Holiday Diary

Dear Diary,

The last few days we have been retracing our steps. Back travelling on Sunday, our next destination is Middlewich for the folk and boat festival so we pointed the boat at Ellesmere and enjoyed the scenery the other way round.

Back in fairy glen

Two canoeists following us through Chirk tunnel

Crossing the Chirk Aqueduct

Monks Bridge, I think hobbits live here too

Back into the flatlands

Heron taking flight, reminds me of a ballerina!

Kitty checking out the swooping swifts

Monday was a leisurely afternoon moving from Ellesmere to Whitchurch past the lovely Blake mere again and the highlight of the day photographing a kingfisher

Blake Mere, this could be anywhere in the world

There are really good facilities all along the Llangollen, picnic benches, barbecue areas and designated moorings aplenty

The fields are full of flowers

Wild flowers line the canal banks

A camera shy squirrel bounds away

OK, maybe not my best ever photo but a Kingfisher nonetheless

After spending Tuesday morning chilling in the sunshine, we spent the afternoon travelling the short distance to Wrenbury, back down the three staircase locks at Grindley, swiftly followed by another three and then four more dotted along the rest of the way. We passed fuel boat Mountbatten and butty Jellicoe along the way, moored up just before the town and were treated to a beautiful sunset

Lock keeper on hand to help through the staircase locks

Going down is quicker than up as the locks empty quicker than they fill -gravity!

I didn't need to do much really, plenty hands on deck

Fuel boat Mountbatten with butty Jellicoe in the foreground, it's a young couple who have started to work this fuel boat - good luck to them!

Pretty lock keepers cottage, though the lock keepers are long gone

Fields of wheat as far as the eye can see

Home for the night just on the outskirts of Wrenbury

Beautiful sunset

Wednesday we moved from Wrenbury to the top of the Hurleston flight locks that will take us off the Llangollen. It was a bit dull and we had a bit of rain so no photos but it brightened up in the evening and we walked to the pub at Barbridge for tea where we saw another new fuel boat Halsall and had a chat with the chap who has just started to run it. Thursday morning we came down the locks and onto the Shropshire Union then a right turn onto the the Middlewich Branch where we moored up in the early afternoon and sunbathed as it was glorious again. It was quite windy today and there was a bit of excitement at the locks as we scraped the bottom, a nutter got boat rage and another ended up broadside across the lock pound. A nice evening stroll before supper, living the dream...

Looking down the Hurleston Flight

One down, three to go

Waiting in the lock for a boat coming up

Mrs F in position to help the ascending boat

Sheltering from the wind in the lock

Mrs F in position again.... synchronized boating

Making the turn onto the Shropshire Union

Home for the night on the Middlewich Branch

Two lovely specimens

Work boat Malvern still earning its keep

Early evening stroll

We have been surrounded by beautiful countryside for the most part of our travels

Wild flowers in abundance along the towpath

The victorian super highway

Worn lock steps from over two hundred years

Towpath topiary

A rare shot of the lesser spotted Mrs F!