Lymm to Barnton

Sun 5th June  Lymm to Stockton Heath

We were woken in the night by a serious sounding cat fight at around 4am.  Hugo came rushing in, and James spotted a large black tom looking pleased with himself. Hugo had lost some fur and was very traumatised.

Cat fur after the fight

Leaving the mooring at Lymm

 Farewell to Keith and Diane

We made an early start, saying cheerio to Keith and Diane as we passed. They were facing the other way, heading eventually for Liverpool.  We carried on to Stockton Heath, where we found a mooring and walked up the high street to go to the 11am service at Stockton Heath Christian Fellowship.  Despite the name, this church turned out to be an independent Methodist Church.  The worship was led by a lad on electric guitar and another man singing.  They sang well known worship songs.  The talk was about Samson, and how he was weak until empowered by the Holy Spirit. The welcome was good, with tea and coffee at the start, but not at the end.

Worship time at Stockton Heath Christian Fellowship

Stockton Heath Christian Fellowship

We called in at Aldi before returning to the boat for lunch on board.

We emptied a cassette at Thorn Marine before moving to somewhere quieter.  We passed some beautiful rhododendrons and laburnums on this stretch.  We found a pleasant mooring with shade at Higher Walton, near bridge 8.

Large laburnam

Rhododendron

Shady mooring.

Hugo was still much traumatised from the cat fight, and didn’t want to go ashore. When he finally set foot on the path it wasn’t helped by a very vocal blackbird and wren, seemingly in partnership against him.

Although the shade was welcome, the boat roof ended up getting very spotted with sap from the trees.

0 locks, 6 miles

Mon 6th June  Higher Walton to Dutton

Today was our final day on the Bridgewater, and so far we have not encountered the jobsworth licence checker that we have heard about from other boaters.  The Bridgewater Canal is run by Peel Holdings, who also control the Manchester Ship Canal.   People who keep their boat here have to have a Bridgewater Canal Licence, which allows them a certain length of time on CRT waterways.  Boats with a CRT full licence like us are allowed seven consecutive days on the Bridgewater under a reciprocal agreement.  We have only had six nights this time, so we are OK, but we will be coming back this way after the Middlewich Folk Festival.

Other boaters we have met have had invoices slapped on their boats when they have returned. The warden has been saying that no return is allowed with 28 days. We have looked at the websites of both CRT and the Bridgewater Canal, and there is no reference to this rule at all.  We will be coming back after about three weeks, so we may have a challenge on our hands if this guy has recorded our boat earlier.  We are hoping he had the half term week off.

Our route this morning took us past the village of Moore and the Daresbury Science Park.  We have noticed that many of the bridges here have an unusual design, where the bridge parapets are stepped down at each side.

Stepped Parapet – Keckwick Bridge.

In the distance we could see a very prominent feature, which, after some research, turned out to be the Victorian water tower at Norton

Norton Water Tower

Preston Brook Junction

We passed Preston Brook Junction, where a turn to the right would take us to Runcorn. We carried on towards the Trent and Mersey Canal.  We paused at Claymore Navigation to fill up with water and buy some ice creams. It was hot again. Ten minutes south from here is Preston Brook Tunnel, which marks the end of the Bridgewater Canal and the start of the Trent and Mersey. Use of the tunnel is timed. Southbound you can only enter between 30 minutes and 40 minutes past the hour.  Northbound it is from the top of the hour to ten past. We timed it perfectly so that we didn’t have to tie up and wait.

Emerging from Preston Brook Tunnel

 Looking back to the south portal

We had our first lock for almost a week when we arrived at Dutton Stop Lock, which has a rise of almost two inches. One effect of this is that boats travelling south are spaced out once again, after being clumped together for the tunnel. A boat was just leaving as we arrived so we went straight in.  Another boat was waiting as we left, so we didn’t even have to close the gates.  Just after the lock is an ornate dry dock, which was originally for the steam tunnel tugs which were based here.

Dutton Lock

Dutton Dry Dock

We didn’t want to go much further, so we moored on some rings within half a mile.  There were trees giving us shade which was desirable on a hot day.  There was an interesting old working boat in front which had Manchester Ship Canal Company markings.

Moored at Dutton

 Historic Boat in front

White Flowers

1 lock, 5miles, 1 tunnel

Tue 7th June  Dutton to Dutton Hollow

A tractor started spreading slurry in the field opposite, and a smell of the countryside soon pervaded the atmosphere.  We decided to move on, particularly as a boat coming the other way suggested a good mooring at Dutton Hollow not far ahead.

Accordingly we set off and very soon found some rings on a new concrete edge, with a lovely view across the Weaver Valley below.  We very quickly discovered why it was all new, and there were no trees to block the view. This was the site of the Dutton Breach two years ago, when the canal bank collapsed and all the water rushed down the hill, removing all the trees. There was a plaque to commemorate the event. There was also a Trent and Mersey mile marker to confirm that we had left the Bridgewater.

Moored at Dutton Hollow

The plaque nearby

Trent and Mersey mile marker

The breach (borrowed from a website)

 Dutton Hollow Mooring

Buttercups

There were some beautiful wildflowers and grasses around. Everything seems to be at its peak at the moment.  We put out our deck chairs.  It was only spoilt by planes flying overhead, trains in the distance, rumbling over Dutton Viaduct, and some screeching from some peacocks out of sight somewhere on the other side of the canal. Peacocks are beautiful birds, but if you can’t see them they are merely noisy.

Tall grasses

 White flower

Deck chairs out

We had a chat with the people on Cleddau, who pulled in behind us later. They are heading for the Weaver tomorrow.

0 locks, 1 mile

Wed 8th June  Dutton Hollow to Barnton

Early morning at Dutton Hollow

Cleddau left early on as planned.  James went on a circular 3 mile walk down through some woods to the Weaver and back up from Dutton Locks. He had a good view of some reed warblers, and saw some more beautiful flowers.

Chicken in the woods

Daisies

Blue flowers (Forget-me-not?)

 Pink flowers (Campion?)

Woodland path

Dutton Viaduct

Dutton Locks on the Weaver

Dutton Weir

Dutton Weir reflected

Orange flowers

On his return he helped a hire boater with their weed hatch, which they were hitting with a hammer.  It only needed a turn of the handle.

When trying to plan for a church on Sunday, we decided we needed to be on the Weaver.  We set off for Saltersford Tunnel, which, like Preston Brook, is timed. Southbound, the access times are from 30 minutes to 50 minutes past the hour.  The canal was shallow and there were a lot of moored boats, so our progress was slow. We just scraped through with a minute to spare.  This tunnel is very crooked with several kinks. It is followed by a wide expanse of water with moored boats before Barnton Tunnel, which is straighter.

Saltersford Tunnel

 Emerging from Saltersford Tunnel

Looking back at Barnton Tunnel.

We found a mooring with rings on a wide towpath. There was good shade here which was welcome as it was very hot and humid.  The downside was some noisy banging from a factory until late afternoon.

0 locks, 4 miles, 2 tunnels

Next: Down the Anderton Lift to the Weaver for a few days, before going down to Middlewich for the Folk and Boat Festival.