We've ... Err ... been on the Weaver

[nicknorman]

It may be worth visiting the Weaver just to do the Anderton lift, but in fact the river is well worth spending a couple of days on. Upstream is briefly rural until you arrive at Northwich. Northwich, which seems slightly grim by canal, is quite pleasant by river and has a couple of impressive cast iron swing bridges plus some good visitor moorings, although we found the High Street had every shop known to man except one selling milk - you have a 10 min walk to Sainsburys or Aldi to get "normal" stuff. The bridge area is however overburdened with estate agents should you feel the need to move to Northwich.

 

After passing a few hulks and aging boatyards, the first upstream lock is soon reached and the lockies seem very friendly and informed. Worth phoning ahead as the locks are large and take a while to "turn". It's pleasant between that and the next lock, though not outstanding, and really nowhere to moor. After Vale Royal lock it gets very nice, though slightly confusing to be on a river but above the lowest part of the land ( in fact its a cut, and land has sunken a bit due to salt mining). Some very pleasant moorings here, though limited capacity and gets full at weekends.

 

Soon the river demonstrates its ability to switch from rural to industrial at the turn of a bend as huge piles of salty sand are passed, marking the approach to Winsford. The town is barely visible from the green belt of the river and you soon find yourself exiting into the Flash (big lake) which is renowned for shallow bits. We proceeded at tickover and sure enough, approaching the large caravan park we started to stir the silt and scrape the bottom, despite being 100yds from the side. An exit in reverse was made!

 

We stopped for shopping at the pub mooring in Winsford, had to breast up as there are only 2 narrowboat lengths. The town is a little northern, as in "grim up north" but folk were friendly if generally obese. Not surprising since every shop encountered on the way to the supermarket was a fast food outlet! We escaped back to the sanctuary of the river.

 

Heading downstream next day there are some impressively massive but crumbling factories - would surely make a good location for an action movie? The river is generally pleasant but mooring are thin on the ground, Acton is one possibility but the most pleasant is Devils Table, though this is just a field with buttercups and friendly (but not too friendly) cows. We passed by en route to Runcorn but returned for an evening barbecue. The approach to Runcorn is via the M56 flyover and Runcorn rowing club. It's cleanish but industrial. No houses, no-one about. Just massive chemical works venting steam and making the sort of noises that my guts make after a bad curry, but 1000 times larger! Weirdly this massive works contains no people. Well I guess its all controlled from a room by telemetry.

 

Converging on the Manchester ship canal means there is an unmanned lock to that canal. A good place to tie up and walk to the other end of the lock to look out over the MSC and Mersey. An incredibly desolate place, but in a nice way. Just a huge expanse of planet with no humans present. We continued to journeys end, running alongside the MSC just separated by a bank. We waved at a passing ship as it overtook us the other side of the bank.

 

Just short of the final basin there is a swing bridge with only 5' air draft. The bridge electrics have been disconnected (I checked!) but there is a flying lead to connect to a 3 phase generator which could be brought on site by CRT should swinging have been arranged. The basin sides were piled high with bags of garden supplies such as peat. No security and eerily lacking in any people, but we had not need of peat.

 

The whole run through Runcorn is dominated by chemical works, no houses, no people, no rubbish and so not as unpleasant as we thought it would be, in fact quite interesting and worth doing especially as its wide and deep and the map is eaten up at 4.5 -5 mph. In fact we had a blast of revs for a while and managed 6.2 mph on the phone's GPS. Oops - the speed limit is 6!

 

Morals:

 

A fascinating river switching and contrasting between rural idyll and crumbling industrial.

 

No rubbish - how do they do that?

 

Limited moorings at peak times - best to visit during the week

 

Only 3 people live in Runcorn.

Edited June 9, 2013 by nicknorman

[Neil TNC]

Thank you for a nice pleasant none moany Northern trip report.

 

[Timleech]

Only 3 people live in Runcorn.

 

You were spotted yesterday (just above Dutton locks).

 

That's not really Runcorn, the 'basin piled high with peat' is Weston Point Docks. Runcorn is a couple of miles further on (you possibly spotted the derelict locks at the end of the Runcorn to Weston canal, close to the disconnected swing bridge), to see Runcorn proper you need to go via the Bridgewater canal. At least 10 people live there.

 

Tim

[nicknorman]

I didn't really mention the wildlife. Large raptors everywhere, tremendous dawn and dusk choruses (OK I wasn't around for the dawn one!), something interesting spotted in the water near Runcorn /Weston, a small head surfacing every 10 yds or so then disappearing under water again. Water vole? We even found a lamb in the water, bleating helplessly and unable to climb out (it was a piled section) even at the low stretch presumably put there for the purpose. We pulled in and Jeff got off to help. We rather thought the lamb would flee the human but the opposite was true, as he approached it doggy paddled towards him. He managed to pull it out and it scurried back to its mother, who had remained non-plussed throughout and at some distance. She got her bad-mother comeuppance when the lamb shook the water out of its coat dog-like all over its mother at close quarters! We rather hoped for a round of applause from impressed onlookers, but being near Runcorn there were no witnesses.

[Suzie_q]

It may be worth visiting the Weaver just to do the Anderton lift, but in fact the river is well worth spending a couple of days on. Upstream is briefly rural until you arrive at Northwich. Northwich, which seems slightly grim by canal, is quite pleasant by river and has a couple of impressive cast iron swing bridges plus some good visitor moorings, although we found the High Street had every shop known to man except one selling milk - you have a 10 min walk to Sainsburys or Aldi to get "normal" stuff.

 

 

For future reference, just over the 2nd swing bridge (Hayhurst Bridge) is a Co-op and they are currently building a Waitrose between the two bridges opposite the visitors moorings.

 

If your feeling more energetic there is the omnipresent Tesco's express at the top of Castle hill above the church.

[Alanji]

Thoroughly echo your sentiments on the Weaver and very well written report. I spent a very pleasant few days on it at the beginning of the month. Such a shame it is underused - apart from a short section at the lift where boats come down and back up the lift in the same day. There are 6 lockies employed full time on Vale Royal and Hunts Locks and on a sunny Sunday I was the second boat through by 2.30pm. There must be a great chance opening hours will be reduced.

Moorings are pretty poor as you say. I think the pontoons at northwich are being renewed as part of Waitrose development. There is a small cut at the start of the flash at Winsford which would make great moorings for 3 or 4 boats with very little work. Newbridge Swing bridge is very tight headroom and a took a couple of heads off my marigolds (flowers not the gloves).

Good moorings at Dutton Lock and very pleasant and friendly lockie.

The short term moorings at the lift are pretty pathetic and access to the visitor centre not possible (path up blocked - intentionally) without a long walk back - I was meeting two friends. Ended up on the lift moorings to pick them up. A great deal of money must be made from the visitor centre and trip boat - they could do with spending some of it to improve facilities for visiting boats.

Overall a lovely few days and well worth the visit. Very little current on the river but watch out if it rains!

[mrsmelly]

Wikipedia states the population of Runcorn as 61,000 in 2011. Thats a hell of a decrease in only 2 years. Was there an atomic explosion or something?

 

Tim

[nicknorman]

Wikipedia states the population of Runcorn as 61,000 in 2011. Thats a hell of a decrease in only 2 years. Was there an atomic explosion or something?

 

Tim

The proliferation of estate agents in Northwich might be a clue. Anyway, since when was Wikipedia to be relied on? That entry was probably written by the last remaining resident before he switched the lights out.

[DandV]

Thank you for the very comprehensive trip report. Our trip varied only a few small details so I now have no need or desire to write one now.

It was great to meet you and Jeff firstly at Winsford and then at Devils Table. We were lifted out with a hire boat 0915 the next morning.

 

Don and Val NB Whio

[pelicanafloat]

We descended the Anderton Lift last 'summer', our first visit to the River Weaver and we fell in love. Annoyingly/irritatingly I tend not to take note of locations but I remember the late night screaching (and am convinced I saw the occasional witch flying over on handy broom), and I seem to recall the location actually was 'witches wood', though I may well be mistaken. I remember coming off our overnight mooring and, having backed away from the bank, I stuck the tiller hard over, the throttle pushed forward and we did a really cool 360 degree circle before continuing our journey...

 

We have promised ourselves a return in a year or two and intend to tarry a while

[nicknorman]

Thank you for the very comprehensive trip report. Our trip varied only a few small details so I now have no need or desire to write one now.

It was great to meet you and Jeff firstly at Winsford and then at Devils Table. We were lifted out with a hire boat 0915 the next morning.

 

Don and Val NB Whio

A pleasure to meet you both too, and thanks for the cuppa and biccies!

[janekinson]

The Weaver is our home mooring, just a stones throw from the M56, as you pass under the Railway Viaduct then pass a small black and white footbridge give us a wave were a small club just 16 boats but there is usually someone there.

 

Our 'untidy' swing bridge is about to undergo a major overhaul this summer, I agree that there are not many moorings towards our end of the river, but it is beautiful at all times of the year with lots of wildlife to watch including Cormorants and Kingfishers, Hopefully we are getting an Elsan disposal point at the Sutton weaver bridge, if all goes well.

 

Frodsham has some great independant shops with a bus service just up from the swing bridge with a market on a Thursday and some great proper pubs, our favourite being the Helter Skelter.

 

There are lots of walks away from the river but I would suggest investing in Explorer Type Ordnance survey maps

 

Northwich held a very successful River festival last year and earlier this year played host to HMS Charger which was escorted from Weston point by Boats from Acton Bridge Cruising Club.

 

There is a massive ongoing development on the old Flotel Site, including I believe a supermarket and cinema and the usual riverside housing!

 

Devils Garden (not table) has a walk to Kingsley with two pubs The red bull and The Horseshoe The footpath takes you through Hall 'o the Hay farm up to the village But be warned they had odd opening hours last time we visited!

 

 

In short when descending the Anderton Lift Please don't just turn left towards Northwich turn Right and Enjoy!!!!!

[MaryP]

We loved the Weaver so much the first time, that we went a second time!

[Canalwatcher]

...........

 

We stopped for shopping at the pub mooring in Winsford, had to breast up as there are only 2 narrowboat lengths. The town is a little northern, as in "grim up north" but folk were friendly if generally obese. Not surprising since every shop encountered on the way to the supermarket was a fast food outlet! We escaped back to the sanctuary of the river......

 

 

.If you didn't visit the pub where you moored you missed a real treat - we we moored there and went in a couple of weeks ago. It's was completely renovated a few years ago I understand, There are lots of live music events there and community events. There is a fantastic original painting about 10 by 4 feet in four panels making up a collage of the 60's bands and artists . Our lunchtime food was good. It's a CAMRA pub too.

 

We liked it!

 

Mick

 

 

Edited July 14, 2013 by zodiak

[RLWP]

{snip}

Converging on the Manchester ship canal means there is an unmanned lock to that canal. A good place to tie up and walk to the other end of the lock to look out over the MSC and Mersey.

 

{snip}

 

We have been through that look

 

Glad you liked the Weaver, we did too

 

Richard

[john6767]

 

We have been through that look

 

Glad you liked the Weaver, we did too

 

Richard

 

 

Last summer we stopped at the side lock to have a look too, a very surreal place

[Alanji]

Apparently there is some nasty stuff manufactured in there, including chlorine. The advice, if the siren goes off, is to check which way the wind is blowing and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction!

[nicknorman]

Apparently there is some nasty stuff manufactured in there, including chlorine. The advice, if the siren goes off, is to check which way the wind is blowing and run as fast as you can in the opposite direction!

So does that mean that if, for example, there is a northerly wind, you should run south?

[Ray T]

So does that mean that if, for example, there is a northerly wind, you should run south?

Nick, being an aviator you should know that if it is a Northerly wind it is coming from the north blowing south.

 

If you run south you will be running before it, which would only work if you were travelling faster than the wind. Ideally you need to get, in this suposed case, upwind of the "gas".

 

Me I would invest in a gas mask.

 

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ray T

[nicknorman]

Nick, being an aviator you should know that if it is a Northerly wind it is coming from the north blowing south.

 

If you run south you will be running before it, which would only work if you were travelling faster than the wind. Ideally you need to get, in this suposed case, upwind of the "gas".

 

Me I would invest in a gas mask.

 

Come upon Ray, you know me better than that!

[Ray T]

Come upon Ray, you know me better than that!

I do indeed.

 

I'm busy mugging up for a skipper ticket for a offshore sailing club I belong to. I passed my Yachmaster more years ago than I care to remember, but revision does no harm.

 

I just fancied a bit of "gentle teasing" for light relief.

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ray T

[nicknorman]

 

I just fancied a bit of "windy banter" for light relief.

I do that following our Friday evening visits to the local curry house, or is that TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

[Ray T]

I do that following our Friday evening visits to the local curry house, or is that TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

Not at all. Recently one of my nephews, age 8 came out with (if that is an appropriate expression?) "He who denied it supplied it"

Edited July 15, 2013 by Ray T

[RLWP]

Last summer we stopped at the side lock to have a look too, a very surreal place

 

 

It's an even more surreal place to moor overnight. That pontoon wasn't there so we were moored up at the lock entrance with twenty foot of boat stuck across the mouth. In the morning, we hung about until a little white van appeared in the distance bumping along the towpath. This was the BW lock-keeper

 

There's an awful lot of lock to hide a tiny 70' boat in

 

Richard

[john6767]

 

It's an even more surreal place to moor overnight. That pontoon wasn't there so we were moored up at the lock entrance with twenty foot of boat stuck across the mouth. In the morning, we hung about until a little white van appeared in the distance bumping along the towpath. This was the BW lock-keeper

 

There's an awful lot of lock to hide a tiny 70' boat in

 

Richard

Indeed I bet it is. It looked rather scary on the other side of the lock when we were there too