Up at sparrow fart. It's a bit chilly so I go to turn on the heating before putting the kettle on. The boiler makes its normal click click click noise but then stops! I try again a few times but its not going to go. Another job for Ken, he's not going to be pleased. Packing, cleaning, loading car, filling the water tank all before 9 AM when the CC staff turn up. I talk to Ken about the boiler and the new batteries. He says the boilers do that when the battery voltage is low but we are hooked up to the mains so it can't be that. Anyway he fixes the boiler by turning off the diesel supply to it, then making it try to start up 3 or 4 times, then turning the fuel supply back on then starting it again. Bingo! The boiler is now working.
There are some boats to shift around before we can get to the fuel and pump out pumps. The diesel tank gets filled with 53 litres of diesel and we are assured that the pump out will be completed. We opt for an invoice so that we can pay by internet banking when we get home. This gets round the 50p charge that is levied on debit card purchases at CC.
We leave Ken contemplating changing our batteries and wave bye bye to WD. We stop at Waitrose in Sandbach for a cuppa and a bacon butty in their cafe. Here we bump into Paul and Aileen Jordan, co-owners who are on WD from today. We have a good chat with them and then head off back home to Scarborough.
Summary:
0 miles, 0 locks, 1 broken boiler, then 1 fixed boiler, 2 bacon butties, 150 miles by road.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Friday 5th October 2012
Friday 5th October 2012
The batteries behaved themselves last night but we had been very careful in our electricity use. The telly was only on for half an hour.
We were woken up at 07:30 by a boat going past. It had a noisy but slow thumper type of engine. The noise of these old diesel engines is great but not perhaps at 7:30 in the morning. This boat had moored in front of us in the dark yesterday evening at about 8 o'clock. They must be in a hurry to get somewhere.
We had breakfast then set off towards Middlewich. We had miscalculated our tea bag use this week and only had one left. So we moored up above Wardle lock and went for a walk to get some. We went into the shop at Middlewich Narrowboats and bought some PG tips and some old cheddar cheese. We then carried on walking down the lock flight there. The canal is closed at the Big Lock a little further on due to a breach near Preston Brook (breach info) and an embankment problem at Croxton. Apparently it's going to cost £1.5 million to fix so all donations are gratefully received. As a consequence of the canal being shut and therefore not many boats using the locks the pounds in the Middlewich flight of three are full and overflowing. This is unusual, normally they are quite well down.
Back on WD we set off following an Anglo Welsh boat. This meant that Pip had to help them down Wardle lock then fill it up again. I turned right at the junction. Our bowthruster is broken but I still managed the turn ok even though I was being watched by someone on the water point! Pip had to help the Anlgo Welsh boat up King's Lock, they seemed to be averse to lifting the paddles all the way. We then ascended King's Lock ourselves. The bottom gates of this lock are leaking badly and it was difficult to get the level required to open the top gate. A bit of extra welly was required to push the top gate open. We then wended our way back to the Moss Bridge base, passing the moored shiny new CC boat Kalista on the way. At one of the locks we met a boat coming the other way. They normally moor at Anderton but couldn't get back home due to the closure of the canal at Croxton. Someone at the Canal & Rivers Trust had advised them to make their way to Ellesmere Port. From there someone was organising a mass convoy out onto the Manchester Ship Canal, up onto the River Weaver and up to Anderton on the Boat Lift. That would be a trip I would like to do. These people had rung Ellesmere Port to find out when this convoy might be happening but no one there knew anything about it! I hope they make it home.
We then set to washing WD's port side. When that was finished we set off down to the railway arches, winded and came back again to do the starboard side. We had a valet booked for the inside but there was still plenty of cleaning to do, the valet doesn't do the whole boat.
At about 8pm we called it a day and headed off to the Orient in Sandbach for a Chinese meal. It was very nice but we couldn't finish it all.
We were hooked up to mains electricity so no further battery problems. We are going to get 5 new batteries tomorrow.
Summary:
7 miles, 7 locks. 1 box of PG Tips, 25 swans at Miidlewich, 60 ducks, 1 boat wash.
The batteries behaved themselves last night but we had been very careful in our electricity use. The telly was only on for half an hour.
We were woken up at 07:30 by a boat going past. It had a noisy but slow thumper type of engine. The noise of these old diesel engines is great but not perhaps at 7:30 in the morning. This boat had moored in front of us in the dark yesterday evening at about 8 o'clock. They must be in a hurry to get somewhere.
We had breakfast then set off towards Middlewich. We had miscalculated our tea bag use this week and only had one left. So we moored up above Wardle lock and went for a walk to get some. We went into the shop at Middlewich Narrowboats and bought some PG tips and some old cheddar cheese. We then carried on walking down the lock flight there. The canal is closed at the Big Lock a little further on due to a breach near Preston Brook (breach info) and an embankment problem at Croxton. Apparently it's going to cost £1.5 million to fix so all donations are gratefully received. As a consequence of the canal being shut and therefore not many boats using the locks the pounds in the Middlewich flight of three are full and overflowing. This is unusual, normally they are quite well down.
Back on WD we set off following an Anglo Welsh boat. This meant that Pip had to help them down Wardle lock then fill it up again. I turned right at the junction. Our bowthruster is broken but I still managed the turn ok even though I was being watched by someone on the water point! Pip had to help the Anlgo Welsh boat up King's Lock, they seemed to be averse to lifting the paddles all the way. We then ascended King's Lock ourselves. The bottom gates of this lock are leaking badly and it was difficult to get the level required to open the top gate. A bit of extra welly was required to push the top gate open. We then wended our way back to the Moss Bridge base, passing the moored shiny new CC boat Kalista on the way. At one of the locks we met a boat coming the other way. They normally moor at Anderton but couldn't get back home due to the closure of the canal at Croxton. Someone at the Canal & Rivers Trust had advised them to make their way to Ellesmere Port. From there someone was organising a mass convoy out onto the Manchester Ship Canal, up onto the River Weaver and up to Anderton on the Boat Lift. That would be a trip I would like to do. These people had rung Ellesmere Port to find out when this convoy might be happening but no one there knew anything about it! I hope they make it home.
We then set to washing WD's port side. When that was finished we set off down to the railway arches, winded and came back again to do the starboard side. We had a valet booked for the inside but there was still plenty of cleaning to do, the valet doesn't do the whole boat.
At about 8pm we called it a day and headed off to the Orient in Sandbach for a Chinese meal. It was very nice but we couldn't finish it all.
We were hooked up to mains electricity so no further battery problems. We are going to get 5 new batteries tomorrow.
Summary:
7 miles, 7 locks. 1 box of PG Tips, 25 swans at Miidlewich, 60 ducks, 1 boat wash.
Thursday 4 October 2012
Thursday 4th October 2012
Thursday 4th October
The batteries were ok when I got up to make cups of tea this morning. However they deteriated fairly quickly after turning the power back on. So, the engine was running whilst we had breakfast. It does disturb the peace and quiet.
We set off past the big sign for the Secret Nuclear Bunker. We have been round this museum before. It used to be a Secret Nuclear Bunker back in the cold war days. It is really very interesting and well worth a visit if you are ever travelling along the Shroppie. Today also we didn't think it warranted a further visit.
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| On the towpath at Nantwich |
We then filled up with water and disposed of rubbish then headed off still northbound, closely following an Anglo Welsh hire boat. This hire boat was going very slowly. In the end they pulled over to let us past. This is only the second time I have ever done an overtaking manoeuvre in a narrow boat.
At Barbridge we turned right onto the Middlewich Branch. The locks on this branch seem extremely deep (11' 3") compared to the 6 or 7 feet we had become used to on the main line of the Shroppie.
We are now moored up near bridge 22 about three miles from Middlewich.
Chicken Risotto for tea cooked by Pip. It was of course yummy!
Cleaning day tommorrow, never our favorite day of the holiday!
Summary:
14 miles, 4 locks, 1 helicopter, 1 new chimney, lots of trains, another electrical failure.
Wednesday 3rd October 2012
Wednesday 3rd October.
Problems with the electrics last night. The batteries went flat on us. Like really flat, the voltmeter said 10 volts and the smartgauge said 5%. It shouldn't go below 50%.
Our LED lights were just about ok but there was no water pump or anything else working. So we switched off every switch in case there was a drain of some sort. It was about 11pm so we went to bed.
In the morning the voltmeter had recovered back to over 12v and the Smartgauge to 30 ish. The water pump worked and the fridge came on. Strange. Anyway I started the engine and got on with cooking two enormous poached eggs and toast. We had picked these eggs up from a lockside stall at the bottom of the Audlem lock flight on Monday, only £1.40 for half a dozen. The eggs were huge and yummy too.
Then Pip set off on foot to get the first lock of the day ready. We had mis timed things and were following another NB. We went down the 5 locks of the Addersley flight then carried on still following the other boat. We moored up for a cuppa before tackling the Audlem 15. One boat came up thereby leaving the lock full for us but before we could cast off another boat came along from behind and used the lock. Such is life. So we followed them down.
 |
| Somewhere on the Audlem Flight |
We did 12 of the locks and then moored up in the village of Audlem and had some tea and sandwiches. We then went off to the village Co-op shop for some provisions. Pip also bought a post card. Then we did the final 3 locks of the flight and continued on for a mile or so before mooring up for the night. We moored not far from the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, the red lights on the top of its communications tower being clearly visable.
We had leftover lasagne and baked potatoes for tea.
I had an email conversation with Carefree Cruising about the batteries. Its looking we might need new batteries. There are five of them and they are not cheap.
In all today the engine has run for about 10 hours charging the batteries and they did hold out till we went to bed. I turned off everything electrical overnight.
Summary:
5 miles, 20 locks, 1 electrical failure, 1 helicopter.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
Tuesday 2nd October 2012
Tuesday 2nd October.
So, my experiment with the batteries was thus:
On going to bed last night I switched off the inverter AND the galley 12V sockets. This meant that the fridge was off overnight. I have noticed that the motor on the fridge runs most of the time even though the dial is set to only 1. The Smart Gauge read 75 when we went to bed. In the morning it read 74, so not much loss there. I turned the galley sockets back on and got up to make cups of tea. about 25 minutes later I checked the gauge and it read 58 so that is quite a big drop.
We had breakfast then when I started the engine the gauge read 45 so another big drop. All the time the fridge was on, maybe this is the cause of our battery problems.
About a mile after setting off we were at the bottom of the Adderly flight of 5 locks.The first lock was empty so we went straight in. The 2nd lock was also empty in our favour. Before the first lock was full Pip went off to open the gates of the 2nd lock leaving me to exit the lock on my own. Just as Pip was walking up to the bottom gates of the next lock there was the tell tale click click click sound of paddles being raised. Someone was stealing our lock from us! We didn't complain and they did have the grace to apologise to Pip claiming they hadn't seen us. I quietly said to Pip "Well, that's because they didn't look!" Anyway it didn't hold us up much. We met another 2 boats further up the flight which lightened our gate opening and shutting load.
After the top lock Pip went off to make the cups of tea which were served with home made biscuits. We then pootled along to Market Drayton which was our destination for the week.
We had an appointment with our boat builders Stillwater Narrowboats to talk about our new boat. They have just moved into new premises in what used to be known as Ted's Boatyard. We spent a very pleasant 2 and a half hours with Kevin and Richard discussing our new boat and it's layout and looking round their latest boat which is due for launch and delivery on Saturday. It looks very bright and shiny and very similar in layout to the one we have planned. I.E reverse layout with galley at the back, then a pullman dinette, then the lounge, bathroom and finally the bedroom at the front. They have given us a contract for us to read and sign. All very legal and scary!
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| Stillwater Narrowboats new premises |
We went to visit the chandlery next door to buy a chimney but they didn't have one. They also didn't have any fire bricks to replace the broken ones on WD. So they didn't do much business! They did advise us quite strongly not to use the stove until it has been fixed.
We filled with water then winded and moored up again to take a trip to Asda for provisions. It was 6PM by the time we got back but we wanted to be away from Market Drayton so we set off northbound back in the direction we had come from this morning.
We are now moored up just above the Addersley flight about 18 inches out from the edge as the Shropshire Union Ledge is preventing us getting any closer.
Sausage and mash for tea then watch Great British Bake Off.
Summary:
8 miles, 5 locks (one stolen), 1 boat builder, 1 peed off heron and 0 chimneys.
Monday 1 October 2012
Monday 1st October 2012
The Smart Gauge read 58 when I got up to make tea. After breakfast (of poached eggs and mushrooms on toast) it read 52. I have a theory about why the batteries drain quite so much. I am going to test it out tonight and will keep you posted.
So I started the engine and we set off through Nantwich at around 10 AM. The weather was ok, not warm and at one point I had my wooly hat on, but at least it wasn't raining. South of Nantwich there was an audience of about 20 people watching us from a bridge. "What are you all doing?" I asked as we passed underneath, "We are on a four mile walk and we are having a rest" came the reply. They didn't ask for a lift. A bit further on we came across a cow wandering along the towpath towards us. It seemed very interested in us and as we went past it mooed at us as though asking for a lift. I don't know where it came from or where it got to. I hope the farmer got it back!
We went up the two Hack Green locks the past the big sign pointing you in the direction of the secret nuclear bunker. We have been there before and it's not much of a secret any more so we carried on southwards.
By this time the engine had been running for about 3 hours and the Smart Gauge was reading 100 so we started the dishwasher.
Audlem was then upon us. We had a little break at the bottom lock then set to for the flight of 15 locks. After a while the inverter was doing it's switching off and on again thing with an error 02 showing on the gauge. Anyway we got into a rhythm for the locks. Some were in our favour and some against us. We met a few NBs coming the other way which is always a bonus in a lock flight. We got to the top lock at about 4pm so it had taken us some 2 and a half hours to do the flight. We moored up for a cup of tea above the top lock. It was so peaceful that we decided to call it a day and stay there for the night.
We needed to run the engine a bit longer to get the gauge back up to 100. I then cooked a Monday roast dinner.
Summary:
8 and a half miles, 17 locks, 5 helicopters, 1 hitching cow.
So I started the engine and we set off through Nantwich at around 10 AM. The weather was ok, not warm and at one point I had my wooly hat on, but at least it wasn't raining. South of Nantwich there was an audience of about 20 people watching us from a bridge. "What are you all doing?" I asked as we passed underneath, "We are on a four mile walk and we are having a rest" came the reply. They didn't ask for a lift. A bit further on we came across a cow wandering along the towpath towards us. It seemed very interested in us and as we went past it mooed at us as though asking for a lift. I don't know where it came from or where it got to. I hope the farmer got it back!
 |
| Cow wanting a lift |
By this time the engine had been running for about 3 hours and the Smart Gauge was reading 100 so we started the dishwasher.
Audlem was then upon us. We had a little break at the bottom lock then set to for the flight of 15 locks. After a while the inverter was doing it's switching off and on again thing with an error 02 showing on the gauge. Anyway we got into a rhythm for the locks. Some were in our favour and some against us. We met a few NBs coming the other way which is always a bonus in a lock flight. We got to the top lock at about 4pm so it had taken us some 2 and a half hours to do the flight. We moored up for a cup of tea above the top lock. It was so peaceful that we decided to call it a day and stay there for the night.
We needed to run the engine a bit longer to get the gauge back up to 100. I then cooked a Monday roast dinner.
Summary:
8 and a half miles, 17 locks, 5 helicopters, 1 hitching cow.
Sunday 30th September 2012
Sadly for the Cooks they were unable to take up their allotted weeks on WD this autumn and put them up for grabs to the rest of the syndicate. This week was good for both Pip and me so we put our names in the hat. There were no other names in the hat so it was an easy draw to win.
So here we are. We travelled down from Rochdale where we had spent Saturday evening celebrating my sister's 60th birthday and arrived at a deserted Moss Bridge (Sandbach) at about 11. We loaded up, parked the car and set off northwards towards Middlewich. We've done this run many times now but it is always a pleasure to get to the first lock (number 67) and be on our way. There was some sort of army cadet force out on the towpath. They were dressed in camouflaged clothing with high visability waistcoats on. A bit of a mis match there!
We counted 20 swans at Middlewich which is fewer than we've seen there previously. There were around 70 ducks though. We followed a boat down Kings Lock, watched another boat come out of the Wardle Canal, wind and go back up again then followed them up Wardle Lock. There was, of course, no Maureen to give us some advice but it looked there was a bit of work going on in her old cottage.
We then pootled along the Middlewich Branch without stopping. No queues at what we call "The Queueing Lock" (Minshull Lock) and no queues at Venetian Marina either. This is unheard of.
We turned left at Barbridge having given way to a southbound NB that had a very LOUD horn. Then we followed them south briefly until they stopped outside the Barbridge Inn. We went on past the Llangollen turn off and moored up for the night near Henhull Bridge just north of Nantwich.
Pip cooked a yummy Lasagne then we watched Downton Abbey. She went to bed then I listened to the end of the Ryder Cup. Very exciting, who says golf is boring?
This next bit is for the fellow owners of WD.
The tiller is vibrating, it has been since we left Sandbach. there is nothing round the prop but it does feel as though one of the blades is bent again. I'll mention it to Ken but I don't think it is worth taking WD out of the water to fix it before the winter maintenance.
The bow thruster is dead. There is a big fuse that it blown and I see in the fault log that this has happened a while ago and a new fuse was tried which also blew. This needs fixing, I shall jog Ken's memory.
The BATTERIES !
The battery held out for the evening. We had watched a couple of hours telly and listened to the golf until 2330. I turned off the inverter when I went to bed (I've always done this every evening as an inverter uses power just by being turned on). I forgot to read the Smart Gauge then but in the morning it read 58.
We need another new chimney. The old one is rusting away. We'll get one from a chandlery. All the fire bricks are cracked in the stove. When we lit the fire there was a strong smell of smoke throughout the boat. I think the stove needs checking out. We plan to get a carbon monoxide detector before using the fire again.
Summary:
16 miles, 9 locks, 20 swans, 70 ducks, 50 army cadets, zero queues.
So here we are. We travelled down from Rochdale where we had spent Saturday evening celebrating my sister's 60th birthday and arrived at a deserted Moss Bridge (Sandbach) at about 11. We loaded up, parked the car and set off northwards towards Middlewich. We've done this run many times now but it is always a pleasure to get to the first lock (number 67) and be on our way. There was some sort of army cadet force out on the towpath. They were dressed in camouflaged clothing with high visability waistcoats on. A bit of a mis match there!
We counted 20 swans at Middlewich which is fewer than we've seen there previously. There were around 70 ducks though. We followed a boat down Kings Lock, watched another boat come out of the Wardle Canal, wind and go back up again then followed them up Wardle Lock. There was, of course, no Maureen to give us some advice but it looked there was a bit of work going on in her old cottage.
We then pootled along the Middlewich Branch without stopping. No queues at what we call "The Queueing Lock" (Minshull Lock) and no queues at Venetian Marina either. This is unheard of.
 |
| No queues at the Queueing Lock |
Pip cooked a yummy Lasagne then we watched Downton Abbey. She went to bed then I listened to the end of the Ryder Cup. Very exciting, who says golf is boring?
This next bit is for the fellow owners of WD.
The tiller is vibrating, it has been since we left Sandbach. there is nothing round the prop but it does feel as though one of the blades is bent again. I'll mention it to Ken but I don't think it is worth taking WD out of the water to fix it before the winter maintenance.
The bow thruster is dead. There is a big fuse that it blown and I see in the fault log that this has happened a while ago and a new fuse was tried which also blew. This needs fixing, I shall jog Ken's memory.
The BATTERIES !
The battery held out for the evening. We had watched a couple of hours telly and listened to the golf until 2330. I turned off the inverter when I went to bed (I've always done this every evening as an inverter uses power just by being turned on). I forgot to read the Smart Gauge then but in the morning it read 58.
We need another new chimney. The old one is rusting away. We'll get one from a chandlery. All the fire bricks are cracked in the stove. When we lit the fire there was a strong smell of smoke throughout the boat. I think the stove needs checking out. We plan to get a carbon monoxide detector before using the fire again.
Summary:
16 miles, 9 locks, 20 swans, 70 ducks, 50 army cadets, zero queues.
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