NO I N T ERN ET

Were having trouble with internet or phone coverage on this canal so weve had to go to a pub in Ellesmere buy a cupla pints and some chips  ,Hot, to get WiFi. The Llangollen canal has been  nice and yesterday we had a HOT SUNNY day another dose of English sun burn. Still making our way to the Aqueduct, Monday should be D Day..

Leonie Does the winding on a lift bridge. There's a lot on this canal.....

Walked into Marbury Village , This house hasn't got two many straight lines, didn't get the year...

Hot sunny day, drinks, food, coffee's beside a lock,  "Leonie can we?",  "No Ive done Vegemite Sarmy's and we've still got some saveloy soup left"..

 

 

Some nice Canal Art  seen passing a moored boat....

 

 

 

 

 

Flowers Too....

Even had an Avery in the front, all Immaculate....

Talked to this couple from "Aussie" passing on the towpath. Chris & Thelma were walking from the end of the canal, Llongollen to Reading via the towpath,stay in B&B's a distance of 500 KM. Made me Tired talking to them....

 

Try for coverage some where, looking for a Macca's in the Hills....

Llangollen

Up early and on the move by 9am, well I was, with no locks for a few miles Leonie had a lie in as I steered the NB. The day was fine and mild and after two wet days steering was fun.Topped up the water tank and got rid of some rubbish bags then turned on to the Llangollen Canal, well joined the que, only 2 back but there were boats coming and going in every direction. At the moment about 7 out of 10 boats would be hire boats. Into the first lock of the Hurleston flight of 4, a rise of 34' 3'', the lock is so tight our rubber side fenders, bout 2'' diameter,  squashed onto the lock wall and we couldn't move until we lifted them. A boater in a "plastic" launch got through the first lock but in the 2nd as the water was let in and the boat lifted the lock wall narrowed and the boat sides began to squash in. A bit of panic and stopping the flow of water enabled them to get it out in one piece but he's had to retreat and try a different canal.

Leonie working the first lock with the owner of the "Squashed" plastic helping as he was waiting to come  back down.

On the 3rd lock and Leonie crosses the "planks", note the hand ready on the Rail, well you don't see a Trapeze artist without a net.....

Looking back down the flight and each lock is full....





Teenage adventurers at the top lock, they have to carry the canoes down to the lower canal...

 

Motored on but then the rain returned so moored up by 4pm..

Tomorrows forecast looks good so deeper into Wales we go.....

Rain......Rain.......

Up about 7am to water the porcelain Monday morn, weather looked almost as good as last two days but by the time we left Chester after a grocery shop the rain had started, not heavy just steady and penetrating. Nothing of note to photograph, the rain didn't help, so keep steering and done about 5hrs. Moored up pretty wet and cold and internet and phone coverage was weak, no blog. Fine start this morning until we'd gone 5ooyrd's then rain which got heavier. Cleared the next six locks then decided to moore up, another 3.5hrs getting wet. Having trouble loading photo's for blog.....

This strange shaped plane passed over on our way to Ellesmere Port. It actually looked like it was made of plastic. Is it an Airbus Transporter for moving plane parts to the  assemble factory?.

Was going to show a photo of me steering the NB which would have shown off my new hair cut but it wouldn't load. Anyway the hair was getting scruffy so we'd walked past a cutting salon in Chester bout 3 times,always busy, but mens cuts 8 quid that'll do, looked in Toni & Guy, thought I might go Up Market but 35 quid without  a Blow, No Way Hos'e. Next day there was only 2 waiting at the cutting place so in I go with Leonie as well so she could keep an eye on things from behind. Two young woman and a Fella were cutting and each customer,men early twenties  were getting what Leonie and me call the "Wigan" Chop, No1 to the crown of the head then bout a No3 scirror cut  around top, looks like one of them "Pope" hats. The Fella cutting, had a bit of self mutilation, studs on the face thing and he probably wouldn't contribute much in a cricket team, might bat for the Other Side, OH as the  NZ cricketers are doing in UK, anyway he's so slow, the two woman are doing two and a half to his one, at 8 quid not good money for him. I said to Leonie, the local barber back home, "Row Boat", he'd done all these plus grabbed  4 off the street in this time. It's my turn, never got the cricketer thank God, as I sit down I say, " just the scissors please, we only shear sheep like that in NZ". I got the Local Chick, Leonie said the other one was Polish and I might not have got her to have understood, could have ended up as the Pope's bodyguard. All in all it was a bloody good cut.If I'm ever back in Chester..

If it's fine tomorrow we'll be talk'n Welsh...

ON THE WALL.....

Saturday turned out a beauty, cloudless sunny sky and after a couple of chilly days 18 degrees felt very warm. The Chester races were on starting at 2pm so headed up town about 12.45pm to see some sights and there was plenty going on. The race track is only two blocks from the city centre  and hundreds of people dressed to the "nines" were footing it there after visiting the bars and cafe's. We watched then joined in because I was getting a free view from the Roman Wall. Walk up entry prices ranged from 32 quid down to 9 quid to go centre track where the younger set were able to take paks of alcohol. Around town the Police were very visible and I reckon by 9pm they'd been busy as. Watched three races while  Leonie did a full circuit of the Wall then we headed back to the NB and set off for Ellesmere Port. Parked up bout 1hr outer town near Chester Zoo, reputedly one of the best in Europe, we only saw bout 6 rabbits running wild.

Seen in Chester, Lambretta 150, who would've ridden this, "Mod or Rocker"????

Very Trendsetting with the Mirror, Lights and Horn additions....




Part of crowd at races taken from my Free viewing position. had horse drawn chariots going around in centre field behind truck with big screen...

Some more race goers, the white tents in middle are Corporate Hospitality, last meet 3 weeks ago the Manchester United boys filled one...

Made Ellesmere Port this morning, went through the National Waterways Museum, well worth a look then motored back to Chester. Tomorrow head'n for Wales....

 

 

 

Chester 3.....

Strong winds and a  biting wind early  meant the  day did'nt officially start until about 2pm, the need for a water fill was the reason to move about half a mile which meant going down the Northgate staircase Locks. Halfway there and it rained on us then stopped as we moored. Brian from Renaissance, NB Alton, gave us a call of our where abouts as he was on his way by van to drop off our new FR and rear crash bars,  rope fenders. I'll fit them tomorrow.

Seen in Chester, the very Original T120 Triumph Bonneville, ( Heaven on Wheels). Had 21,000 miles on clock, could be original mileage...

So much Power, 649cc, (650), 46 BHP, look at those Twin, Inch & Three Sixteenth AMAL carburettors,
No "Rice Burners" had the SOUNDS or CLASS to compete...

Some  sights as we headed for water, looking up at the Roman Wall section with a Tower incorporated...

The wall formed a formidable fortress...

 This part of the canal has been "Carved" out of solid rock.....

 No heavy machinery to help in those days.. Imagine how many Wheel Barrows of rubble to remove...

Looking down from 1st lock of 3 Northgate Staircase with railway bridge going over top of third..

I look back and often wonder," that lock behind is 70 foot long, water filled to the top of that Lock Gate, what would happen if the gates burst open"?, END OF ADVENTURE......

Everything in Chester is OLD, if your house is going to Burn Down on Thursday it pays to ring the Fire Brigade on the Tuesday before.........

 Nice extension ladder.....

Looks like it Drove Into the Roman Wall at speed....

Nice forecast for tomorrow,might catch a couple of Races from the Wall.....

Chester 2......

Back on the streets and wall of Chester, the canal passes through one side of town and the River Dee the other.

 Leonie on the suspension bridge over the River Dee, didn't like it in the middle,moves around a bit...

 In Grosvenor Park the squirrels are cheeky and come down on the ground to scrounge food from visitors....

A local called them "Tree Rats"......

The Eastgate Clock, built to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, 1897.....

 

 

Street view showing the Eastgate  entrance to the city through the wall.....

Anglo Saxon ruins at the rear of St John's church, the church is 900 yrs old, these ruins were 3 story, can see hollowed out squares in walls where floor joist's were for each story..

Chester Racecourse, oldest in Britian, raced since 1539, this site was a huge harbor and  Roman port then it silted up.
This is  the view from the wall, '' The Scotsman,s Grandstand". A lot of vechicles on course getting ready for big meeting this Saturday...

Looking up the straight, about MY viewing position....

Couple of interesting sculptures on entering racecourse....

Old bridge over River Dee...

Outside a Flame Grille  restaurant, Jay  the " Hurricane" must be close......

A bit "quirky" with their placement of stone them Romans...

A Good Reason not to take a NB on the DEE.......

Bank Holiday on Monday so will stay around town abit longer for the action...

SEE New Blog Below...

 

 
 

 

SOLLY..............

Had no internet for 3 days so been out of touch with the "modern world" but being in Chester that's appropriate as a lot of this place is very old. Today dawned wet with strong winds so spent most of the day confined to the NB.. although the sun made a brief show late in the day.. Chester was a Roman town and the original wall, 2,ooo yrs old, still surrounds the town on which you can walk and see so many  many interesting sights.

1494 for this bulding and no "Leaky Home " problem...

Town Hall and Vintage tourist sight seeing bus....

               Nice Window detail .....

 

Typical collection of buidings in town...

 

Entrance to Chester Cathederal court yard, 1,000 yrs old.... those blocks in the arches hold themselves "up" there.... Went to show Leonie a "Short Cut" through the yard, found ourselves in a small court yard, opened a door, UH OH into a someones office, luckily he had his back to me putting a folder up on a shelf, Retreat...

The "Rows" are 1st level covered shopping galleries unique to chester at the time, only 700 yrs old....

Looking down the Verandah of the "rows"...

Looking from the street the 1st level "Rows" run the length of two sides of the street...about 250 mtrs...

.

Solid timber Old Door, make me feel Tall.....

The City within the walls is compact and would be no more than 1.5 km in either direction...