Aqueducts, Castles & Craning And Away Out of the Water!

The last couple of weeks have been fairly quiet on board And Away. We’ve been taking things at a slower pace, gradually making our way towards Wincham Wharf, where we were booked in to be craned out for blacking — but more about that later!

One of the highlights was spending a very pleasant 48 hours at Bramble Cuttings, one of our favourite moorings on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

It’s a lovely little spot, tucked away on the off-towpath side of the canal, and feels surprisingly private. There’s room for around three boats, along with picnic benches and BBQs, making it a great place to stop for a couple of days and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. Which we spent with our friends Ian and Steph aboard Paws for Thought. And while we were there, we had a lovely surprise.

William and Sheila came over to introduce themselves. They told us they are subscribers to our YouTube channel, which is always such a lovely thing to hear. Way back at the very beginning of our adventures, when we were at Oakwood Marina, William and Sheila had been moored in front of us. So, after all those miles and months on the waterways, it was rather special to bump into them again completely by chance.

It’s moments like this that make the boating community so much fun. You set off thinking you’re simply travelling from one place to another, but along the way you meet people, make connections and occasionally discover that your paths have crossed before.

But Bramble Cuttings has an interesting history too.

The site was originally a clay excavation pit. Clay was dug out here and used to “puddle” — essentially line — the bottom of the Trent & Mersey Canal to help prevent water leaking away. A small narrow-gauge railway was once used to transport the clay from the excavation area down towards the canal, and remnants of the old railway can still be seen around the site.

It’s hard to imagine that industrial activity when you’re sitting there today surrounded by greenery and listening to the birds!

The area we enjoy today was once overgrown and neglected, but in August 1998, British Waterways, now the Canal & River Trust, teamed up with members of the Broken Cross Boat Club to transform it into a little oasis for boaters.

Volunteers and club members cleared the dense brambles, gorse and hawthorn, using a mechanical digger to reshape and level the land. The result is the lovely little mooring we can enjoy today.

And we certainly did enjoy it.

After the hustle and bustle of locks, towns and cruising, there’s something rather nice about finding a quiet spot like this, firing up the BBQ and simply staying put for a couple of days.

Sometimes the best part of life on the cut is not going anywhere at all.

Northwich and a Day Exploring Wales

From Bramble Cuttings, we continued our journey towards Northwich, where we moored for a few nights on the aqueduct.

We had hired a car, so decided to make the most of it and have a day out exploring North Wales and the Welsh borders. And, as we’ve been thinking about where we might eventually put down some roots, there was another question lurking in the background…

Could we live around here?

First stop was the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

And I have to say… VERY impressive, but also VERY scary when you’re standing up there looking down! 😳

Built in 1805, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal high above the River Dee. At around 126 feet (38 metres) above the river, it is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest navigable canal aqueduct in the world.

All very impressive — but did I mention that I don’t like heights? 😱

Standing on the aqueduct and looking down is definitely one of those experiences where your brain keeps reminding you exactly how high up you are!

From there we headed on to Chirk, through the beautiful Ceiriog Valley and on to Llangollen, taking in the scenery and, naturally, continuing our ongoing search for potential future homesteads.

The Ceiriog Valley is absolutely stunning. Rolling hills, winding roads, beautiful countryside and little villages — it certainly gave us plenty to think about.

We finished our day at the absolutely gorgeous Chirk Castle. 🏰

Chirk Castle dates back to the late 13th century and was originally built as a fortress as part of Edward I’s network of castles along the Welsh border. It later became the family home of the Myddelton family, who bought the castle in 1595 and lived there for more than 400 years.

The family eventually moved out of their remaining private rooms in 2023 as part of an agreement with the National Trust, bringing to an end more than four centuries of the castle being a family home.

It really is a fascinating place — a medieval fortress on the outside, a grand country house on the inside, with centuries of family history wrapped up in it.

And, of course, Rolo thought the whole thing was brilliant because apparently castles, aqueducts and Welsh countryside are all excellent places for sniffing. 🐾

And Away Goes to the Boatyard

On Monday it was time to move on to Wincham Wharf, where And Away was booked in to be craned out of the water for her blacking.

This is one of those jobs that is an important part of narrowboat maintenance, even if it isn’t particularly glamorous.

We are having the hull grit blasted to remove the old coatings, rust and any loose material before applying a two-pack epoxy coating.

The epoxy provides a tough, waterproof protective barrier between the steel hull and the water. Keeping the hull properly protected helps reduce corrosion and, importantly, prolongs the life of the boat.

While she’s out of the water, we’re also taking the opportunity to have a little bit of paintwork done, so hopefully And Away will come out of the yard looking as good as she did going in — possibly even better!

Of course, watching your home being craned out of the water on two lifting straps, seemingly 50 feet in the air, is stomach-churning to say the least!

We stood there watching as she was lifted, and I think there may have been a few moments when we held our breath.

Thankfully, And Away is now safely in the hands of the team at Wincham Wharf, and we know they take good care of her.

Rolo Takes to the Rails

With And Away safely tucked up in the boatyard, we headed down to St Leonards-on-Sea, where we have our one-bedroom holiday apartment,

https://bit.ly/4xTrKJB

Rather than drive, we decided to take the train all the way from Northwich. It involved three changes, plus a short trip on the Underground through London — quite a journey!

But there was one member of the travelling party who took it all completely in his stride.

Rolo.

He was absolutely amazing. The trains, the stations, the crowds and even the Underground didn’t faze him in the slightest. And, naturally, he managed to make plenty of new friends along the way.

We’re going to be here for a couple of weeks, catching up with friends and family, enjoying plenty of walks along the beach and generally making the most of our time by the sea.