Gloucester Docks

Captains Log

Canal Date             14^th May

Location                    Gloucester Docks

I think we may be having a re-run of last year. We are stranded in the docks, we were going to travel the river Severn yesterday but it was running a bit high so we waited another day. This morning it is much higher and the river is now closed so we will have to wait here until the weather improves and the river level drops to normal.

I can think of worse places to be stranded. We have an unlimited amount of pubs & restaurants to try out and there’s a Cadbury outlet shop.

We will survive - I am not so sure if the bank account will though!

Gloucester Sharpness Canal

Captains Log

Canal Date                14^th May
Present Location       Gloucester Docks   Gloucester Sharness Canal

 Well, what a strange month it has been. We have has burning hot sunshine, heavy rain, gales and horrid cold spells.

The last report on here was on the river Severn at Upton. What has happened since then?

Well I have not fallen in the water, the boat has not broken down and all is well in our little world. 

The trip from Upton to Gloucester was interesting in so much as you could clearly see where the river had been only a few weeks previously. It was a good 10 feet higher. I am so glad that we were not out on the river in those conditions. That would have been just a bit too scary for us. We had to wait for the tide to turn at Upper Load Lock.  Apart from that the only issue we had was on the final approach to Gloucester. The river splits just before Gloucester. It is known as the Partings. The channel taken by boats is quite narrow by river standard causing the flow to be much faster and just to make life interesting we were being pushed along on an out going tide. We were going at a fair lick! It was then when I opened my mouth just in time to put my foot into it. I said to Pam “This is where we will meet a combine harvester!”  In that instant a bloody great ship came round the corner. One of the huge river hotel boats. Now he was not going to move out of the centre line. He needed the deepest channel.  I could not get into the bank as it was full of fallen trees from the floods. I could not stop as the river flow was far too strong. I could see the white of the captain’s eyes. He was not a happy bunny at all. We just managed to pass each other. I went as close to the fallen trees as I could but the wash from his ship pushed me into the debris. Not much damage, just a few scratches in the paint work. 

We joined the Gloucester Sharpness Canal and I have never felt so relieved to be off a river since the last time I was on a river!

We spent a few days in the basin before heading down to Sharpness. We spent much of the time moored at Purton. There are hundreds of wrecks there on the Severn bank. They had been beached there to help stop the erosion of the canal by the Severn. They make for a most interesting walk. While there we had fully laden river barges going past each carrying 250 tons of rubble from a building site. They were full! No more than 2” of boat above the waterline.  Think how many lorry loads that would have been. It was nice to see the canal being used for what it was designed to do. The weather was just perfect while we were there. I did get a bit of sunburn on my head. I wonder where all my hair has gone to? I never used to get sunburn on the top of my head. This is about as far from our home as we can go in this direction and it is where we had most visitors.

We broke the run back to Gloucester into small steps. We stopped at every village and point of interest we could find.

We are back in Gloucester Dock. We docked on the floating pontoons in a gale. I thought I knew what I was doing but the strenght of the wind took me by supprise. I was expecting it to cause some issues but I thought I had allowd for it and was firmly in control. That is until the boat swung completly round. It took 4 of us to pull it against the wind. The afternood was as bad as I have ever had. Almost sea sick.

We are now slowly building up courage to tackle the mighty Severn again. Probably on Thursday. Then going up the River Avon to Stratford upon Avon.

The river Severn is at normal summer levels now, but it is raining and it can rise very quickly. If it looks even slightly dodgy then we shall remain here until it settles again.

Our up to date movement can be found on Water Explorer.

www.waterexplorer.co.uk

Stourport to Upton

Captains Log

Canal Date 26th April 2013

Location   Upton upon  Severn

22 miles & 4 locks

Up nice and early to get to Upton in time to find a mooring. My back is still not right and giving me a bad time. It is slowly getting better. I shall be very glad when it does.  I called the locks on VHF and they were all ready for us on arrival.  We did have a nasty hail storm for a while, that forced me to put up the canopy. At least we proved that the new modifications to the front window works. Please note: We passed - repeat - passed at least ten pubs today. I am a reformed man,  When we arrived at Upton there were already two boats moored on the outside and a small plastic fishing boat on the inside. There was not quite enough for me on the inside, we are at a bit of an angle, but it will do us fine. We all went to the Swan Inn for our evening meal. It was OK, nothing special but the food was better than the expected and the beer was good. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I can revert back to having a lazy day.

Stourport or bust!

Captains Log
Canal Date 23rd April 2013

Cookley to Stourport

8 miles and 11 locks  1 supermarket and 1 canal-side cafe! (note no pubs)

We set off nice and early. It was good to on the move again, even better to on the move in the sunshine and better still to on the move in the sunshine in the warm. Good days are coming! We stopped at the Lock at Wolverley and had a tea and bacon sandwich. All very nice and leisurely. We then found our selves in a queue for the locks. Just passed the lock we came across narrowboat  "FT-100" with Roy & June. We stopped and had a chat for about an hour before moving on to the shops in Kidderminster. It was good to see Roy and June, they did look well. June is still looking forward to retiring from the pub and Roy is till not sure if he wants to sell it. Nothing changes there. Pam went to the massive Sainsburys while I stayed on board. I waited, and waited for Pam to return. After 1 hour 45 minutes had very slowly passed, she returned with a trolley full of food. We then struggled to find space on board to stow it all. By now it was becoming apparent that we may run out of daylight before we get to Stourport. We had a good run from there and arrived in the town with plenty of light left and we filled up with fresh water and disposed of our rubbish. There was no suitable moorings in the basin so we moved on down the 4 locks to the river. By the time we had done that it was just about dusk. I dispatched Pam to the chip shop and we had a chip shop supper in our boat. It was not a late night, we were all very tired and ready for bed.   A long but most enjoyable day!

Captains Log

Canal Date 31^st March 2013

Current Location Cookley (Nr Kidderminster)

What ever happened to Global Warming? Even the politicians are now calling it Climate Change! It is the last day of March and Easter Sunday. The outside temperature last night dropped to minus 7. The canal has gone all stiff again and all the bushes & Briers have gone very white. At this time of year the Daffs should have come and gone and the whole countryside should be shrouded in the green mist of spring.

We had planned to go away in the caravan for Easter and leave the waterways free for the weekender brigade. A good plan but due to climate change the event was called off. So here we are, ice bound in Cookley.

We shall be going down the river Severn just as soon as the river levels drop to a more sensible level.

I say bring back global warming!

Captains Log

Canal Date                    9^th March 2013

Current Location         Cookley Near Kidderminster

Well that’s it then. The first leg of the world cruise had been completed and on time too. It was good to have Jim with us. He is a bad influence on us and made us call into pubs on the way. We we would never thought of doing that!

We are now moored close to Cookley and within walking distance of our sons house. Unlimited use of washing machine and tool shed. This will do nicely for a week or two. We moved yesterday. We were right next to a road bridge with car parking. An ideal spot. Unfortunately, it was also a location that stopped all radio systems from working. No terrestrial or satellite TV, no internet, very weak radio. We moved about half a mile on to an opening in the woods. All systems working fine now. The down side is that we will have a ½ mile walk with the shopping. The good side is that we are ½ mile closer to the pub!  

Captains Log

Canal Date         6^th March 2013

Current Location Greensforge (Nr. Kinver)

Well all did go to plan Jim arrived on time and we did make it to Birmingham on the first day. We stayed in our usual spot outside the NIA. It has always been quiet there. Much quieter than you could ever expect. Of course, we had to have a meal out, it being the first night and all that.

Next morning we were all up and chomping at the bit and eager to go. Well it was almost 10.00 The run through the Birmingham Canal Navigation is always interesting. I have taken an interest in the industrial archaeology and the sight of the old factories and foundries that follow the length of the canal area most interesting sight. When one thinks of Birmingham and the Black Country it conjurers up images of dirt and deprivation but the canal has been improved so much that it is just like travelling through a long park. There are areas with derelict old building but that only adds to the character and it must be remembered that the only reason the canal was there was to serve the factory’s. We stopped overnight at the Black Country Museum. I was very keen to have some of the famous fish & chips cooked in beef dripping. I was devastated to find that the museum was closed.

Next morning we set off again, Still on the BCN heading for Wolverhampton and its famous or infamous 21 locks. With Pam and our new apprentice Jim the had the locks done in less than 3 hours. I don’t know why but they did look tired after that?

We forced ourselves to go to an Indian restaurant for our evening meal.

Next morning the weather had changed. It had been bright and sunny but now its dull and grey with a bit of drizzle. Undeterred, we set off once again on our expedition to Cookley. This leg of the run is a bitty one with locks every mile or so. At times it did feel like we were not making any progress at all but we did eventually get to out destination of Greensforge near Kinver. And to my complete surprise we stopped right out side a pub again. Well it would be rude not to try it out and I was bought up not to be rude!

Captains Log

Canal Date 2^nd March 2013

Current Location Hopwood

Well, this is our last night at Hopwood and tomorrow we start our 2013 world cruise of the Inland Waterways. It has not been a bad winter as winters go. Most of the winter stoppages have now been finished. The icebergs have now all gone.

It feels good to be moving again.

We spent much of the day sorting out all the last minute things that should have been sorted out over the winter but were not done. We are now ship shape and ready. Just waiting for the off.

We will raise the anchor and set sail at the crack of dawn, heading due north for Birmingham city center  If we set off by 1100 hrs we should be moored up by the N.I.A. at 1500 hrs. Plenty far enough for the first day.

Summary of last years World Cruise

Captains Log

Canal Date                   16th January 2013

Location                       Hopwood Visitor Moorings

First blog of the new year.

I gave up with the blog half way through last year. I found that I was writing about none events and only things that would have been of interest to Pam & I.

Perhaps I was wrong, so many people have said that they missed the blog. Some saying they wanted to keep up with our movement, Some just like to spot my all too frequent spelling & typing mistakes!

I will start with a resume of last years world cruise.

We set off with every intention of going up to the frozen north for two main reasons

1) There were droughts with associated major water shortages in the Midlands and even worse in the south.

2) There was some sort of school sports day thing going on in and around London and this had to be avoided at all costs.

So up-tut Frozen North it was then.

Plan A

(why I ever bother with a plan is beyond me) was to go to the Anderton Boat lift, spend a bit of time on the River Weaver and then go on up and do the Ribble Link and on to the Lancaster Canal and go all the way north as far as we can before returning once more through the Ribble link, then going east over the Leeds & Liverpool heading along the River Trent and back towards Nottingham and finally back to the midlands for winter. With out doubt a bold and interesting plan.

It all went rather well until the plan involved help from BW. They could not fit us in for the Ribble link. The guide book recommends at least 5 days notice, I gave them 2 months, They wanted 12 months! Bless them all!

Plan B

We cut out was to be the high light of the trip and turned towards Wigan. What a place that is. Wigan peer is the ultimate disappointment on the UK tourist trail! This disappointment was more than compensated for with the crossing of the Leeds & Liverpool canal. Just the name conjures up images of abandoned shopping trolley, dereliction, decay and dead dogs. How wrong can you be? It is a true delight and the most picturesque canal I have ever traveled. All went well until some idiot in her majesty government decided that it would be a good idea to have a minister for drought. From that day on, and almost without a break it rained. Some days very heavy, the other days it was even heavier! We had run out of canal and had to join a river. The river looked like it had been modified for the Olympics and was to be used for white water rafting. Not the place for a narrow-boat at all. We were stuck there for 2 weeks before the river dropped to an almost safe level. From there we worked our way slowly up to York where we moored outside the York Minster, all very grand. York is on the River Ouse and the river was rather high on the way up. The mooring rings were just above the water level, but it is summer and the river should soon be dropping to normal levels. Oh how wrong I can be! After a full day and night of heavy Yorkshire rain it became even higher and more worryingly, faster. We made dash down stream to the relative safety of the river lock. Once at the lock we spoke to the lock keeper. He said we would have to wait at least 24 hour as the spring tides and the flood water were making the river just too dangerous for narrow-boat movement. That I can understand but I was also well aware that there was a fair amount of flood water still to come and it was still raining! He did let us through the next day. This was just about the hairiest run I have ever done or ever want to do again! Remember, we are traveling with an ebbing spring tide with the added impetus of a river in flood. The combined effect was a very fast run indeed. The river flow was 9 mph. To get any control of the boat I had to go at 2 mph faster than that. That is water skiing speeds! The bridges came up to us much faster than I thought I could cope with. There was complete trees floating along with us. Proper scary stuff.

We were very soon approaching Selby. This is where the canal branches off form the river and a safe sanctuary could be found. All I had to do was get into the lock. This lock is a 90 degree turn and the normal way to enter it is to go past the entrance, turn the boat round and go up stream nice and slowly and in full control and turn into the lock. A good plan indeed except for a small but rather important point. The river is flowing considerably faster than the good ship Daddy Cook can go, so if I had passed it I would be going flat out and still going backwards! Ending up somewhere near Hull eventually. So I went for it. Turned the boat across the river and gave it all it had and shot into the exceedingly narrow lock and just hopped that I did not hit the wall or more importantly, smash through the end lock gate. It worked like a charm, even the lock keeper gave me a thumbs up and said he was about to call the life boat out to us. We were then stuck in the lock, safe and sound but going no where. At the end of the lock is a flood defense gate and the environment agency would not open it until the tide dropped. But we were safe. I do not want to put us into such a dangerous situation again. We had to stay in Selby for 15 days until the rivers were safe to use again. The moorings we had left in both York and the river lock were some 6 foot under water. Narrow boats had sunk as the river came up before the own owners had chance to loosen off the mooring rope. A lucky escape for us.

After all that, we both said that we would give the River Trent a miss this year and come back the way we had gone – a much safer option (See – I can be sensible if I have to)

We worked out way along the Leeds & Liverpool nice and slowly. Trying to travel only when the rain stopped. It soon became obvious that we were going to be there for ever so we did travel in the wet from time to time. It was a noticeably wet summer!

The rest of the trip was all very nice, all very wet but most importantly safe. From the far north at York we went to Sharpness (Nr Bristol) We ended up back at Tardebigge – eventually.

Last years statistics

Over the year we have traveled:- 883 miles,

                                                                               519 locks

                                                     92 swing bridges.

Now that’s a lot of travel in a narrow-boat!

Stranded In Selby for 9 Days!

Captains Log         Start of Plan C of World Cruise

Canal Date                             15^th July 2012

Location                                 Castleford North Yorkshire.

While we were over-nighting in Selby, it rained – rather a lot! BW informed us that we were going no where for a while. The environment agency had locked the flood gates at each end of us. This was only a precautionary measure and we could continue our journey probably the following day. It rained continually and extremely heavily all day, all night and all the next day and all the next night! I have not ever scene rain fall like that. It was the sort that one might expect in a tropical monsoon. Not what you would expect in the middle of an English summer.

We were moored in the basin on a canal. Even the canal raised up more than a foot. The river Ouse that we had just come off was up 20foot and in danger of breeching the towns flood defences. It was above the tidal locks, only the EA flood gate saved the canal and the town.

I spoke to BW and they said that we would be here until Monday or possibly Tuesday. Not an issue, we have all the facilities we need here. Loads of pubs, take-away, Indians, Chinese and if needed there were shops where we could even by fresh food. If one has to be stuck anywhere then this is the place to be.

As the days passed even more rain fell. Not as heavy or prolonged as the first 48 hours but still heavy rain fall. It soon became obvious that we were not going to move on Tuesday.  I had a talk to Fred the very friendly lock keeper. I told him our plans were to join the Trent and go to Lincoln. He said in is best Yorkshire accent “not this year mate. The Trent will be in & out of flood for weeks following this damp spell. You best think again, your boat is too nice to sink on that river!”

I noted the sincerity in his voice, he was not joking he really meant what he was saying. Pam & I then sort of changed our mind and plan C was made.

Plan C it to retrace our path, keeping off rivers as much as possible and do the mighty Trent another year.

We eventually got out of the basin on Saturday morning 10 days after stopping for one night. We made friends while we were there. We had to offers of Christmas dinner if we were still there. Even the lock keeper ran to us as we left just to say bon-voyage.

The first 6 miles were along the Selby canal and that was fine. Then we came to the River Aire. That was a different animal altogether. Although the flood warnings were in the lower amber. The river was running very fast with whirlpools everywhere. And as always the flow was against us. With loads of power and a bit of concentration we made progress. We stopped at Castleford. We met up with out old friends on Snowbaby who were moored on the same visitor mooring. It was nice to see them again. This is likely to be the last time this year as we now go our different ways. 

Leeds to York

Captains Log         Still on a slightly delayed Plan B of World Cruise

Canal Date                             7^th July 2012

Location                                 Selby North Yorkshire

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal has been nothing other than truly stunning. The only down side is that it does and should, go through big industrialised towns. A small price to pay for such beautiful scenery and unobstructed views of the open moorlands and fells. The fist of these towns was Leeds it’s self. We were welcomed by a police officer. He informed us that the tow path was closed due to “a police incident” he would not say any more and would not let Pam walk to the next lock so I had to pull in to the bank, pick her up and carry her 50 yards past the police incident and drop her off again. Such fun. We later found out that there had been a sexual attack in broad daylight. This is not the best possible way to make you feel safe & welcome in the town.
We were told by the BW guys that most of the mooring is the town were private and chargeable but they did point us to the only available free one. Bless them. Leeds city centre is not unlike Birmingham. Very busy in the working day but very quiet in the evening and all night. No where near as threatening as I imagined it would be. We moved on the next day a mile to a mooring basin. This time we had water & electricity available. Such luxury! We made full use of it and were soon up to date with all of the washing and drying! We were moored right outside the Royal Armouries Museum. A most interesting collection of killing machines that you could ever imagine. It is a huge building and full of weaponry from pre Roman to modern warfare. I so wanted a light machine gun to fit on the top of our boat to ward off the unwanted attentions of board teenagers in the towns. Apparently the use of machine guns on narrowboats is somewhat frowned on these days!
We moved on to Lemonroyd Locks. We could not proceed any further as we were joining the river and it was in flood. So we waited it out there. Miles from a pub, a shop or a bus stop. Totally stranded. Don’t get me wrong though, it is a very nice place to be stranded. We spent out time there doing really useful and adult things, like playing “Poo Sticks” on the bridge and playing “I Spy”. We were there for 4 days before we could move on through Castleford and on to Ferrybridge. After what seemed like an eternity of living on nothing more than healthy diet of home cooked food we were relived to be within walking distance of a good old proper Chinese Take away. We sat outside the boat, on a lovely summers evening, munching on oriental food, drinking wine and putting the whole world to right.
From there we went on to Selby. This is where the Selby canal joins the River Ouse. It is very tidal here and the lock is only open when the tide is just right. We took advantage of our wait here to restock the food cupboards and replenish the drinks locker.
When the time came to exit the safety of the canals and risk life limb and boat on the fast flowing river I was more than a little apprehensive.
I came out of the lock and was immediately slammed by the tide. The boat rocked over alarmingly to the port side. A good burst of power and a handful for tiller soon corrected thing and we were pushing our way us stream.  I was using loads of power and making an impressive bow wave but when you looked at the bank I was just about making progress. Quite soon the tide changed and for a while it was pushing us. That did not last long but we were soon at Naburn locks and off the tidal section.
We moved on from Naburn to York City Centre. There were plenty of moorings there but all of them were covered in river mud from the earlier floods. While in York we did the tourist bits. We went to the railway museum and York Minster. I like York a lot. I am not a person that normally likes towns but there is just so much to see and do there.
On the first night, at 4.30 in the morning. Some idiots thought it would be good fun to bang on the side of the boat. They had long gone by the time I had opened the rear door. The next night we had a crowd of youths out side the boat. They were not doing any harm, just sitting by the river drinking larger and talking. As the night went on the talking was louder, the language more colourful. It was one of those nights that you just hope for a good heavy rain storm. That would move them. It did not rain and they were there until the small hours. Another bad night’s sleep. This is why I don’t like staying in towns!
We could not stay much longer in York as there was a river festival over the weekend and all the moorings had been booked. We left the next day, we could have stayed longer but it was time for a bit of piece. We went back down the river. This time we had the flow with us all the way. Even with the engine off we were travelling a 5mph with it on we were doing 8mph that is fast in a narrowboat. As we approached Selby Lock I started to think on how on earth I was going to slot a 58 foot boat into a lock entrance at 90 deg to the river flow. I came sideways down the last 100 yards and gave it a burst of full power just before the entrance. I flew in to the lock; I did not touch the sides. I was so impressed with that. Even the lock keeper applauded my entrance. I don’t think I could do it again!
Next morning I Selby basin, the rains started. It came down all day. I contacted BW who informed me that all of the flood locks in this area are now locked “for the foreseeable future”
It looks like we may be here for quite a while!

Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Captains Log                   Still on Plan B & half way round the World Cruise
Canal Date                                   11th June 2012

Location                         Near Bingley on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal


It’s been a long time since I updated the blog. Partly down to poor internet connection but mainly down to me being far too lazy and laid back.

Well, where have we been since the last update?

We went to see the world famous Wigan Pier on the Leeds & Canal. As attractions go, I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed in my life. I am sure that if George Orwell had not used it as a title for one of his books it would have disappeared years ago.

Wigan Pier- Yes thats all there is.

From there we went up the Wigan 21 locks. We did this breast up against Snowbaby. This meant that we could have 3 people working the looks and only one steering boats. It worked very well and we were up the flight very smoothly. Almost every lock is different in some way. It was my first time in the short & wide Liverpool locks. Once we were out of Wigan which is not the nicest place on the canal, and in to open countryside we were met with the most wonderful views I have ever encountered on the canals. I am so glad that I went for a 58ft boat. If I had gone for my first choice of 62ft then I could never have done this canal. The view just became better as we progressed over the moorland until the inevitable. We arrived at the large town of Blackburn. Ideal for a bit of shopping but not a place to stay any longer than necessary and certainly not overnight. It is an old mill town with out any mills now. It looks as though it has lost its way and does not know how to recover. Once clear of Blackburn we returned to open countryside and beautiful views. Unfortunately, it is not long before we arrived at the next big industrial town of Burnley. It was quite a long day by our standards as we did not want to stay anywhere near the town. From the limited view we had from the canal, it would appear that the town has now been completely taken over by immigrants. Once out of the town we arrived at the mouth of Foulridge tunnel.

Traffic Lights are always on red on the canal as well!

There are traffic lights on the tunnel and the same rules apply as on roads. That is that the lights are always on red. But unlike road traffic lights, there stay on red for some time. We cooked dinner, made coffee, washed up and gave the boat a good sweep out before they changed to green. The tunnel is nice and wet! It was like standing on the roof of your car while going through a drive through car wash! It’s a good job we are in a drought; we could have got even wetter under normal conditions! Once clear of the tunnel we were a million miles away from the big industrial towns and in the open country side again. I can not say how good this canal is, words fail me. It is totally stunning. If you don’t have a boat then just go for a walk along the towpath. The next town of any size was Skipton. We arrived on Carnival day. The town was heaving. We had to stop for shopping. We soon found that although it was busy in the town, it was quiet on the canal although it was only yards from the town centre. As soon as we cleared the town we were back out in the countryside again, it’s almost like throwing a switch. On second we are in a town and then turn a corner and we are out in unspoilt countryside again.

We have about finished the best of the Leeds & Liverpool now. We are about to approach the Famous Bingley staircase locks. We shall rest for a while before tackling them later this week.

I can not say loud enough how good this canal is. Not only the old industrial towns with the mills and the open country with superb views, but there is very little traffic to get in the way.

Boothstown to Scotsmans Flash

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.

Probably the wettest drought ever recorded!

They all speak like my old mate Mike R. round here. Its a good job I have a Lancastrian following us as an interpreter.

Canal Date                  12th May 2012
Start Location        Boothstown
End Location            Scotsman’s Flash (Wigan)
Miles 14                           Locks 0

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 Boat Movement
Start Location Boothstown (Manchester)
Finish location Astley Green Pit Museum
Miles 2  Locks 0 (I am beginning to forget what locks look like)

We decided to move to the mine museum to see what is there. We then found that the museum is not open on Wednesdays so we will wait here a bit longer than I expected. It’s not a bad looking spot, it’s not raining and there is a pub opposite. We arranged for some replacement specs to be posted to the pub. Hopefully, they will arrive very soon and we can move on, if not we will have to wait here until they do turn up. I know it’s out of character but we went to the pub for an evening meal. For sweet, I had a lemon meringue it was not only very nice indeed but it was huge! I didn’t want it all but I made sure that I eat it all. For some reason I felt over full and most uncomfortable for the rest of the night. I can’t think why.

Thursday, 10 May 2012 Astley Green Pit Museum
We went to the Pit Museum in the afternoon. On route we called into the pub to see if my glasses had arrived. They had been delivered but no one there opened the door so they have now gone back to the local post sorting office. It was a good idea that went wrong. We went on to the museum. It was very interesting, I was blown away by the winding engine. I have never seen an engine of this size before; it is huge. A real monster. I want one so much. As one walks round the grounds it almost gives the impression of being in a scrap yard. There must be 20 locos of all shapes and sizes, loads of track just piled up. There are various steam engines and pumps, some restored some quietly rusting away. It is a place that would be a top rate attraction if only it could raise the money it so needs.
After all that exercise, I managed to fall asleep on the settee on our return.

Friday, 11 May 2012 Boat Movement
Start Location Astley Green Pit Museum
Finish location Moss Bridge No.2 Nr Wigan
Miles 9.5   Swing Bridges 1

First thing in the morning bussed into Tyldesley to collect the glasses from the sorting office. the sorting office was not very far and collected the glasses. We then had to find where and when the buss departs from. We eventually found the spot and had to wait another ½ hour. It was the same driver. We were back on board at 11.30 not as bad as I expected. We soon set sail. The wind was very strong and blowing directly at us. This made it very cold. Not just cold for May but cold for winter! We continued to Scotsman’s Flash. A nice spot with good views over a large flash. The wind must have been close to gale force at times. There are proper waves on the flash, it looks more like the sea than a small shallow lake.

Sunset over Scotsmans Flash - Not bad is it.

Manchester or die!

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.

Probably the wettest drought ever recorded!

 

Why is it still a drought? Most riverside towns have the flood barriers up!

Canal Date               8th May 2012

Location                     Boothstown (Manchester)

Miles 15                Locks 0

Friday, 04 May 2012 Dunham Massey Hall

A dull but dry morning with just the odd bit of sunshine braking through. This is a very nice place to moor up, I can’t believe that it is so quiet here; I would have expected such a pleasant spot to be ruined by rows of moored boats. They are all at Lymm! We had a trip to Lymm on the bus. That’s the second time we have used the bus passes. It is becoming a bit of a habit. As soon as we got off the bus we walked into Pete & Liz. We had a coffee together; we dawdled around the town and ended up at a chip shop for lunch, very nice indeed. We then did a bit of shopping before catching the bus back to the boat. All very civilized stuff.

Saturday, 05 May 2012 Dunham Massey Hall  I spent some time doing routine maintenance - I topped up all of the batteries. I don’t think that they needed it but At least I know there is some in there now. We meet up with Pete & Liz from Snowbaby to sort out the next few days of the trip. I don’t think we had any firm plan, just a sort of woolly idea of where we wanted to go. Pam & I went for an afternoons walk. We chose the circular walk through the village and the grounds of Dunham Massey and back. I did manage to fall asleep in the chair when we got back on board!

Sunday, 06 May 2012 Dunham Massey Hall  The weather is looking much better this morning, less wind and cloud. I think it is warmer too. The batteries & solar panels are working well. We have not run the engine for 5 days and they are still showing 12.5volts. The weather has been predominantly cloudy with the odd bit of sunshine. We have been watching plenty of TV and have used the inverter for hair drying and sawing. We went to the Hall and had a good look round. Pete & I both had buggies and that made life a lot easier. We then went into the house. It is a well preserved piece of English history, well worth a visit. By the time I had walked round the house and its formal gardens I was knackered. We did have a rest in the café where we had a cream tea followed strangely enough by a Cornish pasty. The walk back to the boat was most painful. I managed to collapse on the settee and have a well earned nap! That was pretty much the day done.

Monday, 07 May 2012 Dunham Massey Hall   A coudy and dull start to the day and the forecast is for heavy rain showers later. This must be a bank holiday then! As it is a holiday, we took things rather easy and did nothing other than read books. In the afternoon we walked to the hall and had a good look at the water mill in operation. It was a flour mill that has been converted into a saw mill and most of it is still there and operational. Most interesting. It has remained cold all day however; the heavy rain went by mid afternoon. By evening it was raining again. This rain lasted most of the night and was very heavy at times. Why is it still a drought? Most riverside towns have the flood barriers up!

Tuesday, 08 May 2012 Boothstown (Manchester)   We got up at the rediculas hour of 7.00 to get moving as it was going to be a bit of a long day. We were moving by 8.00 and by 8.30 we had picked up Snowbaby again. We travelled in convoy all the way with us leading. We went nice and slowly. The canal through Sale on to Manchester was much nicer than I expected. We stopped at Altrincham and did some shopping at a large retail park. We eventually set off again some 2 hours later. We had not gone very far when we stopped for chips. A very welcome stop indeed. Form there we carried on through Sale, Stretford and Trafford Park. We missed out Manchester Town Centre altogether. After Trafford we went through Eccles and over the Manchester Ship Canal. It is huge, It makes the canals look like an insignificant little ditch. It is hardly used by commercial traffic these days. It seams such a pity that it is not opened up much more to boaters. From there we went to Worsley services where we stopped for water and we pumped out the poo tank. By now we were all feeling tired and we were looking for somewhere to moor up for the night. Just as soon as you leave Worsley the industry and housing stops and you are immediately out in the country side again. It is as if someone has just flicked a switch! We have travelled all the way through Manchester without being attacked, robbed, stoned, or killed to death in any way. In fact it was rather nice!

Dunham Massey Hall

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.


Probably the wettest drought ever recorded!

Canal Date                       4th May 2012 (Star wars day)
Location                   Dunham Massey Hall

Miles 27  Locks 1

Well, after the river Weaver, the Bridgewater canal looks so narrow but in fact it is wider and deeper than many canals.

We travelled from Comberback on the Trent & Mersey to Preston Brook. We did have a look in Midland Chandlers while we were passing. They have everything that you could wish for but nothing that I wanted. Does that mean that I hall all that I need onboard? From there we joined the Bridgewater canal. The first of the industrial canals to be built. We went to the end at Runcorn. Looking at the map, this looked like being a trawl through housing estates and industry but I was a delight to navigate. Much nicer than I would have imagined. We stopped at the end and did some shopping before turning back to Preston Brook for the night. The rain started as we turned and it became heavier and colder as we travelled. This is the first time this year that I have travelled any distance with the hood up. By the time we made Preston Brook we were both a bit tired. Not the best mooring spot with a motorway above us and the West Coast Main Line alongside us but it will do for tonight.

Pete & Liz on Snowbaby had travelled with us all day and they invited us to evening meal to celebrate our wedding anniversary. A good night with possibly a tad too much whisky but most enjoyable.

Next morning we set off looking for better moorings. Pete & Liz went to get water and have a look round the chandlers. We set off for Lymm, a picturesque village. On arrival there was just nowhere to moor. We continued on looking for a mooring and eventual gave up and went further on to a facilities block. It was closed for all of May! We continued a bit further and stopped at a rather nice pub. “Ye Olde Number 3” Well we had to call in and try out some of the menu. It was rather good. The moorings were a bit noisy being next to a road so we moved the next morning. We were looking for somewhere we could spend the bank holiday weekend. We soon found it. On an elevated section of the canal with superb views over the surrounding countryside. There is a splendid Nation Trust house “Dunham Massey Hall” next to us just waiting for us to explore. This will do us nicely.

Anderton Boat Lift & River Weaver

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.

Probably the wettest drought ever recorded!

Canal date 29th April 2012
Start Location Anderton Boat Lift Trent & Mersey -
Finish location Comberback Trent & Mersey

We spent a week on the River Weaver. I think we came off and up the Anderton Lift just in time. The river is now flowing very fast indeed and I am not at all sure that the boat would be able to motor against the flow. The River is a particularly nice place. So quiet and tranquil. The boat lift is just a sunning piece of engineering.

A must see must do place.

Saturday, 21 April 2012 :Miles 15: Locks 3: Anderton Lift Bridge 1

It was another very wet and blustery night outside. Thunder and lighting and strong winds. It must be getting closer to summer now. The forecast is for Sunshine & Showers. Russ came just in time for the 10.45 lift. The Anderton lift was very interesting design, architecture and engineering, and smooth in operation. Snowbaby shared the lift with us and we travelled North along the river Weaver together for some time. We turned round just before the split in navigation and returned through the lock to Acton Bridge where we moored up for the night and found a pub. The river is very nice and rural once you leave the lift. This area is dominated by the huge ICI works. It was cold all day and very windy at times. However the threatened rain storms never quite arrived although it looked certain that they would. We moored up at Acton Swing Bridge for the night. We went the local pub The Leigh Arms for meal. The food and service was rather good. I little more expensive than some but better than most.

Sunday, 22 April 2012: Miles 15: Locks 3

It rained much of the night but had cleared by the time we woke up. The weather was far from perfect. We still had isolated rain showers but yesterdays ice cold wind had largely gone. I phoned lock and it was ready for when we arrived. I do like this bit of river cruising! We carried on past Anderton Boat Lift and on to Northwich. The river is very nice for most of this length. There is the huge ICI chemical works at Anderton other than that, it is just beautiful. If the ICI works had not been there, then I doubt that the boat lift would be either. We moored at Northwich and had a walk into the town. It was much larger than I thought it would be. There were more shops open today (Sunday) than there was in Middlewich mid week. Not a bad town at all. We had lunch on board and then set off once again for Anderton to take Russ back to his car. We all then went for a walk round the visitor centre and had a look at the displays and information boards. All very interesting stuff. Russ then drove home and we returned to the boat. Once we moored up the weather cleared up. Typical!

Monday, 23 April 2012:
Another dull day with drizzle. This must be the wettest drought ever reordered! The boat was cool first thing, I put the central heating on – End of April and central heating on! That can not be right. We had planed to move on up river this morning. The rain showers stopped us doing that. We decided to wait until after lunch but the weather did not improve so we abandoned the move altogether. We had to light the fire it was so cold on board.

Tuesday, 24 April 2012: Miles 10: Locks 2:
A much brighter start to the day than of late, still cloudy but not as heavy as it has been. We had a slow and lazy cruise up stream. The River is very nice indeed. The occasional salt works and factory only help to reinforce the industrial history and the very reason for the navigation. We continued to the end of the navigation and turned in the top flash. A magnificent widening of the river. The only worry is that the flashes are notoriously shallow. We moored up and Pam went shopping. When they returned we set off looking for an overnight mooring. We stopped at the Vale Royal Visitor Moorings. They are very nice indeed with a widening of the river and a large pool the other side.

Wednesday, 25 April 2012 : Miles 9: Locks 3
The weather is horrid! Driving rain, wind and load of cold. A perfect day for staying put in front of a roaring fire and we are in a perfect location for doing just that. But move we must, we have to go to Acton Swing bridge to meet up with Jim & Joan first thing in the morning. We would have set off early this morning in an attempt to beat the weather. It is forecast to start bad and get much worse as the day progresses. We can not do that as this is BW and we have manned locks and they do not open until 10.00. God bless BW! We set off in driving rain. By the time we were at the first lock it had slowed down to just a raging torrent. It never really stopped. It was not only wet but it was very cold as well. By the time we arrived at Acton Swing Bridge we were both starting to feel the cold. As soon as we stopped we had the fire roaring and a warming bowl of soup. We went to the Leigh arms again for an evening meal. (Well you just have to don’t you) I had veggie fish & chips, it was very nice indeed. Battered cheese, how many calories was that? Just to make sure I has a toffee lumpy bumpy with ice-cream. I am determined to beat this anorexia!!

Thursday, 26 April 2012: Miles 9: Locks 3
Another dull & wet start to the day. I don’t like this sort of drought at all! Jim & Joan eventually joined us after first going to the wrong location. We soon set sail, The weather was wet of course. We continued as far as Northwich and had a pub lunch (how out of character). We then carried on through the locks and moored up at the visitor moorings again. The rain never really stopped at all, it just varied from heavy to torrential again. Yes it was very wet, but much warmer than yesterday, but still just bloody lovely.

\The weather was a bit better than yesterday in so much as the rain was a lot lighter but it was much colder. We set off to the end of the navigation at the flashes. The first obstacle was the very low bridge. Last time we had about 3 inches to spare. This time the river is running much faster and therefore higher. I approached the bridge very slowly indeed and there was just about 1” of spare headroom. I hopped that the river did not go up much while we were up stream of the low bridge. We made it down to the flashes without any real problems. We made our turn and set off down stream again. This time, as we approached the low bridge we had about 3mph of flow pushing us towards the bridge. I slowed the boat as best I could and we did slip underneath. I am sure that if we left it much longer then we would have been stuck there until the river slowed down. We continued on to Town Bridge at Northwich. Here the River Deal joins the Weaver and it was causing major eddies and whirl pools. I could not hit the junction very fast as we were also approaching a low bridge. The current turned the boat almost sideways before a gained control again. It was all just a bit too exiting for me. We continued on to the Anderton Lift. We decide that we would go up the lift today as the weather was about as dry as it has been all week. We went up without any problems apart from me broke my stern rope as we entered. We then travelled on to a mooring just past the Boat lift. We went to the pub for a very good and well deserved meal. It would have been rude not to call in.

 A very low bridge on the Weaver!!

Anderton Boat Lift

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.

Canal date 20th April 2012
Start Location  Tent & Mersey Canal
Finish location Anderton Boat Lift
Miles 22                Locks 0

Thursday, Whatcroft Flash (Bridge 180)
While we were moored there, Pam fitted the lagging to the hospital silencer. That was a pig of a job. Access is always very difficult. I am just too fat and old to fit in the engine bay. Just to make it more fun, the lagging is fibreglass bandage and the fibres are an irritant that get just about everywhere. It is now done. (She will get over it eventually. We are getting closer to the boat safety inspection later this year. While working in the engine bay we had several very hard showers some with thunder, some with hail stones like marbles! An interesting day.

Friday- We moved as early as we could, The crack of dawn, well it was before 10.00 anyway! This stretch of canal is very interesting. It is mainly rural but it does go through major industrial areas, mainly salt works and associated chemical works. Then there are very wide parts of the canal where subsidence has caused the land to drop and flood the local pastures. There are referred to as “flashes” They are a haven for wild life.

When we arrived at Anderton the heavens opened and we both were soaked as we moored up! We walked to the visitor centre and had a look round. I sorted out the procedure for passage for tomorrow and then we had a nice cream tea in the cafe. (How grown up is that!) We walked around the site and had a good old chat to one of the BW staff. He was very helpful and most talkative.

The Anderton Boat Lift is a very impressive sight. Victorian engineering at its best!

We are looking forward to using the lift to drop the 50ft down to the River Weaver tomorrow. What can possibly go wrong?

Audlem to Middlewich

Captains Log Still on Plan B of World Cruise.



Canal date                     14th April 2012
Start Location            Audlem
Finish location          Cholmondeston Lock - Middlewich Branch
Miles 22                      Locks 27


Sunday, 08 April 2012 Audlem
When we woke up, the boat had a fair old list to starboard. I put my foot on the floor – It was dry so we had not sunk in the night! Some one had not shut the paddles properly on the lock and the pound had gone down a over night. It soon recovered when boats started using the locks again We then went to the Craft shop and had a good look round. We did not buy much, only odds & sods.

Monday, 09 April 2012 Audlem
Easter Monday, Bank Holiday and pouring with rain! Now there’s a surprise! The path outside the boat has become very muddy and down right unpleasant so we moved over to the tow path side of the canal. We have had short trips before, but this must be the shortest so far! We went for a meal in the Shroppie Fly. Once again the food was first class.

Tuesday, 10 April 2012 Boat Movement
Start Location Audlem Village
Finish location Coole Visitor Moorings
Miles 2   Locks 3
The weather is a lot better this morning, part cloudy with sunshine. It looks like it could rain at any time but nothing like yesterday when it did not stop raining at all. Only a short run today. We were heading for Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker.
This must be the worst kept secret in the history of the cold war. Not only is it on every map but it sign posted for miles by road and even signed from the canal. As it is only written in English and not Russian that would have completely confused them!
We have passed this attraction several times and never stopped The temperature dropped after we stopped and I had to light the fire. BW must have known we were coming as they sent a team of men to cut the grass for us- bless them, they splattered the side of the boat with grass cuttings. Pam cut my hair before I had a shower. It was a most unusual style. I felt the clippers going up the back of my head and then heard a scream, followed by hysterical laughter and copious amounts of “I’m sorry” She informed me that she had totally forgot to fit the No 4 guide to the clipper and has mowed a two inch stripe up the back . Completely bald, no hair at all. It was a bit of a shock when I saw it, but on the positive, it will grow out in the next six months or so. Looks like I will have to get used to wearing a hat for a while.

Wednesday, 11 April 2012
This is really nice spot. I could spend a long time here quite happily. The weather is very Aprilish, Bright sun and black clouds with wind one minute and dead calm the next. It just does not know what it wants to do. My hair did not improve at all over night! We walked to the Hack Green Secret bunker. It was an eye opener for sure. A very good and informative visit. I was very surprised on just how small the atomic bombs are! I am just so glad that it was never used for its intended purpose.

Thursday, 12 April 2012 Coole Visitor Mooring

It rained most of the night, much of it very heavy. It did not make my hair grow though.
We spent much of the day cleaning and tidying up. We sorted out the front cratch and top boxes. We are slowly getting in to summer mode. Pity the weather is doing the same.

Friday, 13 April 2012     Boat movement
Start Location                Coole Visitor Moorings
Finish location               Cholmondeston Lock Middlewich branch
Miles 9                          Locks 2
Time to move on today, all be it rather reluctantly. This is indeed a very good mooring and I could easily be tempted to stay longer but it is only a short term mooring ie 48hrs and we have exceeded that. Still it is a good day for travelling with sunshine. Still not very warm. There was a significant amount of canal traffic. It is the Friday of Easter week, many hire fleets are going back today. Having said that it was not so busy that it spoiled anything. The weather just got better as the day progressed. A truly nice spring day. We saw several young chicks on the canal. We carried on north along the Shroppie until we came to the junction with the Middlewich Branch. I made the turn very professionally. The boat following made a complete pigs ear of it! We continued along the Middlewich Branch. The first mile or so is lined with moored boats on both sides of the canal. It is much like the Shroppie in so much as it is very rural and edged with concrete and a shelf just below the waterline. We moored up at some visitor moorings, just before the first lock. We will sit out the weekend here and go on to Middlewich on Monday.

Shebdon to Audlem

Captains Log      3rd Leg of the new (Plan B) World Cruise.



Canal date                        7th April 2012

Start Location              Wharf Tavern Cheswardine (Bridge 55)

Finish location             Audlem Village

Miles 11                                Locks 22

We had a bad start to the night, The boat moored in front was very noisy last night. They were loud from when they came back from the pub at 11.30 and carried on until about 1.30. While this would not have bothered Pam or I, I certainly did bother Millie and that made sure that we did not sleep either!
The weather is dull and damp. Not the best weather for boating, but I do not want to stay here over Easter. No phone and no internet.
We set off with a light drizzle in the air. Nothing too bad. The canal traffic was much lighter today, probably because of the locks, they do put a 10 minute gap between boats. We travelled three separate lock flights today the first was Tyrley flight then Adderley flight where we bought some fresh bread, eggs and scones. We have done 12 out of the 15 in the Audlem flight. We were helped by a BW volunteer down the first 9 locks, that helped Pam no end. Just one extra hand makes such a difference. We moored up for the night in the centre of the village opposite the Shroppie fly pub. I know that this one will be open! A longer day than we would normally do but the weather was fine and it would have been a shame to refuse the help of the BW volunteer through the locks. As Pam has done 22 locks today I will not make her cook dinner. I will let her buy me a meal and the odd point in the pub.


Canal date                         6th April 2012
Start Location                      Shebdon (The CLOSED Anchor Inn)
Finish location                       Cheswardine The Wharf Inn (Bridge 55)

Miles 6 1/2       Locks 0 Start
As the forecast was for a severe frost last night, we made the fire up. We have done this hundreds of nights. Last night the c0 alarm went off twice. I have no idea why fumes were getting out of the fire and into the boat. A worrying development. I think that there may have been too much fuel on the fire and it may have been turned down too much. I opened the fire a little and it did not go off after that. At least we now know that the alarm works and wakes us. We did not wake up dead at all! Just to make up for the broken nights sleep, the frost never came and it was not that cold outside when we got up.
We Set off at about 10.00. very much the same as yesterday, we were in a convoy of at least five other boaters. The weather started off quite cold and soon became much colder. It did not take much to convince us that it would be a good idea to stop for lunch and let the other boats fight for the locks while we warm up in a pub with a big roaring fire and a pint in my hand.
We did stop at a pub, not just any pub but a pub that was open and more importantly, serving food. Very good food it was too. After a very short discussion we decided to stay here for tonight.

Brewood to Shebdon Embankment

Captains Log     2nd Leg of the new (Plan B) World Cruise.

Canal date                           5th April 2012

Start Location                 Brewood

Finish location                Shebdon Embankment (The Anchor Inn)



Miles 13       Locks 1

The weather has improved now, so it is time to continue. It is still very grey, but it is not raining and the wind has now gone completely. Pam took Millie for her walk, by the time she had come back – Only 5 minutes later – 5 boats had left the moorings and were heading in the same direction as us. No doubt that there would be a bit of a queue at the next lock!. When we arrived there, there were only 2 boats in front, the others had moored up for lunch. We were soon through and onto the moorings for fuel at Wheaton Aston. We took our fill of diesel (Bloody ouch!) and continued on. It was still a dry day but bitterly cold.

Now I know this completely out of character but we passed seven pubs on route. Note the passed bit, we did not stop at any of them! Not even one! We weakened in the end decided to stop for the night at a canal side pub and enjoy a well deserved pub lunch. The first disappointment was that we were told that it does did not open until 7.00. We waited until 7.30 before accepting the fact that they were not going to open at all! Typical! We have passed 7 pubs today and we managed to stop at the only one that is closed! Better luck next time?