disgust we turned round and went back to Cheddleton. Its a shame because the pub at Consall Forge is supposed to be very rustic - spit and sawdust and the steam railway station there is very well preserved - a point of interest being the waiting room which is cantilevered over the canal.  We had thought also about taking the train to Froghall but the day we were there was a special "Pepper Pig" day and we didn't really fancy sharing the train with loads of screaming kids - and I don't think T & T would have appreciated it either. One way and another the Caldon was proving a real pain!

We then retraced our steps back to Stoke and the Trent and Mersey without too much of significance happening and made our way towards Stone through yet another drenching. Not only was it wet but cold too and I ended up in anorak, woolly hat and gloves and we put the heating on in the boat for the evening. This was after hearing that the following day was promising temperatures in the 30's for East Anglia. Huh! Hope you all enjoyed roasting!

Stone is a pleasant town and we set off the next day for a few days R & R on Tixall Wide, an area at the start of the Staff and Worcestershire canal which we passed through earlier in our journey but didn't stop. We were lucky to find a mooring there and spent 3 nights with what we regarded as good weather. I managed to get the chair out and sit on the towpath on one day and we only had the occasional thunderstorm to contend with.

From there we continued our journey down the Trent and Mersey and on to Fradley Junction and down the Coventry canal. Friday night we stopped at Whittington and then on a couple of miles on Saturday to meet friends John and Louise (nb Bluemoon) for lunch and a couple of jars. The day had not been forcast to be good weather wise but as we spent a good part of it in the pub it wasn't a problem but we did actually miss the worst of the weather anyway.

Sunday saw us come on to Alvecote where there is an historic narrowboat gathering and we moored there at lunchtime for a look around. Its great to see so many old boats in such good condition. Its just a shame that the owners don't bother to dress the part. We were going to spend the night there but when the band started we decided it might be a good idea to move on so came another mile or so and will spend a couple of nights here whilst the bank holiday traffic goes by.

Bank holiday Monday and the skies are overcast and the odd drop of rain falling. We went this morning to look around the Pooley Field Centre but there was very little of interest there, not really sure what it was meant to be displaying although we had thought it was going to be about the mining history of the area.

Cheddleston Mill

Joules brewery building Stone (no longer a brewery unfortunately)

Stern lookouts!

Sunset on Tixall Wide

The old gatehouse Tixall

Historic Narrowboats Alvecote

A relaxing time?

As I mentioned in the last post we moved on to the mooring where we had walked up to Mow Cop and were really lucky with the weather as it was glorious and we had a couple of days there doing very little.

We then moved on to go onto the Caldon which meant a long day as we had no wish to moor up in Stoke and also we had to go through the Harecastle tunnel. This tunnel has controlled traffic so at least one is not faced with something coming the other way but never the less I find tunnels very stressful. You are in complete darkness except for the headlight and have very little room for manuvour so have to concentrate the whole time and not let the boat go off the straight line. Headroom is limited and its very wet with water dripping from the roof. I think the tunnel is nearly 3000 yards long and takes about 45 minutes to get through. A very welcome relief to get out into the sunshine at the other end.

We then headed down through Stoke and up the Caldon not a journey I'd want to make on a dull wet day - it was depressing enough in the sun. We had planned to visit the Industrial museum at Etruria (always sounds like an African third world country to me rather than an area of Stoke) but found that it was permanently closed so we headed up to spend the night at Milton. Not a bad mooring but for some reason I couldn't get our mooring hooks to fit and had to end up tying up on some old rope we had, just kept my fingers crossed that it would not fray overnight and to add to that concern whilst I was walking the dogs Sarah had a strange teenager stick his head in through the duck hatch and ask for a conducted tour of the boat! We made sure everything was securely locked that night! We woke up safe and secure so no harm done. We went and did the shopping in town but found it to be a rather depressing place and hoped that things would look up as we continued on.

The next night was fine and then we moved on to the Leek arm. Although only a short arm and supposedly very underused we had probably the most fraught couple of hours cruising of the whole summer. We had just turned on to the arm when a day boat pulled out from the bank right in front of using making me apply reverse quite severely and then they continued at a snails pace. Then at one point they found themselves in a narrow part of the canal opposite a moored boat with another coming towards them and panicked and pulled into the side giving the approaching boat very little room to get through and me to apply reverse again. Then about a mile further on rounding a bend at little more than tick over I found another boat approaching me on my side. I pulled over as far as possible and we missed each other by inches but it left me grounded and it took a fair few minutes to extricate ourselves. So much for a quiet peaceful arm!

 We eventually and moored at what one of the guidebooks describes as "one of the most charming moorings on the  system" Well, it was pleasant enough but I think that was a bit over the top. The following day, Monday, we carried on to the end of the arm at Leek and went in to this charming town although its a bit of a hike and through a large industrial area at first.

 Tomorrow we start to retrace our steps and then try the other arm and head towards Froghall. There is a very low tunnel at the end of that arm to get into the basin and given our experience of this canal so far I don't think I'm going to attempt it.

The "Snake" bridge I mentioned in the last post

  

A sunset at last!

Entrance to Harecastle tunnel

A rather unexpected sight in the middle of the canal

Moored at "the most idylic site on the system"

The neighbours pop round for an evening drink

There and back again

We are now back on the Maccesfield working our way down to the Trent and Mersey and then to go on to the Caldon.

The weather on the Monday I mentioned in the last post was good and I took the dogs for a walk into the hills and had some great views across into the Peak district.

The rest of the week has been mixed to say the least although we have been luckier than some with our timing and were usually moored before the deluges began.

We stopped near Lymes Marina for a couple of nights and on arrival had a great meal at a little cafe just by the canal and can highly recommend it. The following day we walked to Lyme Hall about 2 miles or so from the canal. A bit of a barn of a place but if it looks familiar think of Mr Darcy and a wet shirt as this is where they filmed "that scene" for Pride and Prejudice.

The following Day we stopped off at Clarence Mill at Bollington as we had thought it housed a selection of shops etc but on getting there found it was only a cafe that was open but a latte and a gooey cake was most welcome. In its heyday there were something like 30 similar mills around the town, the mind boggles as to the noise and pollution they caused.

We carried on in the sunshine and moored at Gurnett just before the heavens opened. Luckily it didn't last too long and we were able to walk to the pub for a meal and a glass (or two) without getting soaked. The snake bridge pictured below (sometimes called turnover bridges) are designed so that the horses could change to the towpath on the other side of the canal with having to be unhitched. There is a super example near where we are moored at the moment and if I remember I'll get a shot tomorrow before we leave.

On the next day and through the 12 locks on this canal and we moored at the bottom for a couple of nights. I had intended to polish the other side of the boat but only got a couple of sections done due to the rain.

On today to Congleton a fair sized town, a bit larger than Diss I should think and some interesting architecture and tomorrow we plan to revisit the mooring we stopped at on our way up when we climbed to the top of Mow Cop but don't think we will repeat that excursion!

Views to the Peaks from above Bugsworth Basin

Lyme Hall

Clarence Mill Bollington

Snake bridge approaching Gurnett

Not so lucky with his timing

No polishing today!

Busy doing nothing....

.....working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do.

My excuse anyway for not posting. I'm sure lots of you have been unable to get to sleep at night awaiting the next exciting instalment so my apologies for the delay but here it is:

We are currently at Marple on the outskirts of Stockton/Manchester. Not where we had originally planned to be but with all the rain we have been covering more ground (or water) than we had thought likely so have diverted up the Macclesfield canal and are in our way to the end of the Peak Forest. We have had a great week of weather although it is pouring with rain at the time of writing this (Saturday evening).

Before coming up the Mac we went almost to the end of the Trent and Mersey to visit the Anderton Boat lift, a huge structure which was renovated with Lottery money and now lifts boats from the River Weaver up to the canal. On the way back we did our good Samaritan act and rescued a hire boat that had managed to run aground.

We then went down "Heartbreak Hill"  a set of 26 locks in fairly close proximity but we took our time and did it over 3 days and it wasn't too bad - at least for me (David) as I was steering. Found a really good restaurant at Lock 57 on the T & M which we would thoroughly recommend.

A visit to Little Morton Hall last weekend was interesting a very ornate black and white building in the ownership of the National Trust - see below.

Little Morton Hall

Little Morton Hall

The following day we walked up to Mow Cop a local landmark topped by a 18th century folly and the site of the first primitive Methodist church meeting which lasted 14hours!. Quite a climb but the views were stunning as you can see.

View from the top of Mow Cop

The Folly at Mow Cop (thats the building not Sarah!)

The Summit Mow Cop

The rest has been a leisurely and stress free trip - Oh, apart from the day when we were moored up and it being good weather we decided to clean the boat, so whilst I was doing the outside Sarah was cleaning the portholes and I suddenly saw the glass from one doing a graceful ark past me and straight into the canal (we were moored on a slight curve and of course the glass found the gap. We poked around for about half an hour without any success in finding it so the following a day a call to the boatbuilder and then a call to the manufacturer and they arranged to send out a replacement. It's really strange because looking at all the other portholes it looks impossible for the glass to come out  that way, but then it was Sarah cleaning the windows!

The Hovis Building on the Maccelsfield Canal

Tomorrow we plan to move on to Bugsworth Basin and hopefully stop there for a few days and get some walking in.

Having written the above but not got round to posting it a further update:

We are now at Bugsworth Basin a really interesting historical site. Arrived yesterday (Sunday) and managed to avoid being out in most of the thunder storms and got moored up just before more torrential rain. It cleared later and we walked the dogs and then had a drink at the Navigation Pub on the basin, great bear and more like Crufts than a pub as I've never seen so many dogs in a pub!

Woke this morning (Monday) to more torrential rain but it has actually eased now and the sun is peeping through, best get out and make the most of it.

Part of Posset Bridge at Marple

Moored on the Peak Forest

Man overboard!

It had to happen some time. The only real question was when and who. Well it fell to Teasle to be the first to fall in whilst we were on the move. It happened today - Friday 13th appropriately - all's well but it was a bit of an adrenalin pump for a bit especially as it happened just after we had gone round a sharp bend and I knew we had a boat following us. Good old Teasle though, although she is reputed to be not the sharpest tool in the box swam gamely to the towpath side and tried to scramble out. She couldn't make it as the edge was quite high and concrete but I had dropped Sarah off and she managed to lift her out. What we would have done if she had gone the other way I'm not sure as there were very thick reed beds on that side and I would have had great trouble in getting the boat in there. Anyway apart from the initial fright everything was OK.

We are currently heading up towards the Anderton Lift although not going down onto the River Weaver. We will have a look round and then retrace our steps passed Middlewich and probably onto the Caldon.

Middlewich is a small pleasant town in the middle of Cheshire and we went in to do some shopping, got talking to the butcher who just happened to have spent a lot of his childhood holidays staying with family in Bungay! What a small world.

Yesterday - Thursday was glorious; such a welcome break from the cloud and rain. We were moored up a few miles north of Middlewich in a very rural quiet location and enjoyed a day of sitting in the sun and a bit of boat cleaning and polishing. Its still a new toy so I actually enjoyed the polishing! Not sure how long that will last.

Today the weather has returned to being foul. We had planned to visit a salt museum (historically this area was a great producer of salt and there are large lagoons called Flashes where the earth has subsided and they have filled with water but are very shallow) However having got there and moored up in the pouring rain we discovered that it is closed for renovation till 2014 - a bit long to wait.

We are currently moored next to the Marbury Country Park and it looks as though it could be a delightful area to explore but at the moment we have lit the fire and closed the hatches and are trying not to look out of the windows at the incessant rain.

BLUE SKIES!

One of the numerous "flashes" caused by subsidence due to the salt mines

A week around Chester

Arriving at Chester on the Monday we found a mooring right in the city centre literally yards from the shops and spent a couple of nights there. The dogs weren't frightfully impressed as there were no rabbits around and very little grass but they did perk up when we found some squirrels in one of the parks. Chester is a really lovely city with a history that reaches back to the Romans and has a city wall which is virtually intact and you can walk right round the city on it. The dogs were not impressed by this either!

We then went on to the end of the Shropshire Union canal where it meets the Manchester Ship canal and spent a night there and had a wander around the Canal museum which was interesting, not least because whilst there the fire alarm went off and we had to be evacuated. It turned out to be a false alarm but trust the Ruddles to get caught in the middle of it! We then returned to Chester with the idea of stocking up and moving on the following morning (Friday) but this was such an appalling day that we sat tight. It was so bad that I said to Sarah in the morning that I would put the satellite dish up during a break in the rain so that we could watch Wimbledon but that beak never came so the ariel didn't go up.

We moved on on the Saturday, a quite pleasant day; came through the locks with another boat with a Gardner engine chugging away and stopped for the night at The Shady Oak at Beeston and had a few jars with the couple from the other boat. Sunday then saw us visiting Beeston Castle and although its a bit of a steep climb the views from the top are magnificent, you can see all the way to Liverpool, Joderall Bank and a total of 8 counties. It was a sunny morning which was good but by the afternoon the rain had returned so we depressed ourselves by watching Andy Murray lose at Wimbledon.

Approaching Chester

Steam Mill at Chester

Black and White buildings everywhere!

River Dee at Chester

More Black and White buildings!

Magnificent Organ in the Cathedral

Teazle and Tansies favourite bit of the day

The canal next to the City wall

An early morning visitor

From Beeston Castle

and again

and again - masses of rabbits here so they enjoyed the walk!

Beady eye on our Banana's

A tale of two cities - well, towns anyway

The journey up to Market Bosworth was fasinating with some very unusual bridges (see below) and a very narrow part of the canal chanelled out of a very rocky area.

We duly arrived at Market Bosworth and found a good mooring near the town but were most disappointed in the town itself. There were a few attractive buildings but basically it had the air of a rather faded, run down town. On the Sunday I took the dogs for a walk over what I thought would be some quiet country but got closer and closer to loud motorcyle engines revving to eventually realise that there was a motor cycle scramble going on. So once I finished the walk I went back to have a look and spent a couple of hours enjoying watching other people getting very dirty.

We moved on on Monday (after buying yet another bag of dog food) through 5 locks and stopped for the night near the village of Adderley Decided to stay there for the day and had a wander up to the village which was nothing special and then moved on on Wednesday to the 15 lock flight leading into Audlem. We had a good run through the locks with plenty of boats going the other way which helped getting the locks set without too much work and stopped after 11 locks for the night and went for a meal in the Shroppie Fly, a pub converted from an old warehouse on the quay side with a bar built like a narrowboat - sounds a bit twee but an alright meal and good beer. Fly in this context refers to fast boats which were used to carry perishable goods and other urgent cargos and used to run 24 hours a day with different crews.

On the following morning we set off  to go through the other 3 locks in the flight and then after passing the secret nuclear bunker at Hack Green (Seems a bit strange to call it secret when there are large signs advertising its presence) two more before mooring up at Nantwich. After Market Drayton our expectations were not high for this town but that was a mistake. It really is a very attractive town with a pedestrianised shopping centre, lots of good independant stores, very clean and very attractive 16th century buildings. Could certainly live there.

We had decided earlier in the week on a change of plan. We had spoken to a number of boaters who had come back from the Llangolen all saying how crowded and difficult it was so we have decided to leave that for another day when we can go out of season and will now be going on to Chester and Ellesmere Port. So Friday saw us pass the junction with the Llangollen and moor at Barbridge Junction where the Shroppie main line meets the Middlewich branch. Moored opposite a pub which went down dramatically in our estimation when they wouldn't allow the dogs in although the guide book says they are dog friendly. I suspect they have had a makeover since the book was wriiten but the beer and the wine were not really very special either.

Saturday saw us continuing north and on to Tiverton a lovely rural mooring with very moor like land opposite with sheep grazing. Made us think we really were getting into the wilds. The ruins of Beeston Castle tower over the area and some large earth works we saw we thought were something to do with it until reading the information board we found there were to do with PLUTO - Pipeline under the ocean - apparently another "secret" location this time for mass storage of oil during the second world war. It seems that the powers that be consider this part of the Uk to be very remote and unlikely to attract any enemy's attention.

Sunday: starting in the inevitable cloud burst saw us going through three more locks to moor up at the Cheshire Cat in Christelton on the outskirts of Chester. Worthy of note is the fact that one of the locks we came through was made of iron rather than the usual brick or stone. This was due to the problems they had with land subsidence but although the lock still functions it has become out of true due to the movement of the ground and although large enough to take two boats the advice is to only have one at a time in the lock to avoid snagging.

Tomorrow we plan to go into Chester and moor there perhaps for a night or two to explore the town and then on to Ellesmere Port.

Telegrah pole built into the bridge (the rest of the line has been removed, just the pole left).

Cutting through solid rock - no pneumatic drills then!

Mud, mud glorious mud.

A very traditional boat decked out for the Jubilee

The Shroppie Fly pub

Along the footpath at Nantwich are a series of sculptures, this being the most impressive made from reclaimed lock timbers

"PLUTO"

Beeston Castle

From the kitchen window

A linesmans hut at a lock