Monthly Log ( August)

Well unlike the fantastic weather in July, August has seen spring, summer and autumn all rolled into one.


There’s not been one evening this month where we’ve been able to sit out and enjoy the late summer sunshine, let alone BBQ!
During August we’ve continued our journey south down the Trent and Mersey Canal, once again completing the Harecastle Tunnel and navigated the beautiful Caldon Canal (See earlier post ‘Caldon Canal’). One note of advice to anyone planning to visit the Caldon is to fill up on fuel. Stupidly I decided to forgo a top up as we passed thru’ Stoke-on-Trent only to discover that the Caldon has nowhere to re-fuel. Well there is one unofficial place but we only discovered that on the way back down! Situated in-between bridges 28/29 you’l find an extremely well stocked farm shop and very helpful owners who will happily sell you diesel from jerry cans at 52p a litre, we bought 60, a lifesaver. The home made steak and stilton pie was also very delicious.
After exploring the Caldon we returned to the mainline Trent and Mersey Canal progressing south and mooring at Stone for shopping and lunch on the 21st. Continuing south down the Trent Valley we reached Great Hayward Junction where the Trent and Mersey meets the Staffs and Worcester Canal on the 22nd and moving on passed thru’ unattractive Rugeley, mooring a couple of miles north of Fradley Junction. On the 24th we took the turn onto the Coventry Canal at Fradley and moored for a walkabout and lunch, moving on later in the day.
Over the final week of August we’ve completed the Atherstone flight of 11 locks which only took a couple of hours this year. Last year we took over 4 hours to complete the same stretch due to a water shortage in the filler pools! On the 29th and in torrential rain we made the turn onto the North Oxford Canal, the home straight for Wigram’s Turn, our home marina! From here we’ll be moored on Monday September 4th our main Summer 06 tour complete. Were has the time gone?
Over the month we’ve reached 2 milestones, firstly, ‘Quidditch’ reached her 1000th cruising hour and secondly, on the 26th we reached our 100th day out on tour.
This month we’ve lost my favourite hat, Dee’s favourite umbrella and a portable table. Don’t ask how we managed to loose a table! Today the 30th we were hit for the first time this year by a passing boat, while moored and nothing else around! Always baffling and made worse by the reaction of the other idiot!
The wildlife has been as interesting as ever with large numbers of Buzzards and we’ve even spotted several Quail feeding in open view! Swallows, Swifts and Martins are becoming fewer as the days move on obviously an early migration back to Africa. Who can blame them!
Peacock and Meadow Brown butterflies have also been numerous this month. Finally for the first time this year we managed to spot a Barn Owl, in 2005 we saw many but very absent this year. The trees and bushes are yielding vast amounts of fruit with large numbers of blackberries to be picked and pies to be made. And the autumn looms ever nearer.
(Pictured Above... Dee at Consall Station on the Churwell Valley Steam Railway. The Caldon Canal is literally just below the platform to the left.)

'Quidditch' Milestone

After breakfast (Friday 18th) we set off to cover the remaining section of the Caldon Canal and then back onto the Trent and Mersey main line.

It turned out to be a very long day.
Having navigated the un-savoury part of the canal we got held up for at least 90 minutes at Etruria staircase lock in a group of 4 boats. These locks are extremely slow on filling and the top lock has to be re-filled before another boat can proceed. The Etruria lock is the only one of it’s kind in Staffordshire, thank goodness!
Turning South back onto the mainline Trent and Mersey ‘Quidditch’ reached somewhat of a milestone recording her 1000th hour of cruising. We decided to progress thru’ the built up area of Stoke-On-Trent in the late afternoon. At around 6pm we finally moored for the day just North of Trentham after an 8hour stint.
Our plan now is to gradually make our way back down to our home base at Wigram’s where we need to moor for a week to attend some family events. Then we’ll be setting off again for another 3 weeks out. Where has the Summer gone? We can’t believe that last night we had to put the central heating on as the temperature plummeted! August weather has so far been a disappointment.
Over the weekend we laid up at the visitor moorings just after bridge 104, a stones throw from the Wedgwood Factory.
On Monday we continued down the short distance towards Stone and gave up around 1pm having been forced to queue at every lock. This time of year is one of the busiest with holiday boats and particularly on this stretch with boats completing the Four Counties Ring. After mooring we cycled into Stone for provisions and lunch. On our return we met one of the holiday boats who'd been behind us earlier at a lock still in a queue only 2 locks on, we'd been gone 90 minutes!
Tuesday afternoon we took a steady pace down the Trent Valley mooring just prior to Great Haywood Junction where the Staffs and Worcester Canal connects.
Wednesday started off not too bad despite the forecast of rain but deteriorated quite rapidly as the day wore on. We moored eventually at around 4.30pm in torrential rain and thunder around a mile from Fradley Junction. Tonight (Thursday 24th) we’re moored just north of Tamworth having taken the turn onto the Coventry Canal at Fradley, stopping briefly for lunch. Amazingly there's not a cloud in the sky!

Caldon Canal

Since our last post on August 10th we progressed south down the Trent and Mersey Canal and last Friday August 11th we completed the 2926 yard Harecastle Tunnel.

After mooring at the southern end overnight we continued South picking up our next turn onto the Caldon Canal at Stoke on August 12th.
Today, Thursday August 17th we’re moored just short of bridge 28 on our return journey back towards the Trent and Mersey main line.
The Caldon Canal – or, more correctly, the Caldon Branch of the Trent and Mersey – was designed as an outlet on to the canal system for the Caldon limestone quarries near Frogall. It was opened as a single branch to Frogall in 1779, tramways being constructed to bring the vast quantities of limestone down from Caldon low quarries a couple of miles to the east. Eighteen years later the Caldon’s owners, the Trent and Mersey Canal Company decided to build a secondary branch from the Caldon Canal to Leek. When you approach Hazlehurst the canal divides. One stretch heads towards Leek the other to Frogall. When you first turn onto the canal at Eturia your first thoughts are ‘my god we’re are we heading’ the area is very built up and should I say very ‘uninviting’ in parts but once bridge 19 is reached the canal breaks out and becomes more rural. Trust us it’s well worth it! We chose to complete the Leek stretch first crossing the main line over a large aqueduct and the scenery was breathtaking. After completing the 130yd Leek tunnel only a small stretch of this section remains so we turned back thru’ the tunnel and moored overnight at a beautiful and idyllic spot within a lagoon.
Returning to Hazlehurst we turned to complete the Frogall stretch, this time navigating under the aqueduct which 2 days ago took us up to Leek. The main line to Frogall is superb and mostly enclosed by steep and thickly wooded hills, totally unspoilt! We passed Cheddleton where the Churnet Valley Steam Railway (pictured...) begins it’s journey down to Frogall, the canal actually runs within yards of Consall station. Here we moored for 2 nights next to the lime kilns and explored the area spending the whole of Wednesday riding the train. This morning prior to torrential rain and thunder we set off on the final length turning at Flint Mill Lock and mooring back at Consall. We then completed the final stretch of canal by cycle. Frogall tunnel is only 4ft 4 inches high and cannot be taken by Quidditch.
Well that’s our week on the Caldon. The canal itself is a difficult one to navigate, low bridges, very shallow and narrow in places and takes good skills when passing other boats. The scenery at the top end of both stretches is breathtaking, the best so far. Totally unspoilt and you definitely get a sense of being completely cut off from the rest of world. 10 out of 10. Tomorrow, Friday 18th we continue heading back towards the T and M main line.

River Weaver

Thursday August 10th.. After spending an interesting week on the River Weaver we are currently moored on the Trent and Mersey Canal at Elworth, just west of Sandbach.


During our week on the river we completed the full navigable stretch from Winsford Flash on the south end to Runcorn and the industrial section to the northwest. Winsford Flash is a large expanse of water in an attractive setting among wooded slopes which was created by subsidence following salt extraction in the vicinity. The rivers navigable length is only 19 miles and has 5 manned locks. It rises in Peckforton Hills and proceeds via Wrenbury, Audlem, Nantwich, Church Minsall and Winsford to Northwich and Frodsham and is just over 50 miles in total. Originally a shallow and tidal stream, it was long used for carrying salt away from the Cheshire salt area.
The mineral was carried down by men and horses to meet the incoming tide. The sailing barges would load at high water , then depart with the ebbing tide. In 1721 three gentlemen of Cheshire obtained an act of parliament to make and maintain the river as a navigation from Frodsham to Winsford and is still navigable today. Maintenance appears to be an issue for us! The locks are badly out of date and the huge Vale Lock is till operated manually. Moorings on the river are few and far between and from Dutton Lock on the northern end be careful of the shallow banks and rock when approaching anything that looks moorable. However, the scenery on this stretch is beautiful, no houses or roads are seen for long periods.
The industrial top end of the river to Western Point won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but we found it fascinating. After passing the giant ICI complex you reach Weston Marsh where there is a lock down (pictured Above...) onto the Manchester Ship Canal, well worth exploring. Beyond, the navigation runs right along side the Ship Canal from which its separated by a tall bank. Eventually, after passing the entrance lock up onto the now abandoned Runcorn and Western Canal you arrive at a low 5feet swing bridge and unless your pre-booked and certified to enter the Ship Canal this is where your journey ends.
On Sunday we moored unexpectedly overnight at Dutton Lock which failed just as we were about to enter, the repairs took most of the afternoon. On the Monday we booked passage on the Anderton Boat Lift for 4pm and cruised up to Northwich first for shopping and lunch. By 5pm Sunday we were back ont the canal system.

Monthly Log ( July)

Well there’s one main headline for July and of course it’s been the weather. July was extraordinary.

However, writing our log this morning (August 2nd) in strong winds and rain situated on the River Weaver it seems long gone.

Over early July we entered the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal at Stourport moving off the River Severn and made our way North. 26 miles, 33 locks and 5 days later we moved thru’ the stop lock at Autherley Junction and onto the Shropshire Union Canal. The Staffs and Worcester Canal didn’t disappoint us once again and remains one of our favourites. On route we visited Stourport, Kidderminster and the rock houses at Kinver.
On entering the Shropshire Union we continued North over the coming weeks stopping at Wheaton Aston, Norbury Junction, Market Drayton and Audlem. The highlight was our visit to Hack Green Nuclear Bunker, once completely hidden and secret but opened to the public a few years go. Well worth a visit - If you can find it!!!!
Prior to the middle of the month our plans changed. We decided to forgo our planned visit to the Llangollen Canal for the 2nd year in succession. The recent breech on the canal and the time of year – (Lots of holiday boats) – had put us off. This canal is probably best completed out of season.
We turned East onto the Middlewich Branch of the Shroppie and moored at Cholmondeston on July 13th. Here we would stay for 7 days. While Dee visited a friend in Reading for a while over from Barbados I took the opportunity to hire a car and visit my old mum in Liverpool who wasn’t too well. A week later we turned about and set off for Chester and Ellsmere Port. This turned out to be a good and bad decision! (Read our recent post ‘The Badlands’). After returning from ‘The Badlands’ we moved back onto the Middlewich Branch eventually turning North onto the Trent and Mersey and on towards the River Weaver.
So July has been an excellent month with one exception and our tans are progressing nicely too. The wildlife has been good with the exception of Barn Owls. Plenty last year but none this! We’ve increased our knowledge of wild flowers, butterflies and birds and look forward to the coming month. The adventure continues....
Pictured... Dee at the Anderton Boat Lift.

Anderton Boat Lift

After leaving Billinge Green Flash on Sunday July 30th – (Sunday! What were we thinking!) – we continued on towards the Anderton Boat Lift on an extremely busy stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Having gave way to 3 oncoming boats moving thru’ bridge 181 just after leaving we were stunned when a holiday boat decided to overtake us throwing the whole procedure into chaos! I won’t repeat my reaction to the person on the helm, sufficed to say that he got the message! We eventually moored at bridge 196, Marbury Country Park, on a very frustrating day. Later in the afternoon we cycled the mile up to the Anderton Boat Lift for a sortie of what was required for tomorrow.
Monday morning 31st July and in rain and wind we made our way to the boat lift (pictured). This is an amazing and enormous piece of machinery built in 1875 by Leader Williams (later engineer on the Manchester Ship Canal) which connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the River Weaver 50feet below. Having booked passage for 1pm ‘Quidditch’ was lowered the 50feet onto the Weaver Navigation. The whole amazing procedure took around 30 minutes. Turning West after leaving the lift we moored for the day. It was an incredible experience we’d recommend to any boater.
Tuesday August 1st and we moved off up the Weaver to Northwich. After stopping for a stroll and some shopping we left Northwich and completed Hunt’s Lock at around 1.30pm. Vale Royal lock for a 3.15pm passage was our next destination, this lock has timed entry and exit to conserve water. As I write this post we’ve just moored, the only boat in the vicinity, at 4pm after locking thru’. The lock keeper told us that we’ve been the only boat thru’ today and the last, ours was the last passage of the day. From here and just up a nearby hill is the remains of the old Vale Royal Abbey (believed to have been founded by Edward I and later dissolved by Henry VIII, who else!) Well worth a visit.