Anderton - again

Our overnight mooring had been very pleasant - just before we set off, Christine captured the nearby wildflowers on camera.

The first passage through Vale Royal Locks is at 10 am and we moved down from the mooring in good time - the holding pontoon only takes one boat! However, as we were waiting, the other boat that had moored at the same place last night came down and had to 'breast up' whilst we waited.

At the appointed hour the lock keeper and his assistant arrived and set about preparing the lock. After a while were allowed in and secured ourselves ready for the twenty minute descent. At least the other locks do not take so long.

Sometimes the River Weaver is disparaged but we found it most pleasant, although there are few facilities. It is best to come prepared for the duration. As it happened, we were close to our normal re-fuelling level - actually this is just below half way but in the wake of last year's disaster, and other difficulties, we try not to run the tank too far in case we draw too much sediment into the fuel supply.

As a result, we felt that we needed to get back to Anderton by the end of the day, even if we had to wait until morning for the next available slot. We continued back down the way we came yesterday - a number of rowing coxed fours and coxless pairs were out practising. Just before Northwich there is a boatyard with a number of larger vessels although it seems unlikely that Proceed will be doing very much of that!

After Hunts Lock - the two friendly staff were on duty again - we stopped at Northwich Services for the usual processes. Christine popped into the town centre for a paper - we failed to find a shop yesterday as as result of the Winsford disappointment. Northwich is much better served and more attractive than Middlewich so we might like to try here again in the future. Many of the houses are timber framed as it was discovered so time back that they withstood the salt subsidence better than other methods of construction. One, near the Town Swing Bridge and now a solicitor's office, was built as late as 1881. Another seems to have had an earlier role as a garage, now a cafe.

After setting off once more we returned to the visitor moorings below Anderton for a lunch break. Another of Christine's soups had been on the brew all morning.

At this stage we decided to go some way down stream, but leaving enough time to make the last lift of the evening - at that stage there was still room. A couple of huge chemical works stand on the river bank just below Anderton, but otherwise it was very pleasant rural scenery.

Saltersford Lock (only one seems to be in use here as well) is mechanised and is another huge affair. As it happened, shortly before we arrived another boat had penned and was almost about to be dropped down when the keeper spotted us arriving and re-opened the gates so that we could travel at the same time.

After about another half an hour we turned around in a wider section of the river just above Acton Swing Bridge and began our return trip. On several occasions, including the return passage through Saltersford, we met up with a hire boat with ten young people out for a birthday celebration weekend. They had been to a fancy dress party just before leaving, dressed as fairies, but only one of the men kept to his costume!

We moored up below Anderton just as the 4:15 lift was loading up. As Mike turned and moored the boat, Christine went to make enquiries and returned with the news that we could travel on the five o'clock lift, the last of the day. She also had pleased the lady who takes the bookings as she remarked that we had met her husband at Hunts Lock where he is one of the seasonal keepers! In fact, it turned out that we were on our own for this ride.

Once the boat is safely tied up inside the caisson and the gates shut, the water between the gates has to be pumped out before the lift can commence. At the top, similarly water is pumped up from the river below to fill the corresponding gap at the other end to release the pressure from the gates. The 2003 restoration - the third form of engineering in the life of the structure - now means that the two caissons can operate independently but this is much more expensive than when they counterbalance each other. However, if one is unavailable for maintenance it does mean that passages can be continued. Both caissons are lowered at night to rest on pads, removing some of the strain on the hydraulic rams. We make no apology for the extra pictures of this structure but it really is amazing and a tribute to the engineering ingenuity of former generations.

By the time we had completed our ascent it was too late to find fuel tonight so we moored at the entrance to Uplands Marina ready for their 8:30 opening in the morning. Alas, trees were between us and the tv satellite!

River Weaver

The day was generally cool - even cold at times with a sharp wind. Occasional showers could be rather fierce as well.

We set off in reasonable time with a lock-free stretch ahead of us until Anderton. We had no plans beyond there, planning to investigate the lift options when we arrived. Another large flash reminded us that we were in salt country - the semi-submerged abandoned boat a reminder that at one time many of these flashes were where a lot of boats ended their days.

As we approached Northwich, industry returned at, at one stage, the canal passed through a huge chemical works.

We stopped at the service block just before the junction for the usual fill and empty. It was then only a short hop to the holding moorings for the Anderton Lift. Mike was completing the catch for the rear door so Christine went to investigate and returned having booked us in for the 12:50 descent as well as sheaves of instructions to read before the 'trip'. She also spotted The Cheeese Boat and returned from there with three interesting cheeses.

After the operator from the lift had been to check our licence and give us the safety briefing, we were told to move around into the holding trough. The gate closed behind us - another boat was coming down with us but, unlike us, he had done this several times before.

The gates between the holding trough and the movable caissons were then opened and boats boats moved forward. Once ready, we were let slowly down. Today, the impressive gear mechanism which are prominent on the top of the structure do not form part of the operation. Instead, a huge hydraulic ram supports the centre of each caisson and they counter-balance each other so that little force is needed to raise boats from the river level up to the canal.

Once at the bottom we emerged into the River Weaver and headed upstream. The river is surprisingly pretty, mostly green and often nearby industry is hidden from view. Half an hour later and we passed through the centre of Northwich and soon after arrived at Hunts Locks.

Only the smaller lock is currently operable, although even this one is large enough to dwarf a narrowboat! The upper edge of the lock is so high above the boats that the lock keepers drop a rope down for us to tie ours onto in order to secure the boat before the lock is filled. In fact it is a very smooth operation but also quite slow. We were amused to see that the signals at either end of the lock are semaphores, not traffic lights, although it did not seem that they are in fact in use.

Vale Royal Locks have only a few timed operations and we arrived at the holding pontoon with half an hour to explore before it was the next time. We were surprised to see that the holding pontoon is only large enough for one boat! only the large lock here is operational and even then only one of the lower gates has a functional mechanism. The keeper here has been in this post since 1980 and is quite vociferous about the waterways!

The gates are operated by hand using a capstan that pulls the gates via a chain below the water. A lever, rather like old hand railway points levers, changes part of the mechanism and a t-shaped handle engages a clutch mechanism. The gates are supposed to be operated by a water-driven motor but this only works for one of the upper gates. Hence the lower gate and the swing bridge across the centre of the lock are hand powered! This is perhaps the largest lock we have ever used. The photo shows only half the lock length.

The next section, passing the Vale Royal mooring is a long straight but returned to bends around the salt works before Winsford. Windsfor Rock Salt Mine - Salt Union - is Britain's oldest working mine (although it did close for some time) There arehuge piles of rock salt on the river bank.

We continued upstream to Winsford as the map from British Waterways that we were given at Anderton indicated a mooring at Winsford and, perhaps we might find an internet connection - there was none at Anderton nor on the river since. But first we had to wind - this was not as easy as we had anticipated and the second bridge proved to be the widest point and only just enough. What a 70 foot boat would do was unclear!

We soon realised that the mooring was not safe to use with a narrow boat - the edge profile was meant for much higher boats so we failed to stop. So no paper and no chance to find a church for tomorrow morning. There was little option but to return downstream. With no usable mooring that we could find at the swing bridge - which might have made it possible to walk into the village of Moulton, it was back to Vale Royal moorings for the night.

Middlewich

We set off around 9:30 and gradually made our way down five locks and about five miles towards Middlewich Junction.

At Booth Lane Lock Christine chatted to a single handed boater coming up. He had a rather splendid belt with adapters for various items such as windlass, handcuff key and Watermate key. It turned out that he makes the belts and sells them as he navigates around. Not only did Christine buy one for Mike she also opted for a second as an early birthday present for Andrew. (If he reads this blog then it will not be a surprise for our next trip when he joins us!)

Much of the large chemical factory just before Middlewich has been razed to the ground although what remains is quite substantial. Judging by the huge piles of plastic bags outside they are still manufacturing something.

There was the usual queue of boats at the junction waiting to go down the Wardle Branch, although we have seen greater numbers!

After descending three locks - a little slow as there are two hire bases here and so quite a number of beginners being show how to work a lock.

By the time we reached the town centre mooring (just under the bridge from the former BW wharf) it was lunch break - another helping of the soup started yesterday - after which we went on a shopping foray into the town. Alas the church was not open so we could not look inside. The town centre - assuming we found it all - is a single street of small shops. At least we did find a butcher (there are two!). We were surprised that they no not normally offer pork shoulder joins - no demand and so they put it all into their sausages! Any way, we did buy a leg joint for Sunday. Off to one side of the main street there was Tesco although, again, slightly disappointingly modest in its range. In any case, we were not in real need of much more than milk!

By the time we set off again, just after three o'clock, rain started to fall. At first it was only an occasional drizzle and it kept dry whilst we waited in a queue to descend Big Lock. This lock is a broad lock but is unusually slow to fill and empty as well as being very heavy both to operate the gates and the paddles. The boat sharing the lock with us had just set off. It was their first experience of canal and they had been show the previous three locks but were now on their own.

Soon after leaving Middlewich a really heavy storm arrived and Mike was rather soaked! It cleared ere long but remained damp and overcast. This stretch is noted for the rural and tree-lined scenery.

We are now in salt country and the canal passes through some of the many flashes created by mining subsidence.

Being wet and rather wet, by the time we arrived at the last open stretch before the built up area of Northwich, we spotted a straight stretch with no trees and decided to halt for the night.

The concrete edging looked quite a good mooring but after we had tied up we realised that it sloped underwater and grated when boats passed. Still it only needed a move on a few metres to find something better. As we moored we were challenged by another swan - not too aggressively this time!

Wheelock

After what was intended to be a gentle day, we ended up feeling well exercised! Mike rose and went off in search of a newspaper - this he found quite quickly in Lawton, but then decided to carry on to Alsager, which proved a little further than expected!

Mike lived for a year in Milton House in the centre of the village - a hostel for apprentices from ROF Radway Green and English Electric in Kidsgrove. It was here that he was first introduced to working with computers, especially DEUCE and KDF9, the prototype of which he worked on. according to a website, two years later the local council (Alsager Urban District!) bought the gardens which to make a park - when Mike was here there were several low single storey blocks typical of war time accommodation structures. The house reverted to private dwellings.

Although there was a phone in the hostel it was sometimes necessary to use the nearby phone box. In those days it was a traditional red box with Buttons A and B - a call locally took 4 pennies! Today there is an updated phone box in possibly the same place - or at least on the same road corner.

Opposite the hostel is the church which Mike went to and for a while sang in the choir. It seemed a long stay at the time but, looking back, a year was really quite a short time but so much happened in that period.

On the way, he found that his watch had stopped - luckily he spotted a small jeweller, upstairs over another shop. He almost missed it but for a pavement sign saying that Gold was Bought here!

A scenic route back meant that it was even later than expected that Mike returned to the boat to find Christine rather eager to set off!

The locks have unusual bollards most of the lock landings.

The route ahead is quite heavily locked - it is sometimes known as Heartbreak Hill. The locks were all constructed as pairs but chronic lack of maintenance means that many only have one operational. Some have even be filled in or used as overflow weirs. One of two appear to have been taken out of use only recently.

We moored up for lunch just before Chells Aqueduct - one of Christine's tasty soups using some lamb bones brought with us from home.

By the time we were ready to set off, rain arrived. It was only occasional showers but one or two were quite heavy. Nevertheless it did not feel too cold as we worked the locks.

The canal passes close to a number of small villages but not through the centres. At Wheelock we stopped for a 'full service' - Christine popped to a nearby shop (following a sign which told us it was close) and put a couple of ice creams in the freezer for dinner tonight. The former canal company's wharf transhipment warehouse has now been converted to a restaurant.

We were chased fiercely by a male swan that swam within inches of our stern - after we were safely past his mate, next and very new chicks he eventually said farewell!

No much further we decided that we had done enough - 20 locks - so found a good mooring and pulled in for the night.

Church Lawton

We travelled up from Cornwall - Mike had a meeting this morning so it was just before midday that we set off. Traffic was OK and there were no delays. Apart from one comfort break at Strensham Services, we did not stop once we were onto the A30 outside Bodmin. We arrived shortly before five o'clock - just as we expected.

We parked in the church car park and spent the next hour carrying out luggage and stores across one field to the boat.

We did not say in the last posting exactly where we moored - a little shy of security issues. In fact, we used the official 14 day moorings just below the church at Church Lawton. Our visit at the end of the last trip left us a bit intrigued about the housing development. An internet search revealed the history of how Lawton Hall has fared since the start of the twentieth century. Initially it was used as hotel but was requisitioned in the second world war. Later it became a school which closed in the 1980's.It took the best part of a decade for a developer to gain planning permission - the usual local objections prevented earlier attempts - and the hall was converted into several dwellings and the grounds used for more houses which now comprise a gated community.

We opted not to move the boat this evening - we were on a good mooring and a number of locks lay immediately ahead.

Perhaps we also need to say that only last night were we able to decide our route to Manchester. During our last trip we booked out start date for the Rochdale Canal in June and we only have just over a day to reach Ducie Street on our main trip. We had hoped to travel up the Macclesfield and leave the boat at Marple. In the end we failed to find somewhere suitable but do have the promise of space at Anderton. So, although it is the less interesting route (the Bridgewater Canal from Preston Brook is not the most stimulating transit - although it has to be said that four years ago we travelled it both directions in the rain!

So, tonight we remain at Church Lawton - despite the forecast of rain, it was a delightful evening and the stir fry, using Sunday's roast beef was very tasty. Time then passed watching two episodes of The Apprentice - not exactly intellectual!

Kidsgrove

We were away in good time this morning to avoid any congestion delays at the tunnel which was a short, very straight run away. As we approached we could see directly in front of us the original tunnel entrance, replaced later by the larger Telford tunnel.

We checked in with the tunnel keeper - we were actually the second boat to arrive, the first was about fifteen minutes ahead of us and we were asked to wait a few minutes for a further boat to catch us up. He could then avoid opening the tunnel doors a further time! These doors have a fan built into them to ensure that there is good ventilation and when the doors were closed after both boats were inside, there was a very definite increase in air speed.

Andrew was at the tiller and we passed through without touching the sides once! If only Standedge will be like that!

The other end of the tunnel we passed Hall Green Junction where the Macclesfield canal leaves, to pass over the Trent and Mersey a short distance ahead and then comes the start of the Red Bull flight of locks - most of the locks in this section are doubled. A large sign outside the pub at the first lock reminded us that it was the day of the Royal Wedding: at least one of us had completely forgotten! However, it did mean that a much larger number of boats than usual were moored up with their television masts at the ready! Also close by is a reminder of the former Kidsgrove Gas Light Company.

We stopped at Red Bull services for the usual and then continued on down to Church Lawton where we moored. After a lazy lunch break, Mike and Andrew set off to walk to Kidsgrove station to catch a train to Willington, via Derby in order to pick up cars from Mercia Marina and bring them back to the boat. The journey was very smooth and just as planned.

The church of Church Lawton is curious - its nave is obviously a lot more recent than its tower. The following morning we called in for coffee and to look inside the church. Its tower is 16th century with remains of a Norman entrance door but the main part of the chancel fell down and was replaced in the 19th century in the style of a non-conformist chapel, complete with a West Gallery but also an organ!