Sunday 10 April 2011
A monumental decision has been reached. We are going to sell Martlet; we had intended so to do at the end of the summer. We will be buying a campervan and visiting those parts of this wonderful country that are not accessible by narrowboat, also to visit Ireland and France before age prevents us from enjoying a good walk around.
We have met a lot of interesting people over the last 11 years and have kept in touch with a lot of them, we know that we will miss the canals and the other boaters.
There is a new breed of boat owners afloat that we will not miss; the old ideas of helping at locks and slowing down passing moored boats are going, we will move on before they are completely dead.
Looking at the log book, since September 1999, we have done 8,170 locks, 14,193 miles and the engine has run for 5700 hours. We have visited Bristol, London, Ripon and Tewitfield; the latter being the most Northerly point on the Lancaster canal.
We have travelled the length of the Manchester Ship Canal and have crossed the Mersey; the Thames from Limehouse to Teddington four times and have spent a total of eight months on the non tidal Thames. The River Nene, Middle Levels and the Ouse, Cam and tributaries, all of the canal system apart from some Birmingham canals.
We have enjoyed it all.
I have enjoyed keeping the Blog and who knows, there may be a land based sequel!
Thank you for looking and for your helpful and kind comments. The photographs were taken with a Canon PowerShot SX100, to which all credit is due for the result. I merely pressed the button (I know, that excuse has been used many times).
Farewell, good health and happiness to you all.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Friday, 1 April 2011
April Fool's Day
We had our customary 24hrs moored below Bosley locks with the view of The Cloud before we 'did' the flight the following afternoon. 9 locks were our way, the other 3 had worse leaks at the top than at the bottom gates, we made full use of the services at the top lock and moored for the night.
This morning, we travelled to Gurnett Aqueduct at Macclesfield; the Royal Oak (formerly Fool's Nook, no longer appropriate for today) swing bridge behaved itself which lulled us into a false sense of security. The next swing bridge is now locked shut across the canal, it used to be better as a foot bridge open to the canal and pulled across by a chain as required. The new, improved vehicle wide version is terrible. It required my 16 stones of brute force and ignorance in abundance to get it moving and to close it again.Some deft footwork managed to coax the locking mechanism into place to allow removal of the key.
Heigh Ho, it made our pies at the Kings Head at lunchtime more welcome.
This morning, we travelled to Gurnett Aqueduct at Macclesfield; the Royal Oak (formerly Fool's Nook, no longer appropriate for today) swing bridge behaved itself which lulled us into a false sense of security. The next swing bridge is now locked shut across the canal, it used to be better as a foot bridge open to the canal and pulled across by a chain as required. The new, improved vehicle wide version is terrible. It required my 16 stones of brute force and ignorance in abundance to get it moving and to close it again.Some deft footwork managed to coax the locking mechanism into place to allow removal of the key.
Heigh Ho, it made our pies at the Kings Head at lunchtime more welcome.
TUESDAY 29TH MARCH
Having arrived on the Macclesfield Canal we next stopped at Congleton Wharf. There is a good depth of water against the piled edge thus removing the need for acrobatic exit and entry.
The main excuse for visiting the town was to go to the Post office, which is sited at the opposite end of the place to the canal. There are a few good buildings and a pedestrianised main street. This enables one to wander along unencumbered by traffic or indeed by any interesting shops, with one exception, a bakers - the Bath buns are excellent!
The impressive Victorian Town Hall was designed by Edward William Godwin, who was the Architect also for the Shire Hall in Northampton. We returned to the boat through a small but beautifully formed park using up the site of two demolished buldings.
Our forward journey afloat was short as we moored up on the Biddulph Valley Aqueduct, which took it's name from the river flowing beneath, the Dane. This valley separates Congleton from Buglawton, which is probably a good thing; it gives also the residents of both somewhere to evacuate their dogs.
The main excuse for visiting the town was to go to the Post office, which is sited at the opposite end of the place to the canal. There are a few good buildings and a pedestrianised main street. This enables one to wander along unencumbered by traffic or indeed by any interesting shops, with one exception, a bakers - the Bath buns are excellent!
The impressive Victorian Town Hall was designed by Edward William Godwin, who was the Architect also for the Shire Hall in Northampton. We returned to the boat through a small but beautifully formed park using up the site of two demolished buldings.
Our forward journey afloat was short as we moored up on the Biddulph Valley Aqueduct, which took it's name from the river flowing beneath, the Dane. This valley separates Congleton from Buglawton, which is probably a good thing; it gives also the residents of both somewhere to evacuate their dogs.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Welcome wagon, agricultural style.......
Hello again; the blog that reaches parts that others can remember only with dread IS BACK!
I am now on first name terms with Martlet's fuel tank drain pipe and a number of 20 litre cans. The tank has been flushed and refilled with clean diesel to which I have added fuel set. The first thing I have noticed is that the Shire engine now emits very little smoke all of the time which is especially good news in locks. Enough of the news from the power house.
We left Endon Wharf yesterday (Sunday) and stopped for the night below Engine lock, a good first day as we were finding out again where we had stored the everyday boating items such as coffee mugs, windlasses, BW and handcuff security keys.
Monday. Moved off at 7.25am in thick fog which lifted as we approached Stoke and the Ivy House lift bridge. Myra had let down the bridge after Martlet had passed and had lifted one of the barriers. She walked across and began lifting the other barrier when a woman (YES) in a beetle began to drive underneath until my shout and waving fist stopped her. The barrier did bounce and begin to descend, stopping a few inches off the car. Now that would have been an interesting point of liability in law......
By the time that we had joined the Trent & Mersey canal at Stoke on Trent, the Sun came out and stayed that way most of the day. We had to wait at Harecastle Tunnel which gave Myra the opportunity to make our lunchtime snack and for me to open the weedhatch cover and to clear the prop before the run through.
We were alone travelling North as the boat following us from Stoke did not have a working light and was refused entry. 35 minutes later, we were out into the light again and heading for the Macclesfield Canal. The last two times that we have arrived at Scholar Green, we have met Marie from the Stoke Boat Club: today was no exception as there she was taking the dogs for a walk (or is it the other way about?). Anyway, a brief chat ensued as a boat was leaving the stop lock and Martlet replaced it.
A short stop at Heritage boats for some coal; it takes more than one sunny day for me to be persuaded to let out the fire. A mile further along is one of our many favoured mooring spots where we indeed moored up for the day. We are now officially boating again, it says here!
We received the traditional local welcome. Last year; on 29th April as the log shows, the farmer was muck spreading on the field opposite. He is earlier this year and began two hours after our arrival. We will give next year a miss.......
I am now on first name terms with Martlet's fuel tank drain pipe and a number of 20 litre cans. The tank has been flushed and refilled with clean diesel to which I have added fuel set. The first thing I have noticed is that the Shire engine now emits very little smoke all of the time which is especially good news in locks. Enough of the news from the power house.
We left Endon Wharf yesterday (Sunday) and stopped for the night below Engine lock, a good first day as we were finding out again where we had stored the everyday boating items such as coffee mugs, windlasses, BW and handcuff security keys.
Monday. Moved off at 7.25am in thick fog which lifted as we approached Stoke and the Ivy House lift bridge. Myra had let down the bridge after Martlet had passed and had lifted one of the barriers. She walked across and began lifting the other barrier when a woman (YES) in a beetle began to drive underneath until my shout and waving fist stopped her. The barrier did bounce and begin to descend, stopping a few inches off the car. Now that would have been an interesting point of liability in law......
By the time that we had joined the Trent & Mersey canal at Stoke on Trent, the Sun came out and stayed that way most of the day. We had to wait at Harecastle Tunnel which gave Myra the opportunity to make our lunchtime snack and for me to open the weedhatch cover and to clear the prop before the run through.
We were alone travelling North as the boat following us from Stoke did not have a working light and was refused entry. 35 minutes later, we were out into the light again and heading for the Macclesfield Canal. The last two times that we have arrived at Scholar Green, we have met Marie from the Stoke Boat Club: today was no exception as there she was taking the dogs for a walk (or is it the other way about?). Anyway, a brief chat ensued as a boat was leaving the stop lock and Martlet replaced it.
A short stop at Heritage boats for some coal; it takes more than one sunny day for me to be persuaded to let out the fire. A mile further along is one of our many favoured mooring spots where we indeed moored up for the day. We are now officially boating again, it says here!
We received the traditional local welcome. Last year; on 29th April as the log shows, the farmer was muck spreading on the field opposite. He is earlier this year and began two hours after our arrival. We will give next year a miss.......
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