2004.
North West to South West
When we bought the boat, she was lying at Anderton Marina, and we had decided to spend the following winter in the Bath area, so this a record of our move from the North-West to the South-West of England.
We had most of the summer before we had to start work again, although at the time we had no jobs to go to. However,Paul drives buses and coaches, and Anne-Marie has wide experience of computerised accounts packages, so we knew that we should have little trouble finding new jobs. We decided that before leaving the North-West we would explore, so set off on the Cheshire Ring.This involves travelling South on the Trent & Mersey to Red Bull Junction, then North on the Macclesfield to Marple, then on to the Peak Forest, still going North to the Ashton, through Manchester joining the Bridgewater and back on to the T&M at Preston Brook. After we left Anderton for the second time, we went south to Middlewich, then along the branch to the Shropshire Union (SU). This takes you to Barbridge Junctiuon, where we made the short trip on the SU to Hurleston Junction, there joining the Llangollen canal. We travelled the whole length of this then returned to the SU, on which we then travelled south all the way to it's junction with the Staffs and Worcester canal. This took us to Stouport where we joined the River Severn as far as Worcester.
The Anderton Boat Lift seen from the Trent & Mersey canal
Below:
The connection between the Lift and the Trent & Mersey canal is over this short aqueduct. Boats can travel in either caisson, one of which is at the bottom of the lift and the other at the top, which is reversed after the lift has gone up or down, depending on whether you are starting from the top or bottom.
Below: Bath Locks. We moored just above the top lock for several periods during the 2004/5 winter. It was handy for water and pump-out, and I could walk to work from there.
Ann-Marie at the tiller, probably on the Shroppie
2005
Bath to Lincoln - not the Fosse Way, via London, Leicester, Nottingham, Newark.
After Lincoln, we went back to ther River Trent and headed north to join the Chesterfield Canal, as far as just past Retford. We returned to the Trent, then back via Nottingham on to the Trent & Mersey Canal which we followed all the way to Stoke-on-Trent, where we turned on to the Caldon Canal. We moored for 1 night at Cheddleton and took the opportunity to have a ride on the Churnett Valley Railway which runs alongside the canal for much of it's route to Froghall.
2006
Leeds and Liverpool.
We started from Oxford where we had spent the winter, and used the Oxford Canal to go to Braunston, then on to Brinklow where we had booked a space in the dry-dock. The bottom of the boat needed cleaning and repainting, and we had some damage to the propellor repaired.
2007
Birmingham and the Fens.
Places visited included Birmingham, Northampton, Peterborough,Ely,Cambridge and Bedford
2008
The non-cruise, but we had an interesting 2 week trip round Europe by train. I will post some photos from the trip in 'My photo Album'
2009
Western Venturer.
Our first 'destination' was Stratford-on-Avon where we took part in a 'water festival', then we sailed down the River Avon to Tewkesbury. Here we joined the River Severn as far as Gloucetser Docks where we stayed for a couple of nights. We then joined the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal (16' wide and 16' deep)
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While moored at Slimbridge we met this 3-masted sailing ship heading for Sharpness using her own engine.
After exploring the G&S, we rejoined the River Severn and headed north to an overnight stop at Tewkesbury. The next day we continued North to Stourport joining the Staffs and Worcester Canal, and as it was raining quite hard we moored up for the night on the northern edge of Stourport.
Market Drayton, Audlem,Llangollen Canal, Ellesmere, Montgomery Canal,
2010
3Ls+Y (
We set off in mid-June, having just fitted a new gas stove, fridge and mattress. Our first problem of the summer occured between Culham and Clifton Hampden Locks when our centre rope, which I had dropped in the water to clean it, caught round the propellor, involving a wet few minutes removing it. We continued down the
We left the Trent and locked up on to the Keadby Canal, then cruised via the New Junction Canal and the Aire & Calder Canal on to the River Aire, then on to the Selby Canal. This took us to the River Ouse which we followed north to York.
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