A broken foot on the way to Chester?

Sunday, 05 April 2009 16:41

We have a very slow connection this evening as we are in between hills at Beeston. The flat Cheshire countryside has become beautiful rolling hills!

We are on our way down to Chester at last. This means wide locks for the rest of the way, but we are used to them after two years on the Kennet and Avon canal.

Calveley has bad memories for us. We moored just after the bridge right where the boat is in this photo.



We went along the lane and across the very main road to the pub. On the way back John twisted his foot on a nasty kerb. He hobbled back to the boat, using me as a prop, the pain getting worse and worse. I was convinced he had broken something.

This was the first (and the last I hope) time I called 999 from a boat. After describing the location – a boat on the Shropshire Union canal, Calveley bridge, number 104, near the Davenport Arms pub and the A51 road – I walked to the main road to wait. I had said I would wait at the end of the lane to show them in.

I could hear the siren approaching, waved frantically as they dashed past me and heard it fading in the distance. A few minutes later I heard the siren coming back, I waved frantically again and the ambulance sped past me again.

This was getting silly – eventually the ambulance came back, more slowly this time and they saw me waving. They picked me up and I took them to the slope down to the towpath. Apparently they had a brand new satnav disc, only problem it did not show the canal! (I see that satnavs do have canals marked now – at least our recent hire car did!)

Anyway, we got John into the ambulance and were taken to Chester Hospital. That is the last time we were in Chester. Well, we were on our way to Chester on the boat after all! John’s foot was broken so we never got to Chester via the canal as we turned around and went back to Gailey.

I am making sure John takes extra care so we get there this time! At least we have got past Bunbury! This experience taught us the value of having a map that gives maximum detail including canal bridges and very minor roads, so we have a Phillips Navigator map on board Epiphany.

There were gongoozlers at the staircase locks (the top lock empties into the bottom lock) but we managed them perfectly!



The middle paddles are very stiff so I had to demonstrate my strength and technique for opening difficult paddles. The bottom paddles of the bottom lock are highly geared so I thought back to the K & A!

Once down the locks it is really beautiful, as the canal is wide and curves through the hills either side. The fields were green and the trees breaking out into blossom.

Tilstone Lock follows soon; looking back it is very pretty

We moored up before Beeston Stone Lock – a lovely mooring despite the proximity of the railway

View from the bows towards Beeston Stone Lock

FBI (For Boaters Information), we do not have an Orange signal here, so there is also no 3 signal but there is a GPRS Vodaphone signal!

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