Cold cut.......a winter cruise.

December - not a popular month for cruising narrowboats on the U.K canals. A recent 'calm before storm' spell of benign winter weather enticed us to travel at least a short way for a few days to charge the batteries of both the boat and ourselves.  It also gave us a chance to top up to the brim with fuel at 'The Trading Post' to minimize the chance of water droplets condensing on the interior of the steel fuel  tank if left partial empty during the cold temperatures. Fuel and water do not mix and so I always try to keep the fuel tank brim full in an effort to avoid water contamination.
 

A frosty start.

Providing it is not continuous rain I actual enjoy cruising in the quiet cold winter months. We met only one other boat on the move and a smiled 'hello' to the steerer  swaddled in heavy winter coats and gloves just like us got a muffled happy reply together with a wave.

I noticed that wisps of smoke had started to come from the chimney as Captain Denise lit a fire in the 'Morso' stove and soon the cabin would be as toasty warm as any summer's day.

Suzy soon learned that heat rises.........dozing on the top step.

Some of the moored boats also had the same wisps of white smoke denoting that the boat had not just been left empty for the winter and usually a wave through a window denoted somebody happy to sit and relax in a nice warm boat even it was going nowhere. 

Winter smoke curls from a moored boat.

At this time of year after tons of leaves have dropped into the Macclesfield canal the propeller on 'San Serriffe' seems collect them as we go under the bridges and occasionally the prop' wake starts to 'splatter' - a sure sign that the propeller has something on it.  A quick blast of reverse throws off any leaves/twigs and the usual calm straight-line wake re-appears again.

Pesty Westy 'Suzy' the hound was enjoying running up and down the boat roof ensuring the various Ducks, Geese and the Swans who were minding their own business were rudely interrupted in their calm water born duties with a good hysterical barking.......her barking is not just reserved for ducks.....big rough dogs on the tow-path get the same treatment in the confident knowledge that she is perfectly safe on the boat roof.  

Travelling south in the afternoon on a sunny winter's day had just one problem......aforementioned sun !   Hardly above the horizon it was shining directly into my eyes and despite my 'shades' and a peaked cap it made trying to see where we were going very difficult.  You are never happy I hear you say......if it rains you moan, if it is a sunny day, you moan.....this is so true,I must be thankful for small mercies and a sunny day in December is one of them.

A winter's walk........sharp low December sunshine highlights this bridge.            Copyright.

Sunny days in December also have another drawback - it gets very, very cold as the sun disappears below the horizon and the temperature drops quickly and within a few hours of mooring the boat the roof was covered with frost as we retreated to the warmth of the roaring fire in the cabin.

Mooring near the 'Miner's Arms' a shared executive decision to go for an evening meal was quickly decided.
Leaving 'Suzy' to guard the boat accompanied by a mound of doggy treats to keep her happy for a couple of hours we strode off into the cold darkness.

We were greeted with an almost empty pub and our hearts sank as we were told that they were not doing meals that (Wednesday) night .   Disappointed at a pub that in the past was always busy almost every night we decided to drown our sorrows with a few beers.

" Oh.......by the way, we close at 9pm tonight " the lady behind the bar informed us.

" What ? " was my incredulous reply.

A hurriedly convened team discussion between Captain Denise and myself witnessed another instant executive decision and a taxi was called to take us to nearby Poynton.  Choosing the 'Farmer's Arms' it was quickly confirmed that even Wednesday night was food night and they were open for business until late for a few unhurried apres-food drinks..........phew, evening rescued.

Following morning was frost-free and after preparing the boat for the winter ( draining water from pipes, etc) we returned back to our home mooring.
Hopefully we might be able to make another few 'snowflake' winter trips, but we obviously look forward to spring next year when we can continue our annual exploration of the U.K canal system.
See you there.............

Moored in Adlington for the night .........'San Serriffe' in her new colours.

 




 



 

Narrowboat painting made easy..........

Nothing lasts for ever especially paint. Exposed to the elements for a few years it begins to show signs of wear and tear, especially on a narrowboat.

We had bought 'San Serriffe' in 2008 with the paint showing signs of fading after being moored the same way around for some time. Direct sunlight from morning to dusk had started to fade the paint on one side especially the red name panel. Red seems to be the first colour to be effected by U.V exposure and 'San Serriffe' was certainly no exception.

Professional boat-painting is an expensive business and the very best finish on a narrowboat is by hand-painting. Owning a boat on a tight budget after retirement fostered an initial 'make-do and mend' approach to things and the paint was refreshed with plenty of elbow grease, 'T-cut' and polish. Hard work but it kept the faded paint looking reasonable - for a short period of time.

I have some experience of painting a previous boat called 'Dipper' an ex-Alvechurch hire boat and if I learned anything during the twelve months that elapsed whilst I completed the task was how difficult it was to do the job anywhere near the level achieved by a professional boat painter.

'Dipper' in her original hire-boat colours. 

First consideration for painting a boat without a dry-dock is waiting for rain-free days when you can prepare and apply paint.  If you are lucky enough to have sunny days you quickly learn that narrowboat steel becomes very hot and makes applying the paint problematic to say the least.  Added to this is the movement as boats pass your mooring, dust and flies on to the new paint,etc, all make the job a real challenge.


It CAN be done........I have done it.   But preparing and flatting the surface of all four cabin sides including the roof is a very large surface area and a task not to taken on lightly. I applied three coats of 'International' paint using an orbital sander to 'flat' between coats experimenting with thinning finishing coats and adding 'Owatrol' paint conditioner and rust inhibitor. This helps paint flow from your brush, the 'Owatrol' instructions recommend that it is added in a ration of 1:3 with the undercoats and 1:4 with top gloss. I achieved a good brush finish, but nothing like the hand applied 'gloss' achieved by the very best professional boat painters which is often better than most sprayed lacquer finishes on cars. This took a couple of months during the summer learning how to mask and 'sand' the roof using fine kiln-dried block sand. This is not as easy as it sounds and ensuring an even 'spread' of the sand on the roller-applied wet paint surface of the roof is difficult for an amateur like me. 
Excess sand is brushed off when paint is dry and subsequent top coats are then applied on the sand.........at least that is how I did it!

'Dipper' paint preparation before applying top coats

Masking for 'coach-lines' can be a nightmare for beginners.  I started to measure the distance from the roof to the coach-line for example every few feet and marking with a pencil - THIS DID NOT WORK !!   Slightest error (and I mean slight) produces a 'dog-leg' as you look down the length of the boat. I learned how to measure just at the start and finish of the 'line' securing the start of the masking tape to the boat ( secure with another piece of tape at 90 degree) pull taught and 'snap' the tape on from the end using the roof or gunwale line as a sighting line - a technique that needs to be 'learned' with a few trial runs until you can use it with the confidence of experience.  If I learned anything that is worthwhile to pass on from my 'masking' learning curve ................it is this :  USE THE VERY BEST TAPE AVAILABLE AND REMOVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - IT BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE IF YOU LEAVE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY AND WILL RUIN THE NEW PAINT SURFACE IF YOU TRY !!

Sign-writing by Andy Russell

On completion of the paint work on my previous boat 'Dipper' standing back to admire my work, I realised I had still one major hurdle to overcome - sign-writing for the name, etc.
Hand painted sign-writing it certainly not for the amateur even if you  have an artistic flare, It takes many years of practice, creative talent and technique to reach anything like perfection. I got lucky and realised that an all-time master of the art Andy Russell was by chance working in a dry-dock near my moored boat.  Despite my cheek Andy agreed to paint the name  'Dipper' on my finished paintwork over one of his 'trademark' scrolls - I was delighted at this professional touch to the finished new paint.  I would have resorted to cut Vinyl letters if Andrew had told me to tickle spiders, but as good as some of them are - they are nothing like the real thing.

'Dipper' on completion of my D.I.Y paint job

Despite my attempts to halt the worst effects of  wear, tear and weather on the tired paint of 'San Serriffe' including repainting the roof and rear deck with 'sanded' panels, it was obvious that something radical had to be done.  I was very reluctant to take on the job myself after my previous experience - it really is hard work to achieve even half reasonable results.  I decided to go for a professional re-paint and rang Andy Russell who is so much in demand that I had to wait some 15 months for a 'slot' leaving me at least a period of time to put some money in the piggy-bank.


Furness Vale dry-dock ( Upper Peak Forest canal) was booked for a period of twelve days at the end of September 2014 and I took the opportunity to make everything as cost effective as possible by blacking the hull at the same time. I took on this job myself as Andy started the early paint stripping and preparation stage.  Steam cleaning a hull and splashing coal tar Bitumastic around with a paint roller is not a good idea when somebody else is putting on finishing gloss coats !!!


I had moored 'San Serriffe' overnight near the dry-dock ready for a 8.30am start as directed.  At 8am I realised Andy was preparing the dock appearing a few minutes later next to the boat and we pulled the boat into the dock on the ropes.  Before 9am I was steam-cleaning the hull as Andy removed the brass port-holes in readiness to strip the name panels.......Andy certainly hits the deck running and has things done before most people  just think about it.

'San Serriffe in original paint. Andy Russell is removing cratch-cover press studs prior to starting paint preparation. Traditional castles were painted by previous owner Lilian McPhee and will need some restoration  as they were covered with a varnish that had gone brittle and discoloured.

As I steam-cleaned the hull Andy was preparing one of the name panels where he had found a small area of surface rust on the boat side underneath the brass port-hole.  Removing the rust scale he applied 'Jenolite' which chemically converts it to a hydrophobic layer effectively reducing the chance of the rust re-appearing especially when protected by further primer and top-coats.

Brass port-hole removed. Andy Russell treats a patch of surface rust.

Returning the next day to ensure the hull was dry after steam-cleaning and ready for the first coat of 'Bitumastic' blacking,  I noticed Andrew had prepared the cabin side and applied grey primer. Returning on a further two days to apply more coats of blacking I noticed the first colour coats had been applied (midnight blue with cream outer borders)
rear and front decks were stripped and progress was looking good.

'San Serriffe' cabin sides finished in primer.   I had done the roof myself a couple of years ago (sanded) and was not to be painted..........just call me a cheapskate !!!!!!

I re-polished the brass-port holes with a buffing-wheel at home and re-lacquered the finished surface with Rylard's  'Incralac' which stops the brass tarnishing.   I find life is far to short to polish brasses every few days especially in the winter and although the finish is slightly 'duller' than a newly polished 'Brasso' surface it still looks good. I find this lacquer lasts at least four or five years especially with two or three coats.  Old lacquer can be removed with Cellulose thinners and a buffing wheel on an electric drill. Polish the brass again, re-lacquer and you are good for another few years of work-free boat brassware. I find it much easier to take most of the brassware especially the roof 'mushrooms'  to my home garage workbench where they can be securely held in a vice whilst I use the polishing wheel. 


Returning with the cleaned brass portholes gave me an excuse to have another peek at paint progress. Further finishing top coats had been applied and the effect was literally breath-taking with a glass-like finish. Andy Russell certainly knows how to achieve a perfect gloss - light years away from my amateur efforts with 'Dipper'

Rear deck preparation and the first top-coats going on.

  

Final top coats, sign-writing together with superb 'barber's pole tiller-arm. Masking tape is still on the coach-line.

Andy Russell's sign-writing in certainly some of the very best possible.  Watching him work with the speed and confidence of years of self-taught experience is a visual master-class.   He suggested an electric-blue dropped shadow and the whole effect, in my humble opinion, is just superb........... 

So if you want to make narrowboat painting easy, hire a dry dock. I used Swanley Marina DIY sheds for San Serriffe a couple of years ago when I painted the roof - not forgetting to bring something to stand on that will bring you to cabin level (most dry dock sides are too far from the boat).......or give the job to Andy Russell.

Abandon ship !!!!

Washing the breakfast dishes I seemed to have this strange sensation of falling forwards into the sink and looking out of the galley window I could see no fields - no horizon, just water !!!!!

"There is something seriously wrong with the boat!   shouted Cap'n Denise from the shower.

"You are not kidding........what the hell is going on?"  I replied with a slight tone of concern.

Rushing outside to make visual sense of my desire to fall-over, I realised we were hanging from our ropes at a steep angle, where just five-minutes previously we were at our normal inland-waterway horizontal situation.

Most of the water in the canal had gone and we were leaning alarmingly.

'Don't panic Captain Mainwaring' ........I thought.
"I suggest you get ready quick, we have a situation" ......I suggested to Denise with only the slightest hint of panic in my voice.

What the bloody hell !!!  I mused appraising the rapidly disappearing water and throwing our dog 'Suzy' onto dry-land in an effort to stop her falling over. .

No wonder the kettle keeps falling off the stove..........!!  Denise manages a smile despite San Serriffe being well and truly aground due to a lack of water on the Trent and Mersey near Wheelock

A few minutes before everything had been O.K and a hire-boat moored behind had sailed-off with no problems regarding water level.

Mobile in hand, I found the Canal and River Trust emergency phone-book number and hit the 'call' button.

"Hi..........you have no water in the Trent and Mersey canal near lock 60 " I reported.
"Trent and what ?" was the reply.
"Trent and Mersey !!" I struggled to keep calm and speak clearly.
" Sorry, computer cannot find it" said the voice
"What!!!!!!!!!!  T-R-E-N-T AND M-E-R-S-E-Y !! one of your principal waterways!! slightly losing my composure.
"Sorry, for some reason it is not coming up on the computer, sorry - hang on" she said.
"Oh yes, I will certainly hang on.......my boat is at a very steep angle !!!" I said.
"At a steep angle, you say, oh right ?  O.K putting you through" she said

"Hi"    came a man's voice
 I explained precisely as possible that the Trent and Mersey had drained of water above locks 59-60 near the M6 not very far from Wheelock and I was leaning at this crazy angle with the boat threatening to roll-over.
"Is that near Stoke?"  He asked.
"Stoke????? No!! nowhere near Stoke" ..... I answered frustrated by my need to repeat my exact location regarding place names. bridges numbers and locks.
"Oh right, we will have to get somebody there as soon as possible" came a positive reply.

At that point a fellow boater came by and explained that he was a few locks down and had taken it on himself to drain the upper pounds ( including 'mine' ) to 'bring some water down' to his level.  

Despite the upper pounds being reasonably long all this had done was leave them virtually dry.

I managed to make a cup of tea, by wedging a saucepan against the kettle so that it did not slide off the stove....... boat seemed to be wedged firmly without movement sideways, so we sat stoically at the steeply-angled stern with our hot tea. Very British.

" Shall I re-arrange the deck-chairs" ....asked cap'n Denise with a smile.
" What?" I asked
" That is what they did on the Titanic"  came the smiled reply.
" No use doing that, they would just fall over the side...... lets drink our tea and put the life-jacket on the dog" ....I said

Time passed.....as time does.

 " Hiya".........came the greeting from a friendly Canal and River Trust man.

He explained that they were bringing water from several pounds above and would have us moving in a short while.

He had come from the locks lower down and had got a good tongue-lashing from disgruntled boaters held-up there.

" You can only do your best, it is not your fault" I commiserated.

When we had sufficient water to float he came back and helped to move the boat off the ledge it had wedged on.  He explained that a boat was coming down and would we wait to ensure a 'one-up, one down' regime to maintain the water levels.

We would like to say many thanks to this friendly guy and his colleague positioned a couple of miles or up the canal ensuring a supply of water.   It is very frustrating to be in a 'no water' situation, but helps no one if you express your frustration in blunt terms to the guys trying to sort the situation out.........any problems caused by lock-gear failure ( principal problem on this occasion) was certainly not of their making. Apparently the low water levels had been obvious for several days but nobody had reported it.


We were very fortunate to make progress after only several hours, the navigation being restricted seriously for a few days afterwards whilst problems with paddles on lock 61 and the mitre-liner on lock 63 had been repaired.  All the pounds towards Rode Heath were very low but we managed to keep moving in the centre of the canal and had to smile after saying 'hello' to the owner of a boat on a permanent mooring sitting on the stern of his boat with it's propeller showing high and dry..............

" Might as well do a bit of fishing............nothing else to do "  he said with a resigned smile.


 .....Always remember in life  'Seize the moment'  if a Brandy is offered as the ship goes down, it is not the time to become teetotal........

and ......."He who is not panicking does not realise the serious of the situation"   ( my favourite )

Rampant Reeds choke the Trent and Mersey canal.......a look into the future?

" Baldrick.........BALDRICK !!!! "..... shouted the Big ditch controller
" Yes sir........YES SIR, you shouted?     ....... answered Baldrick
" We have a problem, Baldrick "   .....snapped the Big ditch controller
" We ?  WE ? sir......it is usually just ME who has the problem .....sneered Baldrick
" Do not be facetious Baldrick, it is beneath you, this is serious "  answered the Big ditch controller.

"There has been a complaint from a customer, they are unhappy with the width of the Trent and Mersey canal. They are unhappy with their experience.  They said their customer experience is below standard !!"......... Wailed the Big ditch controller.

"Who's standard?"  .......asked Baldrick
"Do you not listen? THEIR standard !!....how dare they !! "  Big Ditch controller replied in an apoplectic shrill voice.

"What seems to be the problem ?" ................asked Baldrick
"Reeds are the problem, apparently. Lots of them".............snapped Big Ditch controller
"I have been telling you about this for years"................came the resigned reply from Baldrick
"What do you know about anything ? especially Reeds?...........sneered Big Ditch controller

Baldrick's nightmare come true. - reed growth on the Trent and Mersey canal, near Middlewich

 "Well, let me see........are you talking about Phragmites Australis, otherwise known as the common reed to people like you....... this can colonize 5 metres per year and research suggests it exudes an acid to destroy competitors or perhaps we have a problem with Azolla Filliculoides ?   Azolla is actually a weed and attempts to control it by weed munching Weevils seems to be successful especially in North Yorkshire, the Gloucester and Sharpness canal and recently the Huddersfield Broad canal"    .......answered Baldrick with a smug expression.

"Baldrick!........BALDRICK!....I am the one paid to be clever around here. Just shut up and listen"
  Big Ditch controller said unkindly.

" I want you to just find out what these boaters are talking about. I will not have gossip of this nature in my ditches...er, canals. Get out there Baldrick and report the situation back to me PDQ  if not sooner!"
 ........... Big Ditch controller snapped in his usual commanding style.

"Yessir.......right away sir "   ..........smirked Baldrick touching his forelock.

Baldrick went about his business, as only Baldrick could.  Time passed as time does..

" O.K Baldrick, what do have to report ?".......... asked Big Ditch controller.
" It is bad sir...........very bad"  .........came the sad reply from Baldrick.
"Well ?"   .......asked Big Ditch controller
" Reeds are everywhere,sir.  It is a nightmare they are growing before your eyes......and .....and I have something even more terrible to report"  ........ replied Baldrick his upper-lip quivering with emotion.
"Get a grip, man. What are you talking about ?" ......... replied Big Ditch controller in his usual understanding manner.
"The boat reported missing with all hands between Middlewich and Anderton last year............the reeds have had it" replied Baldrick.
" Not the ?" demanded Big Ditch controller.
" Yessir, I am afraid so........ the hire boat 'Lesser-spotted Ditch Warbler'. It is terrible sir, terrible, the crew are all skeletons even the little dog.  Suffocated by rampant giant reeds what a terrible way to go! " Wailed Baldrick

"Oh dear, never mind, worse things happen at sea " replied the unfeeling Big Ditch controller.
" Shall I order the Reed cutting machine, sir ?" asked Baldrick
"Budgets, budgets, got to watch the budgets, Baldrick. What is the remaining width of the navigation?" asked you know who.
" Six foot , four inches, sir" replied Baldrick, with his usual accurate efficiency
"Plenty of room for them narrowboat thingummys, that is why they are called NARROW boats, eh?....what are they six foot ten inches ?" smirked the BDC


" Yes, but they are crashing head-on into each other on the blind bends, we surely cannot lose anymore to the killer Reed! The humanity ! oh the humanity!!!!!!!!!  ......replied an emotional Baldrick

"They are crashing head-on into each other on the blind bends"   Reed choked Trent and Mersey near Middlewich

Killer reeds (Phragmites Australias) Trent and Mersey canal en-route to Middlewich.

"Control yourself Baldrick!!!!!   I have a cunning plan, now listen carefully "     .....smirked Big Ditch controller.


" Get onto the hire company and order a set of traffic lights.......place one a few miles past 'Big-lock' where the Reeds start and the other a few miles up the cut where the reeds finish. Problem solved, problem sorted ".......... Smiled a smug Big Ditch controller.


" But sir..........but sir .........." objected Baldrick


" You see Baldrick, that is why I am Big Ditch controller......and you are, er, well just a minion - carry on Baldrick. "   Big Ditch controller dismissed Baldrick in his inimitable style.

" Yessir " replied a resigned Baldrick, touching his forelock with two fingers waggling in a strange upwards repetitive motion.

Escape from Wigan and wandering the Weaver.

Retracing our steps from Liverpool was not without problems.  Navigation closure of the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Wigan had held up boats for several days.

Eventually a phone call from a canal and River Trust supervisor announced that the navigation was open but the Leigh junction pound at the bottom of the Wigan flight was low due to a pump failure. We decided to chance it in company with two other boats. 

Water level was in actual fact VERY low and Cap'n Denise struggled to maintain steerage as I walked along the towpath to operate the locks on the Leigh branch. We did not realize that the boat was difficult to steer because 'San Serriffe' had collected a large bale of razor wire around the skeg - yes, RAZOR wire!  

Eventually Denise struggled the boat into the lock and I opened the paddles to drop the water level. Out went our companion boat but San Serriffe would not budge an inch.

"Give it some more throttle you must have grounded on something" I shouted from the top of the lock.
" It will not move - no matter what !!"  Denise shouted back.

Puzzled I fretted on top of the lock and eventually caught sight of the wire strands coming
through the lock gates and holding 'San Serriffe' as fast as any rope. This was a deep lock and Denise could not move the boat under the lock ladder.

Oh well, this was a job for the Caped Crusader, as I climbed down into the lock and managed to leap onto the bow. with some difficulty
"It's a dirty, dangerous job, but somebody has to do it" .......I muttered in my best caped-crusader speak, trying to keep my nerve from collapsing completely.

Crew from our two companion boats gathered in support as I produced my Caped Crusader secret weapon pack for combating razor-wire from the front locker. All boats on the 'Leeds and Liverpool' should have one.

This kit includes :

1. A pair of pond gloves ( weapon grade chain-mail covering if possible  )
2. A pair of the finest cheap bolt-cutters that China can produce.

Cap'n Denise fished for the wire with the boat hook and our helpers held the boat steady and the wire taught with ropes from the top of the lock.  Caped-Crusader leaned down and like a scene from an old WW2 film cut the wire. It was not complicated and really did not need the quip....

" Under NO circumstances cut the BLUE wire"  .......as all the best bomb disposal wire-cutting dialogues seem to go. 

With the clutches of the razor-wire gone, we headed for the untroubled waters of the Leigh branch leaving the problems of Wigan far behind.  Oh, the freedom of it all........no wire, lots of water under the boat and the 'Dover-Lock' pub not many miles away - all is well that ends well, as they say.

Surviving the lesser challenges of the Bridgewater and returning back onto the Trent and Mersey canal we decided to have a few peaceful days on the River Weaver.  Anderton boat-lift passage booked, we immediately ran into the tail-end of Hurricane 'Bertha' bouncing torrents of rain on our heads and gusts of winds that made boat handling just a tad difficult.........'what? no razor-wire ?'  I hear you say.   

Boats leaving the Anderton boat-lift.

Sharing the Anderton boat lift 'Caisson' (tank) with another boat we were lowered to the river level whilst the opposing 'Caisson' brought the River trip boat upwards to the canal level with everybody waving as the they passed.

Going up ....... trip boat passes upwards as we descend.

Anderton boat lift.    River Weaver.

Anderton boat-lift has been doing this since 1871 until it was left semi-derelict in 1983. Restored and re-opened in 2003 it transports boats up and down on a daily-basis. Turning left towards Northwich you cannot help be impressed with this tranquil wide river - a perfect antidote for any stress you have in life.
               Many years back you might have had a bit of stress in a small boat as a large sea-going coaster came steaming towards you. Rest assured sadly that is a thing of the past and pleasure craft are the only traffic to worry about.

River Weaver.                                                             Copyright.

Northwich - River Weaver

Northwich eventually floats gently into view with its new waterfront developments and marina. Stopping before town swing-bridge we visited the Canal and River Trust services
situated awkwardly on top of a wharf originally designed for large barges and the average narrowboat needs a long hose to reach the tap at the top. After an overnight at the nearby 48 hour visitor moorings we continued on towards Hunt's lock and the beautiful Vale Royal stretch of the river.

Hunt's Lock.  River Weaver.

All the locks are manned and they now use the smaller locks rather the ship-sized ones that require a gigantic amount of water.  A quick call on the mobile helps the lock-keepers  time your arrival with other traffic and everything is usually ready for you.  These guys are both friendly and polite and willing to share their knowledge of the river ringing the next lock for you if you require to go through. A rope with a loop is lowered down from the top of the lock enabling the helmsman to attach the boat centre rope which is then lifted to the top bollard with the end passed back down so the boat is secure when the lock fills. 



I first saw the Vale Royal stretch from a Dutch-barge trip boat many years ago and was pleased to see it had lost none of its enchantment.......a beautiful stretch of wide river.

Vale Royal...........River Weaver.                             All images strictly author copyright.

Passing through Vale Royal locks we passed the salt-works which supported commercial river traffic for years. We were going to support the brewery trade by visiting the 'Red Lion' at Winsford which is the end of navigational responsibility for Canal and River Trust. It is possible to go further into a large lake known as a 'flash' but parts are very shallow so it is left to your own judgement. 


If get a chance...........'Wander the Weaver' you will not be disappointed.
 




 

"Its not the leaving of Liverpool............"

A Renaissance .....Liverpool waterfront from Canning dock.                    All images strictly author copyright.

"Its not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me......." 
as the song goes........but the rubbish. First few miles out of  Liverpool is possibly the worst example of dumped rubbish that we have experienced during our travels on the canal system in the U.K.


Innumerable plastic bags grabbing at the prop' - large pieces of wood, sheets of hard plastic, three
floating LPG gas bottles in as many yards, supermarket trolleys, and under one bridge half a dozen road-cones waiting to foul the prop'   These are not helped by the extensive natural hazard of banks of weeds on each side.......I paint not a pretty pictured.

Liverpool together with Canal and River Trust has gone a very, very, long way to welcome narrowboats and indeed Liverpool welcomes visitors from all over the world...... In my experience Liverpool local authority seem to go to great lengths to keep the streets clean, but are certainly not helped by the 'somebody else will pick it up' mentality to litter dumping.

In regard to to the Leeds and Liverpool canal ( just the few miles near Liverpool centre are affected ) especially these days of  Canal and River Trust's successful volunteer campaign, it would not be difficult for Liverpool Council and CRT to join in partnership to provide funding for a boat to collect the very worse of the rubbish perhaps once a month.

Leaving of Liverpool - assisted passage boats return towards Aintree.

This is the second time we have brought the boat to Liverpool via the 'link' and would recommend it to anybody.  Liverpool waterfront is experiencing a fantastic renaissance and a thoroughly welcoming and interesting place to visit.  A great experience spoiled by the first impressions of visiting  boat crews on the canal approach to Liverpool.  

Boat crews returning from the Liverpool Link negotiate Stanley locks.

Liverpool bound.......

Back onto the Leeds and Liverpool canal we headed towards our rendezvous with the Canal and River Trust team just before the swing bridge near Aintree. They would then help us down through the locks into Liverpool.

Cruising through Burscough and Scarisbrick we joined  other boats the following day that were heading towards the Liverpool 'Link'....


We had booked the passage through the 'link' early in the year to coincide with the three-day event by the fantastic giant puppet creations of the French company 'Royal de Lux'


Passage through the last few miles of the Leeds and Liverpool canal towards Liverpool has one serious problem - rubbish!!!!!!!   Mainly in the shape of plastic bags that wrapped around the propeller.  We had been behind the wide-beam charity boat 'Pride of Sefton' and started to loose speed as the dreaded bags converted the prop' into a round ball of plastic.  I managed to struggle the boat to the top of the locks that take boats down into the 'link' and moored there to spend 15 minutes hacking at the plastic bags through the weed-hatch.


Propeller free to actually move the boat forward at full speed we descended the Stanley lock flight towards the tobacco warehouses dock.  These warehouses have been converted to apartments and businesses in the last few years after remaining derelict for some sixty years. They are impressive buildings and claim to be the largest brick-built structures in the world with some16 million bricks being used to build just one of them. Not sure who counted the bricks but I am sure they made some nineteenth-century building material supplier a wealthy man!!!!! It is certain that the bricks would have been shipped by barge and unloaded by hand......what a job!!!!!

Tobacco warehouse at the bottom of the Stanley locks.

Stanley Dock........Liverpool link  is off to the left.

Moving through the first dock the 'link' canal is on the left and one of the Canal River Trust volunteers has planted a sign next to it announcing ......... 'Sid's Ditch'      A bit of characteristic Liverpudlian humour that paints a smile on the faces of boat crews during their passage into the heart of Liverpool water front.......

'Sid's Ditch'   otherwise known as the Liverpool Link

Liver building glimpsed through the new developements

'Hey - what is that cruise-liner doing on our mooring ?'

Liverpool 'Link' passing the Pier head

Opened in 2009 at a cost of some £22 million this was the first direct link from the Leeds and Liverpool canal to the South docks since the George dock was filled in during the  1900s and the Liver building built on it.  Boat crews are greeted with stunning views of the 'Three Graces' and the modern pier head building as they emerge blinking from the gloom of a short tunnel into the new waterfront.

Entering Canning half-tide dock. Mersey Bar lightship is now actually - a bar!!!!

Salthouse dock - is it something we said?  Peaceful but not for long, as the moorings soon filled with visiting boats.

Passing through Canning dock and Albert dock we arrived at our mooring for the next ten days - Salthouse dock.

Liverpool greeted us with weather that was more Mediterranean than Liverpudlian. Our folding chairs and cold beers materialized like magic as we relaxed to drink in the view of  Liverpool waterfront with its dramatic buildings both old and new.

 

Albert dock is dramatic both by day and ........night.

Fireworks display for a cruise-ship's last night in Liverpool.

Inland waterway boat crews are more used to muddy canal water and it comes as a welcome surprise to realize that the sea water in the dock is crystal clear giving a perfect view of the bottom of your boat - and the colony of beautiful jelly fish that inhabit the dock.

A visit to Liverpool is not complete without a trip on the world famous Ferry. We decided to visit the Seacombe terminal and then a local bus to the flesh pots of New Brighton.........we know how to live!!!!!!!!!!

I remember visiting New Brighton as a small boy when the rapidly declining resort had a Ferry terminal all of it's own.
Even then I was not too impressed with New Brighton but the ferry was a 1950s equivalent of a cruise-liner ( in my eyes) and I would have been more than happy just to ride the ferry all day!  

Mersey Ferry is dwarfed by this giant cruise-liner registered in Bermuda.

Sun-kissed beaches..........New Brighton

Now THIS is what I call a sand-castle............ Perch Rock fort built in 1826 to stop Napoleon sailing up the Mersey and laying claim to New Brighton for himself after he became bored with the Mediterranean.

Exhausted from the never ending delights of New Brighton
 (including a visit to Morrison,s supermarket) we reluctantly returned to Liverpool for the main feature................. a fabulous three-day giant puppet event.

This event proved fantastically popular in 2012 and reportedly attracted £32million for the local economy. We had seen the coverage on T.V at that time and it certainly captured our own perpetual childhood imaginations. Now we had ring-side seats and could not wait......

Xolo the dog meets a real pooch.

Grandmother takes to her wheelchair to cross Salthouse dock bridge.

Crowds line Salthouse dock

A glance for the camera from the Little girl puppet

Jean Luc Courcoult - the giant character behind the creation of the giant puppets.

Prepare for anything during this show........

Giant cranes for giant puppets. Canning dock is prepared for the farewell voyage of the puppets on the River Mersey.

Farewell flotilla on the River Mersey for the puppets.

Puppets........Liverpool........Salthouse Dock........New Brighton.   All good things come to end, so we will return soon via the Leeds and Liverpool, Bridgewater, Trent and Mersey canals.

Puppets may come and go - but 1960s singer Billy Fury is still remembered

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