Wheaton Aston

The wind gradually grew last night and did it’s best to keep us awake, but we managed to get some shut eye. We woke to snow in the air, followed by sunshine, followed by snow, by sun etc. for much of the day. The snow melted almost as soon as it hit the ground, well until the sun went down when the world started to gradually whiten around us.

Mick popped to the OneStop shop for our Saturday paper and some bacon whilst Tilly tried to brave the gusts of wind. She didn’t venture far and came home frequently to warm up and have a snooze.

The days two main tasks other than staying warm were baking and photograph hunting.

I

’ve been wanting to try out a gluten free Hot Cross Bun recipe for a couple of years, but they involved so much rising time that it had put me off, also last year I didn’t want to stand in the galley with my broken ankle for long. So today was the day. The recipe was for ten buns, so I halved it so that we’d not get bored of them after all there was a chance that they wouldn’t be tasty. I still don’t trust gluten free recipes to come out risen and with flavour other than that of potato.

There tends to be little or no kneading required, which is just as well as the dough tends to be far far stickier than conventional bread dough. The recipe suggested mixing the dry and wet ingredients together with a folk and then a light knead to remove any streaks with your hand. I kept on going with the folk instead, I’ve been covered in gluten free gloop too many times now, it takes a lot of time to remove it! Sitting on the bread rising shelf for an hour it doubled, fruit (apple and cranberry, no flies or slugs in my buns!) and spices mixed in and left to rise again for another hour. Next came the tricksy bit splitting it into five and rolling into bun shapes. With some added flour and a spatula I actually managed to not cover the whole work surface with dough and could still make out each digit on my hands, for once they hadn’t become a doughy webbed mass. The tray I chose to bake them on was small enough to sit on the rising shelf, where they were left for another hour to prove.

My Mum used to make Hot Cross Buns with marzipan crosses on the top, which I adopted along with adding a small blob in the centre a few years ago. Today I left out the blob in the centre knowing that the added taste wouldn’t be worth the added stickyness and swearing. Tilly was helping watch so they naturally became Hot Paw Buns and her efforts came out far better than expected, the paw prints stayed put. Once baked and a sugar glaze added they were left to slightly cool before we sampled them. Verdict very good. They have the slight dryness that gluten free flour tends to give things, but the addition of buckwheat flour means that they don’t taste as potatoey as they would otherwise. Next time I just need to remember to cover them with foil for the last five minutes so the paws/crosses don’t get burnt.

During the three hours waiting for the buns to rise we hunted through digital photos on our computers and facebook. There is to be a celebration of the life of Mick Hughes at the National Theatre on what would have been his 80th birthday. We won’t be able to attend, but wanted to add to the photographic presentation of his life if we could. Having our old kitchen computer on board meant that we had quite a lot of photos to go through. I managed to find a few show photos that he’d been Lighting Designer on and one or two from social occasions. He always used to make the effort, despite living on the south coast he joined us in Scarborough for weddings and birthdays.

If anyone wants details for either the celebration at the National or wants to add their own photos let me know and I’ll pass on the link.

This also meant that we came across photos from way back, including one of me holding onto the centre line of NB Winding Down on our first trip out on her. This was taken at The Queueing Lock in September 2009, more commonly known as Minshull Lock on the Middlewich Branch. I suspect the queues there won’t be as big this summer. There are even rumours that C&RT might close the locks on the branch to help manage the water whilst works are on going at the breach site. Hope they let all those in the marinas out who are wanting to head off on their summer cruises. Today a fish rescue was mounted in the almost empty pound, getting on for 10,000 fish were caught and released into the Trent and Mersey canal.

0 locks, 0 miles, 17 snow flurries, 1 newspaper, –1C outside, 1 warm cosy boat, 2 chilly for cat bums! 4 hot paw buns, 1 hot cross bun, 5 photos, 10,000 fish, 4lb eel, 3 hours of photographic memories.

Norbury Junction to Wheaton Aston Winding Hole

We woke this morning to pictures all over facebook of a breach that had occurred on the Middlewich Branch overnight. If you are a boater you are more than likely to have already heard about this, but other readers won’t have. I’ve taken the photos from various sources on facebook so it’s hard to know who to credit.

“A short section of embankment containing the Shropshire Union Canal, Middlewich Branch, has collapsed overnight, causing water to drain from the canal into the river below. Our emergency engineers were on site all night dealing with the breach, and the canal is currently drained between Stanthorne Lock and Wardle Lock, on the south side of Middlewich town centre, a distance of just over three quarters of a mile. The towpath has also been closed along this stretch. Between 15 and 20 boats are within the drained section and we’ll be contacting all the owners today with offers of assistance.
Engineers are on site now trying to understand the cause of the breach and will be making an initial assessment regarding how to progress repairs, likely timescales and costs.” C&RT information from facebook.

The pictures of the breach kept on appearing during the day from various angles, up high from a drone, below the aqueduct where it had happened, from the towpath (brave people to stand there). One boat was very close to the incident and the chap on board was helped onto dry land by the police in the middle of the night. We know of one Carefree Cruising boat that is in the pound. The chap on board got up to make a cuppa and wondered why the boat was listing, looked out the window to see no water. Luckily no one was hurt.

The Middlewich Branch connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Shropshire Union Canal and forms part of a popular cruising ring called the Four Counties Ring. At the moment the Cheshire Ring, another popular cruise is closed due to a lock on the Marple Flight being rebuilt, this is currently due to reopen at the beginning of May . These closures mean that many boaters will have to rethink their summer cruises. Hire companies in the area may well loose custom.

There are rumours that C&RT plan to put in means for single file traffic so that the navigation can reopen for the summer, closing over winter for a more permanent repair. These rumours are suggesting it will reopen in 3 weeks! Just sorting out an engineering solution, then getting it to site will take a lot longer surely.

Fortunately for us we were well away from the area. We may have to look for a new Bonfire Night mooring for this year though. Where we have been the last two years is in the pound above the now drained one. We could get to the mooring overlooking the flashes, but the reverse to the nearest winding hole would be over a mile and through four bridges. Anyhow we haven’t planned on where we’ll be come November yet.

Once we’d put down our phones and turned off the computer we started to continue on our way. Today was meant to be wet, but we only had the odd small shower. The sky had enough blue for a table cloth as we pootled along the remainder of the pound to Wheaton Aston. Through Gnosall and Cowley Tunnel (all of 81 yards) where it’s not worth going into tunnel mode. A tree had fallen at the entrance and a group of high vis clad chaps were waiting to put a floating pontoon into the cut to gain access to it, but there was enough room to get round so it didn’t bother us.

Along more embankments and through  cuttings where the tree canopy created a guard of honour for us to pass through. Many flowers were out, daffodils, crocus and primroses brightening up the banks, hope they survive the weekend. Day boats came towards us, managing to regain control and stop zigzagging to keep a straight course as we crossed bows.

On reaching Wheaton Aston we pulled over onto the mooring by Turners Garage. Here they sell Red Diesel for farm use and to boats. The original owner when he first took over the garage supplied his friends and then he opened it up for other boaters. Here the diesel is some of the cheapest on the network and we’d be foolish to pass by without filling up. If it had been in the summer we’d most probably not have filled up a couple of weeks ago as the price was 62.9p compared to 76p on NB Halsall.

I walked over the bridge to see what moorings were available, there were two so we pulled through the bridge and positioned ourselves furthest away from the road bridge as we could. With the forecast being for strong winds and temperatures around freezing with snow, we shall stay put for the weekend. We have a service block in front of us, shops in the village and plenty of coal to keep us warm.

0 locks, 1 in view though, 7.48 miles, 1 short tunnel, 71.55 litres, 1 gas bottle still gasping it’s last flames, 1 very funny tree, 2nd towpath with vans!  2 useful shops, 1 gardeners crack, 1 paper on order for tomorrow, 1 very big hole in Cheshire, 20 dry bottoms.

One side of Norbury Junction to the other side of Norbury Junction

With one empty bottle of gas and another soon to finish we decided to get a new one today from the Wharf here, hoping to replace the second one from NB Halsall when next they pass. The forecast for the day was for showers so we hoped we’d not get too wet. After breakfast we got on with a few chores, mostly to do with our toilet. Then as the rain seemed to have stopped we decided to pull through the bridge and head for the diesel point for a bottle of LPG. A couple of boats had passed us this morning and one of them had beaten us to the wharf.

We pulled in in front of the Junction Pub, tied Oleanna up with her centre line and started to wait. Across the way they were having the works, pump out, diesel, and a bottle of gas, so we patiently waited. The boat runs helmsman courses, the couple on the course had been sent off for a coffee to the cafe whilst the boat was being filled and emptied. We waited. One job after another was done and when all was in hand the tutor disappeared into the chandlers to pay. We waited. The couple returned and stood around. We and they waited. She went off to use the facilities. We waited. She came back. We waited. They took photos of each other. We waited. She went into the shop to buy something. We waited, both of us stood looking across, but obviously invisible. At least it wasn’t raining!

At last the tutor came out from the chandlers with a shiny new windlass and a pot of stern gland greaser. Hooray! He put the lid back on the gas locker, chatted to the couple. We waited, still invisible. He then disappeared down below. We waited. Just what was he doing down there? We waited and waited and waited, then gave up. Over an hour had passed, so we decided to give them some space, we didn’t want to hassle them! So with loud comments from Mick (in a Geraghty manner) such as ‘We’ll go to Wheaton Aston for diesel then!’, which fell on deaf ears, we moved on to the water point.

Ten minutes or so later the students were down below and the tutor moved the boat away and headed southwards. Once Oleanna had had a good drink we pushed ourselves over to the wharf, our waiting was over. Except they were all on lunch! This was a far shorter wait and we soon had a bottle of gas. Mick rearranged the gas locker so that the nearly empty bottle would be the easiest to get out next. Now that we were done, the heavens opened up just as we pushed off! We’d considered staying put for an hour to have our own lunch, but thought that would be unfair on anyone wanting to use the services.

Not far on we pulled in with a view from the embankment, let Tilly out to enjoy the rain. Despite the sun coming out we decided to stay put for the day and move on again tomorrow.

Today is the anniversary of Oleanna being craned into the water in Sheffield, getting a wet bottom. She’s had a year of floating, minus a few hours out of the water in a dry dock. So because of this we headed to the Junction Inn for a meal in the evening. On Thursdays they do a special offer of a couple of main courses and a bottle of wine for £25. Sadly we hadn’t spotted this before we ordered a couple of pints. We both had a burger and chips, mine with a gluten free bun, and enjoyed our meal.

0 locks, 0.21 miles, 1 empty pooh bucket, 1 empty wee tank, 2 empty bins, 1 full water tank, 1+ hours waiting, 1+ hour lost on a training course, 1 new gas bottle, 3 hours of embankment frolics, 2 burgers and chips, 2 pints, 2 puddings back at the boat, 1 year of Oleanna floating.

Norbury Junction

A busy morning giving Oleanna a clean and spruce up as we had visitors coming to meet her. Mick hoovered throughout whilst I finished baking a Bakewell Tart and removed as much of Tilly’s fur from curtains and upholstery as possible. The summer duvet was packed away again under the bed, now surplus to requirements. It may have to resurface at the weekend though if ‘The Beast II’ comes our way.

With as much fur and dust removed as possible we both made use of the copious amounts of hot water and gave ourselves a spruce up too. We were ready for them. Just a shame they had had to turn round back towards home!

We first met Alison and Laura a couple of summers ago on the Chesterfield Canal (link to Lillian’s blog). We ended up spending weeks with them and cruising the tidal Trent and Ouse together. Last year we called in to see them at Great Haywood Marina where they had moored for the winter. It had been good to meet them, (link to Lillian’s blog) but ended up with me visiting A&E in Stafford with a broken ankle! Last year they cruised the Kennet and Avon, bought a house in Shropshire, sold NB Large Marge and moved back onto land at the end of the year. Since then they have had a list of things go wrong with their house, the latest being the Rayburn stopping working. Today we’d arranged to meet them for lunch  at The Junction Inn, but they’d had to turn round to let a Rayburn engineer into their house. Still determined to meet Oleanna they turned round again and came to meet us, sadly a bit late for lunch.

It was the first time they’d been on a boat since selling NB Large Marge. I think they were suitably impressed with Oleanna, Alison at one point suggesting a house swap.

Tilly had been kept in so that she could say hello, But they’d come without my tasty friend! No point in staying in if Jaffa wasn’t with them. They had a full guided tour, when the conversation could be steered back to the matter in hand! Plenty to talk about and catch up on. After about three hours we all managed to breath again as we walked them to their car, to make sure that they both left, I think Alison would have tried to stow away if we’d let her.

It was lovely to see them again and hopefully we’ll meet up when we’re further south near Worcester later this year.

We waved them goodbye and carefully made our way back to Oleanna. This visit we’d survived without injury.Just hope their Rayburn was mended when they got home.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 attempt at a pub lunch, 2 visits from an engineer, 2 pilots, 1 bakewell tart, 0 Jaffa, 1 chuntering cat, 2 Margees, 0 Marge, 2 home owners with a pump out!

Tyrley Top Lock to Norbury Junction Visitor Moorings

For the next 17 miles we will be on the flat to Wheaton Aston Lock. Not being a contour canal the Shroppie has long straight sections, crossing the countryside along embankments and through cuttings. Today we were to cruise through long stretches of cuttings. First up was Woodseaves Cutting. Here trees cling on for dear life to the steep cut rock slopes. Many have long since given up their fight and now lie rotting away on the slopes covered in bright green moss with the occasional scattering of Scarlet Elfcup Fungi. I wasn’t quick enough to take a photo of the bright red cups so here is a link.

High bridges cross over the cutting and the lack of leaves at the moment made for some wonderful views along the mile long straight. The amount of birdsong was amazing, if only we’d been on a silent boat, horse drawn the atmosphere would have been amazing.

Popping out the other end we were greeted by the ‘BEEP BEEP’ of a reversing wagon somewhere, shattering the moment.

Crows were high in the trees, busy weaving twigs into nests. The sun was out and views across the fields towards The Wrekin and beyond were wonderful.

Long lines of moored boats slowed our progress and today we saw the most moving boats we’ve seen in one day for months. Having noted in our Nicholsons guide where the Shropshire Union Canal Society moorings are we knew one was coming up by bridge 47, so we pulled in for a lunch stop.

We were soon joined by the newest of the Carefree Cruising Shareboats NB Otter, someone has been breaking ice and I suspect the winter maintenance has been completed for this year! Interesting that the hull is cream underneath the blacking.

On we continued, now along Shebdon Embankment. When we passed here last year all the trees were in full leaf and views were hard to grasp, today it was easier. Three birds of prey circled overhead above the trees keeping our attention for much of the way.

The Anchor Inn looked shut up for the afternoon. We’ve managed to time our visits twice with the front door being open, but today we wanted to get a few more miles under Oleannas hull. The 6X will have to wait for the next time.

Grub Street Cutting next, wider than Woodseaves, but just as atmospheric. The two boats are still moored here offside along with the lovely blue car which is kept under cover. An old Land Rover is almost at one with the landscape and a couple of vans seem to have joined the collection of vehicles under the trees.

Around the next bend is the photo opportunity of the Shroppie. How many photos have been taken of High Bridge? I know I’ve taken hundreds! The wallpaper photo on our trip computer is one of the first I took of it back on NB Winding Down.

It was getting chilly in all the shade of the trees, so we were glad when it gradually opened out again and we could see the sky and sun. Plenty of space presented itself before Norbury Bridge so we pulled in for the day. I took the opportunity to give the starboard side a quick rinse off in the sunshine as Tilly did her best to create interesting patterns on the roof. Jumping onto the pram cover is great fun and the view from up there is so good. But the best bit is, if I have enough mud still between my toes, sliding down the window part to get down. I could do this for hours!

We resisted the lure The Junction Inn with it’s beer and excessively large pies and stayed in to enjoy my version of a chicken junction pie.

0 locks, 9.49 miles, 2 amazing cuttings, 1 long embankment, 3 birds of prey, 1 heron, 1 owl, 8 boats moving today, 1 winey whingey woofer who so should shut up! 1 day ahead of plan, 1 pie between 2 instead of 1 each!

Audlem Lock 3 to River Tem Aqueduct

As ever on a Saturday we were on the hunt for a newspaper. With just over a mile to walk or cycle back to Audlem you would have thought that would have been where we headed to. But it was raining when we woke and due to continue for a couple of hours (Frank wouldn’t have been put off!). So we decided to sit out the rain and then continue onwards to reach Market Drayton where there had to be one copy of our paper left.

The towpath would change sides today, so we made use of it being on the easier side to empty  the yellow water tank, once it had stopped raining. Then we pushed off and continued our climb. There are quite a few locks on the Main Shroppie, but they are grouped in flights, with the exception of Wheaton Aston lock and the stop lock at the end of the canal. We had two more to do of the Audlem flight to be able to tick them off.

The cottage by the top lock is having quite a bit of work done to it. We’d heard rumours of a large extension being built. At first glance it does look huge, but then you realise that the original lock cottage was single story and they have extended some of this upwards. It’s not going to be an architectural masterpiece, but the large first floor window will have great views down the flight. Due to all the building works the little cabin, normally full of cakes and goodies, was empty. No need to have spare change in your pocket today. Maybe there will be some treats put out for Easter?

After a gap of just over a mile we arrived at the bottom of the Adderley flight. These have older wooden, slightly rotting, bottom gates, these I can normally kick open, the metal ones are not so easy. My back feeling much better today I gave them a shove to open them up. Sadly my legs are not long enough and I’m not brave enough to hop back over the gap with one gate closed to close them again. So there was still a walk round to close the bottom gates.

There were a few walkers on the towpath, some of them helped as they went, bottom gates on empty locks miraculously opened before us, Thank you. Reaching the top didn’t take us long and then it was the three or so miles to Market Drayton. Mick paused in a bridge hole at one point as he had moved our starboard centre line to port (it’s the longer of the two) to make life easier, but now as the towpath was changing sides it would be better for it to return to starboard.

The first stretch of moorings at Market Drayton are noisy with a busy road. Then there are permanent moorings which you can moor opposite, but only overnight as you’d be in their way should they want to head off on a cruise. The short stretch that followed didn’t appeal either so we carried on past Betton Wharf and under the next bridge where there was plenty of space for us. Here Tilly would have trees and a playing field to amuse herself.

Mick patiently had lunch before he headed into town for our paper. Asda didn’t do well, so he had to venture further to WH Smiths and then Lidl for a few essentials. We’ll venture out tomorrow to stock the cupboards, we’re almost out of wine!

The remainder of the afternoon I popped a large pot of chilli on the stove to gently cook and set about checking a couple of knitting and crochet patterns for some friends in Scarborough. Animated Objects are enlisting local community groups to make them a mass of poppys for their ‘Stories Of Remembrance’ project which will be on display on Armistice Day. Before sending out the patterns they wanted to make sure that they weren’t written in gobbledygook, an extra pair of eyes is always useful.

This evening we have been treated to a very red sky. A couple of years ago we had a spectacular sunset near Norbury Junction, the Shroppie knows how to do sunsets.

7 locks, 5.09 miles, 0 cakes, 2 almost dry boaters, 1 smiling boat, 1 disused workshop, 2 spring lines, 1 mid afternoon paper, 3 poppys, 1 vat of chilli, 1 very red sky.

Audlem

Snow was falling when we woke, but it wasn’t settling as it had rained overnight. The snow turned into sleet and then rain again. All this white weather and winds that accompanied it put Tilly off going out. But the sun soon came out, the temperatures rose and the world became cat friendly again. By now we’d decided to stay put for the day and have a bit of an explore ourselves. However we needed Tilly to be home to be able to do this.

Tilly sometimes comes home when called, but other times she is far too busy with something to even bother to hear me. Today was one of the latter occasions, which wasn’t then helped by a boat pulling up behind us. This was the plant boat we’d seen last week in Nantwich. They have a Collie who spends all day every day running back and forth from bow to stern, Connie is on a constant duck hunt! With Connie sat at our stern I opened up the cratch for Tilly and we settled down to have lunch.

Tilly eventually showed her head out from a huge pile of brambles only to be spotted by Connie who charged forward barking. Her owner called her back and the only harm done was raised heart rates all round. Tilly soon made the dash across the towpath to the side hatch and safety. What a lot of noise! If only woofers didn’t woof, I’d get on better with them.

Now free, we headed up to the village to have a look round. First we stopped at the Canal shop by the Shroppie Fly pub. Here is the best stocked canal book shop on the network. Shelves upon shelves of books tell of the history, design and life of the canals. Upstairs is a floor dedicated to crafts, wool, tapestry, beads, rug making, allsorts. So I had a good look round before Mick ventured up the stairs, he didn’t need to make use of the chair set aside for husbands though!

The doors were open on the church, St James the Great. Inside the church was fairly standard, nothing stood out as a gem, maybe we missed something. Built on a hill overlooking the village, possibly an old Celtic burial ground the church dates back to the 13th Century. It commands it’s position with paths leading around made from old grave stones.

We walked on to have a look around the cemetery, we can see this from our current mooring. Two fine chapels Grade 2 listed sit either side of an archway leading into the cemetery which was founded in 1872. What a view from your final resting place, overlooking the valley towards the canal. Here several things stood out to us.

A large block of polished stone remembers those who were buried in the paupers graves here, many very young children. An unusual headstone of glass sat amongst all the black granite. Etched on the circle CLARKE and on the back of the grey base stone ‘Sleep well old Biddy’. I can’t find any more information on who this was for and why it is such an unusual design.

Then a low circular yew hedge surrounds a short tree with paving and a stone bench. On it’s back a list of names. This is an area dedicated to the memory of eight local young people who lost their lives over the period of a year in the 1990’s.

The catalogue of tragedy began in October 1994, when Alastair Clarkson died in a car crash, 12 days after his 19th birthday. His best friend Stephen Mayne meet a similar fate only months later. In April 1995, a head-on crash with a milk tanker killed four teenage friends – Abigail, Simon Dakin and Jason Knight, and Robert Hawes. There was talk of a curse on the village and by August the “curse” had claimed three more lives. Phillip Wibberley, 23, Stephen Mayne and his girlfriend Charlotte Nield, both 18, from Congleton, died after their car careered off the road at Cholmondeley, near Audlem.
A week later, Neil Brookes, 19, who lived in nearby Nantwich, was also killed in a car crash. With a population of only around 1800, the loss of eight young people left a big hole in the village. You can read more about The Village Of the Damned here (link). A lovely memorial.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 snow flurry, 2 hours, 1 pesky woofer keeping me from my lunch!  0 craft purchases, 1 church, 2 chapels, 1 faded bird, 8 lost lives, 1 glass headstone, 1st flowering daffs, 1 twinged back, not good with 13 locks tomorrow!