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Is August ‘too busy’ on the Shropshire Union canal?


Shoneyco

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I know, I know- what exactly does ‘too busy’ mean? Piece of string question, but I’m still hoping to get some idea before I commit to a week mid August next year ?? We don’t even need school hols - but re-arranged holidays due to Covid cancellations haven’t  left us with many options.... (first world problem!) 

So any thoughts please on navigating from Audlem to Chester, then back and around up to the Anderton boat lift and back to Audlem? In August? The OH is worried about queuing at locks etc.

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4 minutes ago, Shoneyco said:

I know, I know- what exactly does ‘too busy’ mean? Piece of string question, but I’m still hoping to get some idea before I commit to a week mid August next year ?? We don’t even need school hols - but re-arranged holidays due to Covid cancellations haven’t  left us with many options.... (first world problem!) 

So any thoughts please on navigating from Audlem to Chester, then back and around up to the Anderton boat lift and back to Audlem? In August? The OH is worried about queuing at locks etc.

Lock queues are a matter of timing, early starts and late finishes avoid them. Its not so busy that its a problem. The chat at locks is worth the short waits.

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It is very variable depending on which days of the week (hire boat schedules) and time of day. We did the Shroppie in late July and it wasn’t too bad, just a queue at the 2 Hack Green locks which took us an hour to get through (one of the locks only has 1 functional paddle). But it can be bad on the wrong day / time. Middlewich junction (Wardle lock) can be particularly slow but for us there was zero queue because it was the “right time of the week and time of day”.

 

When there are single locks with a lot of pound in between eg those on the Middlewich branch, they can get very busy when lots of people have moored either overnight or at lunch time, and then all set off at much the same time. We try to do these locks in late afternoon or early evening and again this summer we had zero queues. But we are not on a tight schedule and can do them when we want to.

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We went from Beeston wharf to Hurleston and back as part of a one week hire along the Llangollen canal on the 2nd week of August this year. 

 

There were no queues although this section is all double width locks (except Beeston iron lock where it's one at a time due to lock distortion). The only busy bit we encountered on the Shropshire union was at Barbridge Junction......both times we went through there were 5-6 boats converging all wanting to go in different directions, but it didn't result in much of a delay. As mentioned above there is little traffic from late afternoon onwards. 

 

So I'd say, no is isn't too busy

 

Edited by booke23
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I did the Llangollen early August, it's great fun being part of the mayhem. As others have said, schedule carefully, plan to hit pinch points late evening to get through early morning, then moor up other side and enjoy your breakfast as the boats start to queue up. I am stuck to school holiday times, my parents who often go out June and Septemeber seem to have the same levels of 'busy'.

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