Have you ever been to Bettisfield?

We spent a day at Grindley Brook, rotten weather so we stayed put. When we moved on Jandai was still on the moorings and when we got to Whitchurch we found Moore2Life, Rock and Roll and Seyella parked just beyond the arm. We didn't stop there, it's a splendid town but it is a bit of a drag from the cut. We tootled on towards Ellesmere, it's lovely country but doesn't lend itself to photography as it is rather flat. Jill enjoyed herself swinging the windlass on the lift bridges until we came to the bridge just before the Prees Arm, Moriss' Lift Bridge,

Seventy-eight turns to lift it and nigh on as many to drop it again, don't ever try and arm wrestle her.
The next feature is Whixall Moss, perhaps lack of features would be more accurate.

A rare raised bog with many rare plants and insects, I bet that includes mossies in the summer. At this time of year it's just a flat, brown stretch of dead grass/reeds.

The post that marks the border between England and Wales, it actually says Wales on one side and England on the other but it doesn't show up in the picture so, once again, you'll just have to take my word for it. Of course when you get to Ellesmere you are back in Shropshire so this bit of Wales doesn't last long.
There is a water point at Bettisfield, (it's not marked in Nicholson's), so we decided to stop for a day or two and give the washing machine a bit of a work out.
Bettisfield is actually in Wales, you can tell as all the road signs are bi-lingual, but that didn't stop us venturing forth and here follows a tour of the sights of Bettisfield.

There is still a railway station here, it even has a couple of enamel adverts. on the walls, unfortunately it no longer has a railway line, both it and

the old goods shed are now des. res'.
Next? the church, built in 1874, not the usual high Victorian gothic revival at all.

but a nice clean design, just "churchie" enough to keep with tradition. Inside the font and pulpit could almost be from the 1960's.

Well done that architect, G.E. Street if you're interested.
Opposite the church is Bettisfield Hall,

and if you take a walk across the fields and over Cornhill Bridge you find

the Primitive Methodist Ebenezer Chapel. Virtually all the housing is post war and that is Bettisfield, well I didn't say it was exciting did I?
Yesterday we moved on up to Ellesmere and to our amazement the town arm had plenty of space in it, most of the boats here are the bloggers convoy which we have been leapfrogging since Adderley.

Watch this space.........