Nantwich to Middlewich

Thu 16^th July  Nantwich to Sykes Hollow 

Moored in Nantwich

Before we left, we made an online booking at Aqueduct Marina Café for breakfast on Friday. We went there two years ago, and it was excellent, so we are looking forward to a treat. 

We saw a pair of coal boats come past – the first ones we have seen since we left Aylesbury. 

Coal boats rounding the bend

Our first stop was at the facilities, where we emptied cassettes and disposed of rubbish. The water point was in use, so we decided to fill up elsewhere later. There were a lot of boats moving as we left Nantwich, passing the basin where the old canal used to terminate. 

A busy time in Nantwich

Looking back at Nantwich Basin on the right. We came through the bridge on the left

We passed the entrance to the Llangollen Canal, where the lock has been repaired and widened. It used to be the narrowest lock on the system as the walls had leaned towards each other over the years. Several boats have been unable to pass through, but this year they should be able to. 

Llangollen Canal entrance

 

Signpost at Hurleston Junction

 

The cricket season has started

We turned into the Middlewich branch at Barbridge Junction. Apparently there used to be a transhipment warehouse here, straddling the canal. 

The site of the old warehouse

 

An old picture of it, displayed at Sykes Hollow

Barbridge Junction

Midway Boats

It was a pleasant cruise through rural scenery, until we came to our only lock of the day, by Venetian Marina. We discovered that there was a queue of six or more boats, so we moored up and had a bun and a cuppa.  We moved along later, and used the water point before taking our turn on the lock.  The boat behind us was Monica Isabel, skippered by BCF member Barry.

The lock queue

Barry on Monica Isabel

Cholmondeston Lock

 We moored soon after at a place called Sykes Hollow, which used to be a clay quarry. It has now been turned into a pleasant picnic and BBQ area, with mooring rings. 

Sykes Hollow

 1 lock, 6 miles. Dep 0925, arr 1400 (including 45-minute wait)

 Fri 17^th July  Sykes Hollow to Clive Green

After our lock queue experience of yesterday, we decided to leave early to avoid being late for breakfast at the marina. The locks on the Middlewich branch are quite deep, and take a while to fill, and if there are several boats there can be delays. 

Minshull Lock

There is a pleasant grassy visitor mooring for Aqueduct Marina, which we had to ourselves. While we waited, Barry went past. The café was spaciously laid out, and all the precautions were in place. The breakfast was a very nice treat, and we do want to support businesses that are trying to recover from lockdown. (That’s our excuse!) 

The visitor moorings for the marina

 

Barry going past

 

Aqueduct Marina

 

Passing some wildlife 

The yellow ragwort is prolific this year and as we passed some by a bridge, we saw lots of butterflies, so we stopped for some photos. 

Comma butterfly

 

Tortoiseshell

 

Gatekeeper

 

Even seed heads can be beautiful

 Some converted stables

We stopped for the day at Clive Green Moorings between bridges 21 and 22, where there is a view overlooking the river Weaver and Winsford Top Flash. 

Clive Green Moorings

Hazel sat out for a while in the bows, and was bitten by a small weevil or beetle. It felt like a wasp sting. To give an idea of size, the two lines in the photo are on a standard notepad. 

The biting beetle

 1 lock, 5 miles. Dep 0805, arr Aqueduct Marina 0850. Dep 1110, arr 1255.

 Sat 18^th July  Clive Green to Middlewich

A wet day. There was an early gap in the weather, so we set off in the hope of reaching Middlewich in the dry. 

The view from our mooring

As we approached Stanthorne Lock, we had just met two boats, so we hoped the lock would be in our favour. As the lock came into view, there was a boat on the bollards, but no-one in sight. Then he moved. He had been up against the hedge, and he was wearing a brownish green coat, so he was camouflaged. Apparently, another boat had gone down before him, so he had had to fill the lock, and it was slow. The bottom paddles were restricted, so it took a long time to empty, and it was a deep lock. 

Stanthorne Lock

So we took our turn in the rain which had by now started. We put the hood up as we left the lock. 

Soon after the lock we saw the site of the breach two years ago, now with new concrete edges, and some mooring rings. 

The breach site at the Aqueduct over the River Wheelock

We moored on rings between bridges 29 and 30, and spent some time drying things out.

We walked into the town, hoping to buy a walking stick for Hazel as her leg has been swelling up. The charity shop we visited said they weren’t allowed to sell walking sticks at the moment due to the pandemic. Some logic has gone missing here somewhere. They can sell all sorts of other things in the shop, just as risky, but not something that is helpful medically.

We visited what used to be Tesco, and discovered that it is now Jack’s. There was nothing like the range, and we were disappointed. They are still owned by Tesco. Next time we will go to Morrisons and Lidl, both at the top of the town.

We walked back to the boat via a different route. All the bridges over the canal in Middlewich have steep steps down from the road, so there are no ramps, making trolleys difficult. 

Steps from the bridges

Moored in Middlewich

1 lock, 3 miles. Dep 0725, arr 0850. 

Next: starting our journey south via Stoke-on-Trent