Stream in the Sky

 

We decided on an early start as we wanted to get through Chirck and over The Pontcysylite Aqueduct before it got busy .So leaving Curly in bed we pulled ropes through rings at 05.55 which has to be one of the best times of the day. It’s probably a good job Curly was in bed as I’m sure she would have made some comment about me resembling this guy.

Passing through Chirk bank and a local resident has made a real good effort to brighten up the bank with this Canal ware.

Crossing Chirk Aqueduct which is 70-foot (21 m) high and 710-foot (220 m) long Carolyn steers and tries to keep Inca in a straight line as it can be difficult as you are going against the flow.

After passing through Chirk Tunnel it’s only a couple of miles to The world Heritage site of The Pontcysylite Aqueduct (pronounced Pont-ker-sulth-tee) .Although you get a few glimpses of it through the trees on the way through Froncysylite it comes upon you very quickly after rounding a corner.

With Carolyn in her usual place down below as she is not at all happy with this crossing we start our passage across The Stream in the Sky. It’s Curly’s first ever trip across and we weren’t sure how she would react,but she loved it and was looking over the side as we travelled over.

Looking back as we are about half way across there is a football pitch on one side below and a Sewage Treatment Works on the other side below.

Passing over the River Dee this is where the 1,000 feet long Aqueduct is at it’s highest point of 127 feet.

We have been over the Ponty 8 times before and I have never had a problem with the height. In fact there are pictures somewhere on here of me stood on the edge of Inca above the river looking down. But this time for some bizarre reason I had a bit of a funny moment and just had to get as far away from the edge as possible all the way across . I found that I couldn’t even look down and I just looked ahead and concentrated on steering across. I’m just wondering now if it’s a one off thing or will it be as bad on the way back, It may be that I will be down below with Carolyn and then letting Curly steer us across.

After a good cruise we picked up one our favourite moorings anywhere on the system just a mile outside of Trevor. How about that for a view, and the other way looks back toward the Aqueduct . With Curly wanting to do a bit of Fishing we will have a relaxing day soaking up the Sun and the surroundings before heading into Llangollen basin in the morning.

 

                                                                                                       Happy Days

Lift bridge 28

 

You may remember Carolyn struggling to raise the lift bridge which is number 28 above the Lapworth flight on The Stratford canal back at the beginning of July. Friends Paul and Gill on Nb Falcon left a comment saying that they had contacted Canal and River Trust some time ago about the difficulty of lifting the bridge and had asked me to remind them (CRT) about the lift bridge, which I did and this is what I said

Sent: 04 July 2016 20:15
To: enquiries westmidlands <enquiries.westmidlands@canalrivertrust.org.uk>
Subject: Bridge 28 Stratford canal
This lift bridge is a nightmare to lift .We were warned by the Volunteer Lockie when we came through Lapworth last week that it was very heavy and there was a problem with it.
Friends of ours contacted you last year and were told that the lifting mechanism was sent back to Italy to be inspected.
Has anything happened in the last 12 months ? And is anything being done about this problem..
Regards Gary

Now after several weeks I received this reply.

Hello Gary
Firstly please accept my apologies that it has taken a while to come back to you, as I have been waiting for the M & E Engineer to investigate and report on the lift bridge below.
Please see his findings and comments below:
The pump has been returned from Italy, and is now installed, following which I can confirm the following -
1. Whereas the former pump configuration was very 'hard' to turn, but only required around 40 revolutions of the windlass, the modified pump is much easier - although requiring around 100 turns of the windlass.
2. Our Waterway Manager, Ian Lane paid a visit to the bridge in order to evaluate the modified operation and was satisfied with the ease of operation, whilst acknowledging the increased number of turns required.
3. I have visited the bridge to evaluate operation, my findings concur with Ian's comments.
4. Whilst on site, I took the opportunity to watch a passing boat negotiate the bridge. The boater concerned was turning the windlass with ease, but appeared be 'out of breath' arising from the number of turns required BUT NOT with the actual physical exertion required, which was the fundamental issue in the pre-modification customer complaints.
The high degree of physical effort required formed the basis of all the pre - modification complaints, this has now been resolved.
From a technical point of view, the pump design and construction is not capable of simultaneously providing both ease of operating effort, and minimal number of turns, however I suggest that we (CRT) continue to monitor the bridge in terms of user comments before we consider any further action.
I hope that the above information may assist with your enquiry.
Kind Regards
Viv Biggs

So there you have it. I must thank Val for getting back to me and I do appreciate it . However I do still wonder if a 100 turns is a bit much to turn for a hydraulic lift bridge. We are now on the Llangollen which has many lift bridges ,so we will start counting how many turns they take to lift. Has anyone else encountered anything on the canal system that requires so many turns of a windlass ? .

                                                                                                             Happy Days

Llangollen Canal Kingfisher

 

We pulled ropes through rings at 07.10 from our mooring at Wrenbury with the intention of getting to Grindley Brook locks as early as possible .In the Summer you can sometimes get over 100 boats going through and you may have to wait up to 3 hours. On route we caught our first view of a Llangollen Kingfisher. One day I will get a picture of a Kingfisher in perfect focus.

Grindley Brook locks are 6 locks ,there are 3 normal locks with pounds at the bottom and then a staircase of 3 locks at the top.Luckily we got there early and there was just one boat waiting to go up and 3 to come down the staircase. We ended up taking just under an hour to do the flight.

We carried on for a few more hours before picking up a mooring on the junction of the Prees branch. It’s funny because we stopped here last year and had a bit of Internet coverage ,but this year although our phones showed 3G we didn’t actually have any. We are both on the 3 network and nearly everywhere we go we have good Internet except up here on The Llangollen where there are very few areas with coverage.

The following day after a good night we pulled ropes again at 08.30 with the plan of getting to Ellesmere and picking up a good mooring so that we could do a Tesco shop. With very few boats around we picked up a mooring on the junction. It’s not somewhere I would normally stop because of all the mayhem we have observed at the junction on previous visits here. So Carolyn and Curly headed off to Tesco while me and Hamish stayed aboard to fend off boats.

After re-stocking Inca with essentials and a few luxuries we left Ellesmere and headed towards a mooring we have used several times before. At the top lock at New Marton Curly was well impressed with this bridge as it was the smallest one she had ever seen.

After a long day we picked up this mooring at St Martin’s moor and guess what ? we had a good amount of Internet.. Just the ticket.

With the low cloud as well as the Sun going down Curly managed to take this picture from our mooring. Tomorrow we want to do another early start and get through chirck and over the Pontcysylite Aqueduct before it gets busy and then moor up for the day on a lovely mooring that we have used before which is about a mile outside of Trevor.

                                                                                                        Happy Days

On the Llangollen

 

We pulled pins from our mooring near Chester Zoo at 07.55 and before long this plane passed over our heads. It’s the first time we have ever seen an Airbus Beluga. Named after a whale, it’s used to transport aero parts and oversized cargo’s.

Back to Chester and in the Northgate 3 staircase lock. With no lockie on duty and another boat coming down Carolyn and the other boating Lady set the locks so the two of us could pass in the centre lock. It saved so much time and worked a treat.

Oh dear . Curly did say should we stop and pull the poor chap out.

After a good days cruise we picked up this mooring just after Tattenhall Marina and got out the new BBQ for the first time. After lighting it and letting it settle down it was a total success . Then when we were finished it was cleaned and folded down and put back in it’s small case. Perfect for boats where storage is so important.

After a great BBQ  the next mooring we pulled pins at 08.10 with the intention of getting to the bottom of the Hurleston flight that takes you up on to The Llangollen canal .We passed this boat on the way and if you give your boat this name then you have to take some flack about being a Nut.

If only we could have moored next to this field last night as they are harvesting this years crop of new Potatoes. I’m sure we could have done something on the BBQ with some lovely new spuds.

After a night below the locks we had a sort of early start pulling ropes through rings at 07.45. With this flight getting very busy at this time of year it makes sense to get up there early in the day.

Curly thinks she is going to take Inca into the bottom lock. Maybe in a year or two ,but I must admit she is very close to taking over on the helm of Inca.

Heading into the bottom lock of The Hurleston flight that takes us up onto The llangollen canal and we have to lift all fenders due to the bottom lock being so narrow.

How about this for being efficient ? Curly is now strong enough to open and close single lock gates ,so we now have a system where Carolyn goes' a lock ahead and Curly closes all the gates when I leave the lower lock . It certainly speeds our way up The Hurleston flight of locks and it’s about time she earned her passage.

Her reward for all the hard work locking us up onto The Llangollen canal and that’s an Ice cream at Wrenbury . We will now have a night here before continuing our journey up The Llangollen canal.

                                                                                                      Happy Days

Chester wall

 

Today we decided to walk the wall of Chester. It’s nearly 2 miles long and is steeped in history.There now follows a short history lesson….

Chester's city walls are the most complete circuit of a Roman and Medieval defensive town wall in Britain. For 2000 years the walls have evolved to provide a unique thread through time, linking all the main episodes in Chester's history.

In the 70's AD the Romans built wooden defences. The legionary fortress of Deva was the main base for the Roman army in North Wales and North-West England. An area shaped like a playing card was enclosed by a turf rampart and protected by a wooden palisade, towers and gateways.

In 100 AD the fortress was rebuilt in stone. Stone walling was added to the front of the earth rampart. The towers and gateways were rebuilt in stone. These strong stone defences survived long after the collapse of the Roman Empire in about 400AD.

In 907 AD the Saxon's refortified Chester. The Mercian princess Aethelflaeda, created a burgh or fortified town as a defence against Viking raids. The Saxons re-used the old Roman walls and perhaps extended earth banks down to the river.

Between 1120 AD and 1350 AD the circuit of walls was completed. Chester's Norman earls repaired and restored the existing walls and built the southern and eastern sides facing the river. In the Middle Ages, tall projecting towers and impressive gateways were added.

Between 1642 AD and 1646 AD Civil War defences were built. The Royalists built extensive earth banks to protect the suburbs. The walls and towers were battered and breached by cannon fire, until the city was starved into surrender.

In the 18th century the walls became a fashionable promenade. Once the walls had outlived their military usefulness, they were converted to a walkway around the city. The gateways were replaced by elegant arches. Many of the towers were pulled down or altered.

Today the City Wall is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, owned and maintained by Chester City Council. The Walls form a remarkable 2 mile (3km) circular walk around the historic city giving a vivid reminder of what a medieval fortified town was like. There are numerous entry and exit points. Using them is free and, as a public thoroughfare, they are open at all times. They can be experienced as a complete walk or in shorter, convenient sections. A walk around the complete circuit takes about an hour but may take longer (perhaps two hours or more) if you want to stop and take in the sights.

Passing Chester racecourse and why would you pay to go in on race day . The View from the wall must be better than anywhere on the course as you can see the whole track. With online betting , I think next time we are here we will give it a go .

Chester cathedral is supposed to be well worth a visit, although we couldn't go inside as they don't allow dogs. It’s strange how some places of worship allow well behaved Dogs in and others don’t. Never mind it’s their loss.

It looks like a broken Canon ,but in fact it’s a piece of art . I did try to move one of the canon balls but it seemed to be bolted to the ground.

With the arrival of number one Granddaughter Curly for the Summer holidays we left Chester and cruised the eight miles to Ellesmere Port and then a visit to the canal museum.

For a nine year old girl it’s surprising that Curly has such an interest in the history of the canals and the knowledge she has is just amazing. Not only doe’s she know the sound of a Bollinder engine but she even knows what one looks like. But then I suppose she spends so much time with us on the canals it’s not that surprising. She particularly liked the back cabin on this boat as it’s like the one on friends Sharon and Rich’s Nb Oakapple , She would like us to get a similar boat so that she could have her own room when ever she comes to stay.

This is where the boats awaiting restoration are stored . I think it’s more of an area where boats are waiting to die. You can see that there have been attempts to keep them afloat with pipes which obviously at one time had pumps attached to them  ,but for most of them it seems the end is very close.

After a most enjoyable visit to the canal Museum we headed back out of Ellesmere Port and picked up a mooring near Chester Zoo . I did tease Curly a bit saying that I could hear Lions roaring in the distance. Needless to say she thought I was just being a silly old Granddad  (Yet again).

                                                                                                           Happy Days