Spoke Too Soon.

Saturday 20th August 2011.
Grindley Brook Visitor Moorings to Ellesmere.
13.5 Miles, no Locks 5 Lift Bridges.

I said on the last blog that we had timed our journey well and there wasn't many boats around, well today moored here at Ellesmere Junction it has been manic all afternoon.

We left last nights mooring at 8.05 and worked our way through the 5 lift Bridges arriving at Ellesmere at around 2.30, we turned up the arm hoping to find a mooring but 2 hire boats had just beaten us to it taking the last of the available space so after turning around at the end of the arm we went for plan B and moored on Visitor Moorings between the junction and the bridge.

The local Boatyard/Marina, Blackwater Meadow Marina seems to have quite a few hireboats, being Saturday they started coming out just after we arrived and carried on all afternoon.

British waterways have plans to ban camping on the towpath, it's news to me that this is a problem, so when I passed a hiker who had camped over night by bridge 35 I asked if she was aware that her hobby could soon be illegal, she had heard about it and said that it's a pity that British Waterways couldn't find something more useful to do with their time, couldn't agree more.

However the new Bye law will not apply to Fishermen so there's an answer, carry a small collapsible fishing rod in your rucksac.

With all the things BW need to sort out and they worry about this. 

Tomorrow I will be up and about early, reverse the short distance back to the Junction making plenty of noise with the Bow Thruster when passing sleeping hireboaters, moor at the service block to empty and fill up as necessary then get down to Frankton Junction and onto the Montgomery Canal.