Burland to Whitchurch

Off we went with a quick moor up to pay a visit to Burland stores to pick a some bread, with tea and toast on the go for brekkie we continued on our way. Not much in the way of traffic until we got to the locks and met a couple coming down, at one lock we had passed a boat and as we got round the corner and through the bridge we could see it being emptied again, I hopped off at the bridge and made my way up to help and James hovered waiting. Just as I got there one gate was opened revealing No Problem, it was only the famous Sue and Vic, we swapped places in the lock where we caught up on their engine saga. It was lovely to meet up again, if only very briefly and we do hope things work out for them.

We continued on to Wrenbury and through the pedestrian lift bridge where we decided to moor up for the night, just in time too before the rain came and it stayed for the rest if the afternoon and night. 

Mooring at Wrenbury

Morning came and off we went in the dry but after all the rain the towpath was quite muddy. Our first obstacle was the road lift bridge and some very impatient car drivers, once LJ was through I got the bridge back down with the press of a button then had to cross it to open the barrier again, the cars were right behind me before I had even touched the barrier, I then had to get back across to turn off the warning stop lights and retrieve my key, whilst the cars whizzed by.

Wrenbury Lift Bridge

We continued on our way through a few more locks and stopped at Grindley Brook before the locks. Lovely spot where we stayed a few days. James was out doing some wood turning when a couple of ladies walked by with about five dogs of varying breeds, they stopping and chatted about James' work and one mentioned that they had lost a few oak trees on her farm in the recent storms if we wanted more wood. We didn't take her up on the kind offer but on a walk into Whitchurch we passed her farm and noticed the fallen great oaks.

Moored at Grindley Brook

On our walk to Whitchuch, you can see LJ across the field

Monday we left and made our way up the Grindley Brook flight made up of three locks and a staircase of three, then stopped at the top at one of the four water points, they are a bit like buses, not one for miles and then four at once. We made our way through another lift bridge and down the Whitchuch arm where we managed to get a mooring at the end.

Bottom lock of the staircase

It's a long way down

Turning into the Whitchurch Arm

Moored at the end, the canal stops just before the bridge

12.5 miles and 15 locks

Total 112.5 miles and 98 locks