We didn’t move on Monday as yesterday's storm still hadn’t blown itself out so we did little jobs but mainly we relaxed.
Provided there are no more unscheduled stoppages, we now have plenty of time to get from this mornings (Tuesday) mooring to the other side of the first winter stoppage at Baddiley Lock No 1. We should pass through it early this afternoon.
It’s great when a plan comes together and, as hoped, by the time we moored we had passed through the remainder of the locks on the Llangollen Canal turned left at Hurleston Junction back onto the Shropshire Union Canal towards Chester passing Barbridge Junction before mooring at the Barbridge public moorings.
Opposite the moorings was The Olde Burbridge Inn and we decided to wander over for dinner that evening but sadly when 7.00 pm arrived neither of us could be bothered to walk the 100 yards to the pub so we ate in the boat.
Today (Wednesday) was one of our (hopefully not the) last days out on the cut this winter. Today was a pleasant cruise of eight miles and six locks which included Beeston Iron Lock.
Constructed in 1828 Beeston Iron Lock was engineer Thomas Telford’s solution to the problem of “running sand”, the unstable substrate had rendered the previous stone lock unusable. Flanged cast iron plates were bolted together to form the sides and floor of the lock, a novel solution to a difficult problem. The lock, unique in England, is “grade II” listed and a scheduled ancient monument.
We reached Tattenhall Marina around mid-afternoon and were quickly booked in and allocated a berth. We had reservations about coming here as, although several people we spoke to had good things to say, one person complained that it was very run down and the pontoons were old and in very poor condition. We don’t know what the marina had done to upset this person but looking around what they said was incorrect, all the pontoons look new(ish) and in good repair. There is also a comfortable looking bar/restaurant called The Boathouse, which since the pandemic, is running on reduced hours but we are told serves very good food.
Friday night is fish and chip night in The Boathouse and because we did not fancy going out we asked if they did takeout. They did, so we ordered fish and chips for two at 7.00 pm. Arriving at the bar my shopping bag was taken from me and a few minutes later returned full of wonderful smelling food. Rushing back to the boat we found two large pieces of fish, two huge portions of chips a large container of mushy peas and a generous portion of tartar sauce. It was one of the best fish and chip suppers we have ever had and at just £10.00 each very good value.
So good was our fish and chips that when we learned that on Saturday there was a Tapas Night with live music we booked a table. We were not disappointed, the tapas were not just Spanish but included snacks from several European countries and included vegetarian and vegan options. All were delicious - at least all the ones we sampled.
Oh, and the music was great, loud enough to enjoy, quiet enough to carry on a conversation although to be fair there was little or no talking while the singer was performing.
Sadly I am writing this sometime after the event and neither of us can remember exactly what we ate, only that it was top-notch grub at reasonable prices. We will come again.