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Shroppie Canal help, and handy hints required.


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Hi, a few of you were kind enough to help me last year with all things ‘Llangollen’’. This year we are doing parts of the Shroppie and was wondering if I could ask again for help this year. 

 

This our current plans. 

 

Bunbury to Nantwich

Nantwich to Audlem

Audlem to Beeston

Beeston to Chester

Chester to Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port to Christleton

Christleton to Bunbury

 

Is there anything we should do / see. Any shout outs for places to eat / drink. Farm shops / food shops. Any current issues along the way. That sort of thing. 

 

Thanks in advance for any replies. 

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Get an icecream or two from Snugbury's - but be careful not to get killed crossing the road.

 

And visit the Secret Bunker - but check that they are really open before you go.  The do not honour their published opening hours.

Edited by system 4-50
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4 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

Get an icecream or two from Snugbury's - but be careful not to get killed crossing the road.

 

And visit the Secret Bunker - but check that they are really open before you go.  The do not honour their published opening hours.

 

I am not sure how you get from the canal to Snugbury's now - they closed off the footpath access directly from the canal to their place. There is probably a route round though. But if its not too onerous a route, its well worth a visit.

 

There is also Chester Zoo (expensive though), Barbridge Inn, Audlem is worth a walk around. And of course if you have more time, Chester and Nantwich to look at - tons of stuff in each, if you're new to the area. 

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18 hours ago, Paul C said:

 

I am not sure how you get from the canal to Snugbury's now - they closed off the footpath access directly from the canal to their place. There is probably a route round though. But if its not too onerous a route, its well worth a visit.

 

There is also Chester Zoo (expensive though), Barbridge Inn, Audlem is worth a walk around. And of course if you have more time, Chester and Nantwich to look at - tons of stuff in each, if you're new to the area. 

You walk along the road from the nearest bridge...

 

We did. Twice, once going to Llangollen and once coming back... 🙂

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18 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Take 2 car wheels with tyres for mooring on the step.

Funnily enough, after many visits to the Shroppie, and going prepared for the step, this is something I have never found the need to use. 

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Just now, rgreg said:

Funnily enough, after many visits to the Shroppie, and going prepared for the step, this is something I have never found the need to use. 

You probably have a very shallow draught and moor in the allotted places. If you go wild mooring its a real pain in the baseplate.

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1 minute ago, Goliath said:

How you manage to get away with that?

 

I generally prefer to moor out in the sticks and have always dropped on suitable moorings. Perhaps just luck and not particularly deep draughted. The SU Canal Society have provided a lot of good moorings on which I have never found a problem with the step.

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12 minutes ago, rgreg said:

I generally prefer to moor out in the sticks and have always dropped on suitable moorings. Perhaps just luck and not particularly deep draughted. The SU Canal Society have provided a lot of good moorings on which I have never found a problem with the step.

The SUCS moorings are deliberately in places where the step is least obnoxious.

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Audlem (because it’s posh and wealthy) has one of the best charity shops.

And of course there’s Audlem  Books in the Mill, with crafts upstairs, it’s there by the Shroppie Fly.

 

Im trying to think of good reasons to go Audlem when the pubs are in a state of semi open or closed.

It is a lovely village.

 

Edited by Goliath
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1 hour ago, Goliath said:

Audlem (because it’s posh and wealthy) has one of the best charity shops.

And of course there’s Audlem  Books in the Mill, with crafts upstairs, it’s there by the Shroppie Fly.

 

Im trying to think of good reasons to go Audlem when the pubs are in a state of semi open or closed.

It is a lovely village.

 


 

Funnily many larger charity shop organisations do a surprising amount of moving donated stock around. Stuff given in at Audlem may well not end up for sale there.  You are right that posher stuff will end up in posher areas but only because the central depot decides that the item may be posher or sell better in that area. 
 

The smaller more local charities don’t do as much of that but even some smaller local  shops do move stuff around. 

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Ellesmere Port is a teeny bit drab if I'm honest, but the museum basin is a nice peaceful place to moor for a couple of days- although its now £10 per night and you book online via the CRT website. 

Bear in mind there might be a party/function on at the Holiday Inn if its a Friday or Saturday, although personally I've never found the noise level unpleasant. 

The station is only 500 yards away and its a 40 min ride to Liverpool city centre, if that appeals for the shopping etc. 

A couple of miles south of Ellesmere Port you can stop near Cheshire Oaks shopping outlet (which has the Blue Planet aquarium close by), and a mile or two further south there are some very quiet mooring spots near Stoak, with the Bunbury Arms nearby, which is quite decent. 

The truth is that the 7 or 8 mile stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port is not that interesting in terms of local places of interest, but if you moor at bridge 134 (pretty bridge), its a short walk uphill to Chester Zoo, but I think its almost £30 entry now, so bear that in mind. 

If you do stop there, the suburb of Upton is less than a mile walk from the canal, and the Wheatsheaf pub there does a reasonably decent full english (not sure about the rest of the menu). 

Arthur is right about Christleton- there are a few nice spots to moor between Waverton and Christleton, but there's pretty much bugger all of interest from a touristy point of view (apart from that pub a bit further to the north- I think its called the Cheshire Cat)- although it is a short bus ride from Christleton into Chester. 

Unless its peace and quiet you are after, I'd push on and stop somewhere above the staircase locks for a day or two, then go down those locks into the basin for another couple of days.

Basically, maximise your time around Chester as its the most interesting location. If you're really enjoying it, you can then moor outside the shower and toilet facilities next to the basin for a another couple of days, before heading north. 

There are plenty of clumps of floating weed once you pass bridge 134, but just cut the revs as you pass through them and you should be fine.

I've done that stretch a few times recently and not had the prop fouled yet (touch wood of course).

 

To the south of Chester, some people stop at bridge 109 for the well-known pub there (whose name I can't remember!)

I remember there was a local deli/butcher/food shop in Bunbury (Burrows I think), that seemed to be frequented by local people in Range Rovers and the like, so it was quite posh, but I recall the food from there was very very nice.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

Ellesmere Port is a teeny bit drab if I'm honest, but the museum basin is a nice peaceful place to moor for a couple of days- although its now £10 per night and you book online via the CRT website. 

Bear in mind there might be a party/function on at the Holiday Inn if its a Friday or Saturday, although personally I've never found the noise level unpleasant. 

The station is only 500 yards away and its a 40 min ride to Liverpool city centre, if that appeals for the shopping etc. 

A couple of miles south of Ellesmere Port you can stop near Cheshire Oaks shopping outlet (which has the Blue Planet aquarium close by), and a mile or two further south there are some very quiet mooring spots near Stoak, with the Bunbury Arms nearby, which is quite decent. 

The truth is that the 7 or 8 mile stretch between Chester and Ellesmere Port is not that interesting in terms of local places of interest, but if you moor at bridge 134 (pretty bridge), its a short walk uphill to Chester Zoo, but I think its almost £30 entry now, so bear that in mind. 

If you do stop there, the suburb of Upton is less than a mile walk from the canal, and the Wheatsheaf pub there does a reasonably decent full english (not sure about the rest of the menu). 

Arthur is right about Christleton- there are a few nice spots to moor between Waverton and Christleton, but there's pretty much bugger all of interest from a touristy point of view (apart from that pub a bit further to the north- I think its called the Cheshire Cat)- although it is a short bus ride from Christleton into Chester. 

Unless its peace and quiet you are after, I'd push on and stop somewhere above the staircase locks for a day or two, then go down those locks into the basin for another couple of days.

Basically, maximise your time around Chester as its the most interesting location. If you're really enjoying it, you can then moor outside the shower and toilet facilities next to the basin for a another couple of days, before heading north. 

There are plenty of clumps of floating weed once you pass bridge 134, but just cut the revs as you pass through them and you should be fine.

I've done that stretch a few times recently and not had the prop fouled yet (touch wood of course).

 

To the south of Chester, some people stop at bridge 109 for the well-known pub there (whose name I can't remember!)

I remember there was a local deli/butcher/food shop in Bunbury (Burrows I think), that seemed to be frequented by local people in Range Rovers and the like, so it was quite posh, but I recall the food from there was very very nice.

 

 

The Bunbury butchers is awesome but a good hill walk from the canal.

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Just now, Tracy D'arth said:

The Bunbury butchers is awesome but a good hill walk from the canal.

 

Of course, yes. I'm forgetting that I do these trips on my bike which makes it much quicker and easier, but if the OP hasn't got at least one bike, that would be a tidy walk into Bunbury. 

 

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2 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:


 

Funnily many larger charity shop organisations do a surprising amount of moving donated stock around. Stuff given in at Audlem may well not end up for sale there.  You are right that posher stuff will end up in posher areas but only because the central depot decides that the item may be posher or sell better in that area. 
 

The smaller more local charities don’t do as much of that but even some smaller local  shops do move stuff around. 

Yeah, but it is (or was) cheap as well as good quality.

I don’t know what charity it’s aligned to 🤷‍♀️

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