By Bill Norris, Chair,
Shropshire Paddlesport
Photos:
Shropshire Paddlesport
Shropshire Paddlesport
A volunteer club based at Queen’s Head near Oswestry, we offer a broad range of paddling experiences with the vision of inspiring the human spirit, one paddle stroke at a time. Offering opportunities in a kayak, canoe, SUP, racing boat and raft, we welcome families and individuals to our community-focused club, caring for its members and the environment they paddle in.
Shropshire Paddlesport
It all started on a very cold February morning in 2019. Seven paddlers from Shropshire Paddlesport in a mixture of kayaks and open boats set off from Winsford Flash to paddle 12 miles down the Weaver Navigation Canal. The heavy open boats led the way, breaking the patches of ice that had formed overnight. It was a cold and arduous journey, finishing in the dark at Acton Bridge. On the way we paddled past the bottom of the Anderton Boat Lift, Andrew Leggatt, my paddling partner, remarked, “It would be great if we could come back and take the lift up to the canal” – the seed was sown for a future trip.
Working with CRT
Back home on Monday morning, I made a phone call to CRT and spoke to Graham Wood, Operations and Events Manager at the Boat Lift. Unpowered craft were not permitted to use the lift, so no was the immediate answer. However, an organised club trip might be a possibility in the future. Later in the year, contact was re-established, visits and risk assessments were carried out, and a date was organised for Sunday 29th March 2020. This would be the first time canoes, kayaks, and SUPs would be allowed to enter and travel in the lift, but it was not to be. On 23rd March 2020, the country went into lockdown.
Wind forward to early 2022, Shropshire Paddlesport is back on the water, and the Anderton Boat Lift was gearing up to celebrate 20 years since the refurbishment and re-opening. Personnel had changed at Anderton, but the commitment to making this event happen had not.
The journey
So, on 27th March, 31 paddlers and a dog called Charlie set off on the 7.5 miles from Winsford Flash to the Anderton Boat Lift. The weather was kind, with sunshine and a slight tailwind. Paddling down the Weaver takes you through ‘salt country’, where salt was mined, processed, and exported worldwide. The Winsford Rock Salt mine is still the largest and oldest mine in the UK, where 150 metres of underground salt is mined for use on the country’s road network during winter. Passing Meadow Island, the site of a sawmill, blacksmith, fitting, turning and joinery shops in 1860, now the view is of Weaver Parkway, part of the Mersey Forest, with little evidence of the previous industrial landscape.
On we paddled to Newbridge Works where, in 1892,, a strike and subsequent violence by salt workers resulted in the Riot Act being read. A large force of police officers accompanied by 100 soldiers was dispatched from Manchester to restore order. Now a scene of tranquillity, only the double bridge and island remain. Next stop, Northwich with its new shopping centre, marina and restaurants before rounding the final bend and the Anderson Boat Lift comes into view.
The boat lift
Known as one of the seven wonders of the waterways. The Anderton Boat Lift is a two caisson lift, providing a 15-metre vertical link between the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal. In use for over 100 years transporting salt and pottery to and from Manchester, each caisson weighs 252 tonnes, plus a few paddlers. It closed in 1983 due to corrosion but was restored by the Canal and River Trust, reopening in 2002 for leisure traffic. Our journey was part of the celebrations marking 20 years since the reopening.
On arriving at the lift, we were met by staff who ushered us into the caisson, 22 assorted crafts and room for a few more. The gates closed behind us, and a hush descended on the group as water pressures were equalised. Then slowly the lift started to rise, going up is a strange feeling when sitting in a boat! The other caisson descended towards us, giving the perspective of increased speed.
But don’t look behind you… there are only a few inches of freeboard on the back gate! Charlie, the therapy dog, took it all in his stride.
Converted to run on electricity in 1904, the lift has been restored to its original hydraulic operation, with no sound of whirring motors, just a smooth and peaceful ascent as water pressure alone raises our caisson.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the top of the lift. We equalised water pressures, the gates were raised and we paddled out onto the Trent and Mersey canal. Taking our boats out of the water, we entered the visitor centre depicting the history and operation of the lift. Then out onto the lawn for well-deserved refreshments and some group photographs.
“On 26th March 2022, we celebrated the 20th birthday of the lift’s restoration. This was a momentous occasion for us, and the one thing we were certain about was that we wanted to create “another first”! Joining forces with local paddlesport clubs seemed like the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the sport and the Anderton Boat Lift and create a visual spectacular for our visitors as a mass paddle through the lift had never been done before.”
Carly Graham, Visitor Services Manager – Anderton Visitor Centre
“Thank you, Carly and the CRT Team at the Anderton Boat Lift, for a terrific ending to our paddle down the Weaver. Club members were thrilled by the ascent in the lift, and the cream tea in the marquee afterwards had the atmosphere of a wedding reception!We look forward to the next 20 years of the Anderton Boat Lift.”
Bill Norris – Chair, Shropshire Paddlesport
What next for Shropshire Paddlesport
Later this year, we are organising a paddle trip to Ireland, two weeks on the Rivers Tay and Spey in Scotland, but first, in June, a group of club members are endeavouring to SUP down the Welsh border from Ellesmere Port to Gloucester, a journey of 192 miles. All this is on top of our monthly recreational paddles.
Next year another trip to Scotland and perhaps a conversation about paddling the Falkirk Wheel, another wonder of the waterways.
