A trip to the big city

Here's me and Her on our July trip to Manchester. I had to make it clear to her that she wasn't welcome on my lookout post. Of course, any seat is mine. He's okay with that. She isn't!

After negotiating the Middlewich Arm and going through the locks at Middlewich (including the notorious Big Lock - see my earlier blog) we headed north along the Trent and Mersey Canal towards the Bridgwater Canal.

We stopped for lunch at Bramble Cutting and passed the lakes where the heron ignored us.

Then, we went through a winding dark tunnel to emerge in an idyllic spot where kingfishers flashed past then posed in the trees (sadly no zoom lens so no proof).

The next day, aften anothe dark crooked tunnel, we went past a dry dock that looked like a railway awning and then into a big tunnel nearly a mile long.

We were now on the Bridgewater Canal and our next stop was Lymm. This canal proved to be very attractive with lots of wild flowers along the tow paths and pretty villages and towns.

In Sale we were joined by Her schoolfriend and young grandchildren who helped with the steering.

Then it was onto Manchester passing interesting architecture and Old Trafford before entering Castlefields where we spent a noisy night. After the nightclub noise and the sirens came the geese.

There was a lot to see in the city - Piccadilly Circus (good food!), Viaduct National Trust Gardens (dogs not allowed) and a suffragette statue - but I was glad to get back to the boat.

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Dog Watching

I’m sat here in the back of the boat dog watching. The little yappy ones I don’t bother with. Those my size like the spaniels and collies are more interesting. Occasionally I see another beagle, good looking like me, but, if I see something large like a German Shepherd or a Labrador I’ll really bark. That’s when I get shouted at. They brought the boat round from Tattenhall Marina on Friday, stopping at the top of Beeston Iron Lock on the first night. On Saturday we entered the Llangollen canal so I got lots of interesting walks along the towpath. It rained on Sunday but we had lunch in a pub in Wrenbury and I got the scraps. By Monday night we’d reached the top of the staircase locks in Grindley Brook (thanks to the helpful volunteers) but had to go home on Tuesday for appointments. As they’re having a new shower fitted, we came back here to Whitchurch that same day and spent yesterday at Cholmondley Castle Gardens where there were loads o...

A new adventure on dry land

We're off on a new adventure, she tells me. We're dropped off in the middle of Chester and head towards the River Dee to walk to Flint. Only 13 miles! This is the start of the Wales Coast Path that she intends to follow though, as it's 870 miles long, I'm not sure either of us will be able to make it. He's in charge of transport: dropping us off at the start then meeting us on his bike to make sure we're safe. It's a long tarmac path but there are interesting smells on either side and we pass a few other dogs, some walkers and cyclists. The start of the Wales Coast Path is obvious - even to a dog! We must have walked for over five miles before we leave the path to cross the big blue bridge at Queensferry and, for a short distance, we follow grass paths to the Hawarden bridge. We still couldn't see the sea but the estuary was wider. Then we're back on tarmac all the way to Connah's Quay where he meets us for lunch and I get two sausages a...

Creativity and Nature Join me at Ty’r Felin on 28 th June for a day exploring creativity and nature. Your facilitator Helen Papworth I am a retired educator and writer/illustrator who is currently studying for a Permaculture Diploma. After a career spent teaching and managing, I moved to Ethiopia as a VSO volunteer in 2004 then retrained as an illustrator for children’s publishing. I gained my PhD on the subject of Ethiopian Children’s Illustrated Literature and continue to illustrate books for Ethiopian publishers. I also now train artists in Ethiopia to illustrate children’s books . I live at Ty’r Felin where I practice permaculture ethics, principles and techniques in my home and on the land where I have developed a Forest Garden. Your venue Ty’r Felin, Cwm Road, Trelawnyd, Flintshire, LL18 6EF GR SJ 08815 79158 Ty’r Felin is a mill cottage with a converted mill which is now a studio, and stables, one of which serves as a print r...

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