Friday 30/9. Vale Royal - Winsford Bottom Flash - Vale Royal

Can't remember how we filled our morning other than I showered and washed some clothes and Lawrence chatted to the boatie neighbour. The boatie neighbour was also going upstream and he wanted to book the Vale Royal Lockkeeper to open the Newbridge SB as he is a live aboard (with, whom I presume to be, his mother) and so has variety of pot plants, firewood, a bike and other sundries stacked on his roof. L suggested that by removing just a couple of the taller items he would fit but he insisted on ringing the lockie. Upshot was lockie couldn't come to open SB until after lunch so boatie neighbour took the bike and a couple of the taller pots off the roof and followed us.

We cast off just after 10.00 on what was to continue to be a lazy day

Followed by our neighbour

Newbridge SB, there isn't much room

Lawrence, out from under, with his head still attached and squinting into the morning sun

Crumbling timber wharves

The Union Salt Works - is still operating, we could see and hear the conveyer belt rattling away.

It is a massive rock salt mine. 500' down its galleries extend for well over 100 miles. Nowadays the bulk of the mines production is used for road de-icing. However it's worked out seams now provide secure storage for all manner of records and valuable artefacts.

Salt was being mined in this part of Cheshire before the Roman occupation. The 'wich' bit of place names such as Northwich and Middlewich derive from an OE word meaning salt works.

We are guessing this is the raw product waiting to be processed

More wharf remains

And guessing this is some of the mining waste, but not sure

And, guessing again, under wraps, rock salt ready to go

After passing Union Salt, which seemed to go on forever, we had a short secluded stretch

And then passed the Red Lion (where lunch awaited) to Winsford Bottom Flash - caused by mining subsidence.

L and I had, at this point, a little contretemps, he of course, being one of the slightly dim witted sex, wanted to see how far we could go, DESPITE all the warnings in the guide book, advice from the Lockkeeper, not to mention the notices at the flashes entrance and despite the home owner standing at the waters edge gesticulating madly at him.  I, on the other hand, had read all the warnings, listened to the lockie and took heed of the homeowner. I did not want the ignominy of running aground out there somewhere.

Needless to say, that I was very relieved that on this occasion, I won. We winded, and went into the mooring basin with, yes you guessed it, a water point. L progressed through the 3S's while I filled the water tank from another gushing geyser of a tap and finished my washing and hung it in the bow (whereupon it immediately started to rain).

With Lawrence clean, sparkling and newly shaven, and with the water tank full and my washing hanging in the shower recess, we reversed out of the basin, leaving our boatie buddy there as he was staying to do some shopping

We went back down the Weaver a short way and moored up outside the Red Lion which is just through the bridge

We lashed out and chose 3 tapas plates to share and a main course each. The tapas plates proved to be huge and delicious. We were already replete when our main courses arrived and they seemed very ordinary compared to the tapas and we left them only have eaten and even then we waddled our way to the boat.

L decided he had just enough energy left from digesting for the 45 minute cruise back to last nights mooring spot. With sun shining again and the washing hung in the bow once more, we set off.

Back through the attractive part

One this stretch we felt as if we were heading up the Orinoco - narrow, twisting with big floating clumps of luxuriant weed to be avoided

And 20 minutes later we were moored back on the same rings as last night. L read in the sun for a little while and then decided he needed to sleep off lunch. Since I started writing this 3 more boats have moored up. I'm thinking about going for a walk, but my new novel also beckons, tricky tricky. The late afternoon is pouring through the windows, the only noise is bird song (no, Lawrence isn't snoring). - life is pretty sweet.

PS his lordship has arisen, slightly grumpy and cold, as often happens after an afternoon nap and said "that thing [the blog] is taking longer than the day took, soon you'll be going backwards"😄😀

5 miles,  4 1/2 hours

29/9. Devil's Garden to Vale Royal Pt3

We were into new territory now. Remnants of boatyards in Northwich. Besides being a centre for salt and chemical production, Northwich also had a thriving boat building industry spread over several different yards

Having gone under the Blue Bridge

A few hundred metres further on we went under a railway bridge built in 1873

Approaching our last lock of the day, Vale Royal. If the lockie is not there to indicate its a bit tricky knowing which chamber to head for

We moored up1/2 mile beyond the lock at about 4.00pm

And looking upstream

 The Lockkeepers on all four locks today have been very friendly, chatty and full of advice on good moorings, places to eat etc.  The Lockkeeper at Dutton Lock has lived in one of the lock cottages for over 30 years and she and her husband raised their children there. In 2008 the then Lockkeeper told her he was retiring, so she applied for the job and has been the Lockkeeper ever since and still loves it.  CRT should be commended upon their selection criteria for Lockkeepers.

After we settled in, I went for a walk. A little way down the towpath a small track led off into the trees. It looked very enticing so I followed it, within 20 metres it went up a steep embankment, thought I might have a heart attack, but worth it because I saw lots of squirrels. When I reached the top the woods ended at the edge of a field, I followed the track until it stopped at a farm track so I retraced my route back to the towpath and then walked along it until I reached some subsidence induced flashes beside the towpath that were chock full of bird life. I spent so long watching the waterfowl, and looking for watervoles, that it was nearly dark by the time I got back to AL and L. Is still shitty with me.

18 miles, 4 locks in 5 1/2 hours 

29/9. Devil's Garden to Vale Royal pt2

Retracing our steps 

There used to be a lock here at Pickerings. It was eliminated at the end of WWII and the access for these two houses is now by boat across the river

Under the viaduct again

Coming up to Dutton Lock

We had a half hour wait on the lock landing and L. decided to heat up some baked beans. In an extremely senior moment he poured the can of baked beans in a saucepan with it lid still on

Funny, but the resultant mess was 'orrible

Roped up in Dutton Lock

Lock full and gate opening

Passing Acton, where we had lunch yesterday. Some more boats have arrived for this weekends steam rally

The Manchester's permanent mooring is down in Northwich and is owned by a NB inspector. He and his family live aboard and it has 3 bedrooms and is very smart inside. The boat was originally owned by Kellogs (see the K on the chimney)  and was used to transship maize from Liverpool to the Kellogs factory in Manchester to make cornflakes (it is still going strong and we could smell the cornflakes as we passed it on the Bridgewater Canal).

All the above info was offered by the Saltersford Lockkeeper. Locks, as you have no doubt worked out are the canal equivalent of the office cooler! I hope you are all glued, with anticipation, to your screens awaiting these canal titbits!!

And there is NB African Queen, she went passed us in Skipton and we saw her again at Castleford Basin. She is highly polished, no scratches sort of boat - not one to accidentally nudge.

The Kerne, who we saw yesterday, has been taken through the swing bridge

Lawrence having to duck low under Winnington Swing Bridge

Going passed the Anderton Lift

29/9 Devil's Garden to Vale Royal visitor moorings, River Weaver Pt1

The view from our mooring this morning

We had a lazy start, catching up on the Australian news, writing some emails and partaking of Bacon and eggs. Just we were finishing we had some visitors

We eventually got underway at 10.30' heading downstream. I dug out the Hoover and undertook some much needed domestic chores - shock, horror! And when I emerged it was to find that I had been missing scenery like this

Continuing on down river we passed a dredger hard at work

The gunk that is dug up is dropped into the push-tow barge 

And when full is pushed by the tug to an unloading area.

Sutton Swing Bridge

Where we moored up just behind the Narrowboat in the above pic, to take on water (and yes, Lawrence's bête noir squirted like a geyser) and to bin the rubbish. While doing so a CRT man came up to have a chat and told us the dredger is hard at work because two even larger steam boats are due to lock up onto the Weaver from the Manchester Ship Canal tomorrow and CRT are worried they might get stuck in part of the navigation where the dredger is working.

A bit further on we passed the site where the push-tow barges are emptied into a waiting truck.

We got to the Runcorn rowing club and decided to wind as all we could see ahead were chemical works. Now on our way back upstream, the Sutton Rail Bridge  with the Sutton Swing Bridge in the background

And here is the now full push-tow barged pushed up to the unloading site to be swapped for the now empty barge

A bit of autumn colour. People tell me we might miss Autumn as it has been such an Indian summer 😕

The dredger waiting for the return of the empty barge

This was some of the scenery I missed this morning when I was on my hands and knees below deck

And this