May bank Holiday

Thomas with a better mode of transport




The lift Bridge




All together






May bank holiday at Whitchurch


We decided to lay up for the bank holiday weekend which we now know was a good idea. We managed to get a good mooring only 20 mins walk from the centre of town

Saturday Noreen and explored the delights of the town it is a typical market town with lots of charm, we found direction that would guide our visitors to our mooring and found a nice little church for Mass.
Sunday Mat Lorraine and Thomas arrived what a day we were all burnt to a crisp the hottest day so far we had a nature ramble a play in the park and a bit of fishing, a great day. Monday Viki Rus and Elliot arrived another great day we even missed to showers
On the whole a great weekend, we have Elliot with us now until Friday we have just set some rabbit snares so you can see what kind of a week we are in for.

Hi Everyone
Yesterday was a bad day the weather was the worst we have had though being the true grits that we are we just donned our wet gear and slogged on, we had to make Ellsmere as we had been invited out to dinner by Barbara and Robert Barbara works with Maryanne she teaches ceramics (pottery and other arts) we were collected and returned Great food great wine and great company, we also had a guided tour around the parish church that was fascinating they had a stained glass window donated to Victoria and Albert the first I have ever seen.

Today we only moved a few miles we are moored at the side of Blake Mere one of the many mere's in the area I took this pic through the port hole window in our bed room just to describe the view we will be waking up to.

Tomorrow we are of to Whitchurch were we hope to catch up with people over the bank holiday weekend

God Bless

Bigal

Day Out

Hi All

We have arrived at Llangollen the journey here was as the kids say Awesome we had to go over two viaducts and two tunnels the viaducts are fantastic especially the Pontcyslite Viaduct it is as spectacular as the pictures say it is really like flying, on one side there is only a pieces steal holding you, your boat and thousands of gallons of water from tumbling 200 feet into the river Dee below on the other side is a three foot wide foot path with a steel railing I wondered just how many cameras there would be at the bottom of the river Dee. as I said spectacular one of the wonders of British nineteen century engineering.

Today Noreen and I have had a day away from the canal. We are moored in the basin at Llangollen this is as far as you get the only boats that go the last two miles are the horse drawn sight seeing boats. Noreen and I decided to take the train not an ordinary train no the steam train from Llangollen to Carrog its only about 12 miles but it runs along the river Dee the scenery is spectacular and with the steam and the sound from the train it made it wonderful. on the return we got off the train at Berwyn and walked to the head of the Langollen canal, now hears the interesting thing; the Llangollen canal needs a lot of water because of its height and the number of locks, Telford decided to feed the canal from the river Dee, he built a weir in the shape of a horseshoe across the Dee and fed water through a pumping house into the canal creating the horseshoe falls. We then had lunch at the Chainbridge hotel from here we walked the two miles back to Llangollen ending a really nice day.

Tomorrow we start the journey back along the Llangollen this should take about four days at our pace. the canal is very narrow in places Noreen has to go ahead and stop boats coming though there is only enough room for one boat its not all like that but it is very narrow, very shallow and fast I have never known a canal run as fast as this one.

Check out the One Show they were filming in this marina this morning if we appear it will be in the first 30 seconds. Most people get 15 mins of fame we get 30 seconds.

Speak soon

Love to all

Buggerlugs

HORSE DRAWN BOAT (horse is the one without the hat)

Pontcyslite Aqueduct Llangollen Basin, Buggerlugs centre left corner

Here we are at the Lion Quays Hotel. Noreen has just had her first long soak in the bath and I am sure there will be a few more. Tomorrow Maryanne is coming and they are both going for a Sauna and Jacuzzi.

We will then move, leaving this sanctuary of opulence behind we will move on to Chirk were we should hopefully take on water, we are then to go over the aqueduct, after the aqueduct we are off to the terminus of the canal at Llangollen, turn around and start the journey back.

Last night we had Barbara to dinner which was lovely. Good food, Good wine and Good friends.

some pics

Going into a very narrow Deep lock


its like going into a damp coffin





Looking back down the flight of locks

This one is for Vici

I have found your boat

So far So Good

Hi Everyone
Well we have been out now three weeks it feels like a year, We have actually made the Llangolan canal in fact we are at Ellsmere (not Ellsmere Port Ellsmere in Shropshire) We have covered 105 miles though we were moored 4 days in Stretford, 3 days at the Salt works, and 2 days at Marbury, 9 days off the 21 = 12 105 over 12 = 8.75 miles a day which seems to suit our pace of live.
Along the way we have visited some great places, the Anderton Boat lift, Barton Aqueduct, Hurleston flight, Country Fairs,The lovely rolling Cheshire country side, the slowly rolling hills, the lovely Mere's along the canal, the fantastic cooling woods gathered on each side of the canal blanketed with bluebells making the air so heavy with there unmistakable scent. the wild life is so wonderful you seem to creep up on it and you never know what is around the corner
The Locks that have gates so narrow that the boat only just gets in, and once in you feel like a sardine.
The river Weaver was great fun its a lot more beautiful that I ever imagined we will be back to spend a week on the river next year. The lovely little towns of Northwich, Middlewich, Nantwitch.Wrenbury ,Whitchurch. Also of course there are the people you meet everything you here about the canal life is true everyone is so friendly and helpful and far more easy to talk to. the name Buggerlugs is always a topic of conversation and very amusing to so many people.
The weather has been very good so far, we have had trouble with the wind , boaters hate the it makes the boat almost unmanageable it is to be very windy tomorrow so we are staying here in this mooring at Ellsmere.
In conclusion so far so good it is all we expected and more

A day at the fete

Today Matt and Thomas caught up with us at a place called Marbury just south of Whitchurch
they held a reenactment of a battle of the civil war very interesting but Thomas preferred the old Tractors

Great day


Rev it up and let it go The Puppet Show



Just put the plough on and Bears that talk, Now thats New??
stop worrying

High all

Hi

Great bank holiday with loads of visitors Russ, Viki and Elliot on Saturday, Loraine, Matt and Thomas on Sunday we went to the Zoo and had a great day waking all the animals up though the penguins were fun. Monday we had Julie, John, Bethany, Rachael, and of course Elliot

Thanks everyone for a great weekend.

I have got Internet again but its very weak so I do not think we will have any pics.

We stayed last night in Middlewich nice quiet little place with a Lidl only ten mins from the cut,

so Noreen got her shopping fix. today we came through Middlewich its a very windy canal the locks are narrow and the entrances are very acute so its been a hard slog once through Middlewich its very beautiful with pleasant rolling Cheshire hills full of dairy farms. the wind was very strong and it made steering hard so I had little time to enjoy the view.

we are moored now in the middle of nowhere being tossed about by the wind.

Chester Zoo

Looking down the Boat lift

Elliots new Quote

Before you go climbing trees make sure there are no nettles underneath to fall on

Noreen in Charge

Notice how straight the canal is

Now on the Weaver a very Bendy

River