Saturday 30^th November 2019

A very hard frost overnight and a white world this morning. While taking Harvey out first thing, there was a group of guys marking out pitches for a fishing match. When it came time to leave, there were fishermen in front of us and behind. We must have been very popular with them. However, the moorings at the Shady Oak are very popular and, while there were not many boats at this time of year, this fishing competition took up all the moorings, with 14 fishermen positioned between Wharton’s Lock and the bridge beside the pub, and 7 more beyond the bridge. CRT’s policy regarding fishermen nowadays, is first come-first served, so the fishermen would take priority over any boats wanting to moor, and a country pub would lose business.

The day remained very cold but, once the sun came out, it was a lovely, crispy clear day. We worked our way back up the locks, seeing a hire boat getting himself into all kinds of trouble in a tree, while waiting for Tilstone Lock. We stopped at the services at Calveley, well needed, before continuing on to Barbridge Junction. At the A51 road bridge we were treated to the spectacle of a Sparrowhawk swooping and diving at a Buzzard sitting in a tree.

At the junction we once again turned onto the Middlewich Branch. There are boats on private moorings on both sides of the canal for the first ½ mile or so and the view up this first part of the branch was quite spectacular with the light and the stillness of the water.

We moored just above Cholmondeston Lock and Venetian Marina with the light just beginning to fail.  

Weather: very cold and frosty with bright sunshine. 

Day Total: 6 lock; 7 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 4.8             

Overall Total: 850 locks; 1460 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 925.7