This bridge just a tad to low.

Monday 9th

We were bombarded last night! Watching TV as the light was fading, something quick and black passing the window. What on earth!!!! We both jumped up and rushed outside. Not a missile thrown by the locals, no but Bats flying all around catching the black flies swarming over the water. We stood on the back deck holding our nerve as many were on a collision course for our heads. As is a Bats way they swerved at the last second. Very rare for a Bat to come into contact with anything other then their prey. It was a sight to behold and a waxing moon in clear unpolluted skies made the experience even more wonderful.

Blue skies greeted us this morning and we left the Devils Garden to its tranquillity. New sights to see and destinations to reach. Cruising past Frodsham cut we had hoped to go along to see the disused lock but ropes across the entrance stopped our passage.

Not a ripple on the river this morning. Far cry from later in the day!

Frodsham Cut

We then discovered moorings and facilities that were not in Nicholsons. Our book is over 8 years old so we now treat it as a guide only but update it when new things show themselves. So in case you also have an old copy, Sutton Weaver moorings are after Sutton Weir and on the Weston Cut before the first road bridge, (A56) and the Rocksavage moorings are after the motorway bridge (M56). They could be a tad noisy but both have bollards which is a bonus.

The moorings are on the right.

 The facilities have everything except pumpout. Wish we had known as our cassettes were both emptied at Northwich thinking there were no more on the Weaver. It was situated between the railway bridge and the road bridge, again on the Weston Cut.

First lot of moorings (Sutton Weaver) Facilities after the road swing bridge on the left

 Then it was onwards towards Marsh lock with several miles of chemical works to keep us company.

For those brave enough, passage could be made onto the Manchester Ship canal from Marsh lock but this would have to be arranged first though. Ian is brave enough...I'm not!!! Here we stopped to have a look around. A convenient pontoon with room enough for one boat, made getting off a doodle. We had been told that staying overnight was permitted because Marsh lock is hardly used at all.

Marsh lock

The only pontoon

Bit of a sorry state

After lunch we once more moved off to do the last mile to Weston Point docks or that was the plan anyway. We hadn't realised that in the way of the docks was a very low swing bridge. 5ft head room so no way would we get under it and with no means of getting off because the high banks were more fitting for the larger ships and not us smaller vessels, we turned round. We did see the disused Entrance lock to the Runcorn and Weston canal but no means of getting to it although we did manage to tie to huge bollards on a lower bank but the shrub and thorns of the blackberry bushes stopped us from proceeding.

The swing bridge.

Bollards more for the larger ships to tie to. Top of FS was level with them.

Entrance lock to the Runcorn and Weston Canal

Tied to the bollard.

Yes this is still the Chemical works and very odorous. Rotten eggs filled the nostrils.

 

Backtrack to the Marsh lock pontoon where we decided to stop for the night. The wind did pick up later causing proper waves and watching a Canada Goose family struggling to make any progress was most amusing.

And views across the Manchester Ship Canal.

Liverpool airport.

 Loads of variety of water birds. Some posted here and more on my wildlife blog  

Shell Duck

Mallard duck with a Gadwall

Tufted Ducks

Gadwall