Nantwich

Here I am Rune

Distance 3.3 miles 

Total 4546 Locks  288 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,821.5 miles

We called it a day at Nantwich since there was some stuff we needed to get from the town. The trip went pretty well, we waited for the early heavy rain to pass over before setting off then headed off down the Hurleston Flight. It is easy to see why there are often hold-ups there, probably down to a bit too much enthusiasm from some crews. The flight works perfectly well if everyone paces themselves down it, but there are crews who are a bit too keen. We got to the top lock and saw that there was one boat on it’s way down and had gone into the pound below the lock. This would be normal practice on a section of canal with reasonably long pounds, the pounds at Hurleston aren’t. Our decision was to wait a) for the boat that was coming up and b) for the boat in the pound below to get into the next lock. Once that was done it was then just a case of empty our lock and then wait in the lock until the next lock was ready. The boat behind was seemingly quite keen to get into the lock I was in and a crew member came up, told me not to worry about shutting the bottom gates, and wanted me to move on down. I explained that the last thing you want on this flight was to have two boats going in the same direction, in the same pound. What happens is that the first boat fills the lock goes into it and once they’ve gone down the second boat has to do the same, but now there isn’t as much water in the pound and often you then cannot get over the cill into the lock after you’ve taken two lockfulls of water out of the same pound. This then means that someone has to run some more water down from the top into the pound so that you can get out of it (as was the case when we came up). I’m not sure that the crew member was quite following what I was saying, but it mattered not since I was in the lock and they weren’t and I wasn’t going anywhere until the next lock was ready.

At least on this occasion we got down the flight without anyone running out of water and got to Nantwich about 12.30pm. I was grateful to find an easy mooring on the embankment and here we have remained for the night. Tomorrow I hope to at least get into the Audlem flight since if we don’t, getting back to the basin by next weekend will become a very long shot.

 

Burland

Here I am Rune

Distance 8.2 miles 

Total 4542 Locks  288 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,818.2 miles

We set off slightly earlier today, about 10.15am which has enabled us to get on reasonably well, 6 locks and just over 8 miles. We are not as far as I would have initially hoped since, before the lock stoppage, I’d intended to be somewhere south of Nantwich, whereas we are currently about 3 miles away by canal (not so far as the crow flies since we could hear the Nantwich Firework display this evening).

Given the time of year however the weather today was excellent for cruising, in fact we passed one old gent sat sunbathing on the bows of his boat, not bad since it is November on Monday.

Tomorrow should see us in Nantwich at least, but possibly further.

 

Quoisley

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.9 miles 

Total 4536 Locks  288 Tunnels

Running total mileage 6,810miles

So finally back on the move again, Quoisley Lock was re-opened at about midday and there was then a rush of boats who had been held up all making their way down the canal. We had to stop at the sanitary station to take on water and empty the elsans so a hire boat was able to get through the staircase ahead of us, no problem as they are on a schedule and we aren’t.

A good ‘win’ for us was passing Grindley Brook garage which has a fuel depot behind it, I popped in there to enquire if they had any broken pallets they wanted to be rid of, they were quite keen so let me have a couple, that should sort out our kindling for the winter!

From here on it will just be a case of seeing where we end up at the finish of the day. I would have liked to be back at Hawne Basin by a week on Sunday but that is looking increasingly unlikely.