The Bester of Chester

We set off at 8.00am as we had a nice section of no locks for about six miles. Al got some washing done and we just took it nice and steady taking in all this new scenery. The canal winds its way through some nice wooded sections and through some lovely bridges.. We then had a section where we had over two miles of moored boats which took us over 45 mins.

Waverton was particularly nice through Egg Bridge with its old lights and Rowton Bridge.

We then reached our first lock of the day, and a single hander was just going out as we turned up. He said he would wait at the next lock and get it ready for us.. This made life a little easier for both of us..  These locks were quite easy going down but looked tricky for when we come back up.

They seemed a bit shorter (or Derwent6 has got a bit longer in the heat) than normal double locks as we were right back on the cill to get the gates open.
We did the other locks and made our way into Chester, it was a pleasant trip in and to be honest just got better as we got into the city centre.

At first it is very much like Birmingham and the canal is lined with shops and restaurants, it then goes into the castle walls and follows the perimeter till it reaches the three lock staircase.

There we met up with Steve off n.b AmyJo and also a lock keeper here who helps you down as these locks are quite daunting.

In the middle lock the water was spraying all over the stern deck of Derwent6 and the doors had to be closed to keep dry, good job it was a scorching hot day.

At the bottom there is a sharp right turn into a wide basin. We were very lucky as there were two moorings available to us.

After a quick met and greet with Steve we walked over to Telford's Warehouse, a pub on the opposite side of the basin.

It was a couple of drinks before we split and we headed into town, you can see Derwent6 in the window.

The shops or rows as they are called are amazing and we made a beeline for the Cathedral. That was also amazing with a great feeling of peace and tranquillity about it, just like the canals.

In the evening we had booked a table at the Warehouse to meet up with Chris and Steve for dinner. We had a lovely meal and a catch up, but never took any pics.. Maybe we should do it again tomorrow..