Tuesday 3^rd July 2018

We left our mooring at Acton Bridge just after 9am, after a breakfast of scrambled egg and salmon on toast. Very posh for canal people.

We slowly meandered up to Dutton Stop Lock, with a drop of 9 inches, the last lock on the Trent and Mersey Canal, No. 76. Stop Locks are often found at junctions between different canals. They were used to conserve water from one canal system to another, and as a means of “gauging” the amount of cargo a boat was carrying to ascertain the toll charged, when the canal companies were in competition with each other.

At Dutton Stop Lock there is a lovely old covered dry dock, built at the same time as the canal. At Dutton Tunnel, just below the lock, we had to wait 40 minutes before entering. North bound traffic can only enter between the hour and ten minutes past.

We were first in the queue to enter the tunnel and the guy behind us was becoming a bit irate that I had moored so far back from the tunnel. However, the exit from the tunnel is narrow and at an awkward angle for boats emerging which is why I held back. So shite on him, the canals are not the place for getting wound up. The distance I had held back probably only cost him an extra 30 seconds to cover anyway.

As soon as you enter Dutton Tunnel you can see the other side but, curiously, the tunnel has a few kinks in it where you actually lose sight of both ends. But both Dutton, Saltersford and Barnton Tunnels are over 250 years old and were at the cutting edge of technology, being unprecedented in their time.

Emerging at the northern end of the tunnel the canal changes to the Bridgewater Canal. This is the oldest canal built in Britain after those built during Roman times, which are actually rivers made navigable. The Bridgewater Canal is owned by Peel Holdings, the owners of the Manchester Ship Canal and Liverpool Docks. They have their own licensing system and so boats that hold a CRT licence can only stay on the Bridgewater for 7 days and then not return within 28.

Preston Brook lays at the northern end of Dutton Tunnel and actually marks the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Trent and Mersey has mile marker posts. When we joined the canal on 11^th June at Great Haywood Junction, the first markers announced 54 miles to Preston Brook. So after 22 days, 54 miles, 4 tunnels, 54 locks and a hell of a lot of trials and tribulations, we arrived.

We called in to Midland Chandlers and bought, amongst other things and another £75, two wheel fenders. We have had a couple of occasions when we have been moored next to a bank with a hidden ledge. This makes for a very uncomfortable night as normal fenders do not give any cushioning against these ledges, whereas tyre fenders hold the boat that extra bit further from the bank.   

Leaving Midland Chandlers we headed down the Runcorn Arm. This arm runs for just 5¼ miles and terminates close to Runcorn Town centre. It was surprisingly picturesque. With the exception of a very few places Runcorn appears as a des res, certainly from the canal. Long stretches of water were a blanket of yellow waterlilies with a narrow channel through.

 

There were loads of coots, never seen quite so many.

Most had chicks but this little one was sitting on eggs

On a nest built on an island of twigs.

                                                                                                                       

        We soon came within sight of the old Runcorn Bridge

        and past under the approach road to the new river

        crossing high in the air. This Mersey Gateway as it is

        called is as dramatic as its older partner.

We passed a widebeam boat coming towards us. It’s a

daunting sight to see one of these barreling down

towards you, especially when you pass beside

moored boats.

There are a couple of short arms just before the terminus, both holding many boats. At the terminus it was quite breezy making winding a little difficult. There used to be a big here, the Waterloo. Now however, it’s a Bhuddist temple. While its good that an old building gets a new lease of life, its got to be a sign of the times when a British pub becomes a Bhuddist temple.

The canal used to lock down from here through ten locks  to the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Mersey previously. However, with the building of the old Runcorn Bridge in 1961 and the approach roads later, the locks were closed in 1966. Waterloo Bridge now marks the end of the canal. However, the locks beyond survive and were filled with sand. With the advent of the new Mersey crossing, the hope is that the lockscan be rebuilt and a new Cheshire Ring created using the River Weaver.

 

Waterloo Bridge 

               

Leaving Runcorn behind us we retraced our steps back to the Bridgewater Main Line, turning northwards towards Manchester, before mooring across from the Daresbury Science Park, an ominus, secretive looking set of buildings.

I had got the days of the England match mixed up and thought it was on Thursday, I must be on canal time, so walked up to the pub in nearby Daresbury, only to be told that they don’t even have a TV. We live on a boat and even we have TV. I shot back and we tried to get the match on the radio and catch-up TV without success. Then I thought of putting the aerial onto the roof through an opened porthole and it worked. Well worth the edge of the seat watching too with England winning with their first ever penalty shoot-out win.

But I must sort the TV some time.

Day Total: 1 locks; 14 miles; 1 Tunnels; engine running hours 4.9

Overall Total: 98 locks; 127 miles; 5 tunnels; engine running hours 83.3