The day after our wonderful visit to the Black Country Living Museum, we were out on Uppie, enjoying the autumn sunshine as we cruised through Cheshire towards Middlewich. We love boating, although this was quite a sad journey for us, as it would be our last journey of the year and for several months.
Uppie (Uplander II) our narrowboat, is going to spend the whole winter at a boatyard at Northwich on the River Weaver, being repainted and having some improvements made inside.
There are thirty locks between Kidsgrove, where Uppie usually lives, and Middlewich, but Polar and Grizzly are used to working up and down them, and know where they can moor for snacks and overnight. We bears look out for things like the little details on the bridges and these interesting old boats hidden away in a little arm at Malkins Bank.
Luckily, we were in the saloon looking out of the window when this big bull was looking at us!
Polar and Grizzly were pleased to reach Middlewich when we did, as some of the locks behind us were due to be closed for repairs. The boat lift onto the River Weaver was being closed too, so we had to get Uppie down before that happened.
We had spent two days making our way to Middlewich. We bears spent the wetter second day inside, reading our books and packing small things away that needed to be brought home.
We were very lucky when we arrived in Middlewich, as a boating friend (Mrs Gillian) saw us from her car and gave us all a lift back to Polar and Grizzly's house, as it takes a very long time to get there by bus.
Uppie stayed at Middlewich for almost two weeks. During that time, there was an awful lot of rain and lots of local rivers, including the River Weaver, flooded badly. Uppie was perfectly safe but the boat lift had to be closed and a boat sank at the yard we were going to, which made us very worried bears.
It was a fine day again when we set off for Northwich, and we bears sat on the roof again for the long, lock-free journey from below Big Lock to the Anderton Lift. We love looking out for kingfishers at the 'flashes', which are big shallow lakes left where the ground has collapsed due to salt mining, and the Lion Salt Works Museum at Marston.
Grizzly decided Uppie should stay in a marina at Anderton until it was safe to go onto the river. We helped to pack more things, then had a little hug to say 'goodbye' to Uppie for the winter.
Seeing we were sad bears, Polar and Grizzly took us for a snack at the Anderton Lift visitor centre café, before we all went home.
It rained and rained over the following days and three times Uppie's journey onto the Weaver had to be delayed, because it was not safe. Finally, last Friday, the water levels were low enough and the current was slow enough for Uppie to be allowed out on the river.
We bears stayed at home in our bear basket this time, because Polar said she and Grizzly would have lots of things to do and it might not be very safe to have small bears to worry about when they had a difficult journey to make.
Uppie had a slow journey upstream to Northwich but, eventually, the two black-and-white swing bridges came into view. Grizzly was very relieved!
Uppie's winter home is beside an island between where the river goes through some sluices and the cut leading up to Hunt's Lock. We bears have not seen it yet but Polar showed us these pictures of some of the big boats that will be keeping Uppie company.
Polar says that she and Grizzly will visit Mr Steve the Boat Painter whenever there are important things to decide and that if we are good bears and promise to be sensible near the water, she will take us there.
We will miss our floating home over the winter but we are looking forward to seeing Uppie again when the repainting work has been done and going on lots more exciting adventures with Grizzly and Polar.
Bye bye for now, Uppie! See you in the spring!
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