Chester - Ellesmere Port and the Boat Museum

Leaving Chester we have the delight of cruising alongside part of the city walls.

Northgate staircase lock ahead..

looking back towards the city.

Hewn out of solid rock, these three staircase locks lower the canal by 33 feet.

Before we can descend the bottom two chambers have to be emptied

This one impressive gate paddle lets the water out of the top lock and into the second.

Lock side canal art

At the bottom of the staircase it is a sharp turn right to Tower Wharf. Here the line of the original Chester Canal once lead straight down, via two further locks(now abandoned) into the River Dee.

The dry dock and boat building yard where the Shropshire Union carrying fleet was once built and maintained.

For whatever reason few boats travel the 8 miles from Chester to Ellesmere Port. Pearson's guide says of it being "remote pastureland of no great beauty"

So.... anyone for golf....

air display......

wildlife...

and in the distance Stanlow Oil Refinery 

or retail therapy.

Moored on the water point at the Boat Museum.  There are 48 hour moorings here or for a small fee there is secure mooring in the Lower basin of the National Waterways Museum.

Bates Mill to Chester

Glorious sunshine greets us for our decent into Chester.....

along with a mile of moored boats!!!  The code of the cut is to pass all moored boats on "tick over" to create as little "wash" as possible thus avoiding pulling out the mooring pins of the said moored boats.

Yes Trev nearly did give up the will to live ......

and I became snap happy .........

This former mill at Christelton signals the windlass will be coming into play very soon!

This chappie has laid claim to the lock and there he stayed.

To help me on the wide locks Trev navigates the boat in through one gate.....

then enjoys a apple while I am emptying it!!!

Entering a city by boat is definitely the best way.

a very "Cheshire" hostelry

A quick trip into Waitrose

and we move on to the second of the city centre moorings. Chester city centre is only 5 minutes walk from here.

Top Flash to Bates Mill

Nearing the end of the Middlewich Arm of the Shropshire Union is Mrs Swan on her nest - just where we saw her last year!!!

We do like a bit of "one out one in" at Minshull Lock

Moored boats signal the arrival of Barbridge Junction where in the past we have turned sharp left to continue down towards the Midlands.

This year it is sharp right towards Chester and Ellesmere Port.

We call at Calveley - a former canal/rail transhipment depot to perform the emptying of the "poo cassette" - something new this year - the pump-out toilet having been sealed up for good after last years problems.

Exiting the top lock of Bunbury Staircase having emptied the top lock into the empty bottom lock.

Help is at hand at Tilstone lock  so its back on board and enjoy the free ride.

This curious circular building overlooking the head of the lock chamber at Beeston was once used by lengths men to store maintenance equipment.  They are also found at Tilstone and Tarvin locks.

The lower lock at Beeston is built unusually of iron plates - Telford's way of dealing with ground instability at this point.  It is also not advisable to attempt fitting two narrowboats side be side in this lock.

We moor for the night in the shadow of Beeston Castle at Bates Mill where we enjoyed the late afternoon sun shine and a well earned drink at the Shady Oak.

13 miles and 8 locks