Welcome Back I hear you say. ( Part Two ) !!!

Hi All,
Before I continue with this blog there are a couple of omissions I need to put right.In Part One I forgot a few important people,they are Niamh and Jill,who work so hard behind the bar at the Blue Rock,and Dave ,Jills partner.I think I have everyone now,forgive me if not.
OK,having landed back in Manchester on the 6th of February we were already looking at going back to Corralejo soon.Having had such a brilliant time the sensible thing to do would be to get away from the cold and damp of the UK while we could.Neither Lisa or I had ever thought we would leave our beloved boat for so long and here we were considering it for the second time in a matter of weeks.We'd enquired about apartments and looked at flights before we had left Fuerteventura so it was just a matter of deciding if and when we should do it.We had a car booked with Enterprise at the Car Rental Village for when our plane touched down and Rob and Suzie were waiting for us at Lyme View,they'd lit the stove to warm Chyandour up and cooked a meal to warm us up,that's what friends are for.

The view from the bows of Chyandour over Lyme View Marina.Would you really want to spend three months looking at this?

After a couple of days getting Chyandour back to normal,we set off back down to Wimborne to see Gordon,sadly his condition had deteriorated and it was now just a matter of time.We spent a  few days with him and he'd retained his sense of humour but Lisa knew it would be unlikely we would see him again.By this time we had booked an apartment and flights back to Fuerteventura but we promised to go back to Wimborne on our return.
We got back to Lyme View and Chyandour on the 12th. of March and spent the following week visiting parts of the local area with Rob and Suzie,such as Poynton and Stockport,Lyme Park again and the local pubs.The sacrifices we make.Xzena and our Grandchildren paid us a visit and a good time was had by all,then,before we knew it,we were packing to go back to Corralejo for another month.
This time would be a bit different though,our apartment was nearer to the old town of Corralejo for one thing,we were familiar with the local bus services so getting about would be more fun and,of course,we knew more places and people than on our first visit.I'd had my phone unlocked so I could use a local Sim Card for phone calls and data.Calls to the UK being cheaper on a Spanish card.
As expected we had a great time on our second visit,the weather being somewhat better.It hadn't been cold by UK standards on our first visit but it had been cloudier and the locals considered it cold.Believe me when I say,20 degrees is not cold at any time,let alone in January.We did the usual things like walking on the beach and sunbathing,walked over the Volcano again,sampled the odd beer or two and enjoyed some lovely local food.Some of the people who we had met on our first visit would leave this time but everyone promised to keep in touch and I'm sure a lot of us will meet up again.One final thing about Corralejo,we enjoyed it so much that we are going back in January next year,for three months,to see if we like being away from Chyandour for so long.The apartment is booked,just the flights to sort out now.

Lisa and Val on the day we went,not to Bangor,but El Cotillo instead

The Lime Kilns at El Cotillo

Entering the little harbour at Playa Blanca,Lanzarote

Lisa,Val,Geraldine and Richard outside the bar on Lobos.

One of the fish that Pete caught off the end of the pier on Lobos.We caught some beautiful fish but this one was the ugliest and most aggressive.It's mouth was so big it could have swallowed itself.No comments about it's gender please.

The Blue Rock Ramblers on the outskirts of Lajares after their epic stroll from Corralejo,some 14 K's

A celebration in the bar in Lajares

It was Carnival Week in Corralejo on our last week,here are a few pic's from the dozens I took

The Blue Rock Ramblers Steering Committee.

Jules and Claire,the proprietors of the Blue Rock.This was for the last night of the Carnival.Jules is the tall one.

We got back to Manchester on the 23rd March,a hire car was again waiting and this time it was my turn to light the stoves on Swamp Frogs and Chyandour,we spent one night aboard and went back down to Wimborne.Sadly,Gordon was no longer with us so Lisa Spent a couple of days with her sister before we returned to Lyme View.By now both Lisa and I were feeling somewhat under the weather and Lisa was so bad we had to find a doctor for her.Fortunately the first one we asked in Poynton was willing to see her and prescribed Antibiotics.Both of us are getting along fine now but we needed the relaxing time here in Bugsworth to help our recovery.
For Easter we had Lisa's other sister,Heather,and her husband Steve visit us on The Peak Forest and we managed a bit of cruising but it wasn't one of the better times we've had with them,being full of cold etc.took the edge off things a bit.We did manage to get to the Aston Engine Museum at Poynton on Easter Sunday though and they had some of the engines running which is something I didn't think I would see for a while yet.They only run once a month.

Two of the exhibits at the Anson Engine Museum.Beautiful,aren't they?

 We said goodbye to Heather and Steve on Easter Monday and moored here at Bugsworth where we intend to stay another week.
Well,that just about brings us up to last weekend so I will close this blog,we'll have more boaty stuff in our next blog.Since December we have gone through 47 Locks and covered 99 Miles,giving us a Grand Total of,1103 Locks and 1780 Miles since we set off in October 2012.Take Care everyone.

Welcome back I hear you say !!!! ( Part One )

Hi All,
Yes we're back and hopefully we'll be here on a more regular basis than of late.This week I will try to bring everything up to date since our last blog back in December.

We're currently moored in Bugsworth Basin at the end of the Peak Forest Canal,we've been here a week and we're staying for another week because the Peak Forest is currently closed and will be till Friday.For a small donation to Bugsworth Basin Heritage Trust it's possible to overstay the usual CRT mooring restrictions. We're using our time here to continue our recuperation from some nasty Flu like illness we both came back to the UK with in March.It's good here in Bugsworth,there's a Tesco and a few shops at Whaley Bridge,which is just a short walk along the towpath,there's all the boaty facilities we want just a few yards away and,of course,there's The Navigation Inn.What more could any boater want ? Neither of us feels much like drinking just now though,this flu thing sure knocked us both about.

Leaving Wheelock on a cold and frosty morning in December and heading up the Cheshire Locks on the T&M.

Waiting our turn at Hall Green Lock on the Macclesfield.Swamp Frogs in front on the water point.

Since December we've really been about quite a bit.We left Nantwich at the beginning of the month and slowly made our way along the Middlewich Branch,right onto the T&M and then right again at Hardings Wood,onto the Macclesfield canal where we had booked moorings in Lyme View Marina for the New Year.Heading up the T&M at Crows Nest Lock,near Sandbach,I managed to fall into the canal for the very first time ever and it wasn't a pleasant experience,in fact it's taken something like four months to get my back to how it was before.It was my own fault and I wont bore you with it,if you're a friend on Facebook you'll have got the gory details at the time anyway.We were with Rob and Suzie off Swamp Frogs again by this time and together we had a great journey up to Higher Poynton where we planned to meet up with Lorraine and Mark off  The Mad Hatter,Lisa and I hadn't seen them since Alrewas last year and a good few beers where consumed in the Boars Head when we arrived.Congratulations Mark on your award from RCR,you deserve it.

Rob doing a few running repairs to the front Button as we head up the T&M

Suzie the Lockie on the Bosley Flight.

December also came with some bad news,Lisa's Brother in Law,Gordon,was diagnosed with cancer so we hired a car from good old Enterprise and went down to Wimborne to see him,sadly things didn't look too good but there was still cause for optimism.We came back for Christmas which we spent with Rob and Suzie here in Bugsworth and had a wonderful time,another Christmas to fondly remember,rounded off by snow on Boxing Day.We moved back to nearer Lyme View for New Year,because the ice was beginning to form overnight on the cut,stopping at High Lane with it's choice of pubs and had a great New Years Eve with Rob and Suzie in the Horse Shoe Inn.That brought December and 2014 to a close,a great year with just the odd sad bit,what more can you ask for ?

Christmas on Chyandour.

A walk through Lyme Park on a winters day.

January was the month that would bring another mixture for us.The pain in my back from my fall last month got so bad I couldn't walk to the pub on the Saturday night,but that proved to be the low point and thankfully things started to improve from then on. January also brought another couple of firsts for us as we moored in Lyme View Marina,from where we would leave our boat and the UK to explore somewhere else,this time it would be Fuerteventura.Our friends Pete and Val off Tadpole 2 go out there every year for the winter and during our travels together through the summer the possibility of Lisa and I going out there was discussed.We decided that as neither of us had been there before,though just about everyone we knew had, a month would be long enough to see if we liked it so,on the 9th of January we flew out of Manchester terminal 3.

Val & Pete from Tadpole 2 with Lisa on the day we went to Puerto del Rosario

The view from our apartment in Corralejo.

The Volcano outside Corralejo viewed from the Bell Tower at the El Campanario Centre.

 We stayed in Corralejo and had a wonderful time,thanks to Val and Pete we met some great people,if I miss anyone please forgive me,it's not intentional.There was Jules and Claire who ran The Blue Rock Bar where we enjoyed the odd drink or two and some great laughs,Richard and Geraldine from Kirkaldy,a lovely couple with whom we enjoyed a number of meals .One of Richards hobbies is Marathon Running and thanks to his training runs he found us a relatively easy route up onto and over the volcano that dominates Corralejo.That was a first for a few of us,particularly the embryonic Blue Rock Ramblers.Then there was the Chillies from Leeds,Dianne and John,another amazing interesting couple who had me crying with laughter on more than one occasion.Gazza and Tommy Two Doors,both of them are from around the Manchester area.Keith and Janey from Southampton,Eileen from Liverpool,Hildegard from Germany/Ireland,Yvonne and Danny from Ilkeston who so kindly lent us their spare room for a couple of nights.Eddie and Nancy from Birmingham,Howard and Jean and many others both British and Spanish.Finally it would be wrong of me not to mention Chris and Eileen from Coralejo or Nigel from Alderney who also helped make our stay on the island so special.

On the Glass Bottom Boat for a days fishing on the island of Lobos.Well,fishing for Nigel,Pete & John.Richard & I were going for a walk around the island.

The fishing village on Lobos,the only inhabited bit of the island.

The Blue Rock Ramblers in the early days at the top of the volcano.From LtoR we have John,Val.Lisa,Geraldine,Dianne,Pete at the back,Yvonne,Janey & Richard and there's a couple off the photo'.

From the top overlooking Corralejo with Lobos in the background

We flew back from Fuerteventura on the 6th of February,landing in Manchester to a cold wet British winters afternoon.
(To be Continued)

Middlewich Branch.

Hi all,

That’s it,my other fan has finally persuaded me to start Blogging again now that we are on the move and on our way to pastures new so,here goes.The Shroppie mainline is now behind us and we’re on the Middlewich Branch of the Shroppie, heading North East towards Middlewich itself and then the T&M.We finally cast off this morning,having said farewell to some of the lovely people that we’ve met on our adventures in and around the Nantwich area,and,after a couple of hours cruising,we’re now moored about a third of a mile below Cholmondeston Lock in the middle of nowhere.Our companions for the winter,Rob and Suzie,off NB Swamp Frogs,are not too far behind us,they’ve just to tidy up their affairs in Nantwich before coming to meet us here and then we’ll all be off again.Since I last put finger to keyboard to type a blog some seven weeks ago,I still only type with one finger you know,we have had some very enjoyable experiences and I’ll do my best not to bore you with too many details today.

Over the last seven weeks we’ve moored at various places on the Shroppie between Market Drayton and Hurleston Junction,that’s where the Llangollen Canal leaves the Shropshire Union Canal and heads west into Wales.

 

A couple of the moorings we stayed at on the Shroppie, the first below the Adderley Flight and the second at Coole Pilate which is one of our favourite Shroppie moorings,sadly we’ve not enjoyed a great deal of sunshine over recent weeks so the pictures don’t do them justice.While we’ve been shuffling backwards and forwards we’ve also met some very nice people,there was Richard and Sharon off NB Oakapple who we met while we were moored above the pair of locks at Hack Green,the site of the not so secret Nuclear Bunker that I’ve mentioned before.Then there’s been Archie and Tracey off NB Greenfinch and their cat,Harry,who we’ve bumped into a number of times,not literally I must add.Above all though,I just have to mention Dennis and Ann who were introduced to us by Rob and Suzie,they’re the proud owners of NB Emily,which won the best in show at Crick in 2013 and who,amongst other things,invited all of us to their home for a meal on our last night in Nantwich,where a good night was had by all.The things that Dennis and Ann have commissioned from wood,both in their home and on their boat,are nothing less than works of art ,each piece exudes craftsmanship and attention to detail.Thanks to Dennis,Lisa has been able to rediscover her Bellringing while Ann introduced us to Line Dancing at the Civic Centre in Nantwich.Both activities proved far more complicated than I ever imagined and we both look forward to participating again in the future.We need something other than Ukelele playing you see.   

 

Overlooking Hurleston Junction,Chyandour is the half a boat on the extreme right of the pic’ which was taken from the reservoir at Hurleston.The Reservoir itself that we finally got the chance to walk around.

 

Two volunteers,Emma and Nick,from the Small Tasks Team Volunteers putting a new mooring bollard above the Hurleston Flight.Just one of the many jobs they undertake on the North Wales and Borders waterways.You can see who does all the hard work.We’ve known Emma and Nick since we hired Kingfisher from Bettisfield Boats on the Llangollen back in May 2012 when we came prepared for the tail end of winter and almost got fried in a heatwave.We had to get a bus to Oswestry to get Suncream.

 

Lisa and I being shown the ropes so to speak in the Belfry of St.Mary’s Church,Nantwich.Lisa used to ring when she lived in Cornwall 50 years or so ago and thanks to a couple of new found friends,Ann and Dennis,she got the chance to have a try during the Thursday night practice session and it came back to her like riding a bike.I was,shall we say,not so good,though it was my first time.Lisa got the opportunity to have a go again the following week when we were invited back for Fish & chips in the Belfry,now that has got to be something few people can say they’ve enjoyed.

 

Some of the very friendly Bellringers in Nantwich and then there’s Lisa having a go in the nearby St.Mary’s Church in Acton, we were again invited to their practice session by Dennis and they also proved to be very welcoming and encouraging.

Among the many facilities that we were able to enjoy while moored near Nantwich has been the railway.On the train we’ve been to Liverpool and to see our Daughters and Grandchildren  near Burton on Trent on a couple of occasions.On the buses that pass under the Aqueduct carrying the Shroppie over the A534 Chester Road,we’ve been to Crew and Chester.

 

The Royal Liver Building,Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building at the Pier Head in Liverpool that we visited by train for the day.We walked to the Pier Head to take a look at Albert Dock where we hope to moor when we visit Liverpool next year.The other pic’ is the statue of Billy Fury near Albert Dock,a Rock and Roll star of our generation,who was born in Liverpool and is famous for singing Halfway to Paradise amongst other achievements.

 

Part of the Christmas decorations in Liverpool and the famous clock on the city walls of Chester where we went for the day,this time by bus though.

During our stay near Nantwich we’ve had the chance to enjoy the services of Renaissance Canal Carrying Company,better known as Brian and Ann Marie McGuigan on NB Alton.They deliver coal,gas and diesel on a number of canals in this area,between Ellesmere Port on the Shroppie and Whaley Bridge on the Peak Forest Canal.The service they provide is excellent and they deliver in all weathers from early morning till well past sunset.It’s not unusual to hear his horn attracting his regulars well after dark and we’ll be heading nearer to his base so we should be assured of a supply of fuels over winter.

Well that’s it for this time folks.Since our last blog we have gone through 70 Locks and cruised 58 Miles,most of both the locks and miles at least twice.That gives us a Grand Total of 1056 Locks and 1681 Miles since we set off back in October 2012.

Adderley.

Hi,

This week our blog,once again,comes to you all the way from the Shropshire Union Canal,this time,from just below the Adderley Locks near the village of,guess what?, Adderley,in Cheshire.A tiny village about a third of a mile from the canal with no pubs or shops that I’m aware of.We’re still here because,after all the weeks of lovely weather,the weather forecast on last nights Countryfile said it would chuck it down with rain.Our intention was to get to Audlem but,hay ho,we’ll get there another day and make the most of where we are for a bit longer.

 

Yesterday morning at our mooring here at Adderley,looked like a good day was on the cards.Yesterday evening.What do they say about “Red sky at Night”?

Since our last blog we have covered a lot of old ground,or water,to be precise.We blogged from a number of places on the Shroppie last year and,as we’ve been taking things very slowly,there hasn’t really seemed to have been a lot to blog about these last couple of weeks or so.Our last blog came to you from Oxley on the S&W and we left there three weeks ago,in the company of Mick and Marianne on NB Doormouse,and made our way back up the Shroppie to Brewood where we parted company the next day.They were heading home and we were on our way to meet friends at Norbury,as we waited at Wheaton Aston Lock for a boat coming up,we had another surprise.The boat in the lock was that of some more friends that we haven’t seen for well over a year,Wixie and Kate,who’s boat name I can never remember,it’s something Welsh,I think.After swapping stories with them we parted company and continued on our respective journeys only to bump,not literally,into another boat and crew at the next bridge.It was someone else we haven’t seen for a while,but who’s names and boat name we just can’t remember for sure (It’s got to be an age thing).They came to the rescue of Lisa’s fairy ornament that got blown of the bows into the T&M at Shobnall Fields nearly two years ago.Anyway,after a brief chat,we set off once again,arriving at Norbury on the Thursday.

 

A dinky little narrowboat moored above Countrywide Cruisers near Brewood,not quite the smallest we’ve seen but getting close to it.At last,I managed to get one of the little monsters to stand still for long enough for me to get the camera,find it in the viewfinder and then snap.It’s in there somewhere,I hope you can see it.

Our first night in Norbury was with some more friends and we all piled into the Junction Inn for a meal & only the odd glass or two to wash the food down.Norbury has a lot of good memories for us as we used to hire from there quite frequently and as a result we got to know some of the people who moor and work there.There’s Ange and Mark on NB Merry Pippin and Peter and Sandra on NB Miss Molly who we ate with in the pub,and then there are others who moor nearby or work on the wharf and in the tearooms.Friday was the day that we were waiting for though,The Cats Whiskers was coming to Norbury to go into the drydock and have a new prop fitted,having done some minor damage on her travels.We hadn’t seen Pat and Rodger,her crew,since they paid us a visit while we were moored in Birmingham for last years Christmas Market,and it was good to see them again.The Cats Whiskers is the sister to Chyandour,having been built by Kingfisher Narrowboats at Trent Lock in 2012,just before they started our boat.

 

David manoeuvring The Cats Whiskers in the basin and threading her way backwards down the old Newport Canal to the drydock at the end,which was the former Lock 1.

 

The Cats Whiskers gently entering the dry dock at Norbury and Pat and Roger holding the Stop Planks down while the lock was drained.

 

Me and Lisa with Roger and Pat just before they set off on their travels South and us to prepare to head North.Another job done,Chyandour loaded with coal and nicely sheeted down.Reminds me of when I first started driving trucks,no Tautliners then.

Our time at Norbury was well spent,we got all the little jobs done that build up over the year and that keep getting put off till there’s a more suitable time,a time that somehow hardly ever seems to arrive when you want.Over the following few days we had a few meals and even more drinks in The Junction and on the last day we were taken by Peter,Sandra and Carolyn to the Stone Food and Drink Festival where we had a great time sampling some of the food and drink there.We rounded our whole stay off with a last meal in The Junction on Friday night.

 

A couple of the little jobs I’ve been meaning to do on Chyandour.I’ve been looking at these LED Tunnel Lamps for a while ‘cos the old lamp was the only light on our boat that wasn’t LED.This was one of ebay’s finest & I think it looks good,just looking for a long dark tunnel now.Our other new addition,a Tiller Tassel,hand made by Dave Edwards off NB Louisa,see the connection?

We finally tore ourselves away from Norbury a week ago Saturday with the intention of taking our time heading North and stopping at a few places that we hadn’t stopped at on our previous travels up and down the Shroppie.There was The Anchor at High Offley,an unspoilt canalside pub,built in the 1830s and where the beer can still be served from a jug from the cellar on request.Then there was The Wharf Tavern,a more up to date hostelry at Goldstone,both of which came highly recommended for their own unique characteristics.Needless to say we enjoyed a drink in them both and the WiFi in the Wharf was good,on the mooring nearby there was nothing at all.

 

The old “Factory in the Fields” at Knighton,built by Cadbury’s in 1911 to make Chocolate Crumb for their factory at Bournville which is also alongside a canal,the W&B.Approaching one of the few places on our canals that Lisa isn’t fond of,Woodseaves Cutting.Thomas Telford was the engineer and it was dug in 1832.Overall it’s just under 2 miles long,up to about 65 feet deep and it’s sides can be steep and vertical which occasionally result in landslips. In the deepest part of the cutting the waterway narrows to about half its normal width and it was all dug by hand,no JCB’s then.

 

Inside the cutting,surprisingly,it’s possible to get a phone signal in there.

 

One of the high bridges that span the cutting give an idea of it’s depth,nearly 40 feet at this point to the top of the bridge.A happy face to great you as you emerge from the North end of the cutting.

Shortly after we left the cutting we came across the 5 Tyreley Locks,which are close together and have one particular characteristic,you can’t moor in the bottom pound to work locks 4 or 5,it’s too shallow at the edges and you can’t get off the boat.Instead you wait in either lock till the other is set in your favour,many crews have been caught out by this,two while we were there.Anyway,this time,there was a problem with number 5,it emptied as fast as it filled because of some obstruction on the bottom gates.It was intermittent,which never helps,we could close the gates and get a boat through ok then the next boat would struggle.CRT and ourselves groped around to try and remove the obstruction but,having helped the last of the boats through,Lisa and I left Steve and Dave from CRT still busy.I guess they cleared whatever it was ‘cos boats were moving in both directions later in the day.

From there,our next stop was Market Drayton,where we wanted to stock up on supplies as well as visit the Wednesday market that we had always seemed to miss when we had visited before.We weren’t disappointed,managing to get a nice fresh rabbit for the pot,the first one for over a year.We also treated ourselves to Fish and Chips,which have become a bit of a delicacy on the boat.Hot cooking oil and boats don’t mix so we don’t make our own you see.The Tudor Fish & Chip shop on Stafford Street in Market Drayton serves good food with friendly service and we thoroughly enjoyed our takeaway.

After a couple of days in Market Drayton we decided to head up to Audlem for the weekend but that plan went out of the window,as is often the case,and we decided to stay here.This weekend we celebrated our second anniversary of living on Chyandour and my 66th birthday with our home brewed Cider and very good it was too.

That’s all again for this blog folks.Since our last one we have done 12 Locks and cruised 30 Miles,not a lot for three weeks.That gives us a Grand Total of 990 Locks and 1,624 Miles since we set off two years ago.Take care everyone.