Good nights sleep in the warmth of the boat-fire burning all night at the moment.
No locks today just a few lift bridges and 5 hours cruising to the delightful Ellesmere (Not to be confused with Ellesmere Port) a small town near the Shropshire/Welsh border.
Merlin and the three of he knights of the round table passed our window at around eight o clock. I have no idea which knights they were.
Started reasonably warm and quite pleasant and the lack of leaves on the trees showed the extent of the earthworks associated with building this canal through this tumbling countryside. But as we turned away from Whitchurch the character of the canal changes as the canal enterers the deserted expanse of marshland known as Whixal Moss. There is nothing to be seen stretching each side of the boat for miles except the flat marsh. In this area the canal has been subject to a lot of subsidence over the years as it has sunk into the marsh. A consequence of this is that the canal is very deep and also very straight. It is also very straight being broken only by the occasional lift bridge carrying a track across the moss.The lift bridges were all done by Joanne.
Presently the moss gives way to tumbling countryside again and starts twisting and turning. Although no snow in this area a passing boater said "Llangollan is covered in snow with no sign of melting".
Perishing cold around Bettisfield and the high embankment around Hampton Bank. After an hour or so things changed again as we moved into the Shropshire "Mere" " country sometimes known as the Shropshire lake district. The meres are left overs from melted ice from the last ice age which cant escape through rivers like a normal lake.
The canal cuts across the edge of Cole Mere and Blake Mere before plunging through Ellesmere Tunnel and into Ellesmere (not to be confused with Ellesmere Port near Liverpool which is a different place altogether and about 80 miles away). We had had a quite run up to this point with no locks today and just the occasional lift bridge. The waterway had been quiet but that was about to change. Lots of hire boats here with varying levels of skill from their drivers. We took on fresh water at the waterways workshop and did a reverse manoeuvre to get us back onto the Ellesmere arm which is a short branch canal off the main route.
We found a mooring at the end of the arm next to the town and adjacent to the old Shropshire Union wharehouse shown in the picture. A new Tesco has been built next to the canal here which was useful for taking on basic provisions. But Ellesmere is a quaint old town with old fashioned shops and no visit can be complete without visiting some of these outlets. I guess that these shops have survived as we are many miles from any other town or "retail park"
And no shop can be more worth visiting than Vermeulen's pie and delicatessen shop where the pork pies are still warm when you buy them. (see photo!).
I went into a clothing shop and said "have you got a scarf" "Sold out last week" said the assistant, "do you still do Balaclava's" I ventured, "Sold out of THEM before Xmas" was the reply.
When I had left the boat to walk into the town went there were a couple of guys about 40 ish discussing planting out in the garden. When I returned after shopping 30 minutes later they were discussing the local (Ellesmere) football team. Somehow, at some level, I quite liked that.
So bought a Pork Pie but tonight its medalion steaks, onions, mushrooms, new potatoes peas and carrots cooked on board washed down with a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone. Only disturbed by "Crash, Bang" a hire boat attempting to turn at the end of the arm. They wern't doing anything wrong in the way they attempted it it was just that the wind had now got up and was playing havoc with their steering. I went out to help. Think they thought I was going to tell them off!
No locks today just a few lift bridges and 5 hours cruising to the delightful Ellesmere (Not to be confused with Ellesmere Port) a small town near the Shropshire/Welsh border.
Merlin and the three of he knights of the round table passed our window at around eight o clock. I have no idea which knights they were.
Started reasonably warm and quite pleasant and the lack of leaves on the trees showed the extent of the earthworks associated with building this canal through this tumbling countryside. But as we turned away from Whitchurch the character of the canal changes as the canal enterers the deserted expanse of marshland known as Whixal Moss. There is nothing to be seen stretching each side of the boat for miles except the flat marsh. In this area the canal has been subject to a lot of subsidence over the years as it has sunk into the marsh. A consequence of this is that the canal is very deep and also very straight. It is also very straight being broken only by the occasional lift bridge carrying a track across the moss.The lift bridges were all done by Joanne.
Presently the moss gives way to tumbling countryside again and starts twisting and turning. Although no snow in this area a passing boater said "Llangollan is covered in snow with no sign of melting".
Perishing cold around Bettisfield and the high embankment around Hampton Bank. After an hour or so things changed again as we moved into the Shropshire "Mere" " country sometimes known as the Shropshire lake district. The meres are left overs from melted ice from the last ice age which cant escape through rivers like a normal lake.
The canal cuts across the edge of Cole Mere and Blake Mere before plunging through Ellesmere Tunnel and into Ellesmere (not to be confused with Ellesmere Port near Liverpool which is a different place altogether and about 80 miles away). We had had a quite run up to this point with no locks today and just the occasional lift bridge. The waterway had been quiet but that was about to change. Lots of hire boats here with varying levels of skill from their drivers. We took on fresh water at the waterways workshop and did a reverse manoeuvre to get us back onto the Ellesmere arm which is a short branch canal off the main route.
We found a mooring at the end of the arm next to the town and adjacent to the old Shropshire Union wharehouse shown in the picture. A new Tesco has been built next to the canal here which was useful for taking on basic provisions. But Ellesmere is a quaint old town with old fashioned shops and no visit can be complete without visiting some of these outlets. I guess that these shops have survived as we are many miles from any other town or "retail park"
And no shop can be more worth visiting than Vermeulen's pie and delicatessen shop where the pork pies are still warm when you buy them. (see photo!).
I went into a clothing shop and said "have you got a scarf" "Sold out last week" said the assistant, "do you still do Balaclava's" I ventured, "Sold out of THEM before Xmas" was the reply.
When I had left the boat to walk into the town went there were a couple of guys about 40 ish discussing planting out in the garden. When I returned after shopping 30 minutes later they were discussing the local (Ellesmere) football team. Somehow, at some level, I quite liked that.
So bought a Pork Pie but tonight its medalion steaks, onions, mushrooms, new potatoes peas and carrots cooked on board washed down with a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone. Only disturbed by "Crash, Bang" a hire boat attempting to turn at the end of the arm. They wern't doing anything wrong in the way they attempted it it was just that the wind had now got up and was playing havoc with their steering. I went out to help. Think they thought I was going to tell them off!
No comments:
Post a Comment