Friday 27th August
At last, some sun, even if the wind was a bit nippy when the sun went in, it has been a lovely day! We are now on the Chester Canal heading towards – Chester of course, then Ellesmere Port. It really is a most attractive canal. Today we have travelled a great distance of 6 miles and 6 locks, about twice our usual!
The first bit of excitement was doing the ‘Bunbury Shuffle’. What is that you are agog to know? As the Chester Canal is a wide canal the locks can take two boats at a time obviously. At Bunbury staircase locks it is possible for 2 boats to go up and 1 boat to go down, or vice versa, at the same tome, passing when the gates between the two locks are opened. This involves a certain amount of shunting from one side to the other and is known as the Bunbury Shuffle. We were hoping not to have to participate in this activity but as we were entering the top lock with another boat, one came in at the bottom lock as well. As it turned out it was quite a painless exercise and we will not have to worry about it again.
At Tilstone lock there is a lengthsman’s hut (see photo). A lengthsman was the chap responsible for looking after a particular length of canal. This hut is, presumably, where he kept his tools etc. Some lengthsmen had cottages at the locks instead of just a hut.
At Beeston there are 2 locks – Beeston Stone Lock is made of stone and Beeston Iron Lock is interesting as it is made of cast iron flanged plates to overcome subsidence (see photo). Our final lock was Wharton’s Lock from which there are excellent views of the remains of Beeston Castle (see photo) and we moored nearby. What luck, there is a handy pub (the one we were recommended yesterday) so George took us there!
The gongoozling opportunities are far less, when sitting outside a canalside pub, on this canal because it is so quiet compared to the Shroppie. Most people go down the Langollen or do the Four Counties Ring and don’t bother to come along here, The majority of the boats we have seen today were going the opposite way to us. Was it something we said?
