On to the Bridgewater

It doesn't take much for Scully to nod off to sleep now.

 

There were so many different birds at Bramble Cuttings. It didn't stop raining until gone 12 o clock on Saturday afternoon so we stayed where we were until the worst of the weather had blown over.

We saw this tree branch as we were chugging along...I thought it looked like a giant tortoise and Greg said it was a dinosaur.

I couldn't believe it when we saw these ostriches in the field...I wondered why there were such high fences all around the farm.

Billinge Green Flash , another area in which salt mining has determined the nature of the scenery.

A new marina being built-although there are 2 further down the canal which are still only half full. It was not far from here that we saw our first swallow of the year-and although Greg had lots of attempts he only managed to get pictures of the sky!!

The Tata salt works are vast. There are so many pipes going in different directions.

Once past the Tata works we saw this lovely woodpecker.

Next we got to Marston where they have just finished restoring the old Lion Salt Works. It was an old open pan salt works which opened in 1842 and produced fishery salt, bay salt and crystal salt.

It didn't take very long to reach the Anderton Boat Lift and just as we past by, we realised that we would have to moor up as we had the fire going and we had 2 tunnels in front of us.

Just in time we came to the Stanley Arms and decided to moor up for the night and go and have something to eat and drink. We had a lovely evening, we'd left Scully on the boat but when we went into the bar we met some lovely people-a couple with a really moody jack Russell called Frankie who sat facing the wall all night in disgust and a 3 year old pointer called Bear.

When we set off this morning it was hazy but warm.

Until that is we went through the first tunnel....when we came out the other side the sun had gone and it had turned really cold. Last year when we went through this tunnel there were loads of bats...sadly they had all gone this year.

After the second tunnel it was even worse.....

A fancy bridge over the River Weaver.

The last tunnel of the day at Preston Brook. On the other side of this tunnel you are on the Bridgewater Canal.

Runcorn in the distance.

 

We moored up for the night near Higher Walton so we can nip to the supermarket and restock tomorrow before continuing on towards Liverpool. We are now booked into the Liverpool docks next Friday and Saturday before heading over the Pennines.

Happy days.