With a little rain overnight, our morning started overcast and chilly, but not the coldest so far. We were moored just before a lock, so we slid right into that from our mooring spot. This stretch of the canal has been very quiet, and no boats had been through the lock since we moored yesterday afternoon.

These boats do not have a fuel gauge, and the rental companies tell you that you’ll be good for a week. Well, a week is now up and we have no idea how much fuel we have used. About an hour into our trip this morning we pulled into our first canal marina to fuel up. They weren’t open yet, but we figured out where the fuel pump was and pulled into the dock. A few minutes later someone came out to help us, but said we had to back into the slip. John did a flawless job of backing out and spinning the boat around! 70 liters of fuel and a water tank top off and we were off again.

I ducked down below to make the skipper breakfast – the warm boat cabin may have influenced that offer. 😁

About an hour and a half later we arrived at our mooring spot, a bit before the town of Chester. If we had gone any farther, we would have had 5 locks to navigate before another turning spot, and we’ve had our fill of locks (we have 24 to go through on our return trip to the rental marina – making a total of 52 for this trip!).

At our various lock passages yesterday, a few fellow boaters recommended The Cheshire Cat Pub, and that’s where we are moored for the next 2 nights. The pub looks great, and we have dinner reservations for tomorrow.

Another recommendation coming from a volunteer lock-keeper was to have lunch at the Chester Cathedral in their refectory cafe. We always like going to cathedrals and this one did not disappoint. The earliest surviving parts of the cathedral structure date back to 1092 when it was a Benedictine Abbey. The ornate carved woodwork, tiled floors, stained glass windows and beautiful chapels within the cathedral are stunning.

And lunch in the 1092 Cafe was fun and delicious. I’m glad we had that particular lock-keeper on our trip. Otherwise, we probably would have passed by the cafe.

We continued our walk around the city center – some on the streets and also along the city wall which almost completely encircles the city. These walls were begun in the first century when it was a roman fort, and evolved over time until their current configuration in the 12th century.

The last stop on our tour of the city was the Cheshire Military Museum, which tells the story of the Cheshire soldiers from the 17th century to the present.

We had taken a taxi into Chester Center in the morning, and opted for the 55 minute walk back to our boat. I said I’d do it once – and almost regretted that! No problem getting my steps in today!