Tuesday 29 September 2015

Bollington at the weekend & down through Bosley Locks

Tuesday 29th September
On Thursday we moored on the visitor moorings close to the Clarence Mill on the Bollington Aqueduct. We really liked Bollington it is bigger than we had realised, and we had a walk down to the Coop shop for a few bits of shopping on Thursday afternoon and then took Jaz down onto the recreation field. We had walked around Bollington with Jaz and found The Poachers arms which was about a 20 minute walk as a man on another boat told Kev it was a nice pub and also we had passed The Spinners Arms which we knew from Paul & Elaine's blog (The Manly Ferry) that it was also a good pub. So Saturday night we decided to go for a drink in these pubs and I must admit there were quite a lot of people out and when we went in The Spinners Arms there was a very good atmosphere in there and they had a sign up offering free chip butties while the  England/Wales Rugby match was on. We could see why Paul & Elaine liked this pub and it was dog friendly too not that we had Jaz with us but it is good to know. We then had a walk unto The Poachers Inn and it was a nice pub with a few people eating and it too had the rugby on but for us The Spinners is more our kind of pub on our way back we also stopped at the Cotton pub and that was very friendly too and we got chatting to a local man who had lived there all his life and he was 79 years old so Bollington must be a good place to live! We then stopped for our last drink in the Spinners and it was really busy, must have been all those chip butties!
Sunday morning and we left Bollington and we wanted to moor at Gurnett Aqueduct as we decided to try The Sutton Hall pub for some food.
Passing Adelphi Mill Bollington
This was someones 80 year old birthday party but not sure who it was!
Jaz can now see where we are going!
In the sun but rugged up & this year it seems that a lot of horses have been rugged up through the summer, what summer?
Think this heron is looking the wrong way to catch a fish!
We had a pleasant cruise to Gurnett Aqueduct and the sun was warming up nicely although iy was cool when we were in the shade. Once we had moored up and had Jaz for a quick walk we then went to Sutton Hall and asked if they had a table, they were booked up but managed to get us on a small table, we both had the rare roast beef and we hadn't realised it said rare as we didn't have our glasses on, Kev can eat rare beef and he didn't mind it I don't mind a little blood but this was RARE! Anyway I ate some of the meat but gave Kev the rest. Anyway my fault so not able to judge it properly but the staff were friendly and helpful and Sutton Hall is really a lovely place. We then walked back to the boat and got Jaz and had a walk down to The Old Kings head pub and sat outside in the sunshine  with a pint.
Yesterday morning  as we were leaving Kev stayed on the boat and I walked with Jaz for a bit then Kev stopped at a bridge & I got on board with her. We were soon at Bosley locks and we pulled in at the side of the services to fill with water & empty cassette etc. Then 3 volunteer lockies turned up so when we had finished at the services Kev backed the boat out and I went to the lock and the lockies had got it ready for Kev to go straight in, I then set off walking down to the next lock where there was a boat coming up so that was easy & quite a few boats coming up which makes things a lot easier. When we finally were down through the last lock Kev went on to see if there were any moorings while I closed the lock gates, we were quite surprised to see there were only 3 boats moored here so we got moored easy. We will stay here while tomorrow as I want to do some cleaning and Kev wants to polish the towpath side of the boat.
Looking across the canal
plenty of room
Jaz enjoys her walks
The view across the canal at 6.45 am

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Another visitor at Higher Poynton & a closure on the canal

Wednesday 23rd September
On Monday we stayed put once again at Higher Poynton as we were expecting another visitor to arrive later that day. It was about 4pm when Nigel arrived and we hadn't been sure what time he would get to us but he had parked his car and walked along the towpath to find us, so later on we had a walk to The Boars Head for some food. Nigel had wanted to go to Bugsworth Basin and was really looking forward to it, so about 10am we set off heading once again to Marple Junction and the weather was quite nice too.
We passed all these youngsters ready to head into the water, some were a bit unsure of it but their tutors were reassuring them they would be fine.
Nigel taking a turn on the tiller
When we got onto the Peak forest canal and were close to Turflea lift bridge Kev had got off the boat and walked to lift the bridge and as he was at the bridge he spoke to a couple on pushbikes who were boaters, and they told Kev that the canal was closed from bridge 29 to bridge 30! So what a disappointment for Nigel but anyway we decided to carry on and there was a winding hole before bridge 29 and so we turned around but backed up a bit and moored close to the bridge where we could see the CRT men. Apparently a walker had spotted water seeping out of the bank that the canal runs along and reported it.


Kev & Nigel decided to walk to Bugsworth Basin as it was only a couple of miles and it seemed a shame to get this far and not go, so I stayed on board with Jaz while they went off. Thy took the camera and got the 3 photos above and said the CRT men were pumping some sort of foam where the leak was as a temporary measure as they were waiting for pumps to arrive today to pump out this section of canal.
Kev & Nigel came back a few hours later and as the mooring we were on wasn't very good we set off and eventually moored not far from bridge 20 where we spent the night. We left this morning and stopped at the services at Marple Junction to top the water up and do the usual cassette emptying and got rid of our rubbish and then when we got to the long term moorings close to Braidbar boatbuilders we dropped Nigel off and he was able to go straight to the carpark for his car. We decided that as I had quite a lot of washing to do that if there was a mooring through bridge 15 we would stop for the day and get it done. We managed to find a spot next to some steps that lead down onto the playing field so it is good to get Jaz off for a good run about on!
Jaz & her new mate Nigel!

Monday 21 September 2015

Good weather for Helen

Monday 21st September
On Friday we had a walk with Jaz down to Poynton to go to the shops, we wasn't sure how far it was to walk so we asked a couple who were sat outside the Boars Head pub and they said it was only a 1o minute walk! I don't think so!!!! We walked down Anson Road and passed the Anson Engine Museum and then at the junction we turned left towards the town centre we didn't actually get to the main shopping area but saw a Coop shop and so we just got a few bits there! The walk took us about 30 minutes there not 10 minutes as we had been told so it was a 30 minute walk back too, by which time we had to stop at The Boars Head for a beer. Dogs are allowed in the pub and Jaz was very good but is very fussy and some people were eating so we decided to sit outside with her and then headed back to the boat. We knew that Helen would probably get here around 6pm so we then had a walk to wait for her as we had given her the postcode for the Boars Head, she rang us to say that the sat nav took her to Bollington and she had turned round and was in Poynton so the fact that we had already walked down that way we were able to direct her back to us. Once Helen had parked her car we popped back to the boat and left Jaz there while we went to the Boars Head for some food and very good it was too. The weather was lovely and on Saturday morning once we were all ready we set off about 9am and headed to Marple junction.

Helen at the helm

Goyt Mill used to be a cotton spinning mill and the coal it used for driving the machines came from Higher Poynton

Marple junction

Looking back from the junction


The locks to the left as we turn right
Onto the Peak Forest Canal
Passing the Swizzels factory where you can smell of the sweets being made
No sign of Del Boy or Rodney!
Some lovely views on this canal
A lot of growth too!
When we turned left heading to Bugsworth basin we stopped at the moorings there and went to Tescos for some shopping as it is literally just down below the moorings here. All topped up with provisions we went into Bugworth basin and moored for the day. We all had a walk round and popped for a drink to the Navigation pub and sat outside in the sunshine. The weather was lovely and we were so pleased that it didn't rain as it wouldn't have been the same for Helen if it had.

Leaving our mooring yesterday morning

Turning around here to head back to Higher Poynton

A muddy walk for water!
One of the pretty houses on this canal
I think this duck needs a new hairdresser!
Not long after we had turned back onto the Macclesfield canal at Marple we had to stop briefly to wait for a woman on her boat to turn around and as she had got round and was heading the same way a sue she called asking us if we wanted to pass her as she was going slow but Kev said no thats fine we aren't in a rush, well we really wish we had passed her as she was on tick over most of the way so it was pretty slow going all the way back to Higher Poynton although as she got through bridge 14 she asked us again did we want to pass so we did and managed to get moored through bridge 15.
Once we were tied up Helen got her things together and we walked with her to her car and said our goodbyes. It was nice having you on board Helen and we are glad you had a good time.







Friday 18 September 2015

Moored at higher Poynton

Friday 18th September
On Wednesday we headed off about 8am and when we got to the bottom of Bosley locks I went to set the first lock and it was empty so I could get the gates open for Kev to bring R&R in and as I was waiting there was a boat tied up just before the lock with 3 people on the towpath, I thought at first they were waiting to come down the lock but then noticed there are 2 volunteer lockies with them and  they were all trying to pull a long piece of wood  from out of the canal that had been across the lock entrance. Apparently it had come free from the overflow that is just outside the lock.

Finally they all managed to get the wood safely tucked behind the wall

The lockies told us that the pounds between some of the locks were low as someone had left gates open and paddles up the previous night! Anyway the locks on the way up the flight were all in our favour and as the lockies were walking up ahead of us they helped us by opening the gates for us, so it was good going and by the time we were at the top of the flight we backed into the services and filled with water, emptied the cassette and got rid of our rubbish. The lockies told us it would be ok for us to have our lunch there as it wasn't very busy but if someone had wanted to be at the water point we would have happily moved. Moving off after lunch we carried on until we got to the moorings at Gurnett Aqueduct and moored for the night.
Yesterday morning we took Jaz for a walk back up the towpath to the retail park at bridge 45 and went to Pets at home as I wanted to get wormer for her, I already had flea treatment that I had left from the vet. When we got back we had a cuppa and then just after 10 am we left our mooring, and we only passed one boat along the way.
Passing Buxton Wharf Macclesfield
Where the blue boat is moored next to the Mitsubishi Shogun is where our first boat 4EverMoore was put in the water to be taken up to Higher Poynton where Andy Russell did the paintwork for us.

 New trial moorings at Macclesfield

Only 2 boats moored here but the moorings look ok
Quite narrow in places

Looking back at one of the narrow places where it looks like there used to be a swing bridge
Bollington Aqueduct, Clarence Mill ahead
Passing Clarence Mill
Finally we arrived at Higher Poynton where we moored up before bridge 15. We are expecting a crew member to meet us here later today. Helen is a very good friend of Kirsty's and she now has Sam living with her now he is at college. She will stay for the weekend and so we will head to Marple junction tomorrow and then onto Bugsworth Basin and then back here to Higher Poynton on Sunday so Helen can get home ready for work on Monday.
 Kev took this photo of the trees opposite us at 7.30pm last night

This one too

Tuesday 15 September 2015

Now moored on the Macclesfield canal

Tuesday 15th September
While I was writing my blog on Saturday afternoon Kev took Jaz out for a walk and when he came back he said that he had heard an ambulance as he was leaving the boat with jaz and as he walked back through the bridge, he spoke to a man from a boat that was moored there and he told Kev the ambulance was for a man that was on a boat that hit the bridge and then the other side of the canal before falling into the water! The man had been drinking but we weren't sure if it was due to the drink or that he had suffered from something else that had caused the accident, Kev was told that paramedics and the man from his boat had to get the man (who was quite a large man)out of the canal  and then an ambulance took him to hospital while a few other people managed to moor his boat up for him. On sunday morning I walked up to the boat to check it was ok as it was on pins and I noticed the front pin was coming out so I called at the boat behind him to ask how the man was who had the accident. He told me that the man was back on board and was fine and that he would be leaving shortly so I left and went back to R&R and at 10.30am Kev & I went to have a look around the Lion Salt Works Museum. Opposite the entrance is the Salt Barge pub and we had been for a couple of pints & a few games of pool on Saturday night, and it is a lovely old pub.


We went into the museum to pay and we both laughed as we were told that if we were over 60 years we were entitled to a concession! So we got £1 off !! Mind you it was well worth the money and very interesting. It used to have a pub on site called The Red Lion and it was used by the workers there, here are a few photos...

The managers office
Coal used for heating the brine
Collecting the salt extracted from the brine and put them into blocks


When we had finished at the museum I took Jaz for a quick walk while Kev got ready to leave and then we were on our way and when we got to Kings Lock at Middlewich we saw Nb Maggie May moored outside the boatyard and as I went to set the lock Pete and Steph were coming out of Kings Lock Pub! What a surprise! Anyway they both helped us up through the lock and we managed to get moored on the visitor moorings above the lock, once we we all sorted we took Jaz with us for a couple of pints with Steph and Pete and she was quite well behaved. We wouldn't usually moor here as the road is very close by and it is busy.
Yesterday morning we got away from Middlewich about 8.45am and the weather was a bit miserable.

A bit brighter at Rumps lock
The Kinderton Arms opposite is having work done 

We wanted to stop at Wheelock as there is a very good Pet store there and I wanted to buy Jaz a new bed, we managed to moor up after the water point on the 48 hour moorings, we both had a walk to the pet store with Jaz and we noticed the fish & chip shop was open so once I had been to get the bed for Jaz I took her back to the boat while Kev got the fish & chips. Not the best fish & chips we have had but they were ok so once we had eaten and washed up I walked unto the first lock in the Wheelock flight and when we got to lock 63 one of the locks was closed as they were going to put a new gate on the lock nearest the towpath but the lock next to it was fine.


There's the new gate!

A passenger flew aboard
By the time we got to Thurlwood lock it started to rain and we called it a day at Rode Heath, there were quite a few boats moored here and we ended up going through the bridge at the Broughton Arms pub and moored up and it absolutely poured with rain so we were glad to have stopped for the day.
This morning it was still raining but not as heavy in fact it was only light rain and by the time we left Rode Heath it wasn't too bad although we did have our wet gear on but at times it stopped raining and was actually quite nice.
Looks like Autumn is here

We had a good system going I would open the paddles for Kev to come up then I went to the next lock to empty it while Kev came out of the previous lock and closed the paddles & the gate then by that time the next lock was ready for him. We carried on and stopped for something to eat after the Red Bull services and then we carried on and turned onto the Macclesfield canal and had a pleasant cruise and once we were through Congleton we moored between bridge 73 & 72 

The view on one side of us

The view on the towpath side
And the view ahead!