After having completed our plan to cross the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct we now had to get off the Llangollen Canal before the first winter stoppage on the 8th November 2021 when the Baddiley Lock No 1 closes for around a month, followed by a total of eight other closures which effectively cut access to the Llangollen Canal untill well into March 2022. But with 15 days till then we had plenty of time to complete the three day journey.
Monday started well, we got underway a little before 10.00am and six hours later we moored at 48 hour moorings just above the Grindley Brook Locks. The weather forecast had predicted very high winds for the next few days so we had words with the lock keeper about overstaying for a day or two till the weather moderated. To which he replied that he was happy for us to stay, and provided no local busybody complained there should be no problem.
Grindley Brooks Locks
It was a good place to stop as there was a water point, a rubbish disposal point, toilets and showers all provided by CRT (Canal and River Trust) and all accessed with our British Waterways key.
Tuesday morning we wandered down to the locks to watch them in action. The first three are a staircase lock flight with one of the only paid lock keepers on the canal system, although there are some on the Thames and other rivers. We were chatting to the lock keeper when a boat arrived to go down and the lock keeper stated that above the locks was the last possible winding hole and although he could not refuse passage he would advise against it. Advise against “passage through the locks why?” we asked. “because Quoisey Lock is closed from this morning until further notice with a gate problem” he replied.
Information came in dribs and drabs but it would appear that a “temporary” repair carried out on one of the Quoisey Lock gates 20 years, yes you read that right, 20 years ago had failed and although another temporary repair was planned if it was not successful the lock would be closed until March when a new gate would be available.
Wednesday and Thursday passed pleasantly enough with hot showers etc on tap and pleasant neighbours, Friday was make or break day, the repair would be carried out early morning then testing would take place. If successful the lock would open at 4.00pm if not - well!!
Fortunately all was well and well before 4.00pm a stream of boats was descending the Grindley Locks on their way off the Llangollen Canal.
We left on Saturday morning and after 10 locks and one lift bridge moored just before the Wrenbury Lift Bridge.
There were several reasons we moored here, but the most important was having been told by an Australian boater (adopt a Aussie accent when reading the next sentence) “ . . . it does the best bloody fish an’ chips in the UK . . . “
That evening we went to the fish and chip place he recommended and it was as good as he said. We did wonder when we got there as it turned out to be a temporary type building in a pub car park, but as stated above the food, fresh and cooked to order, was superb.
The weather forecast for Sunday with winds up to 72 mph, which is violent storm force 11 on the Beaufort Scale, so we stayed where we were. Others moved and possibly finished the day like the hire boat that tried to moor in the space in front of us. The wind was blowing off the towpath and the skipper had put one crew on the cratch (front) with the bow line and another in the cruiser stern with the stern line and tried to motor into the gap. Had the bow man been fast enough to jump off and secure the line the stern would not have blown across the canal, because as he tried to slow down the boat was simply being blown across the canal. After trying several times to get close enough to allow his bow man to jump off I went to try to help. I told the bow man to forget the bow line and throw me the centre line, which he did. I was able to get a couple of turns around a mooring ring and slowly - very slowly - swagged in the rope until the boat was alongside and the crew were able to assist in mooring securely for the night. By jabbers it was hard work! Why don’t (some) hire companies tell their customers about the merits and uses of centre lines?
We should perhaps at this point come clean. We have wimped out of travelling the canals over the winter and decided to go into a marina for a few months. The grass towpaths were already becoming a quagmire and jumping on and off the boat was threatening to become a slippery nightmare. We had it seemed left it rather late to start looking around and the first place I rang almost laughed at me when I asked, but was good enough to give me a list of those local marinas that may have space. I started ringing round and eventually found space at Tattenhall Marina, only two days travel from where we were currently moored