Inca lock video

 

 

 

This is a short video that I made of us entering the second lock up on the Tyrley lock flight. It's one lock approach that I absolutely love because of the amount of By-wash that hits you from the right hand side as you enter the lock. Anything that is a bit of a challenge I really enjoy. Trying to film and steer and operate the throttle at the same time was a bit of fun too. Who said Men couldn't do more than one thing at a time.

                                                                       Happy Days

Stump People

 

We pulled pins from our mooring on the Middlewich branch at 08.20 and started cruising towards the junction at Barbridge with the Shropshire Union Canal. After turning left at the junction there is a good long lock free cruise until you get to Hack Green. At the start of our passage through Nantwich we passed this fine looking Horse which stands by bridge 92. It is made from lock gates by two artists, John Merrill (who recycled the wood) and Julian Taylor (who did the iron work).

Then who should we come across but fellow bloggers James and Doug on NB Chance . Being the useless blogger I am for some reason I didn’t get a picture of them on Chance although I managed to get one of their lovely boat as we left. . Still it was good to stop and have a chat, hopefully we will meet up sometime again in the future..

It’s a bit of a blue and orange blur ,but this is the best picture I have ever got of a Kingfisher in flight .It wont win any awards but I will keep trying to get a better one.

After a night moored below the Audlem flight we pulled pins at 07.45 which was a huge mistake . We should have left an hour or maybe even 2 hours before. It seemed like everyone had the same idea as us and there were loads of boats on the flight. What made it even worse was that there were two single handed boats in front of us . With 15 locks to do we knew it was going to be a long day. It ended taking us nearly 5 hours to do the flight even with Carolyn helping the single handers and then another hour and a half to do the Adderley flight of 5 locks. We eventually moored up in Market Drayton where we did a shop and spent the night.

The following morning after a visit to the vets for Hamish (Poorly leg, after a few antibiotics and a £73 bill he was soon on the mend)  we never pulled pins until the 11 o’clock which I think is a first for us to ever start that late in the day . About a mile outside of Market Drayton you pass these Stump people on the approach to The Tyrley flight of 5 locks.

Arriving at the bottom lock and this has to be one of the best looking lock approaches anywhere and with the Sun shinning down through the trees it quite something.

You can never pass along this stretch with out taking a picture of this double arched bridge which used to carry the telegraph line and stretched for the whole length of this canal. It is also said that it is haunted by a Black Monkey like creature ever since a boatman was killed here back in the 19th century.

After a good cruise we arrived at our destination of Gnosall pronounced No-zull and met up with friends Rich and Sharon from NB Oakapple . With them heading North and us going South we decided to meet up for an evening out at The boat pub (not a Wetherspoons Ha ha) . We last saw Rich and Sharon back on the Thames when we cruised together for four or five weeks. After a great evening we parted company the following morning and have arranged to meet up at New Year and are planning a cruise up North next year. Good to see you both, enjoy The Llangollen !! 

                                                                                                                   Happy Days

More lovely boat names

 

A good one for me.

That’s me most of the time.

Sorry kids, but we are living the dream !

Lord Byron has got a Maggot ?. I think it’s some kind of dance.

An affectionate term used to mildly annoy somebody .and yes I had to look that up….

Liked this one , spent many ot these on our Inca.

Wine for me and Rose’s for Carolyn …Just the ticket !

Carolyn liked this one.                                                                             

                                                                                                             Happy Days

Up up and away

 

We had a relatively early start pulling pins at 07.45 from our mooring at Barnton and headed to Northwich on the river Weaver. The plan was to spend the day in the town ,do a food shop and the odd bottle of wine of course ,then let Carolyn have some retail therapy and then set off first thing tomorrow morning and head back up the boatlift. While Carolyn was in town I walked from our mooring with our rubbish only to be greeted with this sight. Not being sure how to get to the bins I just dumped ours with all the rest. I was told by a fellow boater who was on the water point that the problem had been reported to Canal and River Trust. 

The following morning and with the boat lift not opening until 09.15 we left our mooring at 08.30 and arrived at the lift at 09.00. We got booked in with a time slot of 10.00.

Waiting at the bottom of the lift I saw this picture of commercial boats working on the river Weaver. Believe it or not this picture was taken in the 1970s. Wouldn’t it be great to see this happening again now. Mind you there could be a problem with some of the leisure boats which cruise on the Weaver.

We had a good steady trip up the boat lift and when we got to the top we had a bit of a chat with the operator of the lift. He explained that the lift breaks down many times a year and told us that 99 % of the breakdowns were caused by software problems. The lift is now linked to a computer system and everything has to be just right for it to operate. I was a bit surprised to hear that the system they used was SCADA ,a system that I used for over 20 years when I worked in the water industry. The other bizarre thing he said was that the SCADA system would work for another hundred years before it needed replacing….comments from any ICA men or women would be interesting.

Leaving the lift and back on The Trent and Mersey canal and we pass loads of signs like this. Im not sure what they produce in the canal side factory but we wont be hanging around here for very long.

You may remember a few weeks ago we saw this boat with all the panels on it’s Port side and I didn’t know at the time if it had panels on the Starboard side as well as it passed us. Well here is the Starboard side and it looks like all the panels are wired up to the batteries.

After a long day not helped by going through Middlewich on hire boat change over day for the Anderson fleet of boats we turned right and back onto the Middlewich branch . We were a bit undecided whether to carry on down the T and M or cut through and join The Shropshire Union Canal. We both love the Shroppie and with Carolyn not that happy about going through Stoke the decision was made.

Not long before mooring for the night before Aqueduct marina we spotted this chap . He seemed very tame so I was wondering if he was a young Kingfisher. Tomorrow and it’s back on the Shroppie and heading South for Winter, Just like the Birds.

                                                                                                             Happy Days

Weaver’s end

 

With Carolyn desperate to get away from the cows at Devils Garden we pulled pins at 08.40 and headed downstream and towards the end of the navigable river Weaver. Towards the end of the river it’s just this massive power station and a chemical plant which is enormous.

Nearly at the end and we reached Marsh lock . This lock drops you down onto The Manchester Ship canal which is a place that we are not allowed to take Inca.

We were told by one of the Lockies that this lock is seldom used as unfortunately there is no commercial traffic now working on the Weaver which seems a bit of a shame with all the factories along it’s banks,surely boat freight would ease the pressure on our roads.

We had said about spending the night here ,but it is a pretty desolate place so we thought better of it and after a good look around we headed back up river.

After passing under Dutton viaduct we came across this fine old wooden bridge built in 1919 which carried the old towpath over the original navigation.

We then had an hour to wait at Dutton lock as the lock was full and three boats were on their way down river, there was no way the Lockie was going to empty it just for us. In the end it was a bit of a result as the Lockie informed Carolyn of the whereabouts of an over laden Damson tree. She later returned with over 10 pounds of Damsons, It looks like production of Damson jam is about to start.

While we were waiting I took a peek in the lock control panel. So that’s how you work a big lock like this. Can’t be that difficult surely !

Leaving Dutton lock and we pass the wreck of the partially capsized MV Chica which began it’s career as a Norwegian sailing vessel and has now been a feature of this lock for many years.

We then had an half hour hold up at Acton swing bridge . They were loading a digger onto a pontoon as they are about to carry out a lot of dredging on the river. We thought the dredging was for the boat traffic ,but in fact it’s all part of flood management on the river.

After an excellent days cruise we finally made it back to our favourite mooring on the Weaver at Barnton. With jam production now well under way we will have a night here before heading back in to Northwich for a shop in the morning and then back up the Anderton boatlift and onto the canals again.

                                                                                                                    Happy Days