Three Men and One Woman in a Boat Part 2
9th September, 2000
10th September, 2000
11th September, 2000
12th September, 2000
13th September, 2000
14th September, 2000
Saturday, 9th September, 2000
leared Wrenbury Mill early, thanks to someone opening the lift bridge for us and giving us a start. There is quite a lot of traffic on the canal, because Saturday is the normal day for picking up and dropping off boats.
Canal Chores
e arrived at the top of Grindley Brook staircase at about 1.30 so stopped to get water and then to have lunch. We only have about two miles to get to Whitchurch. Very good time. I bought canal letter cards for Mum's and Warwick's birthdays and we wrote them up. If we can't send them from here we can from Whitchurch. They should arrive in time.
e arrived at Whitchurch at about 4 p.m. and got what must be the last mooring in the basin. God knows how we will get out! It is a walk of at least a mile to the town centre but once there it is one of those great medieval black and white Tudor places. Lots of pubs, a large church built on Saxon foundations, and a Tesco's still open.
id some shopping and Neil phoned while we were in the shop. He reports that he is in Wales, at a hotel two miles from Whitchurch and will meet us at the church at 10 tomorrow. Knowing his navigational skills, I hope is is the same Whitchurch we are thinking of. If he is in Wales he should be close enough. See what tomorrow brings.
Sunday, 10th September, 2000
Wouldbe Ship's Cat, Whitchurch
ac's day was made this morning by a little cat who came smarming around the boat. I don't know if it was feral but he was certainly trying all the tricks of the "Silent Miaow" to be accepted as a ship's cat. We are going to have to be careful as we push off or we might get a stowaway. I don't think Black Prince would be too happy about a cat in the hose locker. He keeps walking around the windowsills (walkways) and peering in pathetically.
Neil Joins Us
ac and Geoff have gone to meet Neil (I hope)and do some more shopping. When you only have limited space to store things (especially cold things) you have to shop a lot. And today and tomorrow we won't get a shop for miles, according to the Canal Companion. I just wish there were a lot more places to get water. I have rationed showers until we get another waterpoint.
Neil Relaxes on Board
e picked up Neil as per arrangements and got away from Whitchurch by 11 a.m, with surprisingly little fuss in the winding hole. Jogged along through lift bridges until we stopped for lunch.
Geoff Doesn't
fter lunch we headed off again to new territory - the Prees Arm at Prees Junction. The Canal Companion says it is a nice quiet place for overnight mooring that is often overlooked. This we certainly found it to be.
Idyllic Evening at Prees Arm
e stopped at the Marina at the end of the navigable section of the Prees arm and bought a fill of water for a pound, then meandered back through a couple of lift bridges and moored in a lovely spot on a perfectly beautiful evening. The nearly full moon is rising and it is clear, warm and lovely. It will probably rain tomorrow! I made chicken tikka masala and rice for dinner and it was quite successful.
he TV started to smoke this evening, which is a bit of a problem, but we can get along without it. Played a game of 500 instead and got to bed late.
Monday, 11th September, 2000
Colemere, Shropshire Lakes District
e headed off towards Ellesmere, through what to my mind is the prettiest part of the canal, Colemere, about two miles from Ellesmere, with the lovely lakes of the Shropshire Lakes District and thick forest on either hand. We saw a squirrel fall into the water but were unable to help as it scrabbled madly to try and get out.
e stopped for lunch at Ellesmere, at the Corner House, where we had afternoon tea last Sunday. Then did some shopping and set off again. There is a lot of traffic on the canal today, more than last Monday, I think. There was a boat festival at Ellesmere over the weekend so maybe some of the boats took a long weekend. We all seem to feel exhausted, even Neil who has only been on the boat for a day and a half.
Tuesday, 12th September, 2000
Lunch near Chirk
et out up the New Marton Locks, the last we will encounter. There was a real traffic jam of boats, lots of Americans, to my surprise. As we went up the canal we encountered a boat as big as ours, crewed by two American women, caught in a winding hole in very shallow water, blocking the canal. We did what we could, but although bringing the boat to the side, were unable to turn it round either. So Geoff lent them his phone to ring Black Prince at Chirk and they said they would come. The boat was on its way to return to Chirk so the ladies gave us what was left of their supplies. The peanut butter and jam they gave us lasted almost the whole of the rest of the holiday.
Lunch near Chirk
ater, when we had stopped for lunch near Chirk aquaduct, the boat came past on its way to Chirk and the women said the Black Prince people had turned it in less than five minutes! They had been stuck there for an hour and we couldn't do it either. Still, they got there, and as it was their last day and they were giving the boat back at Chirk, they made it alright.
Chirk Aqueduct, Viaduct and Tunnel
Chirk Marina
fter going through the Chirk tunnel and aquaduct we took the boat back into the Marina at Chirk and asked them to check the sullage tank (it is beginning to pong) So they pumped it out, refilled the diesel and gas and replaced the TV, so we are all ready to go again.
Neil Walks the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
ut of Chirk we went by the Whitehouse Tunnel and through very narrow reaches of the canal, where traffic was really building up into Llangollen, till we reached the big one - the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.
We Head Out Over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
he PA was built in the period 1795 - 1805 and designed by Thomas Telford. It is 1007 feet long, 126 feet high! Cast iron trough, 11 feet 10 inches wide, five feet three inches deep. Joints of Welsh flannel and lead, dipped in boiling sugar (I am not making this up!) Mortar of oxblood, lime and water. Unfortunately, going over it you can't see much of it, so I bought a postcard.
Postcard of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
View Down from the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Bridge near Trevor
fter the PA we took a sharp left turn towards Llangollen and the canal grew even narrower. There are quite long stretches of one way working, so you have to have lookouts to see if there is anything coming the other way. We decided to moor outside Llangollen because everyone says it is difficult to find a mooring space there. It is so popular. We moored behind a Viking Afloat boat, and had dinner.
e went for a short walk after dinner but it was dark and muddy so we didn't stay out long and just after we came back our neighbours knocked and asked to borrow a torch. They had locked themselves out. So Geoff took the glass out of their window and got the key off the hook for them. That's the second bit of Good Samaritaning today. Geoff has disappeared with them for a drink. I expect he will return sometime.
Wednesday, 13th September, 2000
Moored Near Llangollen, Wales
e left the boat where it was this morning, another lovely clear day, and walked along the towpath to Llangollen.
Castell Dinas Bran, from our mooring
astle Dinas Bran, high on a crag to our right, was clear and atmospheric. The towpath led to the Llangollen Wharf, where horse-drawn boats and tours of the aqueduct leave from so we descended into the town.
Llangollen from the Towpath
Up the River Dee, from the Bridge
langollen is a very pretty town at the bottom of some fairly rugged hills with the racy little river Dee leaping over rocks and under the bridge and through the town.
Dalek Street Sign, Llangollen
e followed a road sign with a Dalek on it, which seemed fairly self evident, but the Dr. Who Museum did not open until 10 a.m.
o we walked along the river and found a souvenir shop where I bought a couple of postcards, badges and a box, before returning to the museum. We had morning tea first, at the Cafe Galactica, a little caf with pictures, autographs and memorabilia of Drs. Who and displayed their cakes etc. in a cabinet built like a Tardis Police Box.
Geoff and Friend at Dr.Who Museum, Llangollen
hen we went into the exhibition. It was really very good. They had a lot of genuine pieces from the show, not replicas, lots of monsters, drawings, costumes and Bessie, the Doctor's old yellow car. We all really enjoyed it, it brought back a lot of memories.
Neil and Geoff with Bessie, the Doctor's Car, Llangollen
here was also a very extensive model railway exhibition and layouts galore. My favourite was a model of Llangollen itself, very detailed modelling of the scenery, only minimal in the train department (there is only the little steam train in Llangollen). Some people concentrate on the trains, some on the layouts and this layout was spectacular.
fter we left here we had some lunch and the inevitable shopping, then Neil and Geoff went back to the boat and Mac and I investigated Llangollen. We found a pharmacy for some cough mixture for Mac, and a laundrette, so we will be able to do the washing before we leave.
Llangollen Railway
hen we went for a ride on the Llangollen Steam Railway, about an hour and a half through quite spectacular scenery. The little River Dee provided a glimpse of the Horseshoe Falls, the Chain Bridge Inn and the high green hills were lovely. Lots of peasants and phartridges in the fields with the sheep.
River Dee from the Railway, Llangollen
hen we got back to the boat we intended to run the engine for a few hours to charge the batteries, but when Mac switched it on the alarm sounded for the alternator (or something) so Mac rang Black Prince and they said they would be around tomorrow. We still need water, as usual, but the waterpoints are being moored all over, so selfish and the canal is so narrow we can't really double park. So I don't know what will happen tomorrow.
Thursday, 14th September, 2000
Moored Near Llangollen
ast night the Black Prince man turned up unexpectedly but was unable to fix the alternator, so he said he would send a mechanic this morning. He said, however, that we could use the engine, just that the batteries wouldn't charge, so we started up this morning to get to a water point and lo and behold! the trouble was gone! As Mac says, he hates intermittent problems. So we motored very slowly down the narrows to the water point and tied up to the Anglo Welsh boat that has been moored there for three days and filled up over the top of him.
fterwards we continued down to the winding hole where Mac dropped me and three bags of washing while they turned the boat around and went back. They were lucky enough to get the very last legal mooring, much closer than before to the town. So that was handy and we went up the town and did the washing at the laundrette, followed by lunch, then Geoff, Mac and I went on the Railway, Geoff not being with us last time.
Plas Newydd, Home of the Ladies of Llangollen, taken by Geoff
hile at the laundrette, Geoff and Mac went up the very steep street which led to Plas Newydd, the former home of the "Ladies of Llangollen" which I wanted to visit but my knees rebelled at another steep hill. They said that the house and grounds were very pleasant and Geoff took some photos for me.
hen we got back, I had a nap, then had a shower and washed my hair; we all had showers in the newly replenished water (now we need water again) and we went out to eat. We cased several restaurants in the Old Town, and probably decided on the least attractive. I don't know why this is so, but given a choice, we all seem to regret the one made. Still, it was a wine bar, in an 18th century building, and the food was quite good, just not elegantly served. We had a bottle of Leibfraumilch, which was quite nice.
y hip, after a week or so feeling quite good, has reverted to pain, which is not good, and it is now raining. Perhaps it will clear tomorrow, but our thoughts are dominated by the fuel crisis, with refineries being blockaded and fuel supplies running out. The cost of petrol is terrible here, and I can sympathise up to a point. That point is when we pick up our next car in a week's time! It must be settled by then!
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