Bartimaeus

One of my first jobs when we got back to Edinburgh in November was to make an appointment for the dentist to attend to my broken tooth, nearly a year after the previous attempt.  I was seen quickly, but the follow-up pair of appointments needed to fit a crown were not until February and March.  When the crown was late coming from the lab, we came back to the boat without it, but that meant I had to make a day-trip to Edinburgh to have it fitted.

On the way I changed trains in Warrington and had time for a short stroll.  I was impressed by the enormous gates to a park, but also bemused because the low wall either side was easy to step over and even that vanished before the roads a short distance either side.

The crown was duly fitted, and my mouth now feels more comfortable than it has for many months.  By the time I was done, it was very nearly time to set off back to the station for my return.  It was a shame to have spent most of one of the sunniest days of the year on trains, but at least I wasn’t worried about the state of the batteries when I got back – well after dark.

The following day we set off towards Ellesmere Port.  When the canal was built, this was the way to the River Mersey.  The Manchester Ship Canal now runs along the estuary’s edge.  My mother was born on the banks of this waterway, so I feel an odd affinity for it.  It is possible for narrowboats to make the crossing to Liverpool from here, but that requires significant paper work and hiring the services of a pilot – we’re not doing that just now.  From our mooring we could see occasional ships passing by.

The following day was forecast to be not only bright, but also warm.  I suggested we get the tandem out and explore a little further along the estuary.  It wasn’t far to the locks where the Manchester Ship Canal meets the Mersey.  Unfortunately, the dock security made it hard to see anything much.

We continued along the estuary on a mix of quiet tracks along the shore and roads through industrial estates.  Most of it felt safe enough, despite being a bit disjointed.  I hadn’t known what to expect along this shore, but had tentatively chosen the ferry terminal as the limit of our foray.  Just short of this we came across some redevelopment work that blocked our path.  We were forced to turn back at the submarine.

We carried on a little further looking for lunch.  We found it at the other terminal for the Mersey Ferry, where we got a surprisingly personal and friendly service.

We hadn’t got far on our return when we spotted the open gates of Birkenhead Priory and stopped for an explore.  We’d only just stepped inside when a man asked us if we had time for a short tour – yes, we did.  Our very friendly eighty-eight year old volunteer guide showed us around the remains of the twelfth century priory, now surrounded by industry.  He also recommended we climb the hundred and one steps of the adjacent church tower.

Afterwards we mainly retraced our outward route, and were back at Ellesmere Port with plenty of time before sunset.

The following day was poorer weather, but we were moored at the National Waterways Museum, so we spent most of our day there.  I was drawn to the NWFA films showing in a corner upstairs – that’s not a Welsh word, it’s the North West Film Archive.  The films on show included ships traversing the Manchester Ship Canal and 1950s workers building the massive QEII dock at the mouth – in flat caps.

We filled up with water before heading off, so as not to overstay the 48 hour restrictions.  It isn’t entirely clear if these restrictions actually apply between November and March, but it suited us to get a few miles along the canal.  We drove the rest of the way back to Chester the next morning so we were suitably placed for a rendezvous the following day.