Ellesmere Port and the MSC

Speaking to Richard and Sue of Indigo Dream the other evening about Ellesmere Port and the Manchester Ship Canal, reminded me that I never got round to posting some pictures from our visit (by car) in April.

One of the first things that struck us was that we couldn't understand why the bridge over the lock down onto the MSC needs to be swung, as there appeared to be plenty of headroom even before the water was let out.

Later, I learned that the water level in the basin at Ellesmere Port has been lowered, while work is carried out on the broad locks.  The level is down by as much as four feet, meaning that much more of a sunken boat is visible than usual.  It appears that normally only the top of the funnel sticks out of the water.

On the day we visited, the Ship Canal was flat calm, and would have posed no problems at all to narrowboats.  We've investigated doing the trip from here to the River Weaver, but the Ship Canal company insist that shared boats aren't allowed,

The view across the canal and the Mersey to Liverpool was great, with both cathedrals clearly visible.