We certainly did. we were collected on Christmas morning and spent Christmas day and night with our friends Val and Johnny. We shared an excellent lunch and the chat went on into the small hours. We returned to the boat mid-afternoon on Boxing Day, fired up the heating and soon had a blazing log fire going to take the chill off.
So yesterday it was time to move on again. We were pointing in the wrong direction though, so needed to turn around. The next winding hole was only just down the canal, but we chose to go a little further, to turn around at Lion Quays, which would give me the chance to collect some more firewood from near Moreton Bridge. If there was any left…
…and there was, although all the good stuff has now gone.
We turned around and I pulled in for a few minutes to collect enough for a couple of days, then we moved on a hundred yards or so to get the longer bits cut up and to get a bite of lunch. We were in no hurry; we’d got a Tesco delivery organised for between 2 and 3 at Monks Bridge.
Returning past The Poacher’s
I was just pulling in on the moorings at Monks Bridge at a quarter to two when Tescoman arrived.
He explained that he was early because a previous customer had turned him away, claiming that they hadn’t gone through as much food as they expected, so they didn’t need the delivery. Why they couldn’t have cancelled the previous evening I don’t know. I wasn’t complaining, we were on our way again long before I thought we’d be.
We had about an hour to cruise to moor near Chirk Marina. It takes a lot longer going “uphill” over Chirk Aqueduct and through the tunnel, pushing against the flow coming down from the Dee.
Coming to the end of the aqueduct, with Chirk Tunnel just ahead.
The hire boat has had to wait for us after coming through the tunnel.
We pulled up on the moorings just short of Chirk Marina after a stop-start but enjoyable short cruise.
We had rain overnight, which turned to sleet and then snow before the sky cleared and froze the damp patches. But it left us with a beautiful but cold morning.
Passing Chirk Marina as we left this morning
Whitehouse Tunnel was partially lit from behind with the sun low in the south.
We swung to the west after Irish Bridge, following the Dee upstream but 126 feet above the river in a concrete channel.
Froncysyllte Lift Bridge
I intended to leave Mags inside, the wind was biting, but as I was just finishing winding the bridge up she appeared at the tiller. So she brought the boat through, but went back in out of the wind as soon as the bridge was down. We pulled in to fill the nearly-empty water tank at the end of the long-term moorings, then moved on just a few yards to moor almost in sight of the south end of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
The aqueduct is just around the corner.
The weather is looking pretty grim for the next day or so, wind driven rain and snow expected so we’ll stay here. Then we’ve guests for the last leg up to Llangollen on Saturday.
Locks 0, miles 4½
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