Another change in the weather! We awoke to a bright blue sky and, although it turned grey by the time we set off, it soon warmed up and was one of the better days so far. Layers of clothes had to be shed. On the other hand, mobile connections were few and far between, with rare internet capability.
We had noticed last evening that there is a shop at the service station close to the canal at Grindley Brook which sells newspapers. So Mike walked back about 10 minutes and noticed several other boaters coming from the shop with papers in hand. On the other hand he failed with milk and frozen fish.
The splendid lock keeper's cottage commands the top of Grindley Brook locks. Not sure whether the occupier is connected with the canal but they may be unaware of how much the canals benefit from EU grants.
Although there are no locks to negotiate today there are several lift bridges, each with an hydraulic mechanism. Each one is a little different and use very different numbers of turns. The hardest was one that took 75 turns whilst others just over 30. There were quite a few boats about this morning - it was very different after lunch - so lift bridges are quite a dance as the boater who raises a bridge, and is thus stuck on the offside, hopes for a break in the line of boats so that they can be allowed to lower the bridge and make their getaway - after all the others are now ahead. If lucky, you catch up with them after they have opened the next but it did not seem to work out that way very often today.
This is the first, not long after we set off and was about the easiest.
This is a little further with the boat ahead having had to wait for a couple of others boats just as we arrived on the scene. Still, we had let one through at an earlier bridge where we had opened it.
This was a former railway bridge but as we are internet-less we cannot find out what line it carried. Hopefully we will be able to look it up before we come back sometime next week.
Again, the wild flowers lining the edge of the towpath were impressive.
By now the skies were mainly blue and the fluffy clouds served only to make everything look even more attractive.
Just the day, in fact, for a gentle trot along the country lanes close to the canal.
We think that these are the first yellow irises that we have seen this year.
This lift bridge is unusual in that it leaves no gap between the water and the bridge deck. The crew on the boat ahead had lowered he bridge after they had passed through as there was a waiting walker - the bridge carries a public footpath - and was about to lift it again when he spotted us a short distance back. We managed, however, to signal to him to leave it and that we would manage it ourselves. Otherwise they would have had a long wait. We however, were just at the right time for a boat coming the other way that we could wave through.
Alongside the canal at this point there are information boards about walks around parts of the Whixall Mosses. At one point we saw a large group of mothers and children, all equipped with fishing nets but none had yet had chance to catch anything. Just after we passed them we saw that at this last lift bridge there is a car park for visitors to the walks. It looked popular. Christine took a close look at one board and stored away the suggestion that we might stop on the return journey of Alice is interested in an explore.
The short Prees Branch is now under a mile in length. At one time a clay pit produced puddle for mending canals which has now been converted into a BWML Marina at what is the end of the navigable part.
The first lift bridge is stated in Nicholsons has being very difficult to operate. It must have been improved as it was not the hardest today and we have encountered far worse.
The next lift bridge was even easier - sadly it looks as if the repair is taking some time. That's a rather badly cracked support beam.
This lamb seemed to have escaped from the adjoining field but was desperately trying to find a way back - with little success.
At the marina we enquired if there was an engineer who could advise us about our batteries which seem to have a rather low voltage first thing in the morning. This has only started to occur from the beginning of this trip. The advertised chandlery and other facilities have long since closed but an engineer from the hire fleet that operates from here kindly took a look and declared our batteries to be fine, or so his tester states. Another puzzle not yet solved. We turned around and set off back but tied up for lunch just after the broken bridge where we spotted proper visitor moorings as we came down.
After lunch, Mike took the opportunity to see whether the macro facility on his compact camera would help close up pictures of some of the wild flowers that we cannot easily capture as we cruise along.
We set off once more - just before the junction we spotted this postbox for the cottage at the junction, which also has a roving bridge, one that takes the towpath over the canal.
This is the main part of Whixall Moss, although it extends both sides of the canal. We understand that it is a peat bog, initially created at the end of the ice age.
It was a pleasant and leisurely cruise from here with only an occasional bridge. There were very few boats passing us. A little outside Ellesmere (where we plan to do a weekend shop tomorrow) we found a very quiet mooring, alas still no mobile signal so it is an open question when, dear reader, you will get to see this report!
Later, whilst Mike prepared a tuna, sweetcorn and mushroom pie for tonight's meal, Christine went for a walk along the towpath and took a look at Cole Mere, the first of several meres that adjoin the canal for the next two or three miles. Here are some of the pictures she captured along the way.
11.9 Miles - 0 Locks - 7 Lift Bridges
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