Experiencing the Anderton Lift

The month of May began with an exciting first for Corinne and myself - a trip on the River Weaver with Snipe & Taurus.

It was our first time taking the boats down the Anderton Boat Lift, and to say we were a little nervous would be an understatement! The lift operates half a dozen times a day, and is of course perfectly safe and represents a wonderful attraction in itself, but as hotelboat owners, you always get a little bit nervous when taking your boats into an unusual situation.

Our fears were completely unfounded and once in the lift, we immensely enjoyed the 50ft 'trip' to the bottom and out onto the Weaver. The guests enjoyed themselves too - it was a first for them all and they had a great time - they were even passing cake out the window to the boat operators on the way down!

The lift operates via two counter-balanced caissons on hydraulic rams - so you can give the boats in the other caisson a wave as you pass in the middle! It is a marvel of engineering skill and shows just how much money there was in commercial salt production in the area that it was even commissioned in the first place!

Originally tidal and later made navigable between Winsford and Frodsham, the River Weaver has been used since the 17th Century to carry salt produced in and around the town of Northwich. Today however, it is used mainly by pleasure craft, but is still maintained as a commercial waterway.

Following a request by some of our guests, we followed the Weaver downstream towards the Weston Canal and the link with the Manchester Ship Canal, alongside the River Mersey. This is a stretch of beautiful countryside, with some excellent views out into the river valley. An abundance of wildlife to see had some guests scrambling for their second roll of film!

Weston Point signifies the navigable end of the waterway for craft as 'small' as Snipe and Taurus - they have travelled on the Ship Canal before, but this has to be arranged well in advance and involves quite a bit of red tape. Weston docks were the home of British Waterways Freight Services for a long while, although with subsequent cutbacks the docks have long since closed. The chemical works now domiates the location, making the scene less picturesque than the rest of the navigation, but no less interesting. From here, we turned back and proceeded upstream to Northwich town centre.

The Salt Museum in Northwich was worth a visit, and gave guests a fascinating insight into the town's history. Mining rock salt has been the main industry of the area, and the town's distinctive timbered architecture was necessary because the subsidence from mining made the ground too unstable for brick buildings in times past!

All too quickly we left Northwich and it was time to return up the Boat Lift. We feel fortunate to have explored a wonderful waterway with some lovely guests.

Neil.