food – Narrowboat Firecrest

Let’s go to Lymm

“…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.

Messing about at Middleport

We have a vague memory from back in 2017 when we moved aboard, of us saying we’d always try to moor in a different place. Middleport pottery quickly fell through that net. Its not the perfect mooring, but its a mooring we enjoy and we seem to keep coming back to it. Probably because its within easy reach of the Harecastle Tunnel, and we dont have to put up with honking geese and goose poo if we were to moor at Westport Lakes. And of course, we love the architectural heritage of being able to moor right opposite a pottery built in 1888. I can’t get enough of bottle kilns.

Being Easter Weekend we assumed we’d get some bad weather, but Saturday proved to be dry and sunny- until storm Dave put in an appearance and blew the cobwebs away. The pottery was hosting a Steam Punk extravaganza on the Saturday, alas victorian sci-fi fashion isnt the most practical boat wear so we donned our jeans and waterproofs and went to admire what others were wearing.

I love the idea of creating a unique outfit, where rules are meant to be broken, but not all steam punk is quite so relaxed. We came across the highly competitive sport of tea dueling.

These two starving urchins had been dragged off the street for our entertainment with the temptation of being allowed to eat a whole malted milk biscuit. However, they were first to endure a tortuous duel. Having dunked their biscuit into a freshly poured cup of tea for precisely 3 second, (as counted down by the audience) they competed to hold their biscuit upright, without it breaking, for the longest time without devouring it in one greedy mouthful. One urchin lasted 41 seconds the other 42. And the audience was well entertained.
We resumed our self guided tour of the pottery, which although it has developed as a heritage site, preserving its old buildings, it is still a working pottery and a teaching site for budding potters. I’d have loved to have joined a class but they were all full up this weekend. Instead we had a look at the bath house. Right up until the 1950s it was unusual for the workers terrace houses to have an indoor bathroom, or even a zinc tub of their own, so the Mills would often have bath houses available for their employees to use. During world war II this bath house was the designated bomb shelter to accommodate 38 people. The factory employed over 200.

Whilst we were enjoying Middleport, I saw directions to Oatbakers. Which according to various online reviews serves the best Staffordshire oatcakes available. As you would expect Eric opted for the challenger, a giant Oatcake. I always thought an Oatcake was a crisp biscuit that you’d eat with cheese. These however are more like a pancake, served with a sweet or savoury filling. We chose cheese and bacon. If you moor at Middleport or at Westport, the bakery is within easy walking distance, and worth a visit.

Despite the area being quite run down, theres a great community spirit. Even though Port Vale lost against Chelsea in the football FA cup quarter final. Someone has a sense of humour creating the secret garden

I was curious to know what was behind the doors. And I just happened to meet a local who had lived in Middleport all his life. This building used to be a state of the art bakery. But it is now crumbling away and the secret garden is just a teaser, someone covering up a boarded up entrance.

We stayed 4 nights at the Middleport Pottery, this time. I am sure we will be back. But for now we were preparing to say goodbye to Staffordshire as we cruised towards Cheshire, so I couldnt not share this Staffie who came to say hello to us.

Christmas on the Macc

With all our commitments complete, it was time to consider our cruising plans. We’d like to explore East Anglia next summer, which means moving south. CRT”s planned winter maintenance on the locks around Etruria meant we needed to off the Macc and beyond that point by New Year. Or we’d get caught by the stoppage till end of January. Fate had other plans. Making good progress, we stopped off in Macclesfield on 13th December to pick up provisions, only to recieve the notification that same day that there was a leaking culvert at Kents Green Bridge, (South of Congleton). Stop planks had been installed to stop the leak and navigation was closed from the Bosley locks. But was it fate? If we had been one day earlier, we would have been stranded on a rural section with no facilities nearby to keep us fed and watered. Updates were promised on the 18th December so we sort permission to overstay on the Macclesfield pontoon. A friend sent us this image from a FB post, it didnt look good.

And that was just the surface…. who knows what lies below.

With some potentially some grim cold, wet and windy weather on its way, we already knew in our hearts that the likelihood of the repair being complete was slim. Although technically possible to cruise 20 or so miles in 2 days to reach Etruria, it wasn’t going to be a fun challenge. We braced ourselves for the worst scenario. We were stuck. Instead of feeling glum, we made the most of Macclesfield and set about decorating the boat for Christmas.

I think our lights were outshone by the sunset

And I took advantage of the quick train into Manchester to meet up with Mum and Aunty for the day.

The promised update arrived on the 18th and alas as we feared, the repair was still ongoing. Our decision was made: we’d turn around and stay put -OK not actually stay put, but stay north of Macclesfield on the Macc and Peak Forest canals until we were able to cruise freely at our own pace. Even if that wouldn’t be until February. We considered the practicality of buying ourselves a house, this one had a certain appeal.

But first, Christmas in Bollington. A place we always enjoy returning to.

We were lucky to get a mooring on the aqueduct looking towards Clarence Mill. Although the view wasn’t always quite this tranquil as storms hit us and most of our 14 day stay was wet and windy, though thankfully not cold. And whilst we didn’t see that much sun, we did enjoy another spectacular moonbow

We enjoyed some good food at the Vale Inn, washed down with beer from their own brewery – well worth returning to.

that’s a Christmas dinner burger, yes it even included gravy in the bun.

We joined the community singing carols around the tree on Christmas eve.

the singing enhanced by mulled wine and a brass band

A scrumptious turkey for Christmas day thanks to Heathcotes butchers, -definitely a place we’ll return to

We decided to spend New Year’s Eve on the boat and thanks to the aqueducts elevation, thought we’d enjoy the towns fireworks at midnight. The weather got the better of us and it was just too wet to be outside although as the celebrations continued for over an our not everyone was bothered. Personally I prefer early mornings to late nights.

New Year’s Day 2024 didn’t disappoint.

What better way to start a new year than a cruise.

The latest CRT update came through yesterday. The canal is still closed at Bridge 85 and the next update is on 10th January.

Happy New Year,

Reykjavik-Iceland part 5

Another early morning treat when we threw open the curtains, our very cartoon volcano on the horizon. Thankfully it wasn’t an erupting one.

And being up early we saw the pilot arrive to guide the ship into Reykjavik Harbour.The skyline was full of promise of an exciting city to explore

We decided to forgo the organised excusion to the famous Blue Lagoon, Back in March I had shared the locks on the Hatton flight with a family who turned out to be travel writers, I flippantly asked for any tips about Iceland and was told I must visit the Sky Lagoon, it being newer, a better location, smaller and less busy closer to Reykjavik, and cheaper to boot -with more extras. And after hearing our fellow passengers accounts it seems we chose well. Needless to say you will have to form your own picture of Amanda and I bathing in the thermal waters of the infinity pool overlooking the ocean, of course with a cocktail in hand, before we entered the 7 step spa ritual with its sauna, again overlooking the ocean, the salt scrub and whale music, (don’t picture us leaping into the ice cold plunge pool, that wasn’t so pretty) etc.

https://www.skylagoon.com/

I could say that’s it for our trip to Reykjavik, but fortunately it wasn’t. With our radiant skin and chilled out minds we followed our taxi drivers recommendation and found ourselves a cafe serving proper icelandic food. And we sat on the pavement eating soused herring on ryebread

After lunch we followed the rainbow road up to the magnificent Hallgrímskirkja, which although the most impressive of buildings, isnt the Reykjavik cathdral but the parish church. To me its sleek modern architecture summed up how artistic and stylish this island is. And interestingly it is known in English as the Church on the Hill, which is also what the Church our father in law was minister at for many years.

my photos don’t do justice to the scale of this elegant building, known in English as the Church on the Hill

And standing watch outside is a monument of Lief Ericsson, the explorer credited with discovering Iceland in the 10th century

Perhaps not all of Iceland’s art is quite as stylish

But I did like the piles of rocks all along the shoreline

We perhaps didn’t make the best of our day exploring Reykjavik, there were many many more attractions that we could have visited. But we had booked ourselves onto a whale watching trip at 3pm so we only had two hours between the spa and what was to be the highlight of our trip. We got ourselves all togged in the gear

And we’re just heading down to the awaiting RIB…..

This was to be a joy ride extraordinaire

…..when our excitement was shattered. The sea conditions had worsened and the waves were now over 2m so our trip was cancelled. To say we were gutted was an understatement. Although with that sort of swell perhaps our guts were secretly relieved. Although it was still only 4pm the last, courtesy bus back to Borealis was at 5. We could have found a taxi and stayed out longer but our spirits were dampened, until of course we got back to the ship, and were met by our favourite waiter, Julius, who gave us a hot toddy before we boarded.

We like to think we were his favourite passengers

all the crew were lovely on board, they were mainly from the Philippines, they all spoke excellent English, and nothing seemed too much trouble for them. We quickly got to know who worked where on the ship, and madam Cheryl and madam Amanda were always greeted with a smile. We’d recommend Fred Olsen as a cruise operator any day. The little extras always made us smile

(And Hi to Steven the cyclist who stopped to say hello yesterday, who let us know he was enjoying the blog- thanks Steven we appreciate knowing)

To Bollington and beyond

We had the good fortune to be approaching Bollington at the same time as the weather forecast was predicting 4 days of thunderstorms and torrential rain. We had the even better good fortune to find a space on the aqueduct in time for us to hunker down and watch the world go by.

Bollington is a largely unspoilt little place that grew out of 3 small farming communities into a thriving, but small victorian mill town. Nestled in the foothills of the Pennines, on the edge of the Peak district, the canal straddles the wooded valley of the River Dean on a 60′ high aqueduct and embankment.

Perhaps not the most spectacular on the system, but one of my favourites because there’s mooring and a wide towpath, and an interesting town below to explore.

We had the added benefit of being joined by Sapphire, another Braidbar boat and it’s always good to share cruising notes, especially over a pint. No wonder it is also known as Happy Valley.

The Macclesfield canal was completed in the 1830’s and provided the incentive for local entrepreneurs to take advantage of the Macclesfield silk and cotton trade. Several mills were built, but only Clarence and Adelphi mills are still standing, both as residential and creative hubs with cafes, perfect for gongoozlers. Bollington seems to attract good food, and the day we arrived we only just missed the Hairy Bikers filming at the Indian Goat for a Christmas special. Needless to say we also had to sample the menu, not once but twice.

The Indian Goat, street food worth having.

To compensate for our excessive gluttony, we also took advantage of some great walking trails. The Middlewood Way, (from Marple to Macclesfield) runs through Bollington, along the disused railway line. Just like the canal, straddling the valley also required some skilled engineering. The west side of town is dominated by a long stretch of arches. The weather was against us completing the full trail although it’s one of Tim’s favourite cycling routes.

The Middlewood Way, above the playground

The other local landmark is known as the White Nancy, found on the Kerridge ridge. It’s a folly built in 1817 to celebrate the victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Apparently it used to have a door into a single room inside, but that’s no longer there. And at certain times of the year, it could well be dressed up as father Christmas, or sporting various other commemorative symbols. One year vandals painted it pink, can’t think why….The views from the top are spectacular, even with the cloud, we could see over to the Welsh hills, Merseyside, and the Peak District. We could even see Sapphire moored on the aqueduct. And we could see the White Nancy from the aqueduct.

All in all we managed to avoid most of the heavy showers and the canal didn’t quite overflow. We are once again heading south.

Heading south towards Macclesfield, hope the blue sky comes too

Jammin’ with the Stone Strawberries

Our deadline destination was to reach Stone. Because way back in early April we booked to have our 4 year Boat Safety Scheme examination done there. Give or take a few miles, that’s about 80 miles and 50 locks. According to ACC canal planner it could take us less than a week if we put our minds to it. Up the Grand Union Leicester line and the River Soar, then turn left for a few miles upstream on the River Trent, and finally onto the Trent and Mersey Canal. 7 weeks later we have finally made it. We had been looking forward to mooring up at Great Haywood to visit the Shugborough Hall, but alas Covid booking requirements and dreary weather meant that I only caught a glimpse from the canal, and the rather lovely Essex pack horse Bridge over the Trent as I hopped off to work us through the lock.

We enjoy the Trent and Mersey, being so long, there’s a real diversity of things to look at, so one day we will be back to exercise our National Trust cards, and actually go inside the Hall. That is, of course, if we don’t get seen off first, as this rather aggressive swan foolishly tried to do.

We’ve ruffled a few feathers in the past, but never been attacked whilst in the boat, but this rather over protective father certainly made it known we weren’t welcome anywhere near his offspring. Perhaps he was offended because I didn’t take a photo of them. Unlike these cuties that were being shown off in Stone.

We needed to moor close to a convenient parking space for our BSS and as luck would have it there was space on the 5 day mooring next to M&S, ideal for Mike our examiner. He came, examined and passed us without any problem. We get the impression that this boat MOT requirement is more concerned to ensure that your boat shouldn’t be a hazard to any neighbours, rather than checking it’s integrity for your own safety. Mind you, it wouldn’t be practical to insist every boat is hauled out of the water to look for thin patches on the hull structure. And narrowboats don’t have break pads to check, though perhaps an oral exam that anyone helming a boat understands the need to slow down well before they pass a moored boat might might not be a bad thing. Being so close to M&S did have other advantages besides its car park. They had over stocked on strawberries so at 50p for 500g I couldn’t resist.

And I made the Stone Strawberry jam.

This will be labelled up and eaten during Wimbledon fortnight with scones and clotted cream.

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