Nantwich (Shropshire Union Canal) Chester & Return* Possible trip to Ellesemere Port

Total distance is 44 miles and 28 locks.

After a couple of days loitering around Nantwich (and making the LONG walk into town to re-stock), we’ll be ready to depart when our new travelling companions come aboard around 1.30pm.  We’ll TRY and be around bridge 91 but will liaise on the day as to our exact (ish) whereabouts.

 

Following an introductory blah blah (and probably a glass of something bubbly) we’ll pull ropes and chug off on our Northerly route.    It’s not a long first afternoon’s cruising…we’ll pass Hurleston Junction (the Start of the Llangollen canal proper) and before long will  be in Barbridge where (if there’s space we may moor for our first night at the Barbridge Inn Pub.  IF not, we’ll abandon that plan and keep going until we find a quieter spot.

 

The next morning (after a simple DIY breakfast), we’ll head off and before long will arrive in Calveley services – where we’ll probably top up the water tank and make use of their rubbish bins. Once underway again, we’ll come across Bunbury Staircase Locks… often a source of amusement as there is a Hire base at the bottom and we’ll more than likely get to witness a first time hirers ‘baptism of fire’.  We’ll help out if things look like they are going awry.  Ahead of us is Beeston Iron lock – it’s an oddity on the canal network… a WIDE lock, lined with (unsurprisingly given it’s name) an iron trough… the danger to it being, “sticky out bits” that can quite easily tip a boat.  DON’T worry though… we’ll have all eyes and ears engaged as we navigate our way through it and shortly after, stop for lunch.

 

Depending on whether our guests wish to have a wander up to the remains of Beeston Castle, we may moor for the day – or alternatively, chug on to Chester and then moor for the night.

 

Our next morning will be flexible – if our guests would like to explore Chester for a while, we can linger moor up around lunchtime and stay put for a couple of nights…that is if we are NOT going to Ellesmere Basin.  If we are, then after lunch we chug off to continue our route towards Ellesmere Basin. 

This area of the Wirral hasn’t got the best  reputation but we prefer to make our own minds up.  Perhaps mooring  at Stoak or Stanney Mill for the evening.  The M53 Motorway is never far away along here so it may not be the quietest of moorings.

If we’ve been to Ellesmere Port. We'll TRY and moor near the museum to give our guests a chance to explore before we leave the following  morning.

Next morning after a (hopefully) peaceful night and breakfast of some sort or other, we'll chug off and stop for lunch in Chester – if our guests would like to explor again, we can linger for a few hours before we leave and continue our route... perhaps mooring around Beeston Castle to allow for a wander up there the following morning.

We then pass through Beeston Iron Lock again for lunch and then make our way to Bunbury to ascend the Staircase locks.  We'll help out if required and once through there find a nice spot to tie up for the day.

Our final day will take us to the Services at Calverley where we'll probably make use of the Elsan point (for the crews overnight loo), top up the water tank and deposit rubbish in the CRT  refuse area.

​Once we've finished at the services, we'll chug onwards - passing  the "Middlewich branch" of the Shroppie at Barbridge . The  remaining trip into Nantwich isn't too long and mid afternoon we'll tie up wherever we can.  The walk into the town is a bit of a schlepp (about a mile) but it's nice enough and Nantwich is certainly worth exploring. We’ll bid our guests farewell shortly after breakfast the following morning and then prep the boat ready for our next trip up the Llangollen Canal to the Pontycysyllte Aqueduct, in a few days time.*

 

*NB – it’s quite a long walk to the Nantwich train station from the most places we can moor on the canal so it would be wise to arrange a taxi once we’re moored up in readiness for the following morning as Nantwich isn’t blessed with many.