Ice foils The Grand Plan

Today we should have gone onto the Montgomery Canal - however instead we are moored just before the New Marton locks (two of them) on the Llangollen Canal heading northwards!


We had a walk down the locks at the Llangollen end of the Montgomery yesterday and they were clear but but but ----- round the corner where the Weston Branch (disused) goes off to the left (where the services block is) ice was covering the canal.   We walked on for a bit but was obvious the ice carried on.       Ummmm.     What to do.    In the winter months you have to book passage through the Frankton Junction locks by giving BW minimum of 48 hours notice and then another 48 hours notice to come back.    Currently you can only go about 8 miles on the Montgomery as that’s as far as it’s been restored from this end.       After some humming and arring we decided we’d better cancel as (a) didn’t really want to be ice breaking and (b) if the ice got worse, then we didn’t want to be stuck for goodness knows how long down there!!    We will do it on the way back by which time hopefully the ice will be gone.


So we are going on down the Llangollen - no ice on here except for a very thin covering noted in the New Marton Locks this afternoon but that shouldn’t be too much of a barrier tomorrow morning.


Saw first lambs of 2012 yesterday in the field by Frankton Junction.  Way too cold for the little things - no wonder they were gambol-ing around like jack-in-the-boxes.


We spent several days on the Ellesmere Arm where there was - very surprisingly - only 2 boats over-wintering.    It’s normally full of winter moorers.    If we were to ever over-winter anywhere, then this would certainly be a location of choice.    Ellesmere is a lovely place with some great walks by the Meres.   Tesco still there so we expected a lot of shop fall out in the town - but no, still two butchers, bakers, little Spar and little Co-op as well as other shops.    In fact, I could only see one place closed down since we were last here in Sept 2010 when Tesco hadn’t been open that long.   


Since last blog we have done … 12 miles and  0 locks
Total since Setting Off ….. 1589 miles and  1257 locks

So the proposed Trust is for sure.
Van in Ellesmere Yard

Close up of the new wording

Four narrowboat bloggers in a row
moored in front of us on Ellesmere Arm

more development at Ellesmere behind Tesco
photographed from canal.    Not sure what they
are building but someone told us a medical centre, pub
and some retirement housing

ice at Frankton Junction,  February 1
top of Montgomery Canal