England on the Sharp's narrow boat Hawkeye, Day 3, May 17.
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Woke up this morning to strange sounds outside our window. Looked out and there was a large duck family eating the grass at Hawkeye's mooring. Took this shot out of the window of Hawkeye. What a nice way to be awakened!
Today we start out on our journey north on the Stropshire Union Canal, ultimately to Ellesmere Port but with visits to Chester and a number of other interesting stops along the way. The plan today is to go to Hurleston Junction, 14 miles and 22 locks north of Market Drayton.
Before getting underway formally, we had to go into Market Drayton to get fuel, water and other boating necessities. We went to the local chandlery only to find them closed. Frank decided we would just cruise up to Nantwich and take care of the necessities there so we went into Market Drayton, winded (turned around) and headed for Nantwich. Along the way, we were very impressed by the flowering plants along the canal, not a feature when we last visited aboard the Hawkeye during February, and the huge numbers of ducks, geese and swans - seemingly much more numerous than on our previous visit - and many pairs with large families of chicks.
Ducks and a goose sharing the bank.
I liked the symmetry on this shot of two mute swans preening.
The Mallard ducks came very close to Hawkeye, making closeup shots relatively easy . . . if they'd just stand still.
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The ducklings were like little waterbugs - skittering around in every direction at top speed.
Here, a swan family swims alongside another narrow boat.
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Another fascinating thing on this cruise was the tremendous number of Hawthorne shrubs. We have read about the English Hawthornes but this was the first time we had experienced them. They were everywhere and the air was full of the sweet aroma of the blossoms.
Family and close friends will appreciate the significance of this shot.
One of the interesting things encountered in canal boating is operating locks. These are mechanisms that allow your boat to change levels. A lock consists of a pool, or pound, above, a gate or pair of gates, a chamber, another gate or pair of gates and another pool. Each gate is a massive structure with a paddle or valve which can be opened to allow water to flow into or out of the lock. To operate a lock, one first opens the valves allowing the water level in the chamber to equalize with that in the pool in which the boat to be "locked" up or down is waiting. When the water level equalizes, the gates are opened by pushing a massive beam (about 14" square by about 20 feet in length), swinging the gate open - this, incidentally, requires a considerable physical effort. The boat enters the chamber, the gates and valves behind it are closed and the valves at the other end of the lock are opened, allowing the chamber and the boat to assume the new water level. When the water levels equalize, the gates are opened, the boat moves out of the chamber, the valves and gates closed and the boat is now at the new level. The Google Earth image above is a series of three locks between Market Drayton and Nantwich, a portion of the Audlem Locks. These locks drop in level from left to right - you can tell because the gates form a "V" pointing toward the higher level so the water pressure will hold them closed. A narrow boat has just exited the first (leftmost)lock and the gates and valves have been closed. The center lock has already been filled and the gates opened on the upper level (left end) to allow the boat to enter. The rightmost lock has a boat in the chamber, the valves opened and the lock is emptying (note the disturbed water in the pool below the gates). Today, on this leg of our cruise, we worked 22 locks over 14 miles of canal.
We reached Nantwich and had to back into the Nantwich Basin because we were heading north on the canal after pumping out, refueling and taking on water. I did not realize how difficult it is to reverse a narrow boat. It doesn't "answer the helm" well at all in reverse but Frank managed it with aplomb.
After dealing with the necessities of narrow boating, we proceeded on to Hurleston Junction - the junction of the Llangollen Canal with the Stropshire Union. We moored, had dinner and were sitting around enjoying some pleasant conversation when a knock came at the door - actually, I think it was on the roof which is easier to reach from the shore than the door (grin). It was a nice lady who asked if we could help her. It seemed that she and several friends had rented a narrow boat and were stuck in the Llangollen locks. We accompanied her across the bridge and over to the Llangollen Canal and found all of the locks and the pools drained. Apparently someone had managed to open all the gates and drain the whole thing. We reworked the gates and restarted the water flow, filling the locks sequentially and got them on their way. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, I neglected to take my camera along so didn't get any shots of this remarkable incident. Anyway, after it was all over, we returned to Hawkeye and marveled at how this could have happened. After this bit of excitement, we turned in and prepared to head north tomorrow.
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England on the Sharp's narrow boat Hawkeye, Day 3, May 17.