Too hot to be inside.

Hi,

What a difference a week makes.We are now basking in some of the best weather we could ask for and as the title says,it’s too hot to be inside.This really is what we signed up for,long lazy days outside on the towpath,drink in hand,stretched out on the recliners.We are now moored near the village of Beeston,having moved a mile from where we had been since last Wednesday.There’s a market here tomorrow morning so we intend to visit that first,fill up with diesel and water at Chas Harden’s boatyard opposite,then move on to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal for a few days.

We left Tower Wharf in Chester last Tuesday and cruised about 3 miles till we got to the outskirts of the City and called it a day.I don’t think it stopped raining at all so we were glad to get moored up near the Cheshire Cat pub and go for a drink.After staying there overnight we set off to do the 7 miles back to the Shady Oak pub near Beeston Castle.Canal life isn’t all pubs you know.The weather had stopped us from doing the walk that we had planned for when we moored there the previous week so we were looking at having another try.Our next 250 hour service was nearly due too and things were looking good to get that out of the way now the weather looked like improving.It was 16 weeks since the last time we did it and I didn’t think that that was too bad a timescale.We always have spare oil and filters so it’s no big deal to do it when it becomes due and it doesn’t take Lisa long.

 

A rather murky Tuesday morning and as we were leaving Tower Wharf I saw this,it’s the Airbus Baluga,a converted A300-600 Super Transport used to carry oversized and awkward cargo between Airbus factories in Europe.On the right is a last view as we leave Chester,the City Walls are above on the left.

On Friday the sun was shining and it looked good for our planned walk.It’s one of the walks in the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder Guide for Cheshire and is a relatively easy walk for a couple of oldies with only gradual climbs and about 6.5 miles in length.We saved the hard bit till the last,this was the climb up to Beeston Castle itself,that was a bit tough and I did suggest to Lisa that she need only carry me to the top and not back down again but she would have non of it,bless her,it had to be both ways.At the top there are some great views right over eight counties,from the Pennines to the Welsh mountains, from what has been an Iron Age Hill Fort through to a Loyalist stronghold,in 1645,during the English Civil War.

 

A heron waiting to pounce and a tree forming an arch over the footpath as we explored the off side of the Shroppie on our walk to Beeston Castle.

 

How’s this for checking out the views over Cheshire.This one on the right is not one of our family.

 

Beeston Castle as we walked from the East and Lisa on the footbridge to the Inner Gatehouse.

 

A couple of views from the top of Beeston Castle.

We met up with some boating friends on Sunday evening,and having each gone our separate walking ways on Monday,spent a very enjoyable afternoon and evening outside on the towpath in the sun.Each of us with numerous glasses of home made cider,that’s the reason I didn’t post this last night.This morning,after our friends had departed,we walked the couple of miles or so into the nearby village of Tarporley for some provisions.What a lovely village it is,with quite a number of best kept village awards.Well worth the walk from the canal along the Sandstone Way and Cheshire footpaths to a variety of shops.After getting back we moved East to where we are now and Lisa is busy setting up the BBQ for tonight’s tea.

That’s all again for this week.Since our last blog we have done 9 Locks and 11 Miles,giving us a grand total of 286 Locks and 427 Miles since we set off last October.Take care everyone.