Car Shuffle

Today's Canal - Bridgewater

The rail strikes next week look increasingly likely and, as a result, it would be very difficult to guarantee completing a car shuffle as planned on Thursday or Friday - any time next week is high risk. The question then was where to catch a train? Only two possibilities seemed available - Runcorn or somewhere close to Manchester. Based on our previous visit we were uncertain about being able to moor at the Runcorn end of the canal so to hedge our bets we set off from Preston Brook much earlier than usual (not long after 8!) so that if necessary we could turn around and continue on to Timperley or Sale, the first places where there is a train connection. If Runcorn was OK the the car shuffle could be done today otherwise it would have to be tomorrow.

The other uncertainty was where we would be able to leave the boat for a week. Yesterday we tried email to Scarisbrick but with no response and a phone call offered a call back that never materialised. Mike's travel plan was to leave Runcorn station (fortunately just five minutes away from the canal end if we could moor there) at 10:26. 

We had a good and pleasant run from Waters Meeting where the Runcorn Branch begins. 

The canal itself is tree lined almost all of the way although we could see that in many places just beyond new housing has sprung up.

There were more and more bridges the closer to the town we got - mainly the result of building ever more capacity for vehicles to cross the Mersey. 

We were pleasantly surprised that the basin was free of any moored boats - there is really only space for two or three - but we did notice more a short way back outside the theatre. On the offside of the canal basin is a small boat club with a few pontoons.

We were moored up by Waterloo  Bridge (the end of the present navigation but the top of the locks that originally linked down to the Mersey (there are visionary plans to restore the locks)  by 10:00. Mike quickly changed and set off with no clear idea or where he would  be going!

The first phase of the car shuffle was to get back to the car at Swanley Bridge. The involved a train to Crewe and then to Nantwich. He had failed to contact the taxi he used earlier in the year and no others responded either, At least he could leave a voice mail message. Failing all else it would be a long walk!

As he waited at Crewe for the connection he had a call - the driver had been on the way back from taking passengers to Heathrow but had arranged for her colleagues to pick him up. That's service (Haightons for reference!)

As soon as he was dropped off next to the car, he prepared to jump in and set off. By now Christine had established contact with another marina, Fettlers Wharf, at Rufford and they were able to provide us with a mooring. Destination into the satnav and on the way.

Most of the journey was on the M6 which was exceedingly busy. A broken down car in the no-hard-shoulder section caused the first delay and then a long section of road works, replacing the central barrier with a new concrete design that seems to be the current preferred option.

Only ten minutes later than a 'standard' prediction, Mike arrived at the marina and headed to the office to collect the gate key and generally to check in.

There was enough time to compete this, park the car at the far end and return to the entrance and walk the very short distance to the little Rufford station. There was even enough time to have a wrestle with the ticket machine which eventually, after several refusals, was prepared to issue him with a ticket for the final leg of the shuffle.

The first train took Mike to Preston (in the wrong direction - away from where he wanted to go!) where the electrified main line has excellent services. He had just enough time to pick up a sandwich before boarding the fast train inti Liverpool Lime Street. Google had offered a schedule which included a six minute change time at Liverpool whereas National Rail proposed a later train. Helped  by a one minute early arrival he was able to make it across from Platform 1 to Platform 9 with a few minutes to spare. Although this was a mainline grain into London, Runcorn was the first stop just a quarter of an hour away. As the train pulled into the station he espied the boat and could see that Christine must be on board (she had suggested earlier that she might go into town to the shops) He was back at the boat by a quarter past four, ready for a much f teas. He was relieved (but not necessarily ready instantly to admit, that he was rather relieved that Christine had decided to take over his catering slot for the evening. All this travelling is more tiring than it ought to be, especially when there were so many uncertainties and potentials for things to go awry. It was somewhat remarkable that he arrived back exactly on the schedule he set with!

Somewhat later, with the temperature a little cooler, we walked down to The Promenade (the river bank) and around to return via the town centre and a quick foray into the Co-Op store (a 'proper' weekend shop is planned for tomorrow).

At the riverside we could see the iconic Silver Jubilee Bridge that replaced the much older transporter bridge. The older design completed in 1905 was mandated by then need to allow naval ships of the period to pass underneath.

As well as the River Mersey, still tidal here, the bridge crosses the Manchester Ship Canal.

A little further upstream is the newer Mersey Gateway bridge, opened in 2017.

A small dock off the canal has the only remaining signs of a former shipbuilding works - the launch ramp. Unlike the more common launch stern first, these would be sent into the water sideways - with a tremendous splash!

We then walked back through what the signs called the Town Centre. Is really hard to see how this area can be rejuvenated, It comprises entirely small shop buildings with many unused and some derelict. The range of uses is restricted with few operating as retail outlets - plenty of hair, beauty and massages places.

The preferred architecture seems to have used very dark red brick with an austere feel (here the former Constabulary and a couple of banks). No doubt at the time this represented the kind of solidity that the institutions and investors of the day wanted but it adds to a claustrophobic atmosphere. 

5.1 Miles - 0 Locks