Onto the Llangollen

Hurleston Junction and we leave the Shropshire Union and turn into the first of  4 locks lifting us 34feet up to the Llangollen Canal.
By the time we reach the Welsh town of Llangollen we would have travelled 44 miles and gone through another 17 locks rising us another 109feet.  Amongst those 17 are 3 staircase locks at Grindley brook.
A  staircase lock is 2 or more locks where the upper gate of one lock serves as the lower gate of the next.
Click HERE to see the video of Grindley staircase locks working.

So on we go the picture shows us in the 1st lock having just risen from the Shropshire Union in the picture above. Jaq is walking on to prepare the next lock while I will bring the boat forward and close the gates behind me.
The original plan was a canal linking the River Mersey via Chester and Wrexham to the River Severn at Shrewsbury. The section from the Mersey to Chester was built as was a section up to Frankton locks(now part of the Montgomery). Finance and land purchase issues stopped the original plan and the canal eventually joined the main canal system here at Hurleston in 1805 where Chester can be reached.



At bridge 6 Burland it was good to see the shop had re-opened. Locally made pies on display looked scrummy and Jaq purchased a Steak & Ale plus a Chicken & Mushroom. Highly recommend them folks.
Just a few doors past the stores this neat turntable makes for a safe exit  from a small driveway. The driver just spun the car on the turntable and reversed off ready to safely drive out instead of reversing into a quite busy road.