When you know something is going to be the last for a while it takes on a special quality, a poignancy, perhaps even an importance out of all proportion. That is what we’re aware of this week, and it’s good thing, a valuable opportunity.
Our last cruising time for a while has been a mixture of familiar routes and a foray into the previously unknown. We started off in Middlewich, moved the full length of the Trent and Mersey to the final stoplock and the Preston Brook Tunnel with the Bridgewater Canal.
The Bridgewater Canal is a privately owned 39 mile inland waterway in the North West. It stretches from Runcorn to Leigh. Our Canal and River Trust licence combined with a request for permission to cruise the Bridgewater grants us 7 days of transit on the waterway for no additional cost. We’ve cruised it before, and notably last year found ourselves trapped on it when a lock failed in Manchester and stopped us heading from the Bridgewater onto the Rochdale Canal as we had planned.
We are rather enjoying its lack of locks and tunnels, but to get here we descended the Middlewich flight of 3 locks followed by Big Lock alongside an excellent dog-frendly cafe which we visited whilst waiting for the water point. Water points are often chatty places when boats congregate, and this week was no different. I learned the fraught life story of one single-handed boater and his battles with the NHS before he took early retirement and took to the water for therapeutic living.
So we left Middlewich full of water, empty of waste and full of diesel thanks to Paul and Sam at Middlewich Wharf. Thanks to their tumble driers we also left with dry, clean bedding and clothes.
From Middlewich it was a short hop to Bramble Cutting, once the site of puddle clay extraction. That was the clay used to line the canal. Now it provides an offside peaceful mooring with picnic tables and the tracks still evident that the clay carts used to be rolled down to waiting boats. We’ve passed numerous times and never managed to moor here so when we saw a space…
The sun SHONE so we managed some painting while Boatdog enjoyed a bit of exploring, playing with another dog from another boat and then some serious rolling in goose poo.
The next day, we left in rain (surprise, surprise) to make our way north once more, not travelling too far to moor near the top of the remarkable Anderton Boat Lift. This feat of engineering remains one of the rightful Wonders of the Waterways.
Set as it is now in a great area of parkland, this mooring offered a good park run, a long muddy walk and loads of wild garlic so homemade pesto pasta was the tasty order of the day. After that is, the Skipper went to rescue another boat in need of help with their electrics. They were astonished to hear thar leisure batteries need topping up regularly…
Then on the next day through the final 3 tunnels on the Trent and Mersey Canal, trying to get the timings right. First from the south west is Barnton, just 572 yards long. Apparently it can accommodate two boats at a time if needs be. Then comes Saltersford Tunnel, 424 narrow yards long. Passage for our direction on the hour until 20 past. Last after the Dutton stoplock is Preston Brook Tunnel -1,239 yards long and narrow. Northbound access is only on the hour for 10 minutes.
Once we’d managed all this logistical juggling and the irritating sandpaper weather (wet and dry) we emerged as the waters meet onto the Bridgewater Canal and promptly turned under the M56 onto a section we’ve never explored before – the Runcorn Branch. This used to be the mainline down to the River Mersey for commercial barges. Now it is often overlooked by leisure boaters but it is a delightfully quiet stretch, populated by noisy nesting coots and the occasional leggy heron. It terminates at Waterloo, at least the Waterloo Bridge so is now a rather lengthy cul de sac.
Back onto familiar territory we moved to Lymm and then Dunham Massey to enjoy walks and a slow run in the deer park. We are fortunate to have managed some decent weather for that part of this trip at least and are very grateful for every dry sunny moment.
Now we only have a little way to go until we take up a static lifestyle for a while. We’re grateful for the chance to really appreciate moving whilst we can, and we’re also looking forward to the change of life for a while, the chance to spend time with a real family VIP.
Pickingupducks 