12.10.19 – 13.10.19
We had a special rendezvous to make this morning, so set sail from Nantwitch early.
Katie and Chris were travelling up from London to spend the weekend on board.
With all our route changes due to canal closures, it needed a logistical mastermind to work out where we would actually pick them up, but Katie assured us this was Chris’ forte!
A direct train from Euston to Stoke on Trent then a 30 min taxi ride and voila! We were reunited at Barbridge Junction at 9.46am!
Our new crew lost no time in settling in and were initiated quickly into barge routines- start the day with a cuppa!
Of course our dastardly plan was to have a relaxing weekend while the new crew did all the work. Some made it look easy, whilst others….
It was SO much fun having them on board!
In no time both Chris and Katie found their canal mojo.
Water off a ducks back! No fear for Millennials. What took Jen and I days to build up the confidence to do, they achieved in about 30 minutes!
We made our way down towards Chester, via this particularly tricky step lock, where the water from the top lock emptied into the second lock.
I loved having Katie so close after months apart.
But at one lock, it was also a reminder that HD No1 was missing!
Chester was beckoning! OMG Tudor overload!
Chester is a walled city and we walked the entire length of the wall which took a couple of hours. Lots to see along the way, like the River Dee.
We passed the remains of a Roman amphitheatre.
The racecourse called the Roodee, that in ancient times used to be the city port!
The beautiful cathedral!
And a Dovecote. So pretty!
The wall was punctuated by defensive turrets, with this one in particular having a unique story. It is said that King Charles I watched the final battle of the Cival War at Rowton Moor about 3 miles from the city, from this tower. With the Royalists well and truly defeated, Charles scampered, leaving 1400 soldiers dead, wounded or taken prisoner!
All this exploring had built up a thirst, so it was lucky Katie and Chris had been on a reconnoitre and found us a brewery!
Sadly it was soon bye-bye time for our weekend guests. With a last minute dash to the station, it was ‘hooray’ Katie and Chris! Thanks for your company and a beaut weekend!
Kanga And Wombats Adventures 