Nantwich to Audlem

Church at St Mary's, coffee in the bookshop, lunch on the move as the promised wind got up. By early afternoon the wind was getting pretty strong. We thought it best to push on to Audlem to tie up for the next couple of days rather than overnight at Hack Green.

Drizzly rain started shortly after we stopped at the 48 hour moorings above the second lock.

5.7 miles, 5 locks, 4 hours engine

Sykes Hollow to Nantwich

Cleared lots of wet leaves from the roof before we set out.  Mostly cloud, tiny bit of drizzle which soon cleared, and occasional sun. Doubled back at Barbridge Junction after taking on water, to try and get a photo of Lionheart No 2, which we'd passed coming up, but she must have left. Winded above the lock, came back, turned left and tied up on the Nantwich embankment moorings after the aqueduct.

8.5 miles, 1 lock, 4 hours engine

Sykes Hollow

Another day of staying still, with lots of reading and some on-line forum discussion. Rang Oxley Marine to check they would have a go at fixing the broken bits of the Squirrel, and to see what their advice would we about probably leaking left bedroom window. They agreed to the first, and said we'd have a conversation about the second when w got there – they prefer to use rivets than machine screws, but that has implications for ease and timing of painting.

0 miles, 3 hours engine at 1000 rpm.

Sykes Hollow

Stopped at Sykes Hollow, just running the engine for the batteries.

Posted a question on Canal World forum about engine speed for battery charging. Some surprising answers, including some which suggested that at idle speed the alternators should probably be producing no output at all. Since this does not appear to be the case, I shall need to investigate further.

0 miles, 4 hours engine

Middlewich to Sykes Hollow

Kings Lock finished the service first thing, changing the fuel filter, checking the separator, and making sure that the new water pump was behaving itself. I would have bought some of their particular diesel bug treatment, but they'd run out. They mentioned a relatively recent incident with Turner's diesel, which had not been as pure as it should have been. But I think we'll still call in there. Keith also tried and failed to see how to remove the fluorescent light cover in the bathroom.

Cool day, with one period of intense sunshine. Tied up at Sykes Hollow. Tried Nantwich, Venetian and Midway marinas for three nights mooring with a hook-up, but none of them could oblige – for Nantwich it was their turn-around period; Venetian only do a week at a time, if they have room; Midway don't do hook-up. So we may decide to do a little extra cruising in order to be in Nantwich for Sunday morning.

Water pump: Part + diagnosis and fitting (68 + 42): £110
Oil filter £8.10; Fuel filter £15.13; Labour for service £42

7.7 miles, 4 locks, 3 hours engine

Bramble Cuttings to Middlewich

Drizzly day, but relatively straightforward run through the four locks to Middlewich junction.

250 hour engine service at Kings Lock, though the fuel filter only came late afternoon and will be fitted tomorrow morning. Checked engine mountings, alternator belts. Nigel diagnosed the water pump issue as failed seals in the pump itself, so that was replaced. Confirmed that water / coolant running through the central heating header tank all the time the Webasto is on is normal behaviour.

Stayed tied up at the chandlery overnight, with an electric hook-up. Need to check engine coolant in the morning.

2.7 miles, 4 locks, 2 hours engine

Dutton Bank to Bramble Cuttings

Got up late, but a quick breakfast meant we got away in time to get to Saltersford tunnel in time for the 9.30 – 9.50 passage. Stopped for water at Anderton, but not again until we tied up at Bramble Cuttings. Should be a short run through to Middlewich tomorrow for the engine service.

12.8 miles, 0 locks, 4.6 hours engine

Lymm to Dutton Bank

Having booked a service at Kings Lock for Tuesday, we need to get to Middlewich on time. They don't have a fuel filter in stock so we thought about mooring at the Preston Brook Midland Chandlers and getting one first thing Monday morning. But in the end we pushed on to tie up at Dutton Bank. If they haven't got one in by Tuesday, we can probably stay at the junction overnight to do the service on Wednesday.

Combination of sunny and chilly. Didn't set out till the afternoon, what with joining with Lymm Baptist Church and then watching the Grand Prix over a sandwich lunch. But made it to Preston Brook tunnel in time for the 5.30 passage, and that got us tying up shortly after 6.

Bit strange to be back on the narrow canals.

12.7 miles, 0 locks, 4.2 hours engine

Castlefield to Lymm

Delayed start because of the things I found to explore and photograph on the way to buy one or two things at Sainsbury's, and which found their way onto the Erin Mae blog.

When the sun was out it was quite hot, but we also had a lot of cooling cloud, and eventually some showers. Stopped near Dunham Massey for lunch, and then pushed on to Lymm. We want to get the engine serviced in Middlewich, but we are just to far away from there to have made it in two long days, so we stopped a little earlier than planned to give us two runs on Sunday and Monday.

Tied up between the bridges in the centre of Lymm, on the left hand side.

14 miles, 0 locks, 4 hours engine.

Wigan to Castlefield

Left the canopy up again this morning, but didn't need it until well after we had taken it down to get through the bridge in Leigh at the meeting of the L&L and the Bridgewater. It stayed down.

Sunny morning, showery afternoon. Made very good time and filled up with water at the boatyard just south of Waters Meeting. We also bought 2 bags of SuperTherm (£8 each) and winded there, to get back into the middle of Manchester for the night.

Tied up the other side from where we have before, in the arm next to the YHA, to make it easier to use their launderette. Good facilities in the Castlefield Hotel.

Long cruise, but again very good for the batteries.

20.3 miles, 0 locks, 1 lift bridge, 6.5 hours engine

Burscough to Wigan

In view of the promised rain, left the canopy up, for the first time. Took off the side panels and the front and rear windows. Worked a treat for keeping us relatively dry and a bit warmer while cruising in the rain. All bridges fine – but only an inch clearance at L&L Lock 87 pedestrian bridge.

Stopped at the Mill gallery in Parbold, then visited "Yours is the earth" over the road.

Came through Wigan without mishap, though some of the locks were awkward. Tied up at Scotman's flash 200 yards before Bridge 2. Extended cruising meant the batteries were in fine fettle overnight.

12.5 miles, 8 locks, 3 swing bridges, 3 defunct swing bridges, 7.5 hours engine

Aintree (L&L Bridge 9) to Burscough Bridge

Under way by 8.20 – forecast promised best of the weather in the morning, and so it proved. Stopped at Scarisbrick marina for a cylinder of gas. Intended to go on to Parbold, but after we emerged from Tesco at Burscough it was pouring, so we stopped.

Changed gas cylinder – £27.25.

14.6 miles, 0 locks, 11 swing bridges (2 permanently open), 5.5 hours engine

Liverpool to Aintree (L&L Bridge 9)

Said farewell to Salthouse Dock at 10 a.m., after a delay for a boat leaving Albert Dock for the sea. John and Robert saw us through all the locks and the two swing bridges.

Heavy rain for quite a lot of the journey, so (a) a very late lunch, and (b) we tied up just after Bridge 9 instead of pushing on as originally intended. Several groups of youths sheltering under bridges as we passed, in various states of inebriation and/or friendliness.

12 miles, 6 locks, 2 swing bridges, 5.2 hours engine

Salthouse Dock to the rowing club and back

A short cruise in the pleasant evening light, exploring the docks south from Salthouse. We could probably have gone beyond the rowing club, but by the time we'd seen that we were already turning, and the light was beginning to go a bit.

1 mile, 0.5 hours engine

Liverpool

100 litres diesel:  27 – 47 cm

Aintree (L&L Bridge 9) to Liverpool

Convoy time – several boats had arrived by 9 a.m. for the trip through the Liverpool canal link. Weather initially fine, with a shower and then more prolonged rain later.

CRT people really helpful in getting us down the first four locks, and then the final one into the basin. Tied up on pontoon S2. Found that the electric hook-ups are broken, which means we get free electricity. The Albert Dock info centre kindly refunded the £4 I'd paid for a 10 KwH card.

Went for a stroll through Liverpool One once it had stopped raining.

12 miles, 6 locks, 4.6 hours engine

Heaton's Bridge to Aintree (L&L Bridge 9)

Lovely morning for travel on this last day of September – needed my sun hat. Land very flat and rather uninteresting, except the wood around Scarisbrick Hall. Made good enough time to delay lunch until we'd tied up, just before Bridge 9, beyond which you need permission to travel.

Checked the diesel level after travel – 29 cm. Figures from 2011 were:

31cm - 41 cm:  50 litres
57cm:  Full
Put in 137 litres from 31 to 57 cm

Manual gives the tank capacity as approx 40 gallons, but that's about 180 litres, and I know it's bigger than that. If the shape of the tank is uniform below 40 cm, that implies we have about 150 litres. If it's tapered (as the figures suggest) it could be only 50. So need to keep an eye after we emerge from Liverpool.

Weed hatch inspection, and removed a mixture of cloth, plastic and weed from the prop.

11.5 miles, 0 locks, 7 swing bridges (including 1 permanently open and 1 open but malfunctioning with a lady stranded on the off-side), 5 hours engine

Rufford to Heaton's Bridge

Got a pump-out for only £8.50 in St Mary marina in Rufford, following a sizeable discount because I hadn't complained when told we would have to wait a couple of hours because they were very busy on this Monday morning. So we set out pretty late to get back onto the main line of the L&L. Weather OK for the most part, but got very dark later on, so we tied up a bit earlier than expected.

Good visitor mooring at Heaton's Bridge, though a bit noisy early evening from traffic on the bridge, even though it's marked as only a minor road.

7 miles, 7 locks, 4 swing bridges, 6 hours engine

Rufford to Tarleton and back

Voltage at 11.9 in the morning so ran the engine for an hour. Visited Rufford Old Hall when it opened at 11. Played the Broadwood! No time to walk in the gardens as we needed to get moving.

Pleasant day for travel, with the sun coming out a bit later. Winded after the swing bridge at Tarleton, just before the boatyard. Got round with about 2 feet to spare at the second attempt – at the first attempt I encountered a bit of the onside band sticking out just too far.

7.6 miles, 0 locks, 6 swing bridges, 5.7 hours engine

L&L Bridge 32 to Rufford

Got the paperwork for the Liverpool link application sorted out at Burscough library. Then down the Rufford arm. A totally new mixture of gate / paddle apparatus for us. Tied up just after Bridge 7.

4.5 miles, 7 locks, 2 swing bridges, 4.8 hours engine