Tattenhall

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.1 miles

Total 1116 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1492miles

Just a short hop today into Tattenhall marina which, interestingly, isn’t shown on Google mapping so it looks like we have moored up in the middle of a field on the linked map (it is covered by the satellite map though). We stayed here last September and it is a very pleasant marina although it can get a bit windy here making manoeuvring a bit challenging at times.

Beeston

Here I am Rune

Distance 8.8 miles

Total 1116 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1489.9miles

As planned we have reached the mooring overlooking (or more correctly looking up to) Beeston Castle. The day was fairly easy going although the wind was a bit of an issue both in its strength and how cold it was. There were also a few boats moving around today, the first lock found us in a queue of 5 to get through (we were number 3) although at Barbridge Junction they all went off towards the Llangollen Canal so it got a bit quieter for us as we went off up the Shropshire Union. Bunbury Locks was the fun that it usually is, the top gate leaks at such a rate that with only one paddle open the lock would never fill, and the lines of hire boats at the bottom always makes it interesting to get through. It surprises me that with people in regular contact with boats, the staff at the boatyard are pretty poor at mooring the boats up as they tend to drift out into the very narrow channel as you try to pass since they often are moored just using the centre line which works for locking but not for anything other than a temporary mooring.

Church Minshull (1)

Here I am Rune

Distance 0 miles

Total 1108 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1481.1miles

Another stand-still day today to enable me to complete the painting of the cratch floor at the front of the boat and give it chance to dry before we walk on it again. Would also like to get the floor of the gas locker at the front dried out and painted but that may have to wait a day or two as I think rain is due to be moving in over the next couple of days.

Tomorrow we should be on to the mooring near to Beeston Castle

Church Minshull

Here I am Rune

Distance 6.3 miles

Total 1108 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1481.1miles

Another fairly lightweight potter along the canal as far as Aqueduct Marina today (although not actually into the marina). This is a very pleasant piece of canal with some superbly scenic moorings which leaves one asking the question ‘How much would I have to pay for a house with a view like this?’ Will probably remain here until Wednesday to get the chance to do  a bit more painting.

Received a reply from CRT regarding my request for a space in Liverpool later next month, unfortunately the application for I submitted online was received blank by them so they have asked me to fill one in and photograph it and send it to them so have tried that approach. They did tell me that space is available but only on a 12 metre mooring which is a bit short for our 18 metre boat but I’m happy to compromise.

Middlewich (1)

Here I am Rune

Distance 0 miles

Total 1107 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1474.8miles

As stated yesterday, we decided to have another standstill day today which enabled me to do a bit more painting on the boat, this time the front cratch area which was becoming quite rusty. Reading a copy of this months ‘Towpath’ I realised that I need to make some arrangements if we are to carry out our plan of travelling the Leeds Liverpool Canal from end to end this summer. Apparently it is necessary to book passage into Liverpool docks (the start of the canal) and according to ‘Towpath’ a lot of this year’s bookings are already taken up. Sent off an online application last night so we will have to see what the response of CRT will be.

Once again we’ll have to move on tomorrow down towards Venetian Marina area for an overnight mooring

Middlewich

Here I am Rune

Distance 6 miles

Total 1107 Locks 59 Tunnels

Running total mileage 1474.8miles

Unfortunately, despite a bit of a change in the weather, we had to move on today so now find ourselves in Middlewich after a bit of a wet trip up here. One slight irritation was at Booth Lane Bottom lock where an abandoned boat had been left moored to the lock moorings which just makes things difficult when picking up and dropping off crew to work the lock. A temporary stop due to broken down engine I can (sort of) tolerate on lock moorings but this derelict hulk had no engine so was clearly going nowhere anytime soon. If people must abandon such boats then leave them where they are not such an annoyance, there are hundreds of miles of canal towpath that aren’t lock moorings so just leave it somewhere else, rant over.

We are still well on schedule to get to our destination south of Chester by next week so may again have a standstill day tomorrow, particularly if the weather is similar to today.