Spontaneity is their Middle Name

On Sunday we got back to Ellesmere and said ‘goodbye’ to Rodney who set off on the long drive back to Staines.  We rang to organise a passage down the Frankton Locks onto the Montgomery Canal for Monday morning and moored Sunday night at the top of the locks.

The Montgomery (affectionately known as ‘The Monty’) is currently only navigable from the English end for seven miles to Maesbury Marsh.  Originally it went for 35 miles from Welsh Frankton in England to Newtown in Wales.  The canal crosses into Wales at a place called Llanymynech which is about three miles further on from the current terminus.  Part of the canal has been restored from the Welsh end – it all just needs to be joined together!  Twenty five years ago I was looking forward to the time when I could cruise from Frankton to Welshpool – I’m still looking forward to it!  It’s always all about money – if only I could have a large win on the lottery ………………!!!!

The canal is very rural and, as there are special plants, the banks are more river-like and less protected against wash.  Moorings are very restricted and so the number of boats allowed onto it at any one time is carefully managed.  When it is eventually fully restored (and I can only hope it is within my life time) I’m sure it will be every bit as popular as the Llangollen.

We were just filling up with water at the bottom of the Frankton flight when the phone rang and it was Mick & Lynn.  They were travelling back from a visit to Lynn’s mum who lives on the Wirral and, just like that, decided to come and find us!  Easy-Peasy – ‘meet us at the Queen’s Head on the A5 just outside of Oswestry’, we suggested!  We arrived within minutes of each other.  Being Bank Holiday Monday the pub was heaving.  Lunch was excellent!

God Bless good friends!

“A Masterpiece of Civil Engineering”

The Pontcysylite Aqueduct as described on one of the information boards at Trevor Basin.

It is apparently the highest navigable aqueduct ever built and is so special that in 2009 it was placed on the World Heritage List.  Crossing the beautiful River Dee it’s 126 feet high, 1,007 feet long and supported on 19 arches.  It was officially opened to traffic in November 1805 and cost £47,018 to build.  Boats go across single file in an iron trough and railings are only on the towpath side.  It’s certainly a very long way down!

Judging by the number of visitors walking past our boat from the car park, it certainly attracts crowds of people.  A coach load of Japanese tourists has arrived two days running so we have appeared in lots of photographs!  Male passers-by are fascinated by our engine and the ladies like the flowers and painted ware.  The trip boat is doing very good business.  One little girl thought we were the trip boat – bless her!

The weather forecast has led us to believe that there is some really bad rain on the way but, as yet, the sun has, for most of the time, continued to shine.  Typically, just as we got onto the aqueduct it started to rain and the wind began to blow but …….. it didn’t last long.

                 

We have decided not to carry on to Llangollen but to stay here at Trevor for another day.  The pub is FAR too accessible for John and Rodney but, for a bit of peace and quiet, it gets them out of my way!

Fun & Games?

Well, that all depends upon who it is having difficulty!  If it’s us it’s definitely not funny – if it’s someone else it’s entertaining!  At New Marton Top Lock it was us in trouble!  We just couldn’t get fully into the lock!  Boats stacked up behind us and boats stacked up in front of us and everyone had a different opinion as to what to do to solve the problem!  John kept amazingly calm!  Eventually, with three of us standing on the roof to give the front end extra weight, one guy flushing water down from the top paddles (the same guy who, earlier on in the proceedings, told me off for doing exactly that!) and at least eight hunky chaps pulling on ropes we got into the lock and on our way.  This has definitely not filled either of us with confidence for the section from Trevor to Llangollen!

As we were approaching The Poacher’s Pocket who should be coming the other way but Dick and Chris on n/b ‘Dunmorvan’.  They moored at Penton Hook Marina for a long time and we got to know them through Ben.  Having now retired they are footloose and fancy free and are really enjoying exploring the canal system.  There is an extra member of the family – a lovely little Jack Russell called Lucy who just loves beer!  They moored up and we all went to the pub for liquid sustenance.  We spent the next morning chatting over cups of coffee.  They let us have a go on their electric bikes ……….. absolutely brilliant and Chris also has a TRULY comfortable saddle called a ‘Fat Bum’!  I want one!  The saddle that is, I’ve already got the other!!

Having left them we headed over the  lovely Chirk Aqueduct – slowly.  Croesco.  Into Wales.  Whenever the channel narrows the boat slows right down because she is drawing so much water beneath her.  Another queue of hire boats behind!  We moored up just at the entrance to the tunnel thinking it would be a peaceful place to stay, somewhere we could run the generator without upsetting anyone else and get easily to the shops and the lovely river Ceiriog to walk the dogs.  How wrong can you be!

Hire Boat Central!  We’ve counted at least nine different hire boat companies working this canal and from Chirk onwards it’s full throttle all the way to Llangollen.  We watched as three hire boats entered the tunnel with hooters hooting willie-nillie and then, a few minutes later, three hire boats reversing out again!  Why?  Because SIX boats were coming the other way!  How could you not notice six bright headlamps?  Whilst these three reversed out of the tunnel at least another three arrived.  Utter chaos!  Better entertainment than the cinema but, of course, it wasn’t us in trouble!  Frantic action continued quite late into the evening and began again early the next morning.

Today we hope to go over ‘The Big One’ and moor in Trevor Basin but that might be far too optimistic.  One private boater we met – a liveaboard from Sunbury – assured us that, albeit slowly, we would be able to get up to the end but ……………… I’m not convinced and now, neither is John!  Shame he was going the opposite way because he could have given us a tow should we have needed it.

Change Round Day

So, what’s been going on?

Last Saturday our lovely friend, Gill, and her youngest son, William, were ‘delivered’ to us at Nantwich and have been with us cruising from there to Ellesmere on the Llangollen Canal.  We have been so lucky with the weather!  The sun has shone at some point every day and we have had very little rain.  I’ve had crew!

 

It’s been really nice for me having my best mate to stay – there have been lots of opportunities for ‘girlie talk’ and, together, we had a really good mooch around the shops in both Whitchurch and Ellesmere.

 

 

Poor old Will!  He’s been very patient – he just busied himself with crosswords, Terry Pratchet novels and pink biscuits!

There are lots of boats about on the system.  I think the hire boats out-number the private boats but only just.  As we reached Hurleston Junction who should we find moored up waiting to ‘catch’ us as we passed but our dear friends, Sandra and Ken on n/b ‘Kessandra’.  We were so pleased to see them.  They have been out on the cut since the beginning of April and are now making their way back to base.

At Wrenbury, as we were making our way to ‘The Cotton Arms’ (nice pub), we saw our ‘neighbours’ Mike, Jan and little dog Chico on n/b ‘Wah Wah Chug’.  They too have had a really nice time out cruising and are now making their way back to Crick Marina.  If you like old church buildings, the church at Wrenbury is well worth a visit.

We’ve only been on the Llangollen Canal once before but it didn’t take long to remind us how peaceful and beautiful the surrounding countryside is.  No wonder it’s so popular!

Yesterday Gill and Will left to go home and Rodney arrived – hence ‘Change Round Day’.  Some time ago I promised him a trip over The Pontcysylite Aqueduct.  The plan is to cruise to the basin in Llangollen and back to Ellesmere.  The last time we went to Llangollen we got well and truly stuck on the narrow section approaching the town so, of course, I’m convinced this is going to happen again!  We struggled to get into the Ellesmere Tunnel so …………….. omen?  Also, next weekend there is a canal festival being held at Ellesmere so I suspect it will be chaotic there!  Let’s hope the weather remains kind to us as, in the words of my Welsh cousin, ‘there’s no place like Wales in the sunshine’! 

                                              

                                     ‘Small Copper’ butterfly seen during a walk on Whixall  Moss.           

Take it All Back

That obscure meeting point with Lynne and Paul turned out to be Coole Pilate Leisure Area where The Shropshire Union Canal Cruising Club has provided lots of picnic tables and barbecue stands.  I suspect that this is where members of the club meet for an annual gathering - what a lovely mooring site! Needless to say it’s very popular with boaters.

We’ve spent a lovely couple of days with Lynne and Paul. We took the ‘pack’ of dogs for walks and, despite there being no provision for the larger dog at stiles, Crystal was not deterred.

It so frustrates me when we come across situations like this.  Why can’t there be a simple dog flap?  It’s easy for us to lift over little dogs like Maisie and Maggie but for poor old Crystal (all 7 stone of her!) it’s really difficult.  Paul didn’t find it too easy either!

What this says to me is that the farmer doesn’t really want us there at all and is definitely not going to encourage walkers across his fields!  They just do enough to abide with the rules and then apparently get some sort of payment.

During the day, John & I cycled back to Audlem along the country lanes and then, in the evening, we had a barbecue together.

How lucky are we?

The sunset was fabulous.

M and M

As dusk approached on Wednesday, boats were moored bow to stern at the bottom of the Adderley locks just as they were at the top of the Audlem flight.  The Madness and Mayhem then that occurred the following morning on the Audlem flight came as no surprise!  To start with there were three boats going down to every one going up so – three boats in each pound and water levels dropping.  It wasn’t until lock 10 that we were able to go out of one lock and straight into the next.  Despite the drizzling rain and the queue’s of boats, however, as far as I’m aware, everyone maintained good spirits.

Audlem is another lovely village on the canal.  It has three pubs and a good selection of individual shops.  It never fails to amaze me how little places have such big, ornate churches!

Tonight we are moored by the popular canalside pub called “The Shroppie Fly”  (For non-boaters – Fly boats were those which worked through the night to deliver their cargoes as quickly as possible.)

Just behind us is The Audlem Mill Canal shop.  This old converted mill sells everything crafty and beautiful and lots more.  For anyone who enjoys doing cross stitch, this is the shop for you!  I have never seen such an enormous selection of sewing kits. 

Tomorrow?  We have an appointment at some obscure bridge – supposedly not too far away – to plague the occupants of n/b “Piston Broke”. 

Aren’t you Glad it’s Summer?

It’s mid August and today we lit the fire!  We felt really cold!

Couple of rants – dedicated to my friend, Mrs Clayton, who says I’m good at it!

Rant 1

August and the School Holidays – this must be the month for the emergence of Bossy, I-know-it-all-and-even-if-you-don’t-want-to-hear-it-I’m-going-to-tell-you women!  What’s the betting they’re teachers?

Justification for this observation:-

• Yesterday I was told that I absolutely needed to be in the photo I was taking as otherwise I wouldn’t remember where it was so …………… hand the camera over now.
• Same female – I made a comment about a campsite and was told in no uncertain terms that my observations were totally wrong and ……. this is what it’s really all about.
• Today – I was told that I most certainly would not like Market Drayton and would not want to stay there long as all the decent shops have closed down and the market only sells tut and Morrisons, although it’s an OK shop, it’s a tiresome trek up from the canal.
• Then – same lady told the boaters going up the lock in front how they couldn’t possibly reach their destination that day as it was far too far to travel in one day.  (It was still only 10am and more fool them for telling her in the first place!)

I actually said very little – even if I had wanted to say more it would have been a losing battle to get a word in edgeways!  I’m so glad we’re going North!

Rant 2

The Holiday boaters who want to do 109 miles and 94 locks in 5 days.  This is why my slumbers are disturbed at 6.30am and 9.30pm.

Here endeth the rants.