On Tuesday, 7th November, we met the Frankton lock keeper at noon at the top lock, and he locked us through the first two locks, which are a staircase. After that we were on our own, except that we weren't really, as another boater, who was moored at the top, came with his windlass and helped us through the last two locks. And then we were on the Montgomery Canal, a special place to be. One other boat followed us through, and went on past us, and left us moored up at the Weston Arm mooring all on our own. I believe the Weston Arm was supposed to go through to Shrewsbury, but I don't have any information on that at the moment.

We stayed at the Weston Arm mooring, as Trev's cousin Ann and her husband Graham were coming to see us for a couple of days. They have a motorhome, and there is a car park right by the mooring, so it was most convenient. They arrived shortly afterwards, and we spent the rest of the day and evening together. We had a lovely walk around the area. It is all so peaceful and rural around here, and feels so safe.

However, nothing is ever quite what it seems, is it? Later that evening, several cars pulled up in the car park near Ann & Graham's van, and the occupants got out of one car and into another and sat talking with the lights on and swopped seats and walked around and behaved in a rather strange fashion. Bear in mind that this is all out in the sticks, far from anywhere, in a little country lane. It was rather disconcerting, and Trev and Graham walked over in a casual fashion 'to get something out of the van'. They tried to appear bold and Ann & I watched them hoping they would be OK. They returned and said all was well, but we still don't know what was going on. It happened the next evening too.

Was it a drugs drop? Or illicit liaisons? It reminds me of something which happened when we ran the guest house. A man rang and booked a room for a night in a couple of days' time. He asked if he could have a small package delivered to await his arrival. On the day he was due to arrive he rang to ask if one of his employees could call round and pick up the room key, as he would probably arrive late and didn't want to disturb us; oh and by the way, had his package arrived. His minion (or maybe it was he himself, who knows?) duly arrived, paid for the room in advance, took the room key and the package and departed. And that was the last we saw of him. A couple of hours later, we got a 'phone call from the dog track at Hove, about one hundred and fifty miles away, to say they'd found our room key on the ground in the car park. We felt uneasy and rang the local police, and they said that almost certainly it had been a drugs drop.

However, I digress--though I'm sure you enjoy these little snippets! On Wednesday, 8th November, we took our guests for a cruise down the Monty. We went through the Graham Palmer Lock, where some mindless people--though I think people is a rather inappropriate term for them--have totally defaced a lovely sculpture on the side of the lock to Graham Palmer, founder of the Waterways Recovery Group. They have chiselled the features away, and it will have to be replaced. Again, it's incredible to think that anyone would bother to come out here in the boonies to do this. They would have had to park in the car park where Ann & Graham parked and walk quite a distance to get to the lock. Some times I feel quite violent about it all!

We had a lovely cruise, even though it wasn't as warm and sunny a day as some we've had recently. We turned at the Queens Head on the A5, and moored up and went in for a very pleasant lunch. Then back to the mooring and another pleasant evening of chat and diversion! During the day, Trev received a 'phone call from BW to say that the Montgomery Canal was to be closed from Monday, 13th November as a bridge had to be repaired. So they gave us a choice of leaving on Sunday, 12th November or staying for three weeks until the work was completed. In other circumstances we would love to have stayed for three weeks, but we have booked a winter mooring at Llangollen for two months which begins on 1st December, so we elected to leave on Sunday.

On Thursday, 9th November we set off for the end of the Monty and our friends set off for home. We took our time, in fact one has to, the speed limit on the Montgomery is either two or three mph, depending on whereabouts one is. We dropped down through the three Aston Locks, and at the bottom, Trev spotted some wood in a copse and so we pulled the boat in and loaded it on. We haven't done very well at all this year for free wood, so it was a welcome sight.

Then we arrived at Maesbury, where there is a new BW sanitary facility and, allegedly, a new shop. We moored up at the sanitary station, and Trev went in search of the shop. I went for a nose in the sanitary station, and saw that there was a table with magazines and books which people had left. I'd sorted out a lot of books and magazines for just such a place, so I was pleased to be able to add them to the selection. Then we noticed that the pub was open.........use it or lose it, is what I say! So in we piled and had a couple of noggins, and booked a table for tomorrow. Trev didn't find the shop.

Then on towards the end of the canal and what did we find? The shop. A lovely new shop run by a very enterprising couple called Ian and Fiona. They have built a lovely modern building, with a Post Office, cafe and general store selling all sorts of items, and upstairs there is self catering accommodation. If you're looking for an away from it all holiday in lovely surroundings, then this is the place. Ian even fetched us a newspaper on Friday and Saturday. We stayed talking to them for ages. They were a really interesting couple and I do hope they prosper. It's a brave venture to open up a new shop in such a rural spot. If you're anywhere near please go and visit them and give them some custom.

Then we went on to the very end of the canal. Here I was given awesome and unusual powers. Usually I'm the one who jumps on and off with the rope and gets told where to moor up and how to tie the rope and when to do this, that and the other. But there was a lift bridge, and Trev got off to do that and asked me if I wanted to go ahead, on the boat, on my own, to the winding hole at the end of the canal and turn the boat round! Little me, on my own, doing all that, out of sight!!!!!! So I did and came back with the boat facing in the right direction and all in one piece!

Then we moored up for the night, all on our own, in perfect peace. Well, I hope it's perfect peace, as I said earlier, you never know!

Yes it was perfect peace and we stayed for two nights. On Friday, 10th November we went for a walk around the area, and in the evening we went to The Navigation for a meal. Excellent! Really good, run professionally by nice people:

Another place we would recommend.

We have had the whole of the Montgomery Canal to ourselves. Imagine that: a whole canal, just for us! There were no other boats moving, and we passed only a couple of moored boats. On Saturday, we reluctantly set off for Frankton Junction. It was a really windy day and it was difficult to hold the boat still whilst Trev was ahead opening the locks. We travelled to the bottom of Frankton locks, where we moored up, ready to go through the next day.

On Sunday morning the lockie appeared and we set off in to the first lock. But the water level was too low and we were on the bottom. We had to let a lot of water down in order to get the boat in to the lock. After that it was easy enough and we were soon back on the Llangollen. At the top of the canal were two of those charming people--fishermen. These two didn't buck the trend, but totally ignored us as usual. In fact, they shouldn't have been fishing there at all, for several reasons:
It was a 48 hour mooring
It was at the top of the locks
It was on the junction
But of course, little issues like that don't worry them! Sorry, but they ARE most annoying! We always slow down when we pass them, but almost never get any acknowledgement of our courtesy. However. if they think we're going too fast, they can soon find their tongues.......

We turned left and moored up in a couple of hundred yards. We're not in a hurry. We can't get on to our winter mooring at Llangollen until Dec. 1st and don't have far to travel, so we shall take our time.

In the morning we set off for a leisurely trip to moor above the New Marton Locks. These are the last two on the canal before Llangollen. Hooray--no more locks until next year! It wasn't a long trip, about four miles and two locks. I went ahead to open the lock and Trev steered, but the wind took him right across the canal on to the opposite bank, and it took him about ten minutes to get off again. Of course, if we had one of those wimpy bowthrusters we'd have been off in no time, but we haven't!

We filled up with water at the water point above the locks and then moved on about half a mile to a Shropshire Union Canal Society mooring and moored up for two nights. Over the fields, about a mile and half away, is Stan's supermarket, at St. Martin's. Needless to say, the ropes were hardly tied to the rings before Trev said, "Come on, let's go to Stan's." So off we bound......over the fields and the stiles, through the mud and the cowpats, in the ruts and across streams, to Stan's! It's almost worth the journey, actually, because it's a privately owned supermarket, located in quite a large village, and is like no other! They sell all their own brands and there's some excellent stuff on sale. So we came back loaded. Trev had kindly suggested that I take my rucksack so that I could carry some of the heavy stuff, and coming back, I couldn't even get over the stiles, I was too heavily loaded. So I had to take the pack off each time. However, Trev gallantly held the shopping bags I was also carrying, whilst I climbed over! Oh, the pleasure of living with an action man! And, as if that wasn't enough, we did it all over again on Tuesday.

Om Wednesday, 15th November, Trev went to Stan's again, but I declined the invitation today. When he came back, we set off for Bridge 13, where we had an assignation at 2.00 p.m. with the coalman. We arrived dead on two, but he wasn't there. We waited until 2.15, when Trev said let's go, he's not coming. But I said let's wait a little longer, and he arrived at 2.20. He was such a nice man, and loaded all of the bags on to the roof of the boat, just where we wanted them. Then on we went to moor at Gledrid.

Now this was a most useful place to moor, as I had another meeting to fulfil! We have (or rather had) an Ecofan on top of our stove. Have I told you about this? I can't remember. Any way, if I have just gloss over this bit. The Ecofan is manufactured in Canada, and works from the heat of the stove. It's quite an expensive item, about eighty pounds I think. Well, it's placed on the stove and the fan goes round and pushes the heat along the inside of the boat. Trev has always been sceptical of its efficiency, as he is with most of my mad ideas. However, it only stands on the stove, it is not attached to anything, and so of course, when I enter locks too enthusiastically and not too accurately, it gets knocked off. Well, it had fallen off once too often, and stopped working. I went in to a chandlery in Braunston and they gave me the address of the sole UK importers and repairers, and they're located less than a quarter of a mile from the Llangollen Canal at Bridge 19.

So off I trundled with my fan in one of Stan's bags, and found the place, called Calfire. I met Barry Loynes who said he would look at the fan and ring me to let me know if it was repairable. When he 'phoned the next day, Barry gave me two repair options, and I chose the more expensive of the two, which was still under thirty pounds. Later in the day he rang to say it was ready. When we fetched it, it was all nicely packed in a new box, with a twelve month guarantee. Excellent service Barry, thank you very much!

We walked to Chirk whilst we were waiting for the fan to be repaired. It was a pleasant walk, and we went right past "Seventh Heaven", a bedding outlet that I'd wanted to visit for ages, though heaven knows why, I can't have a new bed on the boat! Chirk is a pretty little town, with a huge Cadbury's factory, which issues forth steam day and night. On the way back, Trev had another of his bright ideas, we'd walk back a different way, and come through Chirk Tunnel. This is 459 yards long, and we hadn't got torches! I didn't mind walking through in the dark, as we could see the other end, but I couldn't see where I was putting my feet. Although there is a handrail all the way along, its supports are about a metre apart, and I was afraid of putting my foot in the canal! So it was slow going.

As it happened, it was fortuitous that we stopped here at Gledrid, as we also had a problem with the multi fuel burning stove--a Morso Squirrel to be exact. It has been smoking a lot lately and we put it down to some coal we'd bought a couple of weeks ago. But it was getting so bad that we were sitting with the side hatch open to avoid breathing in the fumes.

Then we noticed that the smoke was coming from the joint between the chimney and the top of the stove. We mentioned this to Barry, and he kindly gave us some compound to put in the joint. We had to let the fire out to do it, so let it go out overnight. In the morning Trev put the compound in the gap and also gave the chimney a good clean with a twiggy branch. There was lots of soot and gunge up there. That seemed to do the trick, the fire worked without smoking. But we couldn't get the glass in the door clean. So back to Barry again, and he sold Trev some special fireglass cleaner. That did the trick, so we set off.

As we were going along, I put more fuel on the fire only to find that the rope which goes round the inside of the door to give a tight fit, had all fallen apart! Oh dear..... So we moored up and Trev got on his trusty velocipede and cycled back to buy a new length of rope. It was a good job we hadn't gone far.

Then we set off through Chirk Tunnel, and Whitehouse Tunnel--only 191 yards long--and on towards Chirk Marina. We wanted to fill up with diesel, and rang Chirk Marina to ask how much their diesel was. 64p per litre. That's more than we've ever paid, we only paid 39.3 at Wheaton Aston a few weeks ago. So we rang Anglo Welsh at Trevor and theirs was 57p, so, although it was still a lot of money, we plumped for that one.

In the morning we did the last three miles of our cruise, in to Llangollen. I walked and it was really the most perfect autumn day, no wind, clear blue skies, beautiful sunshine and tree colours to rival New England in the Fall. We found a good spot to moor and were delighted to have arrived at our destination. We left Uxbridge, Middlesex, on October 3rd, and have had a wonderful cruise. We've actually ended up here too early, as our winter mooring doesn't start until 1st December, but we're hoping we can pay the difference. Given the parlous state of BW's finances, I'm sure they'll accept a little extra money!

So that's the end of our cruising for this year. We shall stay here until the end of February, and then set slowly off back down the Llangollen Canal. Our first task in 2007 is to get to Welford on the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union to have our bottom blacked. The stoppages finish around March 10th, so we shall be able to get going after that. Thank you to everyone who reads my website, and to those who write to me too. I love to hear from everyone. Come back and have a look from time to time, in case anything exciting happens which I think you should know about! Otherwise, the website should be up and running again in March.

Enjoy your winter (summer for my antipodean readers!), Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Angela

Autumn/Winter, 2006/7

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