Quiet Sunday

 

Sunday 19^th July 2020

Today we decided to do something we have never done on the boat before, and go ... nowhere.

When you are on a hire boat, of course, and paying by the day, not making progress seems a waste, but now that we have our own boat there is less pressure to keep on the move. We were in a comfortable spot, with good walking handy for the dogs, so we resolved to stay put. We ran the engine for a couple of hours, to heat water for showers, and to keep the batteries happy.

Before lunch I went for a run along the towpath, 4.5 miles all told. It was a bit uneven at first, though nothing like as bad as the run I did last year on the Middlewich branch, and after a mile or so I reached very well surfaced ground – the beginning of the towpath which runs all the way through Altrincham and Sale, and which is perfect for running on.

We had lunch, then took the dogs down into Dunham Massey for a good long walk. It was pretty busy, though with very large ground it was easy to keep our distance. We walked round the off-lead area to give the dogs a run, then put them on the leads to explore the other areas of the park. There were deer in several places – we didn’t go close with the dogs, but they were very tame. There was a strange statue on a pillar, we are still not sure if it is meant to be an odd looking lion or a dog.

Deer in Dunham Massey park

Lion or dog?

 

We came back past the Bollin Mill, and had a quiet afternoon before dinner of bacon and eggs. In the evening I went out with the Labradors to give them a short walk, but it turned into a much longer exploration of one of the paths we had seen during the afternoon. All in all a good restful day.

TODAY: 0:00 HOURS. 0 MILES. 0 LOCKS.

Voyage: 9:30 HOURS. 12.8 MILES. 0 LOCKS.

 

 

Off again

So we are off on another adventure, and if things go to plan this will be our longest journey in Eileen, two full weeks. We're going to do the Cheshire Ring, clockwise, and probably a couple of side trips too - the Peak Forest to Whalley Bridge is one we're definitely looking at.

Today though was very familiar waters, as we ready ourselves for the run through Manchester tomorrow. We didn't want to wind up having to spend the night in the centre, so we have positioned ourselves close to the urban area as a jump-off point. We didn't set off from Keckwick bridge until about half two, because we were only planning on about four hours cruising, up to our favourite spot at the Bollin Aqueduct. This took us through Stockton Heath, where we stopped at Thorne Marine and filled up with diesel - she took 180 litres, which is far more than we have ever got into her before.

We have an extra passenger on this trip, at least for the first week. Blossom the Labrador is with us, while her owner Shirley is at Pony Club Camp, where they can't take their dogs. Fortunately our pack already know Blossom, and she is Minnie's best friend - they are very alike. Blossom seems to have settled down pretty well to shipboard life - she was sleeping on the stern with the rest of them before we had gone too far.

After that we carried on through Grappenhall and Thelwall to Lymm, which was looking very picturesque in the sunshine. It is strange - when I approached it by road I never found Lymm very appealing, but arriving by canal seems to put an entirely different face on the village.

It was a beautiful evening, we opened the sun roof, which isn't very often possible. We carried on until just after seven, when we reached our target at the Bollin Aqueduct. To our delight there was nobody else on the stretch, apart from one boat at the far end, half a mile away. There were a fair number of walkers coming past though - one couple who have three dogs and a boat themselves photographed our stern because it is such a good design to keep the dogs aboard. Another couple had a Labrador with them, and we let ours off to play with it for quite a long time. We're off to bed now - we expect an early start, as the sun wakes the dogs, but in any case we want to set off early and get as far as we can through the city.

TODAY: 4.5 HOURS. 11.5 MILES. 0 LOCKS.

VOYAGE: 5.5 HOURS. 13.3 MILES. 0 LOCKS

Look before you leap

After our epic dash yesterday we had earned ourselves a leisurely start today, with not too far to go to reach home. Even the dogs seemed to realise this, and for the first time ever we were woken by the alarm at 7:45. It was another lovely day, and after breakfast we took the dogs for a walk down to the Bollin, where as usual Bridget chased at least 20 sticks (actually the same stick 20 times) into the fast flowing water. It doesn’t bother her at all, she seems to be excited by the moving water. The other Labradors got thoroughly wet too, and even Ruby toddled down the steep paths and back up again with no complaints.

Mooring at the Bollin Aqueduct again

We got under way at about 11:15, but within a mile we came to the Old Number 3 moorings, and the water point was free, so we decided to stop and fill the tank. There is a small group of about half a dozen boats there, and while we were filling up a supply boat arrived. This sails up and down the Bridgewater, providing coal, Calor gas and diesel – they have a little pump on the deck.

Workboat near the Old No 3

Soddum Hall

Water point at the Old No 3

When we had finished I took Loulie and the dogs across to the towpath side, and they got off for a walk. As I was slowly following them, the bow thruster suddenly started running, without me operating the controls. It kept running, with a loud howl, and it was forcing the bows to port across the canal. I reversed to bring the stern to the other bank, but we were now right across the canal with the bows up against a moored boat on the other side. I hurried along the side deck to the bows, opened the hatch to the thruster compartment, and turned the isolator switch. Fortunately I knew where this is – it is really for use when you are working on the motor, to isolate it and avoid any risk of shocks, but it came in handy to kill the motor in an emergency. Once I got the boat back in line and on the towpath side I had a look for any obvious faults but I could see nothing, and closing the isolator led to the motor starting up madly once more, so I left it off. The control panel on the poop rail shows that the motor is off, so I suspect now some fault at that end of the circuit.

Walking the dogs

Meeting a Jack Russell

Hesford Marine uses a beached boat as an office

At Oughtrington there is a bizarre collection of canal-side paraphernalia

I collected the girls and we went on into Lymm, where we moored for lunch, which I bought from a local bakery, hot sausage rolls and pies, very nice. After that we sailed on, under bright sunshine and with no wind, a great contrast to the gales and pouring rain we suffered going the other way last week.

At Thelwall we caught up with the supply boat again

Each time we pass Thelwall this cruiser has sunk a little further

We decided that Loulie would take the dogs back to the house up Keckwick Lane, so we could unload at the marina in peace. So I came in to the bank opposite the Daresbury labs, just under the bridge. However I was a little too impatient, and instead of reversing fully into the bank I jumped across the gap with the rope, to pull us in. However, rather like Loulie on the Home Run, my foot landed on a grass overhang, and slipped off. I might have got away with a wet foot if I had let go of the rope and used both hands, but I was determined to hold on and I slipped in entirely. Still holding the rope I swam a few strokes to catch up with the boat, which now stopped, bows to the bank, and then went to the bank and stood up in the water. The Bridgewater, unlike the Shropshire Union, has deep vertical banks, and I was about chest deep, and the towpath was at head height. I had a bit of a struggle to clamber out, because of the weight of water in my clothes and especially my shoes.

I still had the rope in my hand, so I pulled the boat in to the bank, as a large pool of water grew around my feet. Loulie was still on the stern deck with the dogs – she was trying not to laugh, they were wondering why Daddy was allowed to go for a swim while they had to stay dry. We now reverted to Plan A, she took the dogs home while I had a shower in the boat and a complete change of clothes. I then sailed down to the marina, where ironically I made a perfect entrance and moored on the dock with precision. I have been getting more confident with the navigation and manoeuvring during this holiday, and losing the bow thruster is not a problem, certainly when it’s calm. But I need to make the boat do more of the work, and not make up for a sloppy approach by jumping off and using physical force to pull her in.

So our journey to the deep North is over, and it’s been fun, and also an education. I doubt we will go down the Rufford branch until we are ready to cross the Ribble, but we certainly want to do the Liverpool Docks journey – we met several people who had done it and told us it was brilliant. The mooring near Gathurst was excellent, a lovely spot with an Indian takeaway in walking distance. We still need to find somewhere amenable to moor on the Leigh branch, otherwise we have to make the long dash through Manchester and Wigan on a single day. And we have also learned that there’s no diesel in Wigan, and that we should fill up whenever we get the chance.

Today: 5.5 hours. 13.3 miles. 0 locks. 0 bridges.

Voyage: 53.7 hours. 121.7 miles. 30 locks. 26 bridges.

Running the Gauntlet

Having the dogs with us constrains the places we like to moor – specifically towns and cities where we can’t let them out of the boat without their leads. This means both Wigan and Manchester are big no-go areas. In addition we don’t really enjoy mooring anywhere on the Leigh branch, either of the Bridgewater or of the L&L. The banks are very high and steep, and in general it doesn’t feel friendly. So we were reluctant to make a short trip through Wigan and then stop very early. On the other hand we couldn’t just do a normal run, as that would mean mooring somewhere in Stretford or Sale. So we decided to try for the double jump, and see if we could blitz through both conurbations and get out into the country beyond Sale. That would also give us an easy trip home tomorrow.

It was a beautiful clear day, and in late October that meant a frost, with ice on the woodwork of the stern, and mist rising from the canal as we set off, a beautiful sight. We made a good start, getting up the first two locks with no problems, and as we approached the third, after Wigan Pier, a C&RT workman, who was doing some maintenance on the lock, waved us in and worked the whole thing so Loulie didn’t even have to get off.

We did the final lock upwards in Wigan, and then came to the junction and turned down the Leigh branch. Now we were going downhill, and after dropping through the first lock with no trouble, we came to the final one and found a widebeam just going in ahead of us. Although it is a double width lock it can’t take anything else alongside a widebeam, so we had to wait. Loulie took all four dogs and walked on ahead, while I waited for them to finish, and then worked Eileen down on my own. It’s the first dock I have done solo, and it is fine as long as you take care and think things through, but there’s no doubt it takes longer.

I then set off in hot pursuit, and picked up the landing party after a couple of miles. We were going as fast as we dared, and we caught up with the widebeam at Planks Lane lift bridge, where they were about to go through. As the wife was working the bridge and he would have to pick her up after closing it we asked if they minded if we passed by and headed on, as we were in a hurry.

Now there were no more locks or bridges ahead of us, and virtually no traffic, so it was just a question of keeping our speed as high as we could. The canal on this branch has high, concrete or metal sides, so the usual concern about creating a wash and damaging earth banks does not apply. The main cause of delay was moored boats, where we had to slow down, of course. At first, looking at our Pearson’s Canal Guide it seemed we had far too much to do, based on his time estimates for each page of the route. However it turned out that he had been far too generous with his estimates and we were taking much less time than forecast, so we could still just make it if we hurried.

We came through Leigh, then through the open countryside until we reached Worsley, Barton and Trafford Park. We arrived at Watersmeet a little before five, and now we were confident that we would at least reach the countryside, if not our preferred spot by the Bollin Aqueduct. Sale is long straight and boring, and the Sale Cruising Club occupies a large percentage of the bank, obliging us to slow down often. Eventually we got through and out into the open as the sun slipped below the horizon.

We still had about twenty minutes to go, but we resolved to reach the Bollin, and the twilight was OK for navigation, especially as there were no other boats. Still, we had the headlight on by the time we reached our mooring point, and tied up. It was about 6:40, and we had covered 28.9 miles, easily our best for a single day. Scrambled eggs and bacon, both from Yates Greer, rounded off a tough but fun day.

Today: 9.7 hours. 28.9 miles. 6 locks. 1 bridge.

Voyage: 48.2 hours. 108.4 miles. 30 locks. 26 bridges.

A High Wind in Jamaica (Lymm actually)

Rather to our surprise it wasn't raining when we woke this morning - slightly later than usual, about 7:10. We think the dogs are sleeping longer because it isn't getting light so soon. Anyway we got up as usual and had breakfast, and that's when we realised the horror - we had left our supply of Yates Greer ham behind. After some discussion we realised there were a few other items we could do with from the house, so we called Jonjo and he came over and picked Loulie up. Although we travelled for a couple of hours last night, we had only gone about seven miles, so it didn't take him long. I took the boat on and sailed into Lymm, where I moored, and Loulie rejoined us.

We pressed on after that, and Loulie got out again with the dogs to give them a walk. However the wind had become really strong, to the point where I struggled to get off the bank after dropping Loulie off, and then found myself zigzagging down the canal as the wind came and went.

After I had picked up the landing party, we decided to moor for the rest of the day near Dunham Massey, by the Bollin Aqueduct - the same place we stopped on our weekend in August. We were not going to be able to get right through the urban stretch of the journey before nightfall, and we did not want to moor somewhere that the dogs would not be able to get off the boat safely. This spot is ideal - no roads for miles, no stock in fields close by, and we are well away from other boats. We idled the rest of the afternoon away, took the dogs for a walk and did some reading. That's the beauty of having your own boat - there's no pressure to get things done in a limited time.

Today: 4 hours. 5.4 miles. 0 locks.

Voyage: 6 hours. 13 miles. 0 locks.

Day out

Owning Eileen Dover is not just about epic journeys around the Four Counties Ring - we also intend to take small trips out, overnight or even just for one day. This was the first such, just a short jaunt up the Bridgewater towards Manchester. We have been this way before, but it is somehow different when it's your own boat.

Loulie took me down to the marina and we loaded various stuff onto the boat, then she went back home for the dogs. I took the boat out - it all went well at first, as I reversed out of our mooring neatly without fouling any other boats. I was pleased, because it is pretty tight. However, as I went forward and turned towards the exit I misjudged the curve as the wind pushed me towards the piers, and bumped against the stern of a boat before I could get away. It could have been worse, stuck on a lee shore, but I need to allow more room for windage in future. Most of the canal network is fairly sheltered, with trees and cuttings, but the marina is a large open space and the wind has more chance to make itself felt.

After that it all went fine, as I left the marina and turned north on the main line. I picked up Loulie and the dogs at Keckwick Lane bridge, and we headed out. We had no very firm plan, basically just head for Lymm and see how far we got before we needed to moor. We also wanted to get a feel for how long it would take to get to various landmarks. As it turns out we got to Grappenhall in two hours, and Thelwall (where we moor for the Little Manor) in two and a half. Loulie took the helm for a while on the approach to Lymm, but handed it back to me for the tricky bit through the middle, with boats moored on both sides.

It took us about three hours to get to Lymm, and on the other side we stopped to feed the dogs, and give them a walk. After I had picked up the crew we went on for a short while, past the Old Number Three, and moored close to Dunham Massey, just before the aqueduct over the river Bollin. Off the towpath there's a steep (but not dangerous) slope down to open rough ground - perfect for the dogs. It's an ideal mooring - we can just let them off, and the worst thing that can happen is that Minnie will go for a swim. We decided we should not feel we have to eat out every time we're on the boat, and so we just had spaghetti on board, rather than a meal at the Swan.

Moored near Dunham Massey by the Bollin Aqueduct

As usual, we were woken much earlier than we would have liked, especially on a Sunday morning. It did mean we could take our time, and we went for a walk with the dogs. We went along the aqueduct, and then dropped down to the River Bollin below. Bridget loved this - she seems to like water that is moving, like the river or the sea, and she bounded around like Tigger.

We were facing east, and we had to travel nearly two miles that way before we could find a winding hole and turn to come back. The bow thruster stopped working properly while we were winding - possibly there is something like weed blocking it. This and the wind which had got up gave me some concerns for mooring when we got back to the marina.

That was some distance away though, and we pottered slowly back the way we had come yesterday. We moored in Lymm to get some food, and the dogs had a walk, then we continued. There are a lot of day boats on hire on this stretch at the weekends, from Preston Brook, Stockton Heath and further afield, and they don't stick to the rules very well. You can usually spot them by the speed they are doing, and when I met one on a bend in Grappenhall he seemed to have forgotten which side to pass and tried to go down my starboard side. Fortunately he understood my frantic hand signals before we met with a crunch.

I dropped Loulie and the dogs at Keckwick Lane and carried on to the marina, with some trepidation. However it all went very well, despite the lack of bow thrusters. The trick is to take everything dead slow, and reverse and re-approach if necessary, rather than trying to do the whole thing in a dynamic swooping move. A narrowboat has no grip, and wind and the effect of banks and shallows mean that she doesn't always follow the line you are expecting. I lined her up carefully into our moorings, and slid slowly between the other boats without touching anything - very nice.

Voyage: 9 hours. 29.4 miles. 0 locks.