Another beautiful day with plans of less than 4 hours of traveling. Since the Llangollen Canal is an out and back, we went out fairly fast and kept note of where we wanted to stop on the way back. Today's destination, Elesmere Wharf, was one of those places and we are looking forward to it for many reasons. One reason is there are 3 pubs that look really nice, another reason is there is a huge Tesco supermarket directly in the wharf, and most importantly, there is a laundromat that I can walk to...it is has been a while since I was able to get laundry done.
With a short day we were able to sleep in some, actually cook breakfast (scrambled eggs, fresh rolls, and sautéed mushroom & krab sticks), and get underway at 9:43 AM.
With a short day we were able to sleep in some, actually cook breakfast (scrambled eggs, fresh rolls, and sautéed mushroom & krab sticks), and get underway at 9:43 AM.
Another beautiful day on the Llangollen Canal.
Today we have only 2 locks. Tim decided that he couldn't go through the entire trip and not do a lock, so he is operating the locks as I have the easier job of operating the boat.
 Tim opening the gates to allow the water out of the lock. |  Looking back inside the lock as the water level is going down. |
With me in control now, Tim started snapping off photo after photo. Here are some...he took a lot...of what I picked out of the bunch.
Tim likes this paint scheme on a narrowboat,
 Me with a bridge behind. |  Tim liked this bridge for many reasons ;-) |
 Pretty yellow...probably rapeseed. |  More rapeseed on a curve with moored narrowboat. |
We were getting close to a crowded area, so Tim took back control just in time for me to get this duck family...and even dozen.
Just before the left turn into Ellesmere Wharf, there was a water point, so we took the opportunity to fill up the tank. After water, we made the left turn under bridge 59 and found a mooring spot right towards the end. Luckily we showed up here early because there was only room for 3 more boats in the wharf and the other 2 spots filled quickly after we arrived.
 Almost there. |  Our mooring for the night. |
The engine was run for less than 3.5 hours, so we have to run it another 2.5 hours to properly charge the house batteries. Tim stayed behind to keep the engine running as I set out to do laundry. It has been a while since we did laundry, so I wore a only a rain suit to ensure I got all my clothes washed. By the way...Tim is sitting in the boat in his swimsuit.
Wearing my rain suit to do laundry.
After doing laundry, I returned to the boat and relaxed some before leaving for the pubs at 6 PM. Ellesmere is a cute town.
The center of Ellesmere
The first pub was The Swan Inn where we chatted with a local that has lived here all his life. He ran the delicatessen and bakery across the street after his father passed it down to him. He now leases the business, but his niece runs the sandwich shop next door.
The next place is call The Vault and is down a basement and was very cool. They had 6 different local hard ciders, so instead of beer this time I had the strawberry cider and the rhubarb cider. I drank them half down separately, and then poured them together for a 50/50 mix and that was delicious as well.
We also got to meet the very friendly pub cat that hung out in the beer garden.
The next place is call The Vault and is down a basement and was very cool. They had 6 different local hard ciders, so instead of beer this time I had the strawberry cider and the rhubarb cider. I drank them half down separately, and then poured them together for a 50/50 mix and that was delicious as well.
We also got to meet the very friendly pub cat that hung out in the beer garden.
 The Vault |  Here kitty kitty |
The last pub was the White Hart located inside a half-timbered house and has been here since the 16th century. This place was recommended by the guys we hung out with a few days ago at the Narrow Boat pub. It was a great place with an incredible selection of real ales on cask and a caramel apple cider. Awesome.
The White Hart Inn
After three pub we definitely needed dinner. We returned to the boat and I made fish with special sauce (ketchup & mayonnaise), mash of some sort, & steamed broccoli. By the way...this photo was take at 9:40 PM!! I guess it is still dinner if eaten before midnight?
Needless to say, we ate dinner, tried to watch some TV to give time to digest, and went to bed. Tomorrow is another shorter day, so it should be another nice day. Until then...
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