Up the Llangollen - Locks, bridges and more rain

Despite earlier weather forecasts predicting continuous rain today when I looked at the Met Office web site this morning there was no really bad weather indicated until the evening.  So another fairly long day cruising looked likely.

Swanley No. 2 Lock, note the bywash on the right

Wrenbury Church Lift Bridge

After setting off at 9am we travelled through the very isolated agricultural countryside, mainly given to pasture.   The canal took us up the two Swanley Locks followed by the 3 Baddiley locks rising  over 30 foot in total. We were helped considerably by the steady stream of boats coming down the locks. After the first, every lock was emptied ready for us to enter.  Beyond Baddiley there are the two lift bridges at Wrenbury, the first being manually operated by a lock windlass and the second electric.  Just through the second bridge the rain started and so we moored up for lunch.  An hour later it was dry so we moved on up the canal.  Only for a further hour however as it began raining yet again. So we moored, this time for the day, in an isolated spot near the small village of Marbury.

The Llangollen Canal canal is unusual in that there is a significant flow as the canal is used to take water from the Dee at Llangollen to a reservoir at Hurleston Junction.  The effect on the boater going upstream is that progress through constrictions such as bridges can require extra power from the engine and each lock has a bywash whereby water can continuously flow down the canal.  As shown in the photograph these bywashes come out below the bottom lock gates and most send a strong flow of water right across the waterway making entry into the lock difficult.  Some skill is required to counter the sideways pressure on the boat and avoid a heavy bang from the boat hitting the lock entrance.