Sunday 24^th November 2019

After passing through Wharton’s Lock came an 8-mile lock-free stretch of canal. Nice countryside but pretty uninspiring. The well-known Shady Oak pub was passed at bridge 109, a summertime favourite with boats out from Tattenhall Marina at weekends when the moorings become very busy.

The River Gowy is crossed on an aqueduct although the small river cannot be seen from the canal because of the trees. This river marked the English-Welsh border in the times of the Welsh Wars before the defining of the modern border under the Laws in Wales Act of 1535-1542 when Wales was annexed to England. The Gowy rises near Peckforton Castle, very close to the source of the River Weaver. While the Weaver flows south initially, the Gowy flows north. Interestingly, it passes beneath the Manchester Ship Canal before emptying into the River Mersey through an ingenious siphon at Stanlow.

Beyond bridge 112, Tattenhall Marina is reached, possibly one of the biggest marinas we have seen on the canal system. It is huge. The boat that was due to be fitted out behind Bridge Street is moored in Tattenhall although, with so many boats, we had little chance of spotting her.

After the marina there is a long, monotonous line of boats moored on the offside that stretches for 2 miles and, at tick-over speed, it takes an age to pass them all.

Was it a duck or a swan coming towards us in Waverton.  

No, a beautiful remote-controlled model Fishing Boat

We stopped at the Cheshire Cat in Christleton where we had our Sunday lunch, a part of the Vintage chain of pubs and very nice.

Weather: a drizzly start to what became a reasonable day.

Day Total: 1 lock; 8 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 2.6

Overall Total: 834 locks; 1440 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 912.0