We finally start moving on. Hurleston with daffodils.

Winter is such a quiet time, we have been sitting at Nantwich since the twenty-eighth of last month and you could count the number of boats we have seen moving on your fingers. Largely down to the frozen state of the canal.

Honestly, that is ice across the cut. We stayed a couple of days after the ice went because, anticipating it lasting longer, we arranged a visit from our nephew and his good lady on Saturday which of course was a signal for an instant thaw.
But today we finally set off for Hurleston and the Welsh Canal, a.k.a. the Llangollen. You may pronounce that as you see fit. Stopped at Nantwich Canal Centre to top up the diesel and were informed that Hurleston was shut until the twenty-second. A rapid check on C&RT's website showed no mention of a stoppage so we set off, hoping. As they say, "It is better to travel in hope than to arrive." We did both.

Well we arrived at the bottom of the four locks of the Hurleston flight and apart from a couple of work boats moored on the lock landing there was no sign of any work being done, so we set off up.

Unfortunately the second pound up was so low there was not enough water to get out over the top cill. So while Jill ran up and down the locks, furiously wielding her windlass to run enough water down to enable us to proceed, I had time to survey the surroundings.

Well we are heading into Wales.

I wonder how much higher they can pile the cars in the adjacent scrap yard? Three high at the moment.

This must be the most sinuously sexy paddle gear on the system. I wonder what the idea was? It is on the third lock up.

Looking back down the flight, the view is somewhat dull on a cold, cloudy winter's day. On a fine summer's day it is fantastic.
By the time we reached the top we had decided that we had been cold for long enough, so when we reached the S.U.C.S. moorings by bridge five we called it a day.

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