Boating Bears Again!

We had a very special treat last Friday.  For the first time since Uppie went away to be repainted, Polar and Grizzly were having a day out on the boat - and we bears were going with them!

We were so excited we could hardly sleep on Thursday night, and woke up very early on Friday morning to put on our boating clothes and pack our lifejackets in our Bear Bag.  After some of Grizzly's excellent porridge for our breakfast, we set off for Middlewich.

Our journey was to move Uppie from Mr Steve the boat painter's old yard on the River Weaver at Northwich to his new base at Middlewich.  

Uppie is almost finished but needs a few last jobs done, inside and out, and a new frame and cover for the cratch fitted (the open area at the bow), so Polar and Grizzly have their dining room and we have our all-weather bear look-out room.

Polar and Grizzly left our car at Mr Steve's dry dock, then he drove us to Northwich and helped us get Uppie away from the wharf and out onto the river.  

We stayed out of the way until the journey was underway, but had a very nice surprise when we climbed out of our Bear Bag.  Mr Steve and Mr Dorian the joiner had set up the new armchairs in Uppie's saloon.  They are very comfortable for small bears and humans alike - Grizzly had a long nap in one during the afternoon!  Doesn't the new floor look nice too? 

 Grizzly steered Uppie down the River Weaver through Northwich town and on towards the Anderton Lift.  The river was flowing quite briskly, but not in a troublesome way, and we saw sandpipers, swans and a kingfisher on our way down the river.

When we reached the famous Boat Lift, they manoeuvred Uppie round to the moorings where we were to wait for our turn.  We came out to look at Uppie and the Boat Lift, and asked if we could stay on the roof for the journey up.

Polar said we could, if we were very good and sensible bears, but then it started to rain and we all had to go back indoors so we didn't get soggy fur.

Fortunately, we could see the lift in action from the saloon windows.

Polar says it always rains when they are on the Anderton Lift!

As all the boats were there and ready to go, the nice lift people loaded us all in and soon we were being hoisted up to the Trent and Mersey Canal.  We bears have been on the Anderton Lift before, so we don't get scared any more, but it is still a very strange thing to be in a boat going up in the air!

Once Uppie was out on the canal, Polar came in to sit with us and have her picnic lunch, which she shared with us, while Grizzly carried on steering.

The sun had come out again, so we all moved out into the open cratch area and Polar said we could sit on the bow by the gas-locker lid, as long as we didn't get too close to the sides or climb over the rope.  We had a brilliant view from there and saw more kingfishers.

'I expect Grizzly would like his lunch soon,' I said to Polar, so she lifted Hanley Bear up on to the roof so he could run back to check whether Grizzly was hungry.

'Grizzly is very hungry!' said Hanley, when he got back after a long run along to the stern then back to the bow, so Polar carried us inside and asked us to look after Grizzly's lunch and make sure no flies landed on it, while she went to change over at the tiller.

We were very good bears and only nibbled a couple of Pringles and some cheese and salad, as being in the fresh air had made us hungry again.  There was still plenty left for Grizzly!

Polar started steering from a place called Broken Cross, in the heart of the Cheshire salt country.  There is a big chemical plant here which the canal runs right through. 

Soon after, you reach Billinge Flash, which is where Polar and Grizzly like to moor if they are exploring this part of the canal, but today we had a job to do - to get Uppie to Middlewich in time for Mr Steve to get home for tea.

So we didn't stop at Billinge Flash or anywhere else, but we did manage to spot the big wooden bear in the garden of one of the pretty black and white Cheshire houses by the canal.

It was very quiet on the canal and, after his lunch, Grizzly was feeling very sleepy and so were we, so we all had naps while Polar carried on steering.

Later in the afternoon, Polar and Grizzly swapped over on the tiller again, and Polar came out to sit with us.  She took a nice photo of us with a boat coming towards us - then we realised the people on the boat were friends of ours, so we all waved to each other!

When we reached Croxton Flash, then the aqueduct over the River Dane, we realised we were almost at Middlewich.  We were sad that our journey was nearly over but pleased that we had managed the journey in good time, so Mr Steve wouldn't be held up. 

 Here are some pictures of the painting Mr Steve has been doing.  He and Polar planned the colour scheme between them and Polar suggested a Celtic-style font for the sign-writing, which you can see Mr Steve has painted really well.

He has even put the name along the edge of the cratch - you can see it when the light is right on the non-slip finish. 

And here's Grizzly with Uppie, waiting for Polar to open the gates of the Big Lock at Middlewich.  Next time you see Uppie, hopefully the new cratch frame and cover will be in position.

We went back inside the boat and sat on our comfortable chairs while Polar and Grizzly worked Uppie through the Big Lock and the three narrow locks above it.  Mr Steve came to meet us at the middle one and helped us tie up at the moorings above the top lock.

He has some more jobs to do to get the dry dock ready but, as soon as it is, Uppie will go in to have the hull blacked and the cratch work done, and then, all being well, we can go off on our adventures again!