Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2000 18:39:17 +0100 From: Terry Waldron Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Subject: Trip Report - Llangollen - Part 2 [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] 20 March 2000 As I open the lift bridge I am told by another boater the boatyard will not allow him to wind, he will have to go down to Swanley before he can wind. We stop at the nursery at the next lift bridge to buy some new plants for our baskets. As we come upon the new winding hole we spot our first heron, he is fishing in the ditch that outlets into the winding hole, his nest is evident fairly close by. The flow of water is radically less than when we have been up here before, the bywashes are still however throwing the boat slightly when approaching a lock. At the top of Quoisey lock the top bywash pulls us towards it and we have to pole off to get clear. We time it just right at Willey Moor lock, a boat is just coming out. We moor at the top of the lock just beyond the lock moorings and await the pub opening, We have a pint and a bar meal before setting off again. The bottom three locks at Grindley Brook are in our favour but we have to set up the staircase, there are no other boats around so we go straight through.We moor up in the Whitchurch Arm and walk into town. A compact town with a number of quaint old buildings. We can see the line of the arm that went closer into the town, I also spot what may have been a loco shed and turntable (have yet to look it up in my railway books). We spent a nice quiet night in the arm. 21 March 2000 Close to bridge 38 we spot our first kingfisher, he flies in front of us for about 1/4 mile. Soon after the disused railway we spot what we think was a Kestrel, and close to Platt Lane Sue spots a Fieldfare. We turn into the prees Branch and the first lift bridge is open, as we pass through the bridge hole a mink is trying to get across, he is less than two foot away, running backwards and forwards. We moor at the boatyard to go boat hunting, a very friendly and helpful boatyard. We moor at the end of the Nature Reserve for lunch and sit and birdwatch, thrushes, blackbirds, finches can all be easily seen, a woodpecker is heard but not seen. The evidence of this being a contour canal is very evident around the betisfield area. It is very pleasant passing the meres, we must go for a walk round them next time here. We moor in the Ellesmere Arm to go shopping only to be warned by another boater that it is unsafe to leave your boat, we do however lock up and go shopping and as we return that same boater who had warned us is mooring up in front of us for the night. We wind and go to take water and finally moor in the country near Br61. More to follow in Part 3 ---