Back to base

A nervous moment last night when I took the dogs out for their final tiddles. The Labradors stay on the leads now, after several late night incidents when they have taken themselves off for an explore in the dark. But Ruby doesn’t need this, she doesn’t move very fast, and she prefers to follow us at her own pace. It was very cold, and after we had walked out and back Bridget still hadn’t been, so we walked on past the boat in the other direction. After a while I looked back to check Ruby was still behind us, and saw to my horror that she had clearly decided that enough was enough and she had started to go aboard on her own – all I could see was the violet light on her collar as she started to totter up the slippery gangplank. I hurried back as fast as I could without losing the other three but Ruby reached the top of the gangplank and hopped off the end, happily onto the stern deck rather than into the canal. At that point I decided that Bridget could hold it in for the night, and we all went down below to bed.

Happily she was able to do so, and we had another undisturbed night, and got up at 8am. The night had been very cold, and there was a hard frost on the stern rails, as well as the grass on the towpath. The ropes were frozen hard when I came to unmoor, though that was more than two hours later, as we didn’t have very far to go. We cruised up about a mile and a half to Nantwich, and into the basin where the Navigation Narrowboat Company have their workshops. We tied up on a finger mooring, but then we realised we needed to be stern in to allow the dogs to get off. Matthew from the NNC showed us where to put her, so I had to reverse out, turn and reverse back in – happily it was a calm day and I was pleased with how it went.

Kate had come in Loulie’s car to collect us, so we loaded the dogs and as much luggage as we could and set off home. It was another lovely winter’s day with clear blue skies and bright sun, though obviously very cold, and we felt a real regret at leaving the canal for dry land. It will be three months or more before we can get back on the water again, and we can’t wait.

Today: 0.6 hours. 1.5 miles. 0 locks.Voyage: 14.6 hours. 26.5 miles. 9 locks.

Nearly There

The dogs did better last night, and didn’t disturb us until 7:45 so we had a reasonably good night’s sleep. We didn’t have far to go today, so we made a leisurely start, and didn’t get under way until about 11am. Our biggest concern is a pump-out, because we couldn’t get one at Anderton on Sunday, or yesterday in Middlewich, and our tank is nearly full. However after last time we have brought a back-up, in the shape of the portaloo which used to live in the small horsebox, and that means that we don’t have to panic.

Mooring near Church Minshull

Posie keeping watch on the poop

We’re in a very rural part of Cheshire, and after we set off we passed through open fields, before crossing the Weaver on a large aqueduct. This took us to the first lock of the day, at Minshull. We were lucky here, as a boat was just coming out of the lock as we arrived, so we were able to sail straight in. I had to scale the ladder in the brickwork of the lock to get up to the top and work the gates, but other than that it all went well, and another boat appeared as we came out so we left the top gate open for them. The second (and final) lock of the day was not far away, at Cholmondeston, and while the gates weren’t open the lock was empty, i.e. set in our favour, and I only needed to open the gates to let Loulie sail in.

The crew in Cholmondeston lock

After that Loulie got out with the dogs to give them a walk, while I went on ahead. This only works to a limited extent, because I am not much faster than the walkers, and the Labradors, Minnie especially, kept spotting me and running ahead to try to catch up. When the landing party rejoined the ship we decided to moor for lunch, instead of eating on the go, because we didn’t have very much further to travel.

After lunch we came to the junction with the main line of the Shropshire Union at Barbridge, and turned left (south). In season this is a very busy bit of canal because just a mile and a half from Barbridge you come to Hurleston Junction where the Langollen takes off to the west. With Chester and Ellesmere Port to the north, Audlem and the Shroppie to the south and Middlewich and the whole North West canal system back through Barbridge, this is a real crossroads for the network. Today, though, it was quiet, just a few boats moving. It was a lovely afternoon in fact, bright and clear, though it’s going to be a cold night in consequence, so it was a good winter’s day to be out on the boat.

Winter sunshine in the saloon

Mooring outside Nantwich 01-01-19

We moored a short way past the end of the Langollen, and since we are back on the Shroppie there’s a ledge keeping us about a foot off the bank (see August 3^rd for the possible consequences of this). It was only about 3pm but there was no point pressing on any further – we are nearing Nantwich so we don’t have far to go tomorrow, and if we moored any closer we would find ourselves close to the houses. As it is we are still out in open country, surrounded by fields with not a house or another boat in sight.

Labrador Tiller Pin

For Christmas Loulie gave me this tiller pin in the shape of a Labrador. I had always wanted one, but we had never seen anything close, and in fact she had to get this made, starting with a bookend. The smith at Bartington Forge put in the pin for her, using our existing (boring) pin as a model. It's brilliant, and I call it Lucky.

Supper was made with a Kung Po sauce and the last of Tiberius the turkey, so we’ve had a good week’s eating out of him. We have of course eaten and drunk far too much on the voyage, but at least we are combining our boating gluttony with Christmas gluttony. Back to abstemiousness after Twelfth night. But before that we have to drop Eileen off at Nantwich tomorrow morning.

Today: 3.5 hours. 6.6 miles. 2 locks.

Voyage: 14 hours. 25.0 miles. 9 locks.