From the bottom of the Anderton Boat Lift there’s a choice, left upstream towards Winsford or right towards Weston Marsh and the junction with the Manchester Ship Canal.
We go left, and an easy pleasant 30 minute cruise into Northwich where we stay for 2 days. Northwich is right by the river and a great town to explore
Then via an overnight at Vale Royal Moorings, not as grand as it sounds but a good quiet mooring. On from there and another overnight by the Red lion Pub, not such a nice mooring but we’d arranged to meet Mike Adkins from the boat builders to see our fluctuating fuel gauge, which was later replaced by them under guarantee.
Onwards to Winsford and a good mooring in the Basin, but the town is a huge disappointment. This is as far North as we can navigate, as from here it’s very shallow over the flashes.
Over the next few days we travel Northwards, downstream, past Northwich and the Anderton Boat Lift, and on towards the Northernmost point of the Weaver. A bit of an anticlimax, as the river ends at Eddie Stobarts haulage companies compound, which once would have been a very busy wharf between the Ship Canal and the Weaver. The last section is dominated by the huge ICI Chemical Works, not pretty but a very interesting contrast from the open country we’d just been through.
We had an overnight stop at Marsh Lock that can take large boats from the Weaver onto the Ship Canal. Just amazing, we spent some time there trying to imagine boats back and forth through here. It’s very exposed and was very windy when we were there.
South again and stopping off to go into Fordsham, with a mooring at Sutton Swing Bridge (pictured). Barton Cut moorings and Salterford take us back to Anderton again where we rejoin the Trent & Mersey Canal.
So glad we did the River Weaver, not as you’d imagine a river to be, no strong currents or the likelihood of slipping down a weir. Good depths too, the boat cruised so easily in deep water. Great moorings and very little traffic.
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