Rainboat

Anderton Boat Lift is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways. Known as the Cathedral of the Canals it is one of only two working boat lifts in the UK, although it is temporarily out of action while the river gates are fixed. We'd been looking forward to exploring it ever since we began our life afloat and had hoped to take a trip on it with our sister and brother in law Sue and John.

Built in 1875 to transport boats carrying salt, pottery, coal and other goods between the Trent and Mersey Canal and the River Weaver 50 feet below, the lift is now 150 years old and a weekend festival was being held to celebrate this significant anniversary. A Victorian theme had been chosen, linking in to the time period when the lift had first begun operation.

We moored at the visitor pontoon on Friday and Will set out to explore. Exhibitions and information stands were being set up ready for the next day and a BBQ and drinks tent had been layed on for the workers, volunteers, performers and CRT executives that seemed to be having a pre-festival gathering.

Will was concerned about the 1 day mooring restriction as we really wanted to stay for the whole festival. The pontoon was half empty and given the small number of boats currently active on the Weaver it was unlikely to fill up. He set about asking the people milling around, who directed him to other people milling around. He eventually got to a smart looking person in a purple shirt and name tag. He said he didn't know but that he'd find the regional manager and check it out. It was only once this smart looking person had left that his companions said to Will "you do know who that was don't you?!?". They then informed him that he'd just asked Richard Parry, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the Canal and River Trust, to find out whether we could stay a few extra days at some moorings 😂 Give him his due, Richard returned with the Regional Manager who was happy for us to stay for the whole festival and even said we could move to the lift moorings during the day for better access if we wanted! Pleased and a little embarrassed, Will celebrated with a BBQ burger and pint.

The following morning, music drifted across from the festival ground. We took the dogs on a short walk in the nearby parkland then harnessed them up and headed towards the music. First things first we enqiured at reception about the Lift Walk Tours. They'd all been booked for today but we could book places online for Sunday. They weren't wheelchair accessible so we had a good look at where we'd be going and decided Vicky could rest on the floor during the tour and all the next day if necessary. She really wanted to do it.

Initially we hadn't been overly excited by the Victorian theme but watching Barnton Circus perform with ribbons, poy, hula hoops and a trapeze soon had us grinning from ear to ear. There were visual illusions for our minds to boggle at and an early coal and steam powered fire engine that would have been pulled by a horse. Old counterweights had been removed from the top of the lift and stacked to create a maze. It was good wholesome fun on a sunny day and we loved it. The food tent provided us with drinks and we tried to keep our hot dog and flapjack away from a persistent Leo and a hopeful Tiger Lilly. Even Leo was getting tired with all the strokes people wanted to give him by the time we returned along the grassy path to Rainboat.

The following day began with the highly anticipated Lift Tour. Places are rarely available so we were thrilled to get two. Unfortunately the four others on our tour weren't there at the start time. Mike our guide waited a little while, then began without them. They turned up after 10minutes, stayed for the first part of the talk then said they were too scared of heights to go on, so had to be let back out of the enclosure. It was a shame for others who could have taken their place but as a result Mike gave us all of his attention, altering the tour a little to give Vicky the chance to perch on steps and pipes. A former teacher, Mike was an amazing storyteller, conjuring visions of several hundred years ago when the river had been a third of its current width and a local businessman dug down in search of coal and discovered salt instead. Instead of a 50 minute talk, he spent well over an hour telling us about the history of the area, the construction and various versions of the boat lift and how it worked. He listened to our interests and shared his knowledge in these areas. It was brilliant. Although Vicky was tired she was also high on adrenaline when the tour eventually came to an end and we rolled into the visitor centre café for a vegan 'fish finger' sandwich and panini.

The enthusiastic performer Mr Alexander had been in front of his stage most of the weekend juggling various items and performing little tricks for the kids gathered around on woven carpets. His last scheduled performance was fast approaching so Vicky nipped back in the chair to fetch the dogs and we joined the growing crowd. Here was a person who truly loved to entertain. The smiles on people's faces seemed to fuel his half hour act in which he told humorous tales, unicycled, juggled and made objects disappear and reappear. Children and adults alike were spellbound and it was the best ending to our weekend at Anderton!Read more