Anderton

We’ve spent a few day moored near the Anderton Boat Lift and were thinking how nice it would be to take the family down on the boat lift and spend a few days on the River Weaver.

We decided to may be do the decent next year, which was very lucky, as we then had 27 hours of constant rain leaving the River Weaver bursting it’s banks. Northwich had to close it’s flood gates and the by-weir next to the boat lift was absolutely racing. 

 

As we travelled away from Anderton we could see the flooded fields and the bungalows on the far bank under water. We moored near Acton Bridge to stroll down the path to have a look.

We walked this stretch of the river a couple of months ago and the sign for the pub was quite high.

There was a boat on the visitor mooring and you couldn’t see it's mooring bollards. 

 

We had a great day at Anderton Boat Lift Museum when Heather, the children and Edmund & Josh came to visit. Big and small children alike had a lovely day, (a few days before the floods).

 Playing with the toys and dressing up clothes at the museum!!

In the maze.

Saturday evening we met up with Colin & Carole from The Wool Boat and watched the firework display held at Anderton.

We spent a few days moored near Lion Salt Works and enjoyed strolling around the flashes. The flashes are where the salt mines have collapsed and are now nature reserves.

It is fascinating seeing old photos of how the towns suffered from the subsidence into the mines. In 1907 there was a breech of the canal as it too subsided into a mine. 

Nantwich

We spent a couple of days at Nantwich, a spectacular town with lovely old buildings. The River Weaver runs through the town and like all rivers at the moment it is pretty high.

The visitor mooring is on a big embankment and actually above the roofs of the new houses below.

There was another big aqueduct that we walked down.

There are wooden statues made of old lock gates along the embankment. The horse was the largest one.

The town was very busy Thursday for the market. We visited an old fashioned style grocers shop and pork butcher, A T Welch.  The lady cut the bacon as you ordered it and used a hand turned cutter. At the back of the shop is a cafe which doubles up as a museum. There is an exhibition of old tins, packets & jars in some of the old shop furniture.

There was an impressive array of colour by the river where the leaves have fallen and some purple berries on a garden bush, they looked unreal.

 












After our market shopping we had a few pints in a lovely old pub, The Black Horse which had a roaring fire. 

 

The day before we had been very disappointed when we visited The Talbert, it was a lovely old pub on the outside, but like so many had been modernised and had it’s heart taken out, in our opinion.

Burnt Oak that way.

We are really enjoying our journey along the lower part of the Shropshire Union Canal. I can’t actually remember the last time we came this way in a hire boat in the early 1980’s!! This part of the canal was built by Thomas Telford. It is very straight compared to the earlier canals which follow the contours, making them very twisty. 

We went over the Watling Street aqueduct and I just had to work out how far Burnt Oak was down it, 140 miles! 

To keep the route straight one moment you’re travelling along high embankments, with the tops of the trees at the same height as the boat.

The next moment you’re in very deep stone cuttings. No doubt this was a very costly canal to build but would have saved lots of time for the boats back in the day.

It was very damp and cold in the cuttings and the tow path was a quagmire. The canal guide books warn of the narrowness of Woodseaves Cutting and that boats aren’t able to pass very easily. Luckily we met our first boat as we got to the end. This is a very popular route being part of the four counties 

ring, so goodness know what it’s like in the height of the holiday season.

The bridges are impressively high and their reflections gorgeous.

Cowley Tunnel is like going through a cave, as it’s just rock, unlike other tunnels that are lined with bricks.

You can see the big grooves made from the tow ropes on all the bridges. The Shroppie fly boats used to worked 24 hours a day along this stretch.

We were luck to get through Weaton Aston lock as it was due to close the next day to have the cill repaired. There’s not supposed to be water gushing out, as the paddles were down.

The beginning to the week we had more rain making the tow path like a second canal.

Tuesday we went down Tyrley, Adderley, Audlem and Hack Green Locks, 22 in total. At the beginning of all these locks is a lovely cake stall on the towpath with an honesty box. We got water by Audlem Mill a craft & book shop. John got a 1960’s copy of Bradshaw’s Canal & River Guide.

I ended up taking the boat down all but a couple of these locks because it takes me so long to walk around these single locks, as I’ve not got the nerve to step across the bottom gates like John. If the locks aren’t too deep I can step on the boat’s roof though.

I had a super time spinning in the BritSpin 4 day marathon. I spun 3366 metres, over a mile in fact and our team can 13^th out of 17 teams.

A massive thank you to all my friends and family that donated to the charity. The giving site is open if you’d like to donate, until the end of this month, which is good, as we’re just 15% away from our target.

BritSpin 2019

I am again taking part in BritSpin, this year with Team Towpath Twizzlers, a team of 10, who either live on narrow boats or have very close connections with canals or rivers. It is a fun 4 day event that started at 21.00hrs last evening.

So I had John out with the camera to take pics of me actually towpath twizzling at the start.

The aim of the event is to see which team can spin the most yarn and at the same time, raise money for charity too.

This year to help me be able to sit and spin all day without having to worry about steering the boat or doing locks, the boat has broken down!!! RCR (similar to RAC) are on the engine’s case and will hopefully have a new part, to fit in the morning.

I have drum carded 1kg of Navajo-Churro fleece that I brought in Canada 7 years ago and already spun 2 bobbins full.

Like last year BritSpin is supporting a charity, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland. It would be lovely if you could cheer me on, by donating at Virgin Money Giving, if you are able to offer support, please mention Team Towpath Twizzlers when you give.

Chemical works

 
We’re now travelling on the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal, which we’ve not been on before. Which means lots of new scenery to look at.

Great Haywood Junction

Tixall Wide, near Shugborough Hall, is a very popular mooring place and as it’s off season there was plenty of mooring there. We had some nice sun rises (no pics) & sun sets there.

Bridge over the River Sow, still very high from the week before’s rain, leading to Shugborough Hall.

I must admit I was slightly concerned when John told me he was going out to find some haws. Of course he meant hawthorn berries to make wine, phew!!!!! So the berries are now in the fermenting bucket in the shower.

The old toll house at Gailey Lock.