Turn around ...

We've booked passage through Frankton Locks for Wednesday, so today is turn around day ...

 George has lifted Crofts Mill Lift Bridge for me ... it's set at an awkward angle to the canal ...

 ... safely through I'm now waiting for him to lower the bridge and climb aboard again. The blue narrowboat you can see doesn't look as if it's got an engine, it is lived in and has been there apparently for at least 6 years.

 Gronwy Wharf ...

 ... and looking back, the mainline to Frankton and the Llangollen canal on the right ...

... and ahead Gronwy Bridge 82, you may just be able to make out the boom across the bridge hole to prevent water traffic.  The canal is actually in water for about another half mile or so to Redwith Bridge. When we visited here in the summer of 2007 the canal at this point was ready to be watered so we were surprised and a bit disappointed that we couldn't travel that little bit further today. We could have walked I suppose but there were no mooring places near the winding (turning) hole and the towpath was very muddy! ...

 ...so we turned here, I think this functions as an overflow, there is certainly a culvert at the top end where those posts are, but if you look at the picture 2 above this it would only steer the water back into the channel ?? Any ideas?

 We've turned around and headed back and have moored at Canal Central for a bacon butty before we continue, but were disappointed, they'd run our of bacon at the weekend! All was not lost, George had sausage and egg and I had free range poached eggs on a muffin! Tasty!!

 St John's Church on the left is said to have been purchased as a kit from Harrods! (? in 1906?)!  I think the building next door was once the village school (? built in 1923?) but is now a private residence. Anyone got any more information?

 Taken from Canal Central garden ... a very pleasant farm house on the other side of the canal.

In 1852 Heath House, the red brick and timber warehouse by the turnover bridge was once (for a short time) the terminal for a passenger boat service connecting people in mid-Wales to the train via Rednal Basin (see below). The boat would have been towed by a horse and the whole journey from Newton was 34 miles and included 22 locks! (picture taken on Saturday)

 In 1858 Rednal Basin was once the canal access to a bone manure factory to process bones from local abattoirs to make fertiliser.  Today little remains of the factory except the basin which is protected as a nature reserve

 A buzzard looking for a meal ...

 ... I hope he was successful!

The now dismantled Keepers Bridge/Green Wicket Bridge - 

from here to Aston Locks is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) ...

 ... it is also the start of a very straight mile of canal ending at Perry Aqueduct

Phew, can you smell that?  I bet you're glad you can't!

We're currently moored back on the Weston Arm just below Frankton Locks ready for our ascent tomorrow, I just hope that the weather is kind, it's forecast high winds!!