Tyrley Wharf.

Woke up to the sound of cows bellowing at FL from across the canal, grey skies greeted us when we finally arose and opened the curtains. The forecast is for rain for most of the day. We have no plans other than to be in Aston Marina at the end of the month . Canalplan route planner gives this a time of 4 days travelling at 7 hours a day, so we can afford to sit out any bad spells.

It's dry as we head for the first of the Adderley locks by the time I have got FL in the first chamber the rain has started. No matter as the saying goes there's no such thing as bad weather only bad clothes, we are both well protected from the weather in Gortex coats, hoods boots and over trousers. I needed to get to Market Drayton to get a card for tomorrows celebration.

MD is a trek from the canal, I left Sue in Asda and went in search of a card shop. MD is one of those towns where you are never quite sure if you have reached the town centre or not.The better bit's may have been around the next corner, I never found the better bits but I fulfilled my quest of buying a birthday card at a shop called Hart To Hart.

Back on the boat and it has stopped raining so we decide to continue up the next flight of five locks at Tyrley, guess what, as I entered the first chamber the rain started, we filled the water tank above the top lock and moored for the night on the 48 hour visitor moorings.

Passed 'Piston Broke' today. The first boating blog I ever read was by her original owners Paul and Lynne.

Covers most of the bases.

FL on the water point above Tyrley locks.

Audlem to Adderley

Misty cold start to the day, we were planning on stopping for another day but after a bacon banjo we decided tackle the Audlem flight of 15 locks. We were up the top of the flight in three hours and have moored within sight of the Adderley flight of locks.

It has been a lovely day we met a few boats ascending, at the top lock the usual fare of goodies from the adjacent farmers wife weren't available( she was seeing to a large amount of guests at a christening do), last time we were here we couldn't resist the cakes on display.

A single hander followed us up the Audlem flight so while Sue got tea ready I lock wheeled for him up the five locks of Adderley.

The Shroppie Fly

Friday- Summer was back as we left Tattenhall Marina visitor pontoon's. The warm sunshine lasted a few hours then the showers began, one was very heavy but it didn't bother me at all, I was inside cosy and warm while Sue stoically stayed at the tiller. The sun made an appearance again as we moored at the Barbridge Inn for a lunchtime Friday special of fish and chips with Woodlands Ale for a tenner each. On the move again with thoughts of mooring at the Hurleston moorings but as the day had become summery once again we thought we would continue to Nantwich and the visitor moorings before the aqueduct. I used the newly refurbished chandlery to buy a bag of coal, a Whale in line fresh water filter cartridge and a tube of Peek, I wont be going back there in a hurry, along with the surliest of men serving in the shop (even the lady on the till commentated on his attitude)  everything in the shop was expensive. We had a quiet night on the rings on a high embankment on the fringe of Nantwich.

Summery start to the day.

The Shady Oak

Warehouse by Bunbury locks, the SUR&C was bought out in 1922, surprising the lettering is still visible, must be the amount of lead in the mix.

Saturday- It's another sunny day as we make our way across the aqueduct and out of Nantwich. Up the Hack Green locks, the locks are narrow from here, which pleases the crew, they are much easier to negotiate than the wide locks from Ellesmere Port. The Cheshire countryside is at it's best, herds of dairy cattle graze on both sides of the canal including a herd of Jersey cows. We have moored below the Audlem flight, we strolled along to Audlem Wharf past the Shroppie Fly to the Mill now an arts and craft shop. Where Sue chose some presents of cross stitch pattens for her birthday next week.

There is live music in the Shroppie Fly tonight so we are going to spend the evening listening to 'Messenger G' and sipping a favourite tipple Timothy Taylors 'Landlord'.......

....Just got back from the pub, the food was excellent the beer good, not sure how good the band were as they spent an hour setting up belted out a Kinks 60's  hit  'All of the day and all of the night' said it was just a sound check and sat down drinking.....we got fed up and left.

Sad, someone's pride and joy. 

Aren't Jersey gorgeous.

Kitchen window view.

Tram Horses

We awoke to the sound of rain on FL's roof, by the time we were up and ready for the day ahead the sun was out, the wind was whipping across the marina trying to remove the triskelion flag from it's pole on the tiller.

The Sainsbury order arrived promptly at 09:00, the endless orange bags were transferred into FL's bare cupboards, we should be well fed till Christmas. As we were preparing FL for the off the sky darkened, rain poured and the wind howled. So we unanimously made the decision to batten down the hatches, put a few more coals on the fire and stay where we are.

Tattenhall marina is a large smart well kept place, the laundry is close to the visitor moorings as is reception which doubles as a cafe and bar, three phone signal is excellent as is data signal on the mifi. The marina is a little isolated for the visiting boater,  a smart pub serving  pub grub alongside 'Alley Cart' is about a 30 minute walk along unpaved roads,  the Cheshire ice cream farm is opposite.

I have been reading a history book on canal transport that I bought at the museum at Ellesmere Port. Interestingly in its pages, I found a Manx connection to the canal's. Canal carrying company John Hunt & Sons's Ltd of Leeds operating on the Aire & Calder canal used ex Douglas tram horses to tow it's fleet of boats, at least up until the 1930's . These days the ex tram horses are given a  well deserved cosseted retirement at the Isle of Man Rest Home for Old Horses.

Rainbow over Beeston Castle.

We had a crew meeting this morning and I was told we needed to spend a day in Tattenhall marina to get some domestic chores done. So that is what we did, moving all of 200 yards from our overnight mooring pitch and on to the visitor moorings in the marina.

Sue did a large on line Sainsbury's order to replenish the dwindling galley stocks. She has also been busy backwards and forwards to the laundry room all day, everything on the boat that can be put through the washer has been, she even asked for the shirt off my back. I have not been idle,  FL roof and port side are now sparkling.

The morning was fine with plenty of Sun but the afternoon has been heavy showers and wind.

Rainbow over Beeston Castle.

Tattenhall marina.

Left Ellesmere Port at 08:00 in the rain, there wasn't any wind so not all bad. We had to spend a little while clearing accumulated weed from the top lock gate. With that done we had a good three hour run down to Chester dodging the islands of weed that the volunteers of the Boat Museum Society will no doubt remove when they have reached the end of the line.

Sue wasn't looking forward to the heavy locks that lift boats out of the ancient city of Chester especially the triple Northgate staircase locks at the start. Fortunately for us as we arrived at the lock there was a boat in the first chamber and they were happy to reopen the lock gates to let FL enter alongside. Great to have lock buddies on this stretch of the Shroppie, our friendly lock buddies today were Phil & Stephanie on nb Wumpus who were on their way to Tattenhall Marina, so we shared all eight double locks with them... perfect. It's good for the tiller men to have someone to converse with while waiting for the locks to fill.

It's 16:00 and we have just moored for the night outside Tattenhall marina just above bridge 113.

The storm has bared a lot of the trees along this stretch.

Bar and restaurant

Chester's lead shot tower used for making musket shot during the Napoleonic wars.

Deva Aqueduct

Wumpus heading FL towards Tattenhall marina

Gale forced stoppage.

The gales and rain lashed down on FL overnight rocking her on her pin's. I was up at 05:30 checking the pin's were holding, everything was OK. I had double pinned and moved plank poles and brushes off the roof in readiness before we retired. We will stay in the basin for another night.

The basin we are moored in is fringed with smart looking apartments either in converted wharfs or have been made to look like old wharfs by the architect, a Holiday Inn is on one side of the basin.

In contrast outside of the port setting is a bit bleak in places, we walked to the local store for milk once the rain had stopped and the sun was out. The Horse & Jockey's grubby windows were all fitted with wire grills giving the place an abandoned feel, if it wasn't for the nearly new table and benches in the garden alley  it looked unused for decades. It's probably a great locals boozer but I think we will give it a miss. The milk was bought at the shop by passing cash through a gap in security perspex, post office style....wonder why.

We got soaked when the sky darkened and the heavens opened unexpectedly, back on the boat we got into dry clothes, Sue decided to do some cross stitching, while I spent another couple of hours in the museum.

The weed came back over night, the pile on the bank was removed by staff yesterday.

Gifford

The boat next to Gifford is a box narrow boat, it carried 10 to 12 box's of coal like the 2 onboard. 

An ex tunnel tug.

Ice breaker 'Marbury'

I do like the Skinner's boat.

Forlorn boats waiting for funding for restoration.

Mossdale  held together with girders and straps, the last surviving Mersey 'flat' boat.

National Waterways Museum

We are now moored in the National Waterways Museum after a three hour cruise from our overnight mooring. Another bright and chilly day the cruise was uneventful, apart from the large clumps of weed floating in narrow channels where we had to use the boat hook to clear a path so we didn't foul the prop. The waterways staff were all out clearing the weed from the front of the lock gates, apparently it had all blown down to the end of the channel over night. The ever so helpful staff locked us down to the basin where we found a spot on one of the grassy islands, pins as all the rings were being used.

I used to work with Derek, he bought a boat about the same time as we bought FL, he moored it in this basin but I couldn't remember the name of the boat, so I asked around the staff here, one chap (who reads this blog) knew of him, his boat is called Wagtail. We had passed each other yesterday, Derek had a hat pulled down on his head, I did too. Although I thought he looked familiar the boat he was cruising, 'Wagtail', wasn't the scabby painted boat that Derek had told me about but a pristine liveried beauty in BW blue and yellow so I didn't realise it was him.  Hopefully Wagtail will return before we leave.

We had a walk around the museum, it has some fabulous exhibits my favourite is Joe and Rose Skinner's boat 'Friendship'. The amount of boats the museum has acquired that need complete restoration is staggering. It's well worth doing the trip from Chester to Ellesmere Port to visit this fantastic museum.

Bolinder crude oil engine

These tractors were used to tow boats on the River Lea

Friendship boatman's cabin.

Overnight mooring.

Wagtail didn't show as it's having it's bum blacked, but Derek did.

Manchester Ship Canal.

Chester

Yesterday afternoon we had a pint of Thwaits Ale in the Shady Oak, we weren't overly impressed. The beer was ok but the loud music playing in the bar at four in the afternoon meant all the punters were in the garden and it was quite cool, we didn't hang around long.

It was pistoling down this morning so we stayed put until the sun came out at 11:30. Still needed hat's and coats as we headed towards Chester. Our first plan of mooring at Cristleton was scuppered when we didn't find a suitable mooring, so gone was tomorrows roast dinner in the Cheshire Cat. We didn't get a lock buddy for the heavy leaking locks into Chester city centre, the moorings were all taken there too, our own fault for not moving in the rain. So we continued through the staircase locks and moored on the 48hr mooring past bridge 131.

Tomorrow we plan to get to Ellesmere Port and visit the National Waterways Museum.

Bates Mill garden.

Looking for sustenance.

Looking back from Hoole Lane Lock.

Entering Chester

City walls

Staircase lock