Busy with boats on the Coventry canal

It was raining when I awoke this morning but it soon passed. I started off from Fradley but made slow progress due to the number of moored boats and also the amount of boats travelling north, almost all of which I met at a bridge or in a narrow place. Having spent the year on a number of barely used canals it seems strange to now find myself in the opposite situation. What really strikes me is that I have travelled this section of canal in 2008, 2010, 2012 and again now and it is much busier this year. It makes me wonder what it might be like in a couple more years.

I walked into Tamworth for a look around. It has a very nice park bordered by the rivers Tame and Anker as well as the castle gardens.

It's true that things do happen in threes

Firstly there was the rope round the prop, then one of my solar lights went overboard and now one of my fender brackets has snapped. Three things over three consecutive days! However they are only minor niggles. I had another good cruising day and I'm now moored opposite a pig farm which has lots of cute piglets. Even better there is no significant piggy smell. Lots more boats moored here than when I last stopped here.

What a lovely late summer day

I had a really nice quiet mooring at Gailey last night and I seem to have found another nice quiet mooring tonight.

I did ten locks today getting help on about half of them. Only one strange happening today which makes me despair of the male gender. There is a stretch of road which runs alongside the canal and in one passing car I spied a guy aged maybe twenties or thirties who pointed his hand at me in a gun shape, like young children do. Why would you do that? Oh well.

Much better signal today

What a beautiful day we had today. I hope it lasts. I cruised down to Autherley junction onto the Staffs and Worcs canal.

There are a couple of very narrow cuttings and I had to sit tight in a passing place so an oncoming boat could get through. Shortly after that Olivia's engine cut out and I had to bow haul her to a wider part of the canal to moor up. I quickly assessed that the most likely cause was a fouled prop so I dived down the weedhatch to find that I'd picked up some rope. It was so tightly wound that it took an hour to cut it free. Thank goodness for the knife I bought for this eventuality for £2.99 from Wilkos. The rest of my day went well, the only other excitement being when I met a working boat in a bridge 'ole, calling for a quick reverse manoeuvre.

The road home

The water road, that is. I've been on board since Tuesday but very poor signal in this area. The same was true last time I passed this way five years ago. Had some rain Tuesday and Thursday but good cruising for most of the time. Also found good moorings each evening (although I got the last space last night). A beautiful kingfisher stayed in view for a while yesterday. Flying along ahead of me and then waiting while I caught up. It was in an area with lots of moored boats which I thought was unusual. I haven't met any characters yet this week but I was a bit fed up last night. I saw that the local pub was advertising free wifi so off I went to update the blog. Firstly, they were out of draught cider and they didn't have decaf coffee. I settled for a bottled cider. I ordered veggie sausage and mash and that was what I got. Was it wrong of me to expect that it might come with a vegetable of some description? To top it all I couldn't get a connection to their wifi. Very frustrating. I've booked my Safety Examination for mid October so I have a new target to meet. Bye for now. I'll be back when I next get a signal.

Still at Audlem

I cruised for four hours today and yet I am still in Audlem. How did that happen? Well that's how long it takes a single hander to get through the locks ;-). Here is a picture taken from my boat at 6.30am just after the first boat had left. I love the eerie mist:

No news today other than the fact that I still don't have a signal on my so called smart phone which gives me a good excuse to go to the pub to use their free wifi. I'll be going home midweek so this might be the last post for a while.

Busy at Nantwich

I moored at Barbridge after the towpath telegraph mentioned a beer festival at Nantwich. Mind you Barbridge was busy enough. The clincher was that I could get the bus to Chester from close by. Saturday came and the predicted rain held off. I spent the day in Chester walking the city walls and looking in all the unique shops. There was one shop that was an outlet for artists and makers. It's an Aladdin's cave and definitely worth a browse.

Today I cruised down to Nantwich and it really was jammed with boats. I didn't need to stop so continued on to Audlem. A highlight of today was the little water vole swimming across the canal. It was so sweet. The Mill at Audlem sells all sorts of sewing paraphernalia and it was fun to look around. They also have lots of canal related books. Several nice little shops here: a deli, butchers, gift shops, etc. Also a Co-op for the necessities. We didn't get much rain today either. Hurrah. Mind you it is getting colder at night now.

Middlewich

Back to narrow locks although not many. Did 4 yesterday and two more today. I'd forgotten how fickle the narrows are so that you have to nose up to the top gates and stay in gear. It works though (mostly) and if it doesn't then both boat and gates take a bashing. I bought a new bow fender this morning and it's long overdue. Now I need to buy new "stretchers" for it as the present ones are pretty rusty. One thing always leads to another. I popped into the new Aqueduct marina to see what they were charging for abovementioned stretchers and that led to a coffee in their cafe. Then I was able to take advantage of their free wifi! I'm hoping to get to Nantwich tomorrow so that when the weather deteriorates I can get a bus into Chester for a good old mooch.

Anderton Boat Lift

Yesterday I just cruised for two hours and found a mooring very close to the boat lift. I needed to go through two tunnels which are one way traffic. I was pleased to see that the Saltersford car tunnel had timed entry as it is crooked and you can't see the other end. When I reached the southern portal two Northbound boats asked if I was the last boat and started through. I think they must have missed the notice showing times of entry as they went in ten minutes early. I wonder if they met a boat coming through? Perhaps more notices are needed.

I took a trip on the River Weaver and the boat then brought us up in the lift. I was surprised that you can't feel it moving. It's an interesting piece of engineering which was brought back into service in 2002 thanks to some tenacious sponsors and boat enthusiasts.

Maybe next time I come this way I'll take Olivia down to the Weaver. Later I went for a walk as I'll soon be back in the industrial area of Middlewich.

The magic tunnel?

It was a cold, grey, mizzling day when I entered Preston Brook tunnel and twenty minutes later I emerged to a warm, bright and sunny one. I was also on a different canal as the Bridgewater becomes the Trent and Mersey within the tunnel. I only cruised for a couple of hours as I was told of a good mooring where the canal was breached last year. It has an open aspect and felt like a suntrap. I went for a walk alongside the River Weaver with John, another single hander who moored behind me. He and Chris, off the boat moored in front of me, were trying to encourage me to go down the Anderton lift onto the river but that will have to wait for another time. I will visit the lift but will not take the boat down it.

Dunham Massey

Yesterday I went to Dunham Massey Hall. I can get in using my Art Pass which always makes me think that I'm getting in free. The house is mostly C18th although a house has been on the site since the days of the War of the Roses. The land and house was passed down through the family until 1976 when it was handed to the National Trust. The family hardly ever threw anything out and they were great collectors so lots to see. The house is dressed in Edwardian style which I particularly like. Nice gardens including a packed rose garden AND much parkland including the most tame deer I've ever seen.

Today was cold and windy. I had to wrap up in three layers and employ my trusty wool hat. Stockton Heath has moorings handy to the shops and has three supermarkets plus banks and some unusual shops. I walked up to the Manchester Ship Canal to see how big it was here. There are still no ships on it. Might have to go to Liverpool to see any. Soon I'll be heading South and won't have the opportunity to see the MSC again.