From our mooring below Baddiley Locks Ann and Molly, Geoff and Megs, George and I with our Molly went for a walk.
This very well endowed chappy gave us the evil eye as we passed!
Ann has a new navigation gadget and George helps her to decide where we are, where we've been and ... perhaps where we're going!
The satnav says .. this way .. but that white bull on the left was busy doing what bulls do so we went on the other side of the hedge instead ... unbeknown to us there was a gap and in said hedge and as we approached one of the cows came to greet us! We beat a hasty retreat and tried a different path!
That's Geoff with some boaters gold - the end over his shoulder took some dodging as we walked behind him!!
4:45 back at Rock n Roll as the sun starts to set ...
... and the red sky continues in the morning at ...
... at 8 am.
Nearly 10:30 and Geoff is also ready to rock'n'roll ...
... this way ...
... it's still below freezing ...
... and Baddiley Bottom Lock was ice-bound when I arrived - see the ice-shelf left on the inside of the lock as the water was let down ...
... and gathered behind my propeller.
As with the majority of locks on the Shropshire Union Canals the bywashes can be fierce ...
Baddiley Lock 2 has a thin layer of ice too ...
... and I push it ahead of me as I leave the lock
My normal cruising is between 850-1000 revs (revolutions of the propeller) but the Llangollen Canal has a strong flow (from the River Dee) - coming through bridge 14 here was difficult, I was doing 1200 revs and getting nowhere!
At Baddiley top lock I picked up the branch on my bow (the pointy bit at the front) and Geoff (Seyella) picked up the ball floating on the ice top left as he came through!
Not much room to spare as I enter the lock ...
... breaking the ice once again ...
... and the wash from here tumbles and rolls back into the canal.
On the off-line of the canal - a swan boat, a wendy house, loads of garden ducks and lanterns and chickens ...
... behind Big Jim's boat ... enlarge by clicking to see the BW licence!
Approaching our destination for today ... Wrenbury Church in the distance ...
... and a spot of colour over in the field ...
... by Wrenbury Lift Bridge.
All three boats are now mooring just before Alvechurch Boat Centre.
And guess what ... it's half past three and time for today's wander ...
We'd just been informed by a passer-by that Wrenbury lift bridge was closed but the notice advised us that should boats wish to pass through it could be lifted - thank goodness for that!
We continued down the towpath past Wrenbury Frith lift bridge ...
... and cross the canal at Thomason's Bridge ... where the views on both sides are ...
... quite spectacular.
That's Chaz this time with the satnav - do we follow the path on this side of the stile or that side?
What a sunset at 10 past 4
crocuses - an early sign of spring perhaps?
... sooooo beautiful!
No comments:
Post a Comment