Preston Brook

 Today's Canals - Trent and Mersey, Bridgewater

When we awoke briefly around 4:30 (AM!) the sun was almost rising over the horizon but mist still lingered over the canal.

With the weather forecast to be much hotter for the next two days, we opted to make an earlier start, just before 8:30, in case we wanted to take a longer break in the middle of the day. By now the sky was a really brilliant blue, the light making everything much clearer.

Near to Whatcroft Hall the bridge is called Lodge Bridge. The hall is almost hidden from the canal but just before the bridge we captured a glimpse of what we thought might be the Lodge. However, just after the bridge there is another candidate for the title! Which was it? Later, looking at old maps we found that om the 1882 edition the smaller building to the north is labelled Lodge but, by 1911, the two buildings are shown either side of the bridge, with the legend Lodges.

The next railway bridge, which we think only carries freight traffic, has been rebuilt since we last came this way. Our photo from 2015 certainly has and older structure.

We were now in an area where lots of planes fly overhead, some using Manchester or Liverpool airports, others much higher in transit to further afield, perhaps east Midlands or who knows? There were two many it capture in a single picture but this one shows a couple of planes that seemed from down here to be on a collision course. We kept a keen eye on them but fortunately they missed each other! No doubt the same illusion that fools the crowds at aerobatic displays.

The day was not always so bright - at times a complete but thin layer of cloud came over but it was generally very pleasant. By the time we moored we were back to cloudy sky for about the third or fourth time.

Orchard Marina was quite an early entrant into the business and the last few years had seen strong competition from both Park Farm and Oakwood marinas, neither very far away  but with much newer facilities, especially the pontoons. Now, Orchard is being extensively refurbished, which is well advanced - but we have not been able to discover its planned re-oping date.

There was some discussion a week or so back on canal social media about this canalside site which had just come on the market. There was surprise that it was thought suitable for even just a single dwelling, The plot is an awkward shape and is immediately alongside a busy road that carries quite a few HGVs. Certainly interesting to see it 'live' not just through the imaginative eyes of the agents!

We received this morning a Notice from CaRT giving advance warning that contractors would shortly be working on the site between bridges 185 and 186 to replace overhead cables and would be erecting safety netting for the duration.  Judging by the size of the parking facility alongside the pylons, this will not be a small job! However, only two pylons have so far been built alongside a long distance supply. Perhaps the work is to create a new junction to supply the nearby Tata works, which we understand uses lots of power!

Extensive new facilities are under construction alongside the long established soda ash works. A £30M future-proofing project was announced in 2019. There was also a serious fire in March 2021 but we could not see any sign of the damage. 

The pipe bridges to the north of the site have been decorated a panels that illustrate the production process - including the key chemical formulae - and the uses to which soda ash is critical.

2NaCl + 2H2O -> 2Cl + H2 + 2NaOH

We stopped at Anderton for a 'full service' - fortunately although this is always a busy facility we did not have to wait today.

Just beyond the lift we reached the site of a bank slip a year or two back. Clearly, a proper repair will be an expensive project and so for the moment a channel and speed restriction is in place. How long this will last is perhaps down to agreeing who will be paying the bill!

Around the corner we came to the first of today's three tunnels. It is just about possible to see through Barnton Tunnel so there are no time restrictions - only check that the tunnel is empty before proceeding. The photo above shows us exiting about 8 minutes after entering. We were nervously watching the clock as the second tunnel is restricted to entry between 00 and 20 minutes past each hour - we reached Saltersford portal at 12:19 (and half!)

As we passed the Black Prince hire base we could see the new livery they are just introducing for their fleet.

Fortunately we do not often pass sunken boats - always a sad moment whatever the craft. We think this one must have been here a while, judging by the tide mark of wee growth along is present waterline. It can sometimes be hard to track down the owner to get them to arrange its removal or agree to CaRT engaging a contractor to do so.

Unfortunately just after passing Bridge 213 our camera battery ran out of juice so we have no pictures of the remainder of the day's landmarks. We were again chasing a deadline for Preston Brook Tunnel which only allows passage in either direction for 10 minutes in each hour. Just before we dropped down the few centimetres of Dutton Stop Lock (to prevent the Bridgewater Canal Company from pinching water from the Trent and Mersey!) A couple of other boats were waiting ahead of us and we entered at 3 minutes past the hour with only a couple of minutes wait!

We went on just a short distance north of the tunnel to find a mooring. `Because of the impending rail strikes next week which will make our planned car shuffle all but impossible, we are trying to plan a way of doing this well in advance but this means that we have to sort out a week's temporary mooring for when we go back home for the next installment of Mike's dental treatment!

15.3 Miles - 1 Lock