Saturday 19th March

Arrived at Elton Moss at about 2 PM. WD was waiting all ready for us. We unloaded the car then put the old mattress into the car and headed off to Crewe to get a new one that had been previously ordered. Picked up the mattress that was vacuum packed so it easily fitted into the car. We then went to the Crewe tip and dumped the old one hoping that the new one fits! Then back to Elton Moss and got the mattress on board and unpacked, it apparently takes four hours to fully inflate from its vacuum packed state.
We set off northbound at about 4.30 and met up with my sister and her husband a couple of miles from Middlewich. We gave them a lift back to their car in Middlewich and persuaded them to give us a hand down the 4 Middlewich locks to the Big Lock. We had a very good value 4 meals for £20 (+ another £14 for puddings) washed down with a couple of pints of Black Sheep. We then said our goodbyes and headed back to WD and made up the bed and loaded the cupboards. Then to bed on the new mattress, very comfy, a big improvement on the old one.

Sunday 20th March

Got up at 9 ish but it was raining so we stayed put and cooked breakfast. Set off about 11. The Big Lock took an age to fill but then we were off, Runcorn bound if time permitted. It was an uneventful trip that we had done most of before. I had to get down the weed hatch at Anderton. COLD ARM. We had not tried out the new tunnel light before and found it to be very enlightening! Timings worked well, arriving at Saltersford tunnel 5 minutes before the end of the northbound window and only a 5 minute wait at Preston Brook. We then turned left onto the Runcorn branch of the Bridgewater and have moored up for the night.  Sunday roast cooked on board.

Pip has working reasons to be in Wakefield tomorrow so I shall go with her and have a day out on the train. If the trip involves a stop at the station bar at Stalybridge then so be it. I've just had a look on  www.canalplan.org.uk and found that it would take us eight days each way to get to Wakefield by boat so I think we'll stick with the train!

More another day.

Monday 21st March

Pip wanted to be in Wakefield today for the launch of The John Godber Company. She's hoping to get a fair bit of work from them.
So we walked down to Runcorn East station and caught a train to Manchester, then another to Leeds (spotting the Huddersfield Narrow on the way) then a third train to Wakefield. It took 2.5 hours in total. I worked out that it would have taken eight days to get there by boat!  I mooched around a bit whilst Pip was at the Theatre Royal. I had a very nice growler (West Riding speak for hot pork pie) and did a bit of shopping. Pip's function being over we caught another three trains back again getting back to WD at about 4.30. We then headed off up the Runcorn arm of the Bridgewater. Deep and wide are two words that spring to mind and we were soon cruising along at 1100 revs. We got to the end in about 1.5 hours and winded. We found a mooring spot on the off side at a boat club. This turned out to be the very accommodating Bridgewater Motor Boat Club. They let us moor behind their security fences, use their electric hook up and fill up with their water all for no charge. Very friendly people too. We stayed in and cooked on board and drank wine.

Tuesday 22nd March

Set off from Runcorn at about 10.30 with the aim of meeting my sister at Anderton then going down to the Weaver on the boat lift. Again the Bridgewater width and depth allowed the WD engine revs to creep up 1100 but we still missed the 11.30 to 11.40 southbound window at Preston Brook tunnel. So we had to wait 40 mins before we could carry on. One boat came the other way. We also had to wait 15 mins at the Saltersford tunnel. Serendipity pulled in behind us so we had a chat with  them. They were doing the Cheshire Ring and had found the passage through Manchester a bit difficult, having to call out BW at one point to fill up a low pound. 
We got to Anderton and met my sister and husband. We managed to book on the next passage down the Boat Lift and pulled onto the holding moorings. This involved winding near to the weir there.
Now fellow owners, I need to own up to something here. About 3 feet in front of the weir there is an invisible underwater cill and I reversed into it! It was very slowly and the rudder works fine. BUT, there is now, just occasionally a very small trickle of water up through the rudder post !!!! Can you believe that?? Oh Dear! It has been dry since we've been on the Weaver but I felt you should all know how it is tomorrow.
Anyway, the Boat Lift is a great experience. There's a very nice BW chappie who explains everything. It takes just under 9 minutes to drop down the 50 feet and is very impressive. I'm looking forward to the trip back up again.
We said goodbye to my sister and then headed off towards Northwich which is where we are now moored near to Town Bridge. We've been to Sainsburys and again cooked and ate in and are drinking wine.

There are two blown bulbs in the ceiling downlighters, one above the TV and the one in the fan assembly in the shower. I cant work out how to get at them to change them. Can anyone give me a clue how to change them?

More another day (especially about the rudder!)


Wednesday 23rd March

We set off from Northwich mid morning and headed for Hunt;s Locks with plans to get up to Winsford then back to Northwich to meet up with a friend. However, although the Waterscape web site indicated that the locks would be open this week Hunt's Locks were deserted. BIG and deserted.  So I rang BW and they sent someone out to operate the smaller of the locks. After about 20 minutes a nice chap turned up with a mate and did lots of winding of paddles and opening of gates and we were away. We got to Vale Royal locks and there was no one there either so we winded and returned. There were some rowers around and the coach man on the bank gesticulated to us about something or other that we were doing wrong but I've no idea what he was on about so we carried on regardless. I suspect that we pay more licence fee than them so they can b****r off!
We went back down Hunt's locks then moored up in Northwich and waited for our friend Big Frank.
He found his way from the train station then we headed off northwards. Past the boat lift and onto Saltersford Locks. Here we were directed into the large lock, apparently the smaller lock has been out of action since 1976. The large lock is LARGE. The record number of boats in it is 27! Apparently we were sending 660,000 gallons of water downstream while dropping down 7' 3". 
We like the Weaver and we will have to return sometime later when the locks are not in winter opening mode. It's nice and wide and deep and with good views either side, not flood banks.
We are now moored just above Dutton Locks. The larger of these could take 15 Winding Downs!

Up the boat lift tomorrow and then we hope to reach Middlewich for a pint at the Big Lock which, compared to todays locks will actually be quite small.


Thursday 24th March

Actually we reckon that at a push the larger Dutton lock could take 18 WDs (6 wide and 3 in length). The Weaver is a very pleasant river. Well, in these conditions it is very pleasant, I'm not sure if it gets into flood much. But today it is slow and wide and deep. We head off upstream now (you can wind almost anywhere on this river) as we have a 10AM deadline with the lock keeper at Saltersford Locks and an 11AM appointment at the Anderton Boat Lift. Again it is lovely weather and I wish I had brought my shorts. Saltersford Lock is done, another 660,000 gallons of water expertly controlled by the friendly lock keeper and we get to the boat lift on time. We share a caisson with a coal merchant who has done the lift many times and does not take much interest in its operation. The way up is slower than on the way down giving more time to appreciate this wonderful structure and its operation. And its free to use with our licence.
At the top we let the coal merchant out first then follow him out, a quick wind, avoiding rudder issues this time, and head north. We have a passenger on board who has never done a canal tunnel so we do Barnton tunnel, then wind again and go back through it southbound. We then head off towards Middlewich and make the Big Lock by about 6PM. We have another nice meal in the pub along with some nice Black Sheep.

Friday 25th March

We have a cooked breakfast this morning then set off up the Middlewich locks. There is no one else about and we have an easy clear passage back to Elton Moss although all the locks are against us. At Elton Moss we dispatch our passenger off in the direction of the railway station for his return to Scarborough. We then head off to Wheelock where we had planned to wash WD at the water point. But it's a bit crowded there as we meet Jenny Wren and Festina Lente wanting to do the same and an Anderton hire boat wanting water. So we go a bit further up the cut and wash WD with buckets then go up the Wheelock flight of 3 locks, wind and come back down and wash the other side. Some cleaning inside is done then we shower and go for a well earned meal out at the restaurant by the water point.

Saturday 26th March.

We get up very early (for us) before 7 and we spend about 45 mins on the water point at Wheelock, first of all discovering that we have lost the vital screw on bit of the hose. We make do with the jubilee clip fitting. We make it back to Elton Moss at just gone 9 AM and moor up along side Tranquility. Looks like they've had a repaint. We unload our stuff and finish hoovering and cleaning. We settle up for the diesel and pump out then head off to Homebase to get some new hose fittings and return to fit them, finally heading for the M6 at about 10.45.

We had superb weather all week except for an hour of rain on Sunday morning. I would recommend a trip down the boat lift and onto the Weaver for a couple of days. We came a bit unstuck because the locks were on winter opening hours which basically means you have to pre book each lock passage. We intend to go back and try it again when there are more lock keepers about.

Our next trip out is only five weeks away (Yay!) when we plan to give the Llangollen and the Montgomery a try. Hope its not too busy.