Boatdate: 21062021

Location: Wrenbury

Heading: Nope, stopping here for a bit.

Midsummer day and very nice it is too.  We arrive at Grindley Brook staircase locks to find a slew of boats going in both directions so we are just going to have to wait our turn patiently. The lock keepers run a system of 3 up, 3 down, repeat as necessary. I have to wait for seven boats to pass through before it's my turn. C has time to walk down to the little shop that sells batique cards and second hand books and also has a gallery which turns out to be closed just now. Once through we continue on to Wenbury and at Marbury lock have a little wait as a boat and butty are coming up. Soon after we're crossing the Wrenbury aqueduct which takes us over the river Weaver and through the powered lift bridge next to Wrenbury mill and the boatyard. We moor shortly after for the night and tomorrow we are going to pack down and leave the boat for a bit *sniffs*. 

I hope the dragon, duck, otter, cat and road runner behave themselves while we're away. 

I expect they'll party! 

 

Boatdate: 20062021

Canal: Prees Arm of Llangollen Canal

Heading: Towards Whitchurch

Intercosta Status:  Ouch!  Coffee, NOW!!

This is a bit of a detour as we decide on impulse to investigate the short Prees Arm of the Llangollen. There's not much to it, a couple of bridges and the navigation ends at Whixall Marina. No particular reason for us to call in here so we just wind the boat, stop briefly for a bite to eat and then rejoin the Llangollen for the remainder of the journey to Whitchurch. 

(Whixall Marina - Prees Arm) 

 

A couple more hours brings us to the turn into the Whitchurch Arm at New Mills Lift Bridge. It is very short but there is plenty of room for us to moor and as we turn in we spot the Baked on Board Pizza boat and call out to ask if he's still open as it's late when we arrive. He is, yippee! That solves eats for the evening as we are both pretty tired by the time we arrive. The Pizza is wonderful.

Definitely go get one if you see this boat on your travels.

After munchies Cathy finds the energy from somewhere to walk the mile into Whitchurch. It's reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. There is evidence of human habitation here from 3000BC. There are over 100 listed buildings in Whitchurch which is a lot for a small town with a population a little under 10,000. I walk a little of the way but turn back shy of the town and return to the boat for a beer and a slob. Early next morning I cycle in and have an explore as well as doing a bit of shopping. I am impressed. It would be well worth returning at some point for a longer explore. The architecture is fascinating. Below is St Alkmunds Church build of a beautiful creamy red sandstone and which stands out for its design as well as its imposing position at a high point in the landscape. A church has stood on this site since 1089 although many rebuilds have taken place over the centuries since that time.

 

Boatdate: 19062021

Time: Lunchtime

Location: Blakemere

Heading: Pardon?

Weather: I forget, it got better as day went on as I recall.

 

Go away, I'm busy.

 

 Boatdate: 19062021

Location: Blakemere

Heading: Towards Whitchurch

Weather: Amazeballs

I scraped my bottom at Frankton Locks on account of how C, obsessed with wildflower spotting, fogot to lower the paddles when working the lock. It can happen to the best of us but is a hell of an ooops moment when it happens, specially when there is a CRT lock keeper on duty. Mind you, to be fair, I should have spotted it quicker as it was obvious the boat wasn't rising as quickly as it should and I was having to welly it in reverse gear because of the huge flow of water through the lock. Red faces all round. I could definitely feel the hull scraping the bottom between locks but there was just enough water to get me there. The lock keeper was cool about it though and it wouldn't take him long to rectify our mistake by letting more water down to get the level nominal again. 

The plan today is to mooch back up the Llangollen and through the Ellesmere Tunnel and moor up for the night at Blakemere with maybe a spot of shopping in Tesco next to Ellesmere basin.

Oh my, it's so tempting to get the kayak out and paddle round this lake for a couple of hours till C spots the notice which sais, no swimming, no boating, no canoedling, and only a bit of (catch and release) fishing allowed. Oh well. Go shopping instead then.

We had spotted nb Pegasus as we passed the Ellesmere turn with lots of interesting looking tiller pins for sale displayed on the roof. Since we have been looking for a Ferret tiller pin for ages, (our pet ferret was called Pan), we decide that it's a must to walk back to them and see what they've got. What a collection! Some they make themselves or have them cast to their spec. Pretty much everything except a ferret there. Still, we are smitten by some of them and these are the ones we love and can't resist buying.

 

 

Dragon, Duck, Otter and Road Runner. So along with our original Cat we have a tiller pin for almost every day of the week. Result!

Boatdate: 18062021

Location: Weston Arm, Montgomery Canal

Heading: Back up to the Llangollen canal in morning

Weather: Cloudy, cooler, a bit of sun in the evening

 Right then, time to go though it would be quite possible to stay here longer quite happily but we are booked for a passage back up Frankton Locks onto the Llangollen canal on Saturday morning. Our friends have stayed aboard overnight and are going to cruise up through the three Aston locks with us before walking the towpath back to their car and heading home.

It doesn't take long to dawdle back down the cut to where we moor for the night opposite nb Jasper. As it turns out, Paul the owner of Jasper knows Pan91 of old from Hanbury Wharf and after much scrunching of brain cells he comes up with the name Barclay Williams as the purported 2nd (?) owner of our boat after Hilary Peters for whom we think Pan91 was built. A bit of googling later I find an address and contact number for Barclay and I will try to contact him at some point to see if he knew the name of the boat builder which, to this day, is still a mystery. 

It's a very quiet and peaceful evening. Cathy goes off to explore more of the rich flora she's spotted as we came through the Graham Palmer Lock and she's put in a massive amount of work in identifying all the species she's found from her extensive collection of books on wild flora and fauna we keep on board. I decide to get the vacuum pump out and get shot of the rainwater that has found its way into the bilge but it doesn't take long. Oh, I also top up the water tank and get rid of the accumulated rubbish on board at the Weston Arm recycling bins and the skip. 

This is the memorial stone at the side of the Graham Palmer Lock. Honestly, he is a dead ringer for a friend of mine called Duncan.

 

Boatdate: 17062021

Location: The Navigation, Maesbury

Heading: Turning round here.

Weather: Cooler, thank goodness

Maesbury is as far as we can go on this canal and the limit of navigation is currently at Gronwen Wharf shortly after The Navigation Pub. We are stopping here anyway as friends are coming to join us for a meal this evening. The pub has struggled during lockdown and the patrons have had to take on jobs elsewhere to keep going and to drastically reduce pub opening times. The food turned out to be superb and the beer was great too. Opposite our mooring a couple of guys are renovating a property and spent the morning power washing bricks and shouting down the phone at someone, probably complaining about having been delivered dirty bricks.

That's it. The current end of the navigation. One day it will be restored in full. Yaki da.

 

Boatdate: 16062021

Location: Montgomery Canal (aka The Monty)

Heading: To Maesbury

Weather: Totally Schorchio...factor 150 schorchio

 Moored for the night near the Queens Head and blimey it was hot. Next morning, before the heat built up, we walked a mile up the A5 to the British Ironworks Centre which is well worth a visit although the walk along the nightmarishly fast and busy A5 to get there was not especially pleasant. There are acres and acres of iron sculptures of every animal you could think off as well as workshops, a pleasant outdoor cafe and in the retail section some stunning works of art in both wood and metal. Hows about this for a coffee table???

Boatdate: 15062021

Location: Frankton Locks

Heading:S

Health & Safety Executive: Furious

Weather: Bit Schorchio...factor 50 schorchio

 

Heading down Frankton Locks onto the Montgomery Canal. The folk in the house you see just through those lock gates should move out and let us live there! This canal runs for 33 miles through Weshpool down to Newtown. It breached in 1936 and was officially abandoned in 1944 though an ongoing restoration project is underway. Currently there are only 7 miles of navigable waterway open to us from the lock I am leaping over. The number of boats permitted on the canal is limited at any one time so booking passage is essential. Much of the canal route is designated as an SSRI and Special Conservation Area with a rich diversity of wildlife and flora as it has been so little disturbed since the canal closure.

 

Boatdate: 03062021

Canal: Shroppy

Heading:Towards the Llangollen Canal at Hurleston Junction

Weather: Fine

Fuel Status: 3/4

Water Status: Full

Beer Status:.Marginal

Whiskey Status: Pathetic

Toilet Status:Getting there

Bilge Status:Annoying

Sparkly new deck cover and dodger and fit to go to the ball. The intention now is to head down the Llangollen Canal and turn down onto the Montgomery Canal which in times long gone was navigable all the way to Newtown. As it stands there is only 8 miles of navigable canal at this end although there is an isolated section further down the cut and wouldn't it be lovely if it was all connected up one day and we could sail all the way to Newtown. Won't be in my lifetime.

 

Boatdate: 01062021

Canal: Shroppy

Heading: Nantwich way

Weather: Fine

 On the way back to Nantwich where we have a date with Cratch Covers and Canopies to fit new deck covers our old ones having deteriorated to the point where they are unuseable.