We want to take Eileen to the
Narrowboat Navigation Company in Nantwich for her winter service, and to have
some changes made. The problem is getting there. In the summer we did the Home
Run, all the way down the Shropshire Union to Autherley, and then back up the
Staffs and Worcs and the Trent and Mersey. However that wasn’t really an option
this time – for one thing with the shorter days it would probably have required
three weeks in total, and there are also some closures in the autumn on various
parts of the network, which would have been a problem.
So we needed to wait until the
breach at Wardle on the Shropshire Union link had been mended, which meant the
21st December. The challenge is that many pieces of maintenance on
the canals begin on 2nd January, often for a couple of months, and
these would block our route in several places. So we would have to move her in
that small window between 21st December and the New Year.
Fortunately the completion of the Wardle repair was not delayed, which is
pretty good going as it took about six months or more. So we decided that it
would take us three days, given that we would only get 5-6 hours sailing, and
that we would spend New Year’s Eve on the boat.
To give us a chance at a good
start, I brought the boat out of the marina last night, and moored her close to
Keckwick Lane, opposite the laboratory. We could just see her from the rear
windows of our house. This morning we took the luggage up in the car, then
parked back home and walked up with the dogs.
We were on the move at about
10:45, which was what I had aimed for, as it took us to the Preston Brook
tunnel spot on half eleven, and we were able to sail straight in. Loulie gave
the dogs a walk while I worked the stop lock, and we pushed on so we were at
the Saltersford Tunnel just after 13:30, so again there was no delay.
We decided we would try to do a
pumpout at Anderton, where there is a CRT automatic facility, but it turned out
that our card was empty. We were unclear whether it gave a certain number of
pumpouts or a certain length of time, and it turns out the answer is one
pumpout. It should not be a problem, we ought to get to Nantwich on the half
tank we still have free, but if we can find a facility open tomorrow at a marina
or somewhere we will use it.
Although it was only about half
two at that point we started to think about finding a berth for the night. The
first place we looked was fairly full and at the next one there was a single
boat with a large aggressive dog, so we kept moving. We thought about stopping close
to the Lostock chemical plant, but we decided that didn’t seem such a good
idea. In the end, with darkness falling, we came to the spot at Billinge Green
where we have moored a couple of times before, opposite a shallow flash.
Assuming no problems with the locks we should get comfortably through Middlewich
and on beyond tomorrow.
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