Thursday 22 September 2011

Ellesmere

We woke to the sound of rain on the roof of KL and decided as were weren’t running to a timetable we’d stay moored and watch the hire boaters struggle past.  The rain stopped after lunch so we set off at a casual pace with KL ticking over around 1000rpm.  Lift bridges came and went.  At the Pees Junction we met nb GO FOR IT heading the the opposite direction and only managed to call out a greeting to Colin & Tina mentioning we were blog readers.  Colin called back that we’d enjoy the canal ahead.

Bit of a panic on one bend when we met a boat & butty.  Jan grabbed the camera and managed a couple of photo’s however I was concentrating so hard on the steering that neither of us remembered the boat’s name.

We arrived at the outskirts of Ellesmere around 5.00pm and moored for the night.  I walked the 500 metres to the Arm and basin to see what was there; instantly recognising it from our first canal holiday in 2001.  I was also able to establish it was possible to get a 3 mobile data signal at one of the moorings.  The obvious plan was to move into the Arm and onto the mooring the next morning after some of the boats had departed.

Ellesmere Junction.  Nantwich to the left and Llangollen to the right

The British Waterways depot and facilities at Ellesmere

This is what the Ellesmere Arm looked like in the evening.  Reasonably crowded but there were a few moorings at the very end near Tesco.

And now we are safely moored in the Arm with an internet signal.

2 comments :

Peter Berry said...

The Butty you passed was undoubtedly the historic narrowboat Saturn 102, the ex-LMS owned wooden horse boat, which I believe is based down there, and is taken to shows and exhibitions throughout the summer. Built, I think, in 1925. You can pick up this info yourself on Google using the BCN gauge number 1103 on your photograph. It passes our mooring on a regular basis.

Tom and Jan said...

Jan has confirmed it was Saturn.