Bugsworth Basin.

Hi All,
I've been singing the praises of Bugsworth Basin in the last couple of blogs as we've tried to bring our journey up to date so here is a bit of a description and a few pic's.We've been here a week now as we've recuperated from the nasty little infection we caught in the last few days of our stay in Corralejo and we're both much better now thank you.Being on a boat here in Bugsworth is good 'cos,as I've said before,just about everything we need is here,there's all the boat services,there's shops and there's a pub.First of all though I want to mention Brian and Anne Marie on Coalboat Alton.Who are they you may ask?Well,they're probably the hardest working couple I've ever met.Yesterday while we were experiencing some of the more unpleasant weather that the UK can provide,it was windy and it was lashing down,into the basin came the pair of them,on their boat,delivering coal,gas & diesel to all us boaters who decide not to bother moving when the weather isn't so good.They work as much as 15 hours a day in all weathers,when the canal is frozen or there's a stoppage they deliver by van,when water levels are down they drag,push or pole their boat past the obstruction.They're so reliable it's unbelievable,they're like clockwork.I want to buy something from them even when we don't need it just to say thank you for all the effort they put into looking after the rest of us.

Coalboat Alton outside Lyme View Marina on the Macclesfield canal while we were in Corralejo.I borrowed this picture from Brian's Facebook page,I hope he wont mind.

That's Chyandour,moored between The Wide and the Lower Basin Arm at Bugsworth.

The basin here is the South East terminus of the Peak Forest canal which was first completed to Marple in 1800 and then in 1804 the Upper Peak Forest was opened when the 16 Locks at Marple were finished.After that it was possible get by boat from here to the Ashton Canal at Dukinfield Junction near Ashton Under Lyne and then from there down into Manchester and the rest of the UK.Tramways brought Limestone and Gritstone ( a hard Sandstone used in building ) six and a half miles down to the basin from the quarries at Doveholes where it was either loaded into boats for the journey to the rest of the UK,or,in the case of some of the Limestone,into Lime Kilns where it was heated and turned into Quicklime.Lime being a major ingredient in a lot of building materials as well as being used for agriculture and in the chemical industry.

On the centre right of the pic there is what's left of the Gnat Hole ( West )  Limekilns,they collapsed before the beginning of the 20th Century and were never repaired.The arch to the left goes over the Middle Basin Arm where there were 11 Limekilns,8 New Road and 3 Navigation,and a Lime shed for storage

 There were as many as 19 Limekilns around Bugsworth Basin,some before the canal was built,most have gone,just bits of Gnat Hole East and West and a little bit of New Road Kilns are left.The original Navigation Kilns are no more.

Gnat Hole ( East ) Limekilns on the Middle Basin

The Lower Basin with it's usual collection of boats.We find this basin to be a bit noisy from the Black Brook that runs alongside over some weirs.The tv signal and internet aren't that good either.

Our Neighbour across the way,she's been on there for nearly a week but we haven't been able to see if she has any eggs yet.

I very nearly posted this blog with one serious omission.As far as I can recall I've never posted a blog without some mention of a pub and I nearly forgot to add the bit about The Navigation here in Bugsworth.
Last Thursday morning while we were pottering about,two faces appeared outside Chyandour,they were the faces of Richard and Sharron off NB Oakapple who we hadn't seen since Hack Green on the Shroppie last October.Well,we decided to meet up later in the Navigation to catch up and as the evening wore on,there was a quiz,totaly unexpected.Anyway,accompanied by another round of drinks we entered the quiz and much to our surprise,we came second,hows that then?I will add that there were more than two teams for any doubting Thomas's.A good night was had by us all and we waved Richard and Sharron off on their travels the next morning.
 Well,that's me just about blogged out now.Three blogs in three days and I'm running out of ideas so I'll post this and call it a day till next week.We haven't moved since our last Grand Total so there is nothing to add to that.Take care everyone.

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.