Living on the Norfolk Broads and having been associated with boats for very many years I am often asked by the locals “Dew yew hav a boot then bor? “ My response is somewhat guarded as I know what comes next. “Well yes I do, it’s a narrow boat. “A narrer boot, blust whas that thin, her yer got it on the beach? “ It gets worse, “No I keep it near Birmingham “, ”What! yew must be sorft .” Well sorft I’m not, in fact I think I am rather sensible to have my delightful little boat based at Longwood. Admittedly it’s a four-hour drive but a nicer club one could not find.
Enough of this, having seen Des Shipp’s little film and after chatting with others we decided our 2008 Spring cruise would be to Llangollen come rain or shine. So this is the tale of our trip.
It’s Tuesday the 15th April, the sun is shining, the forecast is poor but off we set from Suffolk to Longwood. It’s a long drive and involves driving some of the busiest roads in the country. None-the-less my old 14-year-old car copes well, (the wife has the newer one!) and we arrive safely in the early afternoon. The boat gets loaded, toilet pumped, water filled and off we go.
It’s easy to get advice at Longwood, just ask around and you usually get a reasonable answer, until of course you ask the simple question “what do you think about going via Sneyd”. I can assure you reader that the more you ask the more shrugs of the shoulder, deep intakes of breath and just simple NO’s you get. We faced a dilemma, which way should we go? Either the Rushall, Riders and Tipton locks or the never to be trodden North West Passage, which was it to be? Simple, with less than six weeks experience under one’s belt I know best, it was to be the dreaded North West Passage!
Within a few hours we were snugly tied up at the Finger Post, supper was on the stove, the wine opened, all was well.
Nice early start we thought, the sky was a bit cloudy, not so cold but some slight drizzle. We made good time to Birchills Junction having only picked up a very long nylon strap, several polythene bags and assorted rubbish, not too bad I thought!
Beyond the junction we ventured on with Wolverhampton looming up on the horizon. Round a few corners and suddenly in front of us was a vast blue sausage completely blocking the canal. Panic, fright immediate application of the brakes and we came to a standstill. Ignoring the grins of nearby workers and a few runners we were stumped, there was no alternative but to go back. There was no winding hole, the route was a very difficult, reed and shallow edges just did not help but backwards we had to go.
Eventually we made the junction and had no choice but to take the route via Walsall. At a later stage we were informed that there was a notice indicating the stoppage on a raft in the canal but hooligans had removed it, as they needed the raft for some reason of their own!
Down the locks to Oker Hill, mooring there is ok but not very safe. Chatting with a resident from the nearby arm I was told a visitor is always welcome provided of course there is space and one makes contact with the residents. There are also BW moorings there, which are also available for a night’s stay if not being used. We quickly backed into the arm and had a nice quite night after spending the obligatory half an hour clearing the propellor of debris.
Next day Riders locks, Tipton locks all with no problems except the loss of time. The weather was overcast and cold with a bitter wind from the NE, we were glad to reach Wolverhampton by lunchtime. Many have told us that these are also unsafe moorings but our experience is quite the reverse. We had no problems and shared the basin with a few other boats; we thought we might well stay again on the return leg.
The Wolverhampton 21 seemed daunting but in fact we were fortunate and had most of the locks in our favour. We thought they were well maintained and had mostly nice views all the way down despite the three hours hard work for Pauline.
Autherly locks were another matter. A guy had been unable to fully open the gates so he decided to barge his way through with the obvious consequences he was stuck. Lots and lots of advice being thrown about so prudence won the day and we walked away to let them sort it. BW eventually arrived and the log was removed from the gates within seconds! We were on our way again, but fate moved in and decided that the sun should be replaced with torrential rain and sleet! It was a long day but the pub at Wheaton Aston always offers nice food so it was to here we retired for a well-earned rest.
Market Drayton, Nantwich and Wrenbury followed in quick order. Rain more rain and bitterly cold winds followed us for days. It was time to have a treat and following the advice of Val Veness we made a booking at the Dusty Miller restaurant. Thank you Val, the food was delightful and the service even better.
Onwards to Hindford, Ellesmere and at last the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. What a thrilling experience especially in the sun, well almost! It’s a delightful construction and richly deserves World Heritage status.
The final leg to Llangollen was completed with no problems. How pleased I was to have invested in a couple of radios to aid us through those difficult narrows. Fortunately there was no waiting and we reached the basin at lunchtime some 11 days after leaving Longwood in FULL SUNSHINE.
We spent the obligatory two days exploring the town and the local eating-places and much enjoyed the relative quietness, as the basin was best part empty. Perhaps we were fortunate but we were never asked to pay the mooring fee of £12 so thank you Llangollen we owe you one.
The journey home was much the same, rain, rain and more rain. The Llangollen canal is so beautiful we constantly reminded ourselves it would be so different in the sun. Well sun we did eventually find in Wheaton Aston, it lasted all the way to Wolverhampton where we had a nice day with some friends. I must mention the fact that we were looking for a simple place to have lunch with our friends who are a little fussy and won’t entertain anything other than English food. We stumbled upon the Age Concern charity restaurant opposite the tourist information office in the city centre. Whilst definitely not haute cuisine it was brilliant offering a varied menu for much less than £10 per head. We will visit again.
Whilst quietly having a cup of tea and remarking that we felt a little unsafe in the basin alone, by sheer coincidence through the tunnel appeared a very smart boat. It made a perfect landing and having given a friendly wave to the owner we continued with our tea. We were shortly accosted by the familiar face of Colin Lees who it seems had decided to embark on an extended early summer cruise. We had yet another most enjoyable night with Colin and waved him farewell the next morning.
Our final decision was either to take the Northwest Passage or go back down the locks. Colin advised us the passage was open, as he had no trouble passing through. The decision was made, and off we steamed for Sneyd. I am pleased to report we made it safely despite a few bags etc round the prop and arrived back home in the early evening.
We had a splendid cruise despite the weather and being told by our daughter she was sun bathing in her garden whilst we fought sleet. Our little boat behaved perfectly, our new fridge was a superb addition to our kit. We now plan our next trip.
Happy cruising.
P and G