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Preparation 30 August - 1 September

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Andrew arrived towards the end of Wednesday afternoon to drop off his bag, and then took his car to Nantwich and caught the train back. I met him and we wandered off through town for a swift pint before heading g back to the boat.  Once back at the boat, he gave me a gift that he had found on a stall somewhere: a disk with the Vegvisir rune carved on, with a central opaque circle.  Which meant I had to own up to what I was going to put away for Christmas.. I had commissioned a  Vegvisir on a chopping board from Bamboo Studio Crafts, otherwise known as Jim on nb Islonian. Jolly pleased with eachother 💕  Thursday really felt like the calm before the storm.  We had only one task, unlike the gardening team, mainly Mike, rushing about gardening like fury. All we had to do was meet up with the IWA branch chair, another Mike, to retrieve the gazebo from his car and pop it into storage ready for the weekend.  That done, time to snug up in the boat for the promised rain
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Whitchurch and environs

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Anna and I moored up in the Whitchurch Arm mid afternoon on Thursday 24th, with the help of a chap on the bank. No idea what was going on, possibly silt, but the stern did not want to swing in, so the good old centre line came in to play. We had a relaxed afternoon on board before going for a stroll around town, winding up at the Red Bull for dinner. Basic pub, excellent pub grub, decent prices, nice vibe. I was disappointed that the new landlord at the White Bear doesn't do food, shame.  Back to the boat for Anna's last night on board. Next morning, I was too full for one of Anna's breakfasts! We went back into town to check out the market and replenish supplies then Anna packed up and we drove back to her car in Chirk. 4 days boat travel covered in 30 minutes.. It's been a great couple of weeks welcoming friends and family on board, and now a few days on my own until Andrew rejoins me for the Whitchurch Canal Festival . So I will not be moving far. I went to Aldi that
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Mates Rates 21 - 24 August

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A quiet night in the gloom of the cutting, and a leisurely start, waiting for the next visiting crew, Anna, and considering our activities over the next few days.  I was quite interested in getting down to the recently extended Montgomery Canal, but the timings didn't quite work.  At the Junction with Llangollen Canal, there are 4 locks,  and you must book passage through them the day before. And they are only available 9am to 1pm. So we couldn't get onto the canal until Tuesday, and I really didn't want to hurtle all the way down, spin, and scramble back for a Wednesday morning passage back off, so that meant Thursday, which then gave us another scurry to get to Whitchurch by the end of Friday. Too frantic. Knock it on the head. Anna finally arrived at Chirk having battled heavy traffic and a wayward satnav, lugging the contents of her fridge, and we set off back into England. The border is half way across the aqueduct.  We'd only been going 30 minutes befo
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Ancient Mariner with crew, 19 - 20th August

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Exciting weekend ahead: I shall be surrounded by a flock of Bright Young Things on board, and it will be fab. A gentle cruise on Saturday morning with the weather clearing,  due at Chirk Tunnel north - here it comes - meeting the London train at 10.45am. My nephew and his girlfriend were up for the weekend for their first taste of narrowboat travel. Once they were aboard, off we went for the rest of the crew: my daughter and her bestie: Who were travelling by car to Llangollen, parking there, then getting the bus back up the line of the canal to Trevor and walking along the towpath until we met. Both bus and train being equally late, the plan worked to perfection,  as we picked them up just 50m beyond the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  Now, I'm not good at heights. And I had to steer. So I never even glanced at the view, never mind taking pics. The towpath was rammed with walkers, including a highly elated stag party of 15 or so blokes in fancy dress, w
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Next phase 16 - 18 August

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A beautiful start to the day at Blakemere.  I was on  the move by half eight  with a complex day ahead.. it was Sarah's last day on board and she had a long drive home so I wanted to give her the best chance at a decent journey. A straightforward cruise down  to the junction with Prees Branch, then a short walk with Sarah's case to my car. Off we went to take her to her car at Nantwich. Unfortunately we had to stop at Whitchurch as one of the tyres blew out! Limped to a safe place with mobile signal and summoned the RAC. Prompt attendance - shout out to Carl who reassured me that I'd done the right thing and hadn't damaged the wheelrim.  The spare tyre fitted, we continued to Nantwich, fond farewells, promises to arrange return visit, then got onto getting a new tyre sorted. All a bit abrupt but needs must. At least that early start was the best possible gift to our future selves. D A Roberts at Grindley Brook got me sorted quickly and reasonably
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Llangollen continued 14th and 15th August

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After our long, busy day yesterday the weather was forecast wet and stormy with a potential break late morning. So when the rain stopped at 10am I urged us into action, stifling Sarah's request for eggs and bacon. Barely 10 minutes in, at our first lock, a downpour arrived.  Oops! But it soon passed and we were on our way to Whitchurch, passing through the iconic triple staircase locks at Grindley Brook.  Lock keepers were on hand to help us through.. much appreciated. And absurdly chuffed when my driving into the bottom lock was commented upon as 'smartly done'. Almost before we knew it, we were snugly moored, watching waves of rain pass through. Nibbles for dinner  And a beautiful sunset giving hope for better weather tomorrow. And so it proved. We had a leisurely start but by 9.30am I was starting to chivvy, and a few minutes later along came a boat heading the same way as us.. so I jumped on the tiller and followed them through the li
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