“…Shall we hang around at Anderton or shall we nip up to Lymm for a few days?” Bit of a no brainer really. The canal is relatively quiet, probably due to the Bridgewater Breach blocking navigation so unless you’re happy to wind and retrace your steps, what’s the point of travelling this way…. because in spring it’s alive with new growth and full of potential.
Especially in the sunshine
Even the storm clouds lend sense of anticipation
Although I wont deny I wasn’t relieved to see a clear sunrise
We ran the gauntlet of a fishing competition. Sorry guys
We waved and tooted our horn for the kiddies crossing the bridge
And we discovered narrowboats arent the only floating home, although im not sure a floating nest is the safest abode for your chicks
And when it comes to transporting your animals and your business, this mobile florist had set up her stall in Lymm, her pet pooch even had its own sunshade
Lymm ticks all the boxes for us to declare it a holiday destination
Centred around the 17th century stone cross, the village itself was a hive of activity. Originally agriculture was the predominant occupation, but a Slitting Mill also produced iron nails for the wider community. The arrival of the canal in the 1750’s again increased the prosperity of the growing town. And during the industrial revolution trade became focused on cloth, with the production of fustian, a fabric similar to corduroy. I’ve written about Lymm in several previous posts if you want to know more.
But like us the Victorians recognised its charms and escaped here to stroll through the leafy woodland around the dam
While we were walking around Lymm dam, we saw our first cygnets of the year.
And coots on the canal
And of course as we were in holiday mood, we got to dine out. Someone was celebrating her birthday and the waiter got to hear about it, so my dessert arrived in style. There are several nice restaurants in Lymm, this time we chose Elmas, who make the nicest Tiramisu I’ve had in a while
But alas, we had to get back to the Paintshed so we couldnt linger longer at Lymm, back through more lovely leafy bridges
Under magnificent trees,
And past curious cows
back for one last mooring on this particularly pretty stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal, before we get our necessary jobs done.
This week’s cruising has been a real pleasure.