Waterway Wanderers is BW's fishy business

catching an eel at Lathom Junction on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, July 2008

British Waterways will tomorrow launch a scheme which will encourage more anglers along the banks of our canals. In a press release BW says it's "opening up 300 miles of canal to anglers".

These are excerpts from the press release:

The new Waterway Wanderers scheme launches on Thursday 15 April and will provide access to 122 previously unlicensed locations throughout England and Wales.

John Harding, who will administer the scheme, says: "Waterways Wanderers plugs the gaps between those stretches of waterway which aren’t currently being let to clubs. This scheme will make fishing canals much easier and I’m looking forward to welcoming many more anglers to the waterways."

Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Angling Trust said: “Britain’s canals offer a fantastic resource for anglers of all abilities, in the countryside and inner city alike. Angling Trust adult members will be able to enjoy all that fishing for just £10 a year. We hope that this will encourage thousands of anglers to get out on the towpath and join the Angling Trust.”

(The bold is my emphasis.)

An annual permit will cost £20 (£10 concessions; £5 under 17s), with £10 off for members of the Angling Trust. The Angling Trust website (www.anglingtrust.net) seems to be down at the moment; the closest match appears to be the Angling Foundation.

Now this is all fine if it swells the maintenance coffers of BW, but with annual permits costing a mere £20 at most it will need a lot of anglers to pay for a new lock gate or repair an overflow weir.

That's an awful lot of poles in the water and extending back over the towpath.


fishing match on the River Weaver in July 2008

River Weaver website

I've stumbled across a website on the River Weaver. According to the site, River Weaver Navigation, it's been set up by BW employee Mel Blakey. It looks like a good resource for anyone contemplating navigating the river, or for anyone interested in its history. There's an in-depth discussion of the geology of the stone used in the building of Hunts Locks too!

What caught my eye was this:

Interesting Facts

Why does this logo have a 'link' with the RWN?

(Go on - click on it!)

A short search of my own revealed confirmation from citroenet.org.uk.

Anderton to Northwich via Winsford (almost)

Saturday 19th July 2008

Jan's friend Jane from college days joined us today, driving over from Saughall. It seemed a long way on the map, but I was thinking in terms of boat distance. It actually took her not much more than half an hour. She came aboard just as we were about to descend the boat lift. This pleased her, as the other time she'd done the lift was in the trip boat where you're not allowed to leave your seat.

Caption please:


Another punning boat name.


We tied up just upstream of Town Bridge and sought sustenance in Northwich.


Then we headed up towards Vale Royal lock to see if we could get to Winsford. The salt works along the river add interest.


This one looks like something from a Bond film.


In order to make it back to Vale Royal for the last locking of the day we didn't quite make it as far as Winsford, winding perhaps a mile short. That leaves us something for another time.

The Weaver was busy, especially after Vale Royal lock disgorged its load.


So, back to Jalsea Marine, and Willow's home. Plenty of time to clean the boat and part-load the car. We would be sorry to hand it back to its owner: it had served us well and given us a great holiday. We couldn't blame Willow for the rain, after all!

Apologies again for the paucity of detail in the record of the last few days of our two week cruise. I'm looking forward to being reunited with the log

The start of our holiday

weather: rainy

We'd arranged to meet Willow's owner at Jalsea Marine, Northwich at five o'clock on Saturday 5th July 2008. We were a bit late, owing to a late getaway from home just before noon (it takes ages to get anywhere from Norwich, almost six hours in this case).


Jalsea Marine is a place seemingly stuck in the 1970s: rather uncared for, and with several down-at-heel caravans and falling apart buildings on site. But it is a huge place, and quiet. Well, it was for the small amount of time we were actually there.


Below is our first sight of Willow, a 40 foot cruiser-stern narrowboat which the owner had spent a couple of years fitting out himself (to a professional standard). The boat was only three years old. The most surprising thing was that the engine had only 11 hours on the clock - eleven hours in three years? And the boat testified to not having left its mooring much: there were no scratches on the paintwork, indeed, the rubbing strake was unmarked. And the carpet had no signs of wet or muddy feet.


After the briefest of tours of the boat, and after quickly establishing that we were considerably more experienced boaters than the owner, we loaded up and then drove to the Penny Black (Wetherspoon's) in town for a meal (very nice Titanic "White Star" ale).

Back on board, after sorting things out, we retired to bed. It then became obvious not only that the owner had never cruised anywhere, he'd never slept on the bed. It was most uncomfortable: lumpy and with springs digging in however we tried to arrange ourselves. Oh well, I expect we'll manage.

The next morning, Sunday 6th July 2008, we slipped the floating pontoon mooring and headed onto the main channel of the River Weaver, directly into the path of a rowing eight. Oops! Collision avoided, we carried on to Hunts Locks where we waited until the keeper opened up for us at 1000.


The bicycle didn't stay on the roof for long: it was much more convenient on the stern deck opposite the Morse control.

Anderton Lift with the Adeys

Nine Week Cruise - day 44 - Sunday 14th August 2005

Middlewich to Broken Cross via Anderton and Vale Royal Locks


it looks a long way down


sharing the caisson


the weight of each caisson is taken by this hydraulic ram




Phil and John

John up at 0715; David up 15 minutes later (as usual). We went to the 0800 communion service at the parish church of St. Michael and All Angels, Middlewich. Then we provisioned up at Tesco's. Got under way at 0900 and arrived at Anderton at 1300. We'd pre-booked a lift passage for 1345. While we were waiting the Adeys arrived to join us for the day. Once down the lift we turned left to go upstream on the Weaver to Vale Royal locks. There we turned round and came back to the lift. While watering up I changed the oil and filter (at 3799 hours). (This is getting quicker every time). On the way to Broken Cross, where we moored at 2100, we finished making a shelf unit for the (outside) rear of the boat, under the instrument panel. This was to prove extremely useful for coffee/tea/beer/maps. Should have done it as soon as we found the raw materials at Fradley on day 6!




Lion Salt Works

Once moored David cooked his standard Pasta Bake. John ate his portion, that's John's, not Davids, and then finished off the remains of his curry from the previous day. Delicious!

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.