Doing the Anderton Lift

Nine week cruise - day 35 - Friday 5th August 2005

Anderton to Whatcroft via Acton Bridge on the Weaver

0820 Up. Investigated the possibility of a 0930 passage down the boat lift. Booked it in the booking office at 0855. So at 0900 we started up, winded and tied up at the holding moorings. At 0930 we were waved through onto the aqueduct and then into the caisson. Unfortunately no stills camera to record the event (this was to be corrected on 14th August). A memorable experience, though, to travel on a structure I'd seen as a model in the museum at Stoke Bruerne years before and which was then out of action for years. At the bottom, on the River Weaver, we turned right, went through Saltersford Lock and tied up outside the Riverside Inn at 1115. Walked with Alison to Acton Bridge station a mile away and waited for the 1307 to Crewe which she boarded. Jan and I returned to the boat, winded where we were (the river seems very wide when you've been used to canals) and went back to the lift. Booked a 1645 passage. We had a bit of time to spare, so we looked round the "Anderton Lift Experience" thing before using it to rejoin the Trent and Mersey. We phoned our son, Andrew, to get him to look at the webcam to see if he could spot us, which he did. We must have looked rather odd waving to no-one as we were going up!

Turned right on the T&M and stopped for tea at Broken Cross (£6.95 for a two-meal deal) then got going again.

At 2125 we moored between Whatcroft and Middlewich, half a mile before Bridge 177.