Thursday 3 September 2015

A very wet Chester

Thursday 3rd September
We left Nantwich  on Monday and when we got to Barbridge junction we stopped to fill up with water and get rid of some rubbish before heading off and we made our way to our first locks which were Bunbury staircase although there are only 2 locks that make up this staircase and as we approached them there was a man on the lock gates and he said there were 2 boats in  the bottom lock coming up and so as the top lock was full I was able to take R&R in while Kev went to help work the locks. It is a bit of a shuffle as one of the boats coming up came into the top lock and I went round him and into the bottom lock next to the other boat that was coming up then that enabled the second boat to exit the bottom lock and go into the top lock where I had been! All done no problems and we went down the next 3 locks on our own too when we got to the 3rd lock which is Beeston iron lock there are notices telling boaters to go in the lock singular as the lock tapers so it isn't really safe for 2 boats. Anyway once we were down through the iron lock we moored up for the day. It was a lovely mooring as there were lots of birds of prey about opposite us in the trees but too far to get any decent photos also later on we noticed a herd of deer on the side we were moored, they were up the hill a bit at the other side of a railway line so there must have been a fence there but we couldn't see properly, I took a photo but they too were a bit too far to focus properly.
Plenty of venison here!
On Tuesday morning we set off towards Chester and once again we were alone in the next 6 locks all going down and finally we moored in Chester close to the winding hole at bridge 123D. It was a good mooring for visiting Chester but not really good for little Jaz  as there wasn't really anywhere to walk her properly. We had decided that on Wednesday morning we would have a walk round Chester, but on Tuesday night it absolutely poured down all night and into Wednesday morning so we only had a brief walk around the shops, a bit disappointed but to me there is no fun walking around in the rain although it did stop briefly while we were out.

I had to take a couple of photos with my phone as I forgot the camera!

We popped in to the Tesco shop which is close to the moorings and then when we got back on board R&R we popped Jaz out and then we decided to leave Chester so we turned at the winding hole and we headed towards the first lock, but there was a trip boat ahead of us and as he was a wide beam he went up through the lock on his own. I went to the lock and helped them with the lock and then emptied it for Kev to bring  R&R in and as we were about ready to leave the lock a woman from a boat that had been moored behind us came to the lock so while Kev headed for the next lock I helped her do the lock we had just been in so that they could share the rest of the locks with us. The trip boat only went through the second lock and then returned as we had the lock full and the other boat was about to leave so that was good. The trip boat didn't need to turn around though as he had a propeller at both ends of the boat and also 2 steering wheels!
When we got to Christleton we moored near the Cheshire Cat pub for the night and went in for a few drinks in the evening and met up with the couple that we had shared the locks with Tracy & Darren on a boat called Cloud Nine which they had hired from a couple they know who have the boat moored at Overwater marina.
This morning we left Christleton and only had a few odd showers and then as we approached the Shady Oak pub at Beeston the clouds darkened and so we moored close by on the 48hour moorings and Kev wanted to do an oil change so here we are for now and we may head off again after he has finished and we have had some lunch!

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