Anderton boat lift.

We carried on towards Stockton Heath where we stopped for sunday dinner at 'The London Bridge ' pub. We walked down into town to the Manchester Shipping Canal-unfortunately there were no boats going down it so we didn't get to see the swing bridges in action.

 

Eventually the rain stopped and in the distance the chemical works were well lit up.

 

This tower is at the science and innovation campus, it houses a van de graaff accelerator.

The campus is enormous.

The Fiddlers Ferry Power Station which has now stopped producing electricity.

 

'I bet you won't pick on me now will you!!'

Preston Brook Tunnel was a right wiggly one- you could only go through it at half past the hour.

There were 4 boats waiting at the other end and the boat at the front was in no hurry.

 

Barnton Tunnel had loads of bats in...so we ended up going through it 3 times so I could get some pictures!

 

Coming up towards the Anderton boat lift is the Tata chemical works which make sodium bicarbonate and other salt related products.

When we arrived at the lift I thought Id have a couple of hours to find out what would happen when we got on it ....it seemed very big and it would have been nice to watch a boat go down...

BUT

no, we had to go straight to the holding moorings as we were going down at 3.30.

 

As we went down a day boat was coming up...It took about half an hour to get down onto the River Weaver.

On to the River Weaver and we went along to the first lock(there are only 2) You can only go through the locks with C&RT staff and they were just going off duty. We moored up at Hunts Lock and were just sitting down when a chicken walked past the boat....I managed to shoo it through the fence and a little while later the owner came down with half a dozen eggs and some runner beans. She thought Scully was lovely as she used to have a border collie and Scully lapped up the fuss.

 

Happy days.