Live Boating

 

Tuesday 2^nd May

Marbury to Barbridge

Today was another one which started off cloudy but brightened up as the day went on. The afternoon and evening were sunny and warm (at last!).

Just Marbury Lock to start the day and that was quickly done as it was set ready for us. Then we had 3 lift bridges, but we got through them very easily as one is permanently open, one is electrically operated (I got to hold up the traffic again), and at the third one, another boat had just come through from the other direction so the lift was already open and they waved us through before closing it after us.

Next came the three Baddiley Locks and the two Swanley Locks. We did meet the occasional boat, but not as many as perhaps we had expected.

We had lunch before starting to go down the final four locks of the Hurleston Flight, the last on the Llangollen Canal. At the top of the flight, the water that we saw in Llangollen being diverted into the canal from the River Dee flows into Hurlestone Reservoir from where it is treated and piped to houses in Crewe and the surrounding area.

Hurleston Reservoir

Hurleston Locks can get very busy with boats coming off the Llangollen Canal or turning onto it from the Shropshire Union, so there are usually volunteer lockkeepers on duty to help control the comings and goings.

Hurleston Flight

Today the locks were not very busy, and with the help of the lockies we worked down them and when we arrived at the bottom, we turned left back on to the Shropshire Union. 

Out of the last lock on the Llangollen Canal

After another mile or so, we moored outside the Old Barbridge Inn where we had a meal later in the evening.

Today’s miles and locks – 9.75 miles    10 locks    

Total miles and locks – 211.00 miles 119 locks