Milling around the dead centre of Audlem - and the best chips!

It's 11 days now since we were in Audlem, but I've only just got the rest of the photos from Barry of our walk into the village!

They're so impressive, showcasing such a smashing canal side Shropshire venue, I felt we had to share them with you.

Right next to The Shroppie Fly is Audlem Mill, where you'll find an immense selection of crafts to suit most tastes - rag rugging kits, knitting needles and wool, embroidery, and an array of canal-related literature.

The impressive building of Audlem Mill

We visited the Mill during our first boating trip in 2009, and I purchased a cross-stitch 'lace plate' for those idle evenings of quietness (which surprisingly are few and far between!). 

Admittedly I completed most of it during that trip, but now, almost five years later, I've yet to finish it! As you can see below, the interesting part is done, it's the beige around the outside and the pattern on the edges that has ground my motivation to a standstill!

One day, I hope, I'll commit the time to finishing and framing it!

Barry nipped across the water to shoot another angle of the Shroppie Fly - and fortuitously captured a boat passing by which adds to the ambience ...

And we popped briefly into the bar again - not for a drink mind you, but to get a photo of the BCN butty bar ...

The church is set on a slight hill. We've never ventured inside for some reason, maybe it's pleasant enough just gazing at it's exterior? And what a pleasure it'd be to wait for a bus here - shelter, seating and sufficient waste bins to keep the village smart.

Last time we were in Audlem we'd been recommended to visit The Bridge Inn for their apparently outstanding fish and chips. They were indeed delicious, though the mushy peas didn't go down so well!

On this occasion we'd been told there was now an amazing fish and chip shop at the top end of the village - 'The Village Chippy'. After a stroll around the nearby graveyard, we thought it'd be rude not to check out the chips - and we weren't disappointed. They were quite possibly the best we've had in England.

Thanks George and Ali!

A very well-kept graveyard. In the distance you can see the canal - this'd be a great spot for Barry to rest in peace at some (very) distant point in the future!

To end the current Audlem posts, here's a few more angles of the famous pub and Mill ...

Meandering to Audlem - festina lente

Last time we meandered along this route in 2009, we felt ourselves rushing through, on a mission to meet up with Barry's daughter Jamie. We'd only been on the canals for a month, after buying Northern Pride and experiencing the Llangollen Canal for our first 'live-aboard' journey. And we hadn't quite got the hang of taking it slowly and understanding that meeting people by predicting where you'd be on a certain day in the future, wasn't as simple as it sounded!

I recall feeling that sense of needing to speed up to get somewhere fast - then having a sudden flash of realisation - by doing so we'd totally negated the reason we were on a narrowboat. The idea is it's the fastest way to slow down, to marvel and be inspired by the time you have at our disposal to smell the roses, to have oodles of time to stand and stare. Otherwise, what's the point? You may as well be in a car, rushing here and there with blinkers on, looking straight ahead!

For this experience of the Shroppie, we made a completely conscious choice to really take the chance to relish being on one of the most rural routes on the network. We did have to be somewhere my sister can pick me up from by Sunday (and as you're reading this on said Sunday, I can report we got there just fine), and then Barry needs to get to a location I can get public transport back to the boat the following Thursday. But neither of those places were far away.

So we do have a bit of a schedule, but it's a loose one.

Until Saturday 12th April of course, which is our first ever trading festival at The Spring Market in Birmingham. If you're in the area, do come and see us! We can't promise we'll be able to chat much, depending on the number of customers we have, but we'll certainly do our best to be convivial.

Festina lente (make haste slowly) is definitely a vital component of our agenda, but we do also do to earn a living. There'll be times when we must go at a faster pace - and we're ok with that.

A bolt from the blue on the journey!

A vision of calm and serenity

A scene of timelessness on the waterways

Single locks now

Audlem

We wanted to stay overnight in Audlem, and go inside the famous 'Shroppie Fly', and were pleasantly surprised to find moorings between the Audlem flight of locks, just a few yards from said establishment.

A hire boater moored next to us chatted to Barry, regaling tales of food shortages from the pub - among other things, they'd run out of burgers and chips apparently! That wouldn't encourage you to spend your money if you'd been locking all day and been looking forward to such a meal.

We rarely eat out, so it wasn't a problem for us. After dinner though, we went for a drink in the hope of meeting other boaters and chatting amiably about the historic building.

 The Shroppie Fly - approaching and then safely moored for the night

We were out of luck. The only other customers were a couple of local young men, who seemed to have an exuberant relationship with the very attractive and friendly blonde barmaid. Definitely not looking to hold a conversation with a couple of old boaters - apart from discussing the extortionate price of a blackcurrant cider and lager mix!

Ah well, it was a Tuesday night after all. Most establishments are quiet early in the week. Lunchtimes are the busiest period we were reliably informed, as passing trade takes a break after descending the previous eleven locks, or before tackling the ascent!

They had the latest copy of Waterways World available, and a Daily Mail - so we sat like a couple of old codgers drinking our pints (mine was a mango and raspberry cider, I'm not keen on beer) and reading. To be honest, we rarely do such a thing so it was a real treat. Though once we'd read much of the bad news in the paper, we remembered why we avoid them …

We hadn't realised the pub had recently re-opened after a refurbishment. There was a couple of letters in the WW about it which was fortuitous. One was of interest discussing the sad loss of previous memorabilia:

"… Measham teapots, lace plates, brasses, narrowboat fittings, etc, were subsequently sold as the business went through various financial traumas …" And:
"… a rare wall-size, original, historic waterway map, reputed to have belonged to Thomas Telford …"

The interior now contains bright and modern furnishings, though with some interesting photography by a local professional. And luckily they saw fit to retain the front of BCN 'Joey' boat at the bar, which lends it an air of authenticity.

With lots of tables outside, it must be veritably buzzing during high season here. We wish the new owners good luck with their venture.

The next morning we took the opportunity to experience the beauty of Audlem once again, it's such a pretty little village ..

The delightful St James Church, Audlem, dating from the 13th century

Audlum cemetery, what a majestic entranceway 

An array of patterns and colours - beautiful

Doing the Bunbury shuffle

The internet coverage is rather sporadic on the Shropshire Union, so we've got a little behind in our posts …

Back to Scott's Bar

Last Saturday we surprised everyone at Scott's Bar in Tattenhall Marina and turned up for the weekly entertainment. It was a quiz night organised by Jeff, and we teamed up with Mike and Jane. Fortunately we came second - it's more than our life's worth to win again!

Great to see you all again - if all goes to plan we'll be back in the autumn.

Right! Time to move south and leave our autumn/winter 'comfort zone'. There's work to be done …

Heading down the Shropshire Union, we spotted this guy guarding someone's boat - looks like a bit of face painting competition!

Beeston to Bunbury

A few wide locks still to do on the way. They take a bit of filling, and the gates certainly give you a good work-out!  We did Beeston Iron Lock with Tom and Jan last August, on our way to Tattenhall Marina before Barry had to return to NZ.

Who needs to go to a gym when you can pump iron at a lock?

Beeston Iron Lock - with some swanky new lock gates in-situ

During our lengthy stay at Tattenhall, Barry took the opportunity to make some top-boxes for extra storage, and he's had a number of people admiring them and asking where he got them from. Someone even suggested he could start a business making them! No thanks! The hours he put into it wouldn't be able to be reflected in the price. But they do look rather smart don't you think?

He's a clever kiwi ...

Three top-boxes sitting in a row

Passing Barbridge Junction, where we bought Northern pride in April 2009, we continued south on the Shropshire Union for the first time since that year.

Arriving at Bunbury late afternoon, we needed a few groceries but had no idea if there was any hope locally. So we had a walk to explore, just in case there was anything around (unlikely on a Sunday evening I know!).

Bunbury Staircase (only two steps though!) bottom lock

There was a pub in the village, advertised on the sign under the bridge above saying it was ¾ mile away. Slight understatement - more like one and a half miles! Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be one of those restaurant establishments, looking rather too lofty for the likes of us in our comfortable 'boaty' clothes, so we just had a stroll instead and admired the buildings.

Bunbury appeared to be a very well-to-do village 

Charming Alms Houses …

… and black and white cottages

Not a shop in sight though. Ah well, nothing urgent needed. It'll wait.

The Bunbury Shuffle

Monday began as a very wet and cool morning, not in the least enticing for lock-work. However, luckily for us by lunchtime it abated a little, so we set off.

In this staircase, unlike most others, it's possible for two boats to pass from the top to the bottom lock - or vice versa. In fact last August, we did it with two of us in the top lock and one in the bottom which was an interesting concept, but seemed to work just fine!

This time, we did the 'Bunbury shuffle' with one other boat - very smoothly.

Nantwich

Barry drove again. I got more exercise and simultaneously listened to a one and a half hour webinar on coaching ethics through my iPhone and headphones! What a great way to work - while you walk. The wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze me.

We travelled as far as Nantwich, mooring on the embankment there. Apparently the ground here, when it was first built (by hand of course), was unstable, delaying the opening. At that time, the canal from Nantwich to Autherley Junction was called the 'Liverpool and Birmingham Junction Canal'. Thomas Telford, who designed the new 'fast route' (hard to believe nowadays isn't it?), sadly died before its 1835 beginning.

The embankment

Still needing a few groceries, we took the opportunity for some more fresh air and exercise, and walked into the town. We'd not stopped here last time we passed by in 2009.

Crossing the river Weaver, it soon became apparent that this was a very fine town. Unfortunately, Barry had used all the battery up on his camera, so only had his phone on him to capture the black and white timbered buildings, many dating back to 1684. There was a great fire in Nantwich in December 1583, which sadly destroyed many structures. Being re-built, they've managed to remain extremely sturdy - or at least they appear to be.

Barry takes some shots on his phone - though he's not been able to get them off it yet! You'll have to make do with mine

Still standing - but a looking a tad wonky!

A short distance from the centre, we found a huge Morrisons store. I literally had only a few items on my shopping list, but decided to grasp the chance to fill the freezer and fridge while the opportunity presented itself. I ended up spending £85 - good job I took a few sturdy bags with us.

I'm off to London for a few days with my eldest sister, early next week, so I won't have to shop now before I leave Barry boat-alone - again!