Our journey has taken us alongside a river. The canal is perched above the River Weaver and at it’s closest point a magnificent structure enables boats to travel up and down between the two. But more of that another time. We aren’t there yet. For now though, we are close enough to trade the towpath for the riverside and explore a short section of the Weaver Way. It feels like it hasn’t stopped raining for weeks. Finally, a dry early evening. We walk under Acton swing bridge as the cars clunk overhead, it should be warm by now but there’s still a coolness to the air. The rain has made everything lush and green, the birds chatter and call and a hawk hovers, expertly hunting, a few feet away. Staring into the sun we walk distractedly, noting the new and unseen, oh look! A bridge! At one point we can just see the canal up the bank, the glimpse of bridge that are painted white along this stretch. We reach the huge locks at Dutton,which would dwarf our narrowboat home, even at sixty two feet in length. A pretty lock keepers hut is decorated with bunting and a board lists the countries of vessels to have navigated the river. Honduras, Panama, Singapore. The Weaver was a river for carrying salt out of the area, coal in to fuel the saltworks. Then came the chemical works and Yarwood’s shipbuilders based on the river at Northwich built over a thousand vessels during their sixty nine years in business. The commercial traffic has now ceased and the river has given itself over to nature and leisure. We can’t wait to get narrowboat Mervyn in the deep waters.
The soft banks of the river silhouetted by the evening sun
To the east the canal perches at the top of the bank as it runs parallel to the river
Impressive lines of the footbridge over the sluice where the river forks and boats head left
Looking downstream to another sluice, part of the flood control defenses
Looking upstream as the clouds chase us
MV Chica, the abandoned boat with the interesting history, built in 1894 the Norwegian cargo barge named Flora was commandeered by the German Navy in WWII, shipped coca cola to Angolan rebels and if folklore is to be believed, smuggled contraband on the straights of Gibraltar. Finding her way to North Wales, bought and renamed, became a trip boat on the river. In 1993 she took on water after being left unused, eventually sank and was looted but, mysteriously, abandoned after 99 years afloat
Dutton Locks, half a million gallons of water are used in each lock operation
Lock Keeper’s cabin is well kept
A bit of technical data
Looking towards the Dutton Railway Viaduct from the locks, built in 1836 from red sandstone, common in the area and still in use today
Chica seen from across the river
Following the footpath signs to Acton Bridge through a field of sweetcorn, we turned round when we realised that it was taking us to the village, not the bridge!
Back over the footbridge, the vapour trails emulating the shadows
Back where we started as the sky darkens
The Floating Home 