From robbinsv@liverpool.ac.uk Sun Apr 18 20:23:17 1999
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 09:09:38 +0100 (British Summer Time)
From: Val Robbins <robbinsv@liverpool.ac.uk>
Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org
To: canals@blacksheep.org
Subject: Trip report and Wally Venable spotted on the Shroppie..

Peter and I took Thumper out over Easter. Nothing 
strenuous, just a local run. We left on Good Friday, from 
our moorings at Beeston, stopped for a drink at the Shady 
Oak, then on to Huxley. It was a glorious sunny day and the 
Shady was very busy, with all its outside tables taken. So 
lovely to sit in the sunshine again! We moored at Huxley 
for the night, the only boat in sight! I have never before 
seen the moorings there so empty. We walked up to the 
Poachers Pocket (Peter still calls it the Aldersey Arms!) 
to check that it has now reopened, after a fire some time 
ago. It will be a good place to come with the 
grandchildren, just for a day out on the boat, as it has a 
good playground and excellent kids menu etc. We ate on the 
boat - traditional Good Friday dinner of crab, salad and 
Jersey Royal potatoes - yum!
Saturday, we cruised into Chester but moored above the 
triple staircase, not in the basin. Had a wander around the 
walls and the city, back to the boat for showers and then 
to our favourite restaurant in Chester - Vincent's, in 
Lower Bridge Street. It is West Indian and serves wonderful 
food - highly recommended. We walked back to Thumper 
shortly before midnight but had not long been in bed when 
some kids came past and untied us. This is the first time 
we have ever had any problems of this sort and it unnerved 
me a bit. Still, no harm done, we just tied back up. It 
made me wonder, though, what we would have done if they had 
untied the boat BEFORE we got back to it - I suppose one of 
us would have had to go in and fetch her back!!
On Sunday, we cruised up to Ellesmere Port and tied up 
outside the Boat Museum. However, I had thought that there 
was a gate that gave access to the Museum with the BWB key, 
but not so! As we have been to the museum before and 
weren't really in the market to pay 11 pounds for us both 
to get in, we just walked round the outside bits, then had 
a spot of lunch on the boat and turned back to Chester. We 
moored in the basin Sunday night, tied up to a BWB dummy, 
out of harm's way! Torrential rain during the evening, but 
we didn't care, we were snug inside the boat. Another 
traditional Easter meal on board - roast lamb!
Monday morning, we headed back for Beeston. The weather 
wasn't as good as it had been the previous couple of days, 
but still not bad - it's not often you can boat for the 
whole of the Easter weekend and not get rained on at all! 
At Wharton lock, nearly home, we met Wally Venable and his 
friends. Not on Blue Heron of Cholmondeston this time, but 
with eight friends, on two Simolda hire boats. Wally sends 
his regards to everybody. They have been here for a week, 
doing the Llangollen, will be here for another week 
without the extra numbers, before going to Guernsey for a 
few days.
We reached base late afternoon, packed up, then home, ready 
for work next day :-(
A lovely boating weekend - particularly with the sunshine!
Cheers
Val
nb Thumper, at Beeston, on the Shroppie