Towards the end of 2023

Yet again I’ve neglected the blog for six months, so I’m aiming to do a couple of update blogs in quick succession for the end of 2023 and what was once called the ‘new year’!!

October we headed off of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Our 4 yearly boat safety certificate (BSS) which was due at the end of October, so we travelled to Middlewich to meet the examiner.

A lot of organisations fought really hard for the likes of us continuous cruisers, with no home mooring to get the winter 2022/23 fuel allowance. Our allowance finally came through at the end of September. We could have spent it on treats, but instead we stopped at Midland Chandlers to spend it sensibly on boat essentials. Their shops are large boaty DIY stores.

On our way to Middlewich we stopped at one of our favourite spots on the Trent & Mersey Canal, the site of the 2012 Dutton breach. Luckily, this rather large buzzard didn’t land on my bird feeder.

 

The trees were still green on our southwards journey. It didn’t take long for it to become quite autumny and all those leaves were in the water.

From our elevated spot we overlook the Weaver valley with its huge viaduct that carries the West Coast Mainline.

We love strolling along the River Weaver. We saw some rowing enthusiasts in a restored Victorian rowing boat. There is a fair flow on the river & we saw them going up in Dutton lock.

On a previous stroll we’d seen some building work on the banks of the old River Weaver course, now used as a by-weir for the Weaver navigation. It was super to see the new hydropower station in operation. So fascinating to watch the huge Archimedes screw, with what appears to be so little water going around it.

On our return journey from our BSS check, there’d been a lot of rain and the River Weaver was closed to navigation as the water was so high it was flowing over the top of the lock gates. You could only just see the top of the water point, which is situated quite high on the bank above a mooring point. And a photo of us getting water at a similar tap at Anderton on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

 

For a long while, we have discussed getting a shopping trolley. We finally got one during the summer from Bolton market. It was a fair stroll to the shops at Northwich, it is so good for the really heavy shopping items.

The Lancashire kids seem to get two weeks October half-term holiday. However, the junior school and high schools only overlap for one of the weeks. Nikita came to stay while her brothers were back at school. It was a fairly damp week (which caused the River Weaver Navigation to close).

It is quite surreal cruising through the middle of what used to be ICI (now TATA) salt works at Northwich, with all its pipes and steaming vessels.

The alternator started playing up so we had a few days at Marston, near Northwich, while a new part was sent to us at our c/o address, The Salt Barge Inn that was just a few yards from the visitor mooring!!

The wait for the part gave me the opportunity to do some Christmas prep. Off to the shops with my trusty trolley to get frozen raspberries, sugar, gin & vodka, to concoct some liqueurs. Plus, onions & vinegar for pickling.

There were a few tunnels on our journey, and I just so love ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’.

We headed back to Lancashire for winter. Our journey along the Bridgwater Canal took us right by the backdoor of the Trafford Centre. As we were mooring, we got slightly concerned about the huge number of people walking towards us along the towpath. We chatted to them as they passed us. They were doing a litter pick along that stretch of canal, organised by Manchester Sea life Centre, a regular community initiative that included local school children. They had collected a shocking amount of rubbish.

 

I absolutely hate the business of shopping centres, so we were able to visit the Lego shop as soon as the doors opened & the Christmas crowds had got out of bed!!

I just love the interior architecture of the Trafford Centre, and it was even prettier with all the decorations up.

We have never moored at Worsley before, just passed through many times. It was the coal rich area that enticed the Duke of Bridgewater to build his canal. There are miles of underground canals.

Our Chorley family asked us to join them at a Christmas market at Salford Quay, an easy journey on a bus from Worsley. It was a crisp day and the developments along the upper Manchester Ship Canal looked spectacular.

We visited the very informative Lowry Centre. There was also a ‘Gruffalo’ exhibition there too.

We were the only boat moored at the generously sized visitor mooring in Worsley. When we got back from Salford we were shocked to see another boat moored so close to us!! At busy spots we’d expect to have to moor so closely.