Heck, its Ellesmere.

And another cracking day and we were off well after many others who have moved early once again.

First obstacle today was another lift bridge. They take a little winding but are easy enough. Helen said that one of them had a bucket of water and a notice saying that if it was stiff chuck the water over the hydraulic unit and it would work. No need for her as the sun was not directly on it.

Before and after the Prees Branch Junction there are areas of mosses or raised bog lands that together are quite important in the UK and are now a nature reserve after being used for commercial peat cutting

A nice little mooring with an original bridge in the quiet village of Bettisfield.

The many curves of the canal took the cut through wooded cuttings and the shade was very welcome, and a relief.

We were tempted to stop in the shade by any of the meres that the canal passes through. There are many meres in the area which are remnants of the ice age 12000 years ago when the area was half a mile under ice. When it melted great chucks were left and the last bits to melt sank into the saturated ground leading these kettle holes. 

The Llangollen Canal has everything, even a tunnel or two. They are all one way, and just when you may have looked forward to a cool shower of water coming through the roof, it was all dry in Ellesmere Tunnel.

We moored up just before the marina and later walked into town. We passed the Ellesmere Hotel that used to be called the Royal Oak, and it was here that on 10th September 1792 the shareholders meeting was held to set up the Ellesmere Canal Company. It is said that from noon to sunset a million pounds had been pledged by shareholders who were local business men and dignitaries.

We found a nice micropub in the vaults below the old Town Hall, called the 'Vaults' funnily enough. The old town hall was built in the 1830's by the Countess of Bridgewater. The area was marshy previously and it is said that there are piles 30' long into the peat. The ground floor was open as a market at first before it moved to a purpose built place. Upstairs had a fine assembly room that has been used as a Mechanics Institute, a museum and a cinema before the council made the building redundant in 1966. The pub is in the cellars and has a lovely vaulted roof.

We walked back via the short arm as we had a little shopping to do at Tesco's there. The canal warehouse at the end of the arm has not been put into any better condition but you would have thought it would have made a good site for something or other, especially with the foot fall on a great day like this.