Another day in Bollington

Just a note today. We've been to the butcher and the Co-op again and taken a walk this afternoon to look at the dredging going on. I'm pleased to say that they were doing the winding hole just this side of Riley Green. The dredge is being spread on a field by the canal.

We came back along the Middlewood Way – it's really useful to be able to combine towpath and the MW around here.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we've been able to confirm our electoral registration this afternoon. Elanor had visited the marina and phoned with info about the post she'd collected for us. One item was the brown envelope from the S Derbyshire council with the details of our registration.

Elanor photographed the first page of the letter with the security codes on it and emailed it to us. I opened that on my iPad and gave the info to Sheila who was on the website on hers. Ten minutes later and it was all done.

Tomorrow, a bit more boating, hooray.

Location:Bollington

Taking it fairly easy in Bollington

Although we weren't going anywhere today, we still woke in good time and had a serious lie-in reading the Indy and doing Killer Sudoku. We finally ambled up to eat breakfast, then made an early visit to the Co-op, buying a bit of the heavier stuff like soda water and beer. We’ll make a final trip tomorrow, including a visit to one of the butchers here.

Back at the boat, I decided to run off a letter asking for a repeat prescription to be sent to the Braidbar yard. Sure enough, the printer cartridge was reluctant to co-operate, but thanks to application of the warm water trick and the cleaning cycle on the printer we finally got an acceptable level of print out of it. (Thanks, Jenny, for the advice!)

After coffee, we cleaned and waxed the galley floor. We’re almost out of Osmo wax, so will have to wait until a fresh order is delivered to Braidbar before we can do the dinette and saloon.

We’ve been taking it easy this afternoon. The warmer weather means we can have the bow door open and listen to the intriguing snatches of conversation on the towpath.

Another easy day tomorrow, then on to Poynton on Tuesday for a rendezvous with the crew of Priscilla II. A visit to the Boar’s Head may occur…

Location:Bollington

A wet day in Bollington

It’s a good job we didn't want to move today as it’s been raining quite hard on and off, the sort of deceptive stuff that looks as if it’s stopped and the sun’s come out, then starts pelting it down again when you venture out. We felt very sorry for the folk who had booked day boat hire that we've seen go back and forth past us in the downpours.

We took advantage of one dry spell to improve the way we’d moored. We had tied on rings that were pretty square to the bow and stern and as a result were moving back and forth quite a bit when boats passed, even those who were moving slowly. Combined with a sloping washwall, this was decidedly uncomfortable. We’ve now put a pin in a bit ahead of the bow, pulled the boat forward to tie the bow line to it and then used one of the centrelines to spring back onto the ring.

Things are now much more stable.

Apart from that, it’s been a day for largely lurking inside. We have cleaned and rewaxed the study bedroom floor. We managed to get down to the Co-op this afternoon to get some fruit, veg and a couple of bottles of wine to keep the stock going until we can get an Ocado order in when we get to Poynton. We’ll probably go down again tomorrow for some more bits and bobs. It’s a pleasant stroll down the wooded slope to the road but quite a pull back up hill when returning with full daysacks.

Typical Macc, in fact.

Location:Bollington

Two alternates and a third choice

We made a prompt start this morning with our alternate targets in mind. If there was room when we got there, we’d tie on the new pontoon moorings in Macclesfield and have a trip to Tesco. Alternatively, we’d press on to Riley Green and visit the Co-op in Bollington. So we got going just before eight, passing the other moored boats quietly, including Amy Jo which looked dark and dreamy still.

It’s a bit of a plod to Gurnett Aqueduct along a length that always seems to need dredging. At least it wasn't as windy today as it usually is. The visitor moorings on Gurnett were full on the unrestricted section but with a lot of space on the 48 hour part. It’s always quite a challenge tying there, as I’ve said before. There are rings but at awkward spacing and the ground is very reluctant to admit a pin. It’s a hard concrete edge that extends back under the grass for some distance.

On we plodded along the side embankment with a view over the town. We were following Belle of the Dachshund Carrying Company, a deep draughted boat that was struggling to make any way at all. Finally, her steerer waved us past, explaining that he had a blade full and would just have to stop in mid channel to clear it, the towpath being hopelessly inaccessible with shallow reeds along that stretch.

The bridge holes were very bunged up as usual and needed the boatman’s strategy of cracking on at them until you get the bow well in the hole, then shut the throttle so that the stern lifts and you slide through.

Hopefully.

Mostly it worked but it wasn't the fastest trip. When we got there, there was no question of tying on the pontoon moorings. If the two splitters GRP boats and a canoe occupying two pontoons between them had been tied more considerately, a 60 footer might well have got in, but not Sanity Again. So we pressed on on a reasonably pleasant morning, if a little cool.

A boat going the other way warned us that CRT are dredging the canal by Clarence Mill, so we were prepared to be held up for a bit in a good cause. However, as we approached, a boat was just leaving the far end of the moorings on the aqueduct and we were able to drop into the space she had left. This is the only way to get a mooring here, basically get lucky with a boat leaving. There are rings but no time limit beyond the default 14 days, so they are very popular. We’ve tied just in front of Braidbar number 8, The Iron Maiden.

It was now just after half ten and the sky was clouding over. The forecast is pretty soggy for the weekend and we are about two hours cruising time from Poynton. We’ve decided to stay put here for the weekend and finish the trip on Tuesday, arriving just one day early. I’ll probably just do brief blogs between now and then as there won’t be much boating to report.

Location:Bollington

A Green canal

Since joining the Macc, we've cruised from Hall Green and Scholar Green to Whiteley Green via Lyme Green, a very pleasant run indeed. Unfortunately, as last year, the canal is green in other ways too, with massive amounts of vegetation projecting from the offside, from the towpath in many places and from both sides of the bridge holes, making steering through them quite problematic. If only Manchester and Pennine were as successful as the old Central Shires was at recruiting volunteer support, things might be a lot better.

All it needs is some regular working parties with basic tools to slash it all back and keep the cut looking spruce and trim. We've seen volockies on the Bosley flight, and very helpful they were, but no sign of other volunteer input. I can't believe that the citizens of Cheshire East are less supportive than those of East Staffs or South Derbyshire.

Hey ho, we set off just on eight, as planned, and I steered us through Macc itself and on to Bollington. There was actually space on the new pontoon at Macc, though of course there might have been a boat there overnight which set off early like ourselves. Gurnett Aqueduct, on the other hand, was pretty well rammed.

We encountered a couple of boats going through the narrows behind Hurdsfield (where else?) but had no problem getting by. As expected, it took a smidgen over two and a half hours to get to Whiteley Green, where we found just one space, fortunately about 80' long.

We've been peacefully recovering here, sitting out the rain which arrived over lunchtime. It had pretty well cleared by three, so we walked into Bollington along the Middlewood Way, an excellent route to get to the shops. I mainly wanted to restock on meat, so we went to the far end of the stretch through Bollington, debouching onto Grimshaw Lane and walking down the hill to the butcher, one of two just there.

I wanted some more fresh veg, so we walked back along the Way to the exit for the Co-op, just before the viaduct going north, and popped down to use the nice new store down there. It's a bit of a test of determination to get back up the steps to the viaduct, but we did it and were soon strolling along with filled day sacks.

It's less than 90 minutes from here to the Deeps at Poynton, so we'll have a lazy start in the morning – no use turning up there before 10, we'd never find a space near the far end where we want to be. I'm thinking of the Ocado delivery here...



 

Off again

The batteries finally reached float after six and a bit hours last night. I reckon that the bank is on its last season; we had an interesting conversation with Peter about recent advances in maintenance free batteries – something to think about for September, probably.

Andy got cracking first thing and by ten all was finished and checked over by Peter. I had a session with Susan bringing the Braidbar Boat list up to date, including the next shell to be delivered, which will be number 165. I've got a bit of maintenance to do on that database to increase the engine options as the new bunch includes an electric boat and one with a Russell Newbery.

We set off just before eleven. I set out to wind outside the yard, but a combination of Tiree on the water point and a gusty wind in the wrong direction made it too difficult, so we went on to High Lane instead. In any event, I wasn't sorry to have a run away from the yard and back again just to make sure that all was well with the engine's fuel supply before we headed off. There was, naturally, no problem. When we stopped for the day at Whiteley Green, I lifted the engine boards and checked all the new joints in the pipework – again, all was well.

Whilst we were boating, I finished off making some bread I'd started first thing, so we were able to have hot rolls for lunch as we boated along. After a quiet post-prandial interlude, we walked along the Middlewood Way to Bollington and did a bit of top up shopping in the Co-op there. It's just over a mile each way and on the flat, of course, apart from the start and finish.

Tomorrow, on to Gurnett Aqueduct for a rendezvous with Ian and Sharon on Bunnies Warren.

An out and in sort of day

Unlike England's cricketers, who went in and then out... Ah well, at least we've got the Ashes back.

We had a very relaxed start, not finishing breakfast much before eight o'clock. I made a batch of multiseed and oatmeal dough and, the day being very fine, we took ourselves for a walk. We went along the towpath to the Whiteley Green moorings, from where you can cut through the car park and get down onto the Middlewood Way. Carrying on along there for some time along with the cyclists and Sunday morning joggers, we finally took a footpath back to the canal, rejoining it at Bridge 22.

That made for a pleasant stroll back on the towpath, being passed by many of the same joggers who had presumably gone on a bit further, to the road bridge (21), before heading back. It was a very pleasant two and a half miles, getting us back to the boat just in nice time for me to knock back the dough and shape it into rolls to pop back into the barely warm oven to prove.

I started the engine at ten and ran it for an hour, putting some bulk charge into the batteries and heating the calorifier. The bank was only down to 83%, so we could have left the engine off for the day if we'd wanted to. But I'd still have had to run the Hurricane on a warm day to get hot water, burning almost the same amount of diesel, and with quite a short run tomorrow, I'd have had to leave the engine on after we arrived at Poynton to get the batteries back up to full charge.

As it is, we've got enough hot water for the day and the solar panel has kept the state of charge up by covering the demands of the fridge and some phone and iPad charging.

It got windier and windier as the day went on and is now tipping it down, so it's quite unpleasant, frankly, warm and very humid. Hopefully things will be fresher and calmer tomorrow.

In case readers haven't seen the exchange of comments with Norwyn yesterday, we found The Vale to be one of the best pubs we've been in for a long time. It really is the way pubs used to be, family run, excellent food and beer and cheerful staff, nothing fancy, just solid quality. When I update the entry in the BOG Pub Guide, it will get five stars all round, for ambience, service and overall score.

Just a quickie

It's been a good day, but very busy, so just a quick catch up now, proper blog tomorrow. With the wind forecast for 20 mph gusting to 40 tomorrow, we needed to stay put. It's a 2 day mooring at Adelphi Mill and we didn't want to boat this afternoon after being in the pub at lunchtime. So we've just moved on out of Bollington onto the towpath. It's shallow and we've had to deploy the plank for the first time in ages.

The Vale was a brilliant pub, excellent beer and food, especially the pies. We've had a good old family gossip with Peter and Jan. As I say, we'll stay put for the next day, then on to Poynton on Monday.

 

Blimey, it's Bollington

A lazy start this morning, as we only had a couple of hours to boat to Bollington, where they've sorted the broken down towpath wall by the Adelphi Mill and reinstated the visitor moorings there. Setting off at half seven we got to the Swetenham Street CRT yard and water point a bit after eight. Having started the tank filling, I got the washing machine going as well, the water having heated up enough to make it worthwhile.

Sheila then steered all the way to Bollington in a steadily increasing wind. It was just starting to get troublesome when we got here – we've since had to move the plant troughs off the roof into the well deck to stop them from blowing over. The tall side of the mill exacerbates the situation, of course.

I took some photos of the swanky new VMs in Macc:

They are limited to 3 days stay, an unusual length which makes one wonder what the reason was for them.

After lunch, we walked down into the village to visit the Co-op and a butcher (Bollington has three). The Co-op has moved up the road a ways and is now much bigger. It even has self check out tills, would you believe, the first time we've seen them in a Co-op, I reckon.

We're going to stop here tomorrow, partly because it's forecast to rain, partly because we don't want to get to Poynton before Monday and partly because it's a different place to meet up with Sheila's brother and sister-in-law for lunch. We plan to try out The Vale, which has an interesting review in the BOG Pub Guide. I'll let you know what we thought of it in due course...

 

 

We set out towards Alrewas

After a great evening with Peter and Susan, we made a reasonably early start this morning and by half eight had winded Sanity Again outside the yard and were heading south and west along theMacc. It was my turn to steer, and I was pleased to find that the reduction of ballast in the stern resulting in 2" less draught meant the handling was generally lighter, with decent speeds over the ground where there was anything like a reasonable depth.

Indeed, on the stretch from the Deeps to Bridge 16, I was surprised to see the Garmin showing 4.1 mph, and had to throttle back a bit to stay legal. Adlington was reached after a bare half hour, but things slowed down rather after that. Bridges 20 and 21 are the shallowest on the canal, and a certain amount of leaf mould and silt was still dredged up as we went through.

Nonetheless, we made Bollington in just under two hours, so Sanity Again is now performing comparably with Sanity. Peter will be pleased that his suffering in dragging 600 kg of paving slab out from under the bed was not in vain.

/sweat

The only downside of the trip was the weather, which basically rained pretty well all the time. Sheila had a good excuse for remaining below, in that she was tidying up after last night. (It seems I may have got a bit carried away making the chicken in tomato and basil sauce in the wok, and red splashes had to be removed from the cooker and its surrounds. In fact, looking at the trousers I was wearing, I see that I shall have to change them when I shower after posting this blog.)

 /blush

We've tied on the few remaining rings by the Adelphi Mill in Bollington, the mill owner's alleged vandalism in cutting off all the others not having been repaired yet, though the collapsing state of the wash wall suggests that major surgery is required, not just a quick repair.

The weather having improved after lunch, we managed a nice walk up into Kerridge from Bridge 28, along the road to the right out of the village and so back to the canal at Bridge 29, then returning along the towpath past Kerridge Dock.

Tomorrow, we plan to go on to the Royal Oak swing bridge moorings, as we've a rendezvous with Peter and Jan at the Fool's Nook for lunch.

Windy Boating

Tying under the Adelphi Mill at Bollington Wharf when it’s really windy isn’t actually the most sensible thing to do, but we got away with it. Actually tying the boat was quite interesting, since it took two of us to hold her, and one to drive the pins in (the owner of the Adelphi has had all the mooring rings cut off because he thought they were trip hazards), and we only had two of us.

No matter, we managed, though it did involve temporarily tying to a mooring sign totem. The boat did a bit of rock and roll from time to time during the evening and night, and lighting the Squirrel wasn’t easy, because of the down draughts, but, hey, we’re still here.

This morning we set off reasonably early. Starting meant pulling out the pins without letting go of the ropes, then jumping aboard and waiting whilst the wind blew us clear of hotel boats Oak and Ash, who had tied, breasted up, right in front. (No comment.)

Then we had a jolly chug through familiar waters, arriving at the top of Bosley at 10.45. The locks were mostly against us, though we had a couple of encounters with boats coming up, and we arrived at the bottom by half twelve. Lunch was indicated, so we did, then came on a bit further to a towpath mooring just short of Congleton. We’d planned to go all the way through to the wharf, but thought that it might be a bit noisy on a Saturday night, not to mention the towering presence of another ex-mill, so a bit of rural peace seemed better.

The wind continues breezy, but not so bad as before; either it’s calming down a bit, or the lower altitude is helping. Quote of the day, from the woman steering one of the boats coming up Bosley, sitting in the open lock below watching Sanity Again blow sideways onto the towpath and stem up: "I'm waiting to get a clear run at it."

Tomorrow, on through the tunnel, probably tying at Westport Lake. Oh and forgot yesterday, we saw this unusual customer at Macclesfield Marina:

At least he can get onto the service pontoon, which is more than any visiting boat could :(

On our way

After an excellent evening yesterday, although we were sadly deprived of Susan’s company, we made a leisurely start this morning. It was likely that Susan would make it into work if Catherine was feeling better, so we planned to take Sanity Again out of the yard, run up to High Lane to wind and return to refill with diesel, since she wouldn't arrive until ten.

It is possible, just, to wind in the widened space outside the entrance to the arm, but with a blustery wind, we preferred to use the longer but safer strategy. In any event, Susan could not be with us before ten, so there was plenty of time. All this worked out as planned. Since we had hardly run the engine except for this one trip, it was possible to estimate the consumption of the Hurricane heater by the amount of fuel we’d used, sitting in the yard and running the heating very day.

The Hurricane has an hours counter; unlike a Webasto or Eberspacher, it cuts in and out whilst the heating is on, so it’s not possible to know how long the burner has been running without such a counter. The answer came out at around 0.64 litres per hour, making it very economical to run.

All day yesterday, and again today, a strange deep twanging noise had been heard, very difficult to locate, but apparently coming from the other side of the canal to the yard. As we boated along, it became apparent that it emanated from the high voltage electricity transmission lines whose towers run across the landscape on first one side and then the other of the canal.

They’ve been working on these lines and towers all month, apparently replacing both the cables and the insulators, so presumably this remarkable noise was in some way associated with that work.

After refuelling, we took it in turns to pop into the bungalow to say farewell to Peter and Susan. It was a wrench to go, we are made so welcome there, but it’s good to be boating once more.

We’ve settled for Bollington as today’s destination; we’d planned to go a bit further, but the delay in setting of, and the strong wind, inclined us to an early finish. There’s a good butcher just down the hill from the moorings by the Adelphi Mill, and an early start tomorrow will make up for lost time.

Boating again

Friday 2 March

Spent the morning watering, talking to Luisa Bryceland and Ian Grindrod about ways of installing an electric pump out facility, and then pulling out of the yard to get a pump out.

Having done this, winded at the end of the moorings ( a bit tricky in a gusty wind) and then went just a short way towards Bollington before stopping for lunch, it then being about 12.45. We did some internet research on the electric pump out question, without really finding any firm answers, and then boated on to Bollington aqueduct for the night.

The new connector for our Nokia 6234 to the aerial seems to work OK - it's attached by a piece of Velcro to the back of the phone over the internal aerial, so it doesn't feel as secure as the plug in ones. We shall have to see how it performs over time, I guess.

Tomorrow it's on to Macclesfield for the Save Our Waterways protest against funding cuts for British Waterways.