Whither Wales

How do people manage a daily blog?
After 16 days of continuous cruising I have only just settloed down to write this one.
No time after a days boating with early starts to write it up and on the rare occasion when I had the time I couldn't get my dongle to work. It's an old man's complaint.
Anyway we (Roy and Annie on Panther and Geoff J and I on Independence) travelled South from Barbridge in Cheshire which is just south of Chester on the Shropshire Union Canal onto the Llangollen canal which runs from north of Nantwich to, surprisingly, Llangollen, returning via the open section of the Montgomery canal to Maesbury Marsh rejoining the Shropshire Union down to its end thence to Birmingham.
This post will cover up to where we reached the end of the Shropshire Union before entering the exotic land that is Wolverhampton.

Sunday, 8th September
The plan was to leave Barbridge on the Shropshire UInion Canal and  enter the Llangollen Canal shortly after 8 a.m. aiming for Whitchurch some 8 hours away. Well as an old friend once told me-"If you want to make God laugh then tell him your plans"
Roy on Panther failed to start up that morning courtesy of what we discovered was a knackered lift pump which supplies diesel from tank to engine.
We were due to meet John Pattle on Pacific at the junction of the two canals-Hurleston Junction-and John, amongst other things is a marine engineer. As he had already gone through the locks at Hurleston I took Independence up to collect him at the junction and bring him back to Panther. He soon confirmed the bad news. However fortunately we had Roy's car and after a few hours scurrying round Shropshire a replacement pump was found and fitted. We finally left ay 1 p.m. so Whitchurch was a no-hoper. We made it nearly to Wrenbury with Panther and Pacific mooring in the countryside and Independence pressing on to Wrenbury in search of dinner. When people say that pubs are closing and it's  a shame I agree. But one of the reasons they are closing is because they don't give service. Both pubs in Wrenbury had stopped doing food by 8 pm and they both claim to be food orientated. Fortunately the second one, The Cotton Arms, relented when we asked the lad from the kitchen who was only too willing to produce some very welcome fish and chips. During the time we were waiting another couple were given the "kitchen shut" answer and left without buying a drink.  The other place "The Millers Arms" just said the ovens were turned off.  Aint they heard of microwaves? Sod 'em they deserve to go down the tube.

No matter -we woke to a wonderful misty morning and  Geoff and I waited  with Independence at the lift bridge south of Wrenbury for the arrival of Pacific and Panther.

and here they come out of the mist

Pacific in the lead

followed by Panther

Roy and Annie enjoying the morning sunshine

Then through the electric road bridge at Wrenbury-just in time to hold up the rush hour traffic-both of them

We travelled on to Bettesfield where we moored out in the country, publess and unloved, setting off in the morning for Crick stopping at Ellesmere for provisions and gas...........................................

The "Mere" at Ellesmere

...........................and stopping at the Jack Mynott for a reviver. John found an engine but can't work out how to tell Georgie where he's going to keep it

 and Geoff, Roy and Annie found a bear.

Then on to Crick for the evening. Remember what I said about pubs? Well the Bridge inn at Crick Bank doesn't do food on Tuesdays.

This is Crick Aquaduct with the tunnel behind

In the morning we head off across Crick Aquaduct, through Crick Tunnel and on to Trevor across the mighty Pontcysillte Aquaduct.

That's a sheer drop off the side. An excellent cure for constipation.

A view of the Dee below through the Portlight

And a picture of Annie's Mum and Dad crossing the aqueduct a few years back!

We moored in Llangollen overnight and it rained enthusiastically. I've been to the town three times and it has never inspired me greatly. It has always rained. The Canal and River Dee apart it aint pretty and the pubs are uninteresting. We did find a Bistro on the bridge where the atmosphere was good and the food excellent

Shame about the company

In the morning we set off back down towards the Aquaduct leaving Llangollen -still raining- at 7 a.m.

Sadly we could have had another hour in bed as we got stuck behind a hire boat doing -2mph and despite requests would not let us pass. Tosser.

Back over the Pontcyssillte aquaduct, through Chirk and after a 2 hour wait at Martin Moor locks to the Jack Mynott pub for dinner and very good it was too.

A cuppa whilst we wait for the locks

The moorings outside the Jack Mytton-apparently the pub is up for sale.

Oh well, nobody's perfect!

In the morning down to the entrance to the Montgomery Canal where we wait for the 12 noon access.

First in the queue

The Montgomery is very pleasant in the dry. It was wet. But we made good time to Maesbury Marsh-the end, for now, of navigation where there is an excellent Inn called the Navigation. We reckon it's 4/5 years since we were last here but it's as good as before.
A change of crew here with Geoff J leaving and Adrian and Mike P joining.
 We were joined at dinner by Ian and Clare, friends of John, which is unusual. They live at Grindley Brook and are going to help us through Grindley locks later in the trip. A splendid evening with much laughter and too much of everything else.

Annie and Roy meets  friendsHilary and Bob at the end of the Montgomery Arm

Waiting for the 12 to 2pm exit from the Monty

We headed pelmel for Grindley Brook upsetting people as we did but the pint and grub in the Horse and Jockey was worth it.
Through Grindley Brook locks in the morning assisted by Ian and Clare and on to Hurleston (the junction with the Shropshire Union) for a publess Sunday night

Back on the Shroppie canal we meet the Audlem flight

and the weather looks iffy

Annie lockwheeling for Britain

A quick (very) pint at the bottom of the Audlem flight in the Shroppie Fly

Job Done

And we head for Market Drayton for the evening.



The only pub canalside is the Talbot........you guessed it. Shut Mondays. So we cabbed it into M Drayton and had an excellent evening in the Red Lion-a Joules pub.

These bridge guards show the teethmarks of many boaters frustrated by the number of pubs who close or stop doing food early or don't do food the evening they visit

In the morning we replenish stocks at the local Asda and head off through Tyrley locks-a beautiful flight stopping at the Wharf Inn Goldstone for a livener.

That evening we stopped at High Offley where we had a pint in the Anchor, a totally unspoilt pub with only one beer Wadsworths 6X, a fire, good company followed by a late dinner

The following day we headed for Wheaton Aston stopping at Gnosall for a pint and the Butchers (Shut Wednesdays-it was a Wednesday) We are joined by Bob and Jennifer who normaally moor at Cowroast.

A meal in the Hartley Arms where we are joined by Bob and Jennifer and John's friends Kevin and Christine, for a fullsome, hearty-attacky dinner.

Waterlooing at Wheaton Aston (or Wheaton Astonishing as it shows in predictive text)

In the morning a three hour run to the end of the Shroppie at Autherley Junction. Very wet and by the time we get there it doesn't take long to decide we aint doing the Wolverhqmpton 21 flight that day. So we bed down for the afternoon-I train and cab it back to Lapworth to get my car and leave it at Tipton for the next carshuffle. Of course whilst I'm mixing with the great unwashed on the trains and arguing the toss with inadequate non English speaking cab drivers the sun comes out and it's a beautiful afternoon. Hey Ho.

We thought we had moored in a dry area but the gang found a little club in the adjacent Oxley Boat Services so we had a few Magic Guiness and watched a very entertaining pool match. Nice bunch of people.

And so to bed with the Wolverhampton 21 for the morning.

But that's for the next post.