Lymm

Sunday 29 June 2014 – Lymm, Bridgewater Canal

Woke this morning with clear blue skies.  We started at 07:45 for the run to Lymm which is one lock, three tunnels and seventeen miles.  First part is through the winding hole for the Anderton Boat Lift, the Barnton Tunnel which is followed by the Saltersford Tunnel and its time control (if going North, as we were, you start on the hour) which meant that we had a wait.  Then a five mile run through wooded scenery until Dutton Stop Lock (the rise is almost non-existent as the canal level was over both top and bottom gates) and Preston Brook Tunnel where we had another wait until the hour.

After that the canal goes under the M56 and the Runcorn Arm heads off on the Port side.  The bridges have names instead of numbers and the scenery becomes urban or agricultural.

As we approached Lymm I started looking for moorings but there were none where we expected, just loads of working boats, so we went past the village centre and moored there with Graham hammering in the spikes.  It turned out that we had chosen Lymm’s historic Transport Day so the village was decked out with bunting, with steam engines, military vehicles, classic cars, motorbikes and buses all around.  People had also dressed in the styles of the 40s, 50s and 60s including GIs with girlfriends.  While we were exploring we met ‘Winston Churchill with Clementine’.  The finale was a fly-past by two bi-planes.

Today’s boats are ‘Jensabi’ of Poynton, ‘Augurs Well’ of Victoria Pit, ‘Home James’ and ‘Thingy’.  There was also a boat completely covered with military camouflage netting.  When we had moored we saw ‘Ventura’ which is a modern top on a 1905 Ice Breaker!

The weather was cloudy while we travelled but has warmed up since we stopped.