Friday 21^st February 2020

The towpath this morning was atrocious. We left it until noon and then moved the short distance down the canal to Tilstone Lock. The towpath here was even worse having been churned up with the comings and goings of the workteams. No sooner had we tied up that they let us know the lock would be opened within a few minutes.

Thankfully the lock still worked and we were the first boat through. One of the staff did tell us that Beeston Iron Lock would not open until tomorrow but we decided to move down as far as we could and leave the mud behind us.

The pound below Beeston Stone Lock was in water so we passed through the lock and were able to moor just off the Iron Lock moorings. Although it was only 2:30 the workers had already finished for the day and we just caught the last two. They told us the work was now finished but the dam team were due tomorrow morning. The work had dropped behind schedule due to Storm Dennis. The Monday after the storm one of the dams had blown away and flooded the lock so work could not recommence until the dam was reinstated and the lock pumped dry again.

Normally stop planks would be used to stem the flow of water and pumps then used to empty the water behind the planks. The canal bed though, at Beeston Iron Lock is of V-shaped concrete and so stop planks cannot be used.

      

Stop Plank Storage and Slits within a Bridge Hole

Stop Planks are merely lengths of timber slightly wider than the canal and are stored beside the stop plank slits in various ways either in purpose built shelters or in cavities built within a bridge. There are slits either side of the canal where they are deployed and the planks are lowered into these slits to dam the canal. Any leakage past them is sealed either using tarpaulins or by pouring ash above the leak, the ash then fills the hole. An age old fix.   

Shortly after we moored, Halsall, the fuel boat, moored behind us, off on the run to Chester and Ellesmere Port on their endless runs around the Four Counties Ring. We walked to the café beside the canal to meet with Nick from Boat Cover Repair Guys who has a workshop next to the café. Nick is going to be making new seating for the front cratch as the ones we originally had made have delaminated and water has got into the foam inside. Terrible this. They were expensive, have been well looked after and yet don’t even last 2 years. Supposedly too, they were made from outdoor materials. Evidently not.

In the evening we had a Game Casserole that had been simmering tantalisingly all day. It was made with venison and locally sourced ‘Caldon Canal Towpath’ pheasant. It was absolutely delicious.

Weather: dry but breezy.

Day Total: 2 locks; 1 mile; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 1.2

Overall Total: 877 locks; 1532 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 1026.9