Exploring the rivers of Cheshire: The 31st British Rowing Tour
From 29 – 31 August, rowers from across the country travelled to Cheshire for this year’s British Rowing Tour. Read all about how they got on
Some 80 rowers from 18 different clubs took part in the 31st British Rowing Tour last weekend. With rowers from Maidstone, Bath, Tynemouth, and everywhere in between, including local representation from Royal Chester RC, the tour discovered two new touring routes in Cheshire. This included rowing almost the entire navigable length of the River Weaver and a 7 km section of the River Dee. Though shorter than previous tours on the Thames, Severn, Trent, and Great Ouse, there was plenty of delightful scenery and places of interest along the way.
The tour started on Friday at the Winsford Bottom Flash, a shallow lake formed as a result of subsidence following extensive salt mining in the area. The slag heaps from this can still be seen along the bank. Unfortunately, due to the prolonged dry weather, the water was so shallow that crews were unable to go very far into the lake, and in one case, the rowers had to get out of the boat to push it off a sandbank! The flotilla then headed off downriver to Vale Royal Lock, where another obstacle presented itself. One of the lock gates was stuck, so crews had to cautiously squeeze around the narrow opening left by the other gate into the lock.
Despite this hold-up, all the boats arrived at Northwich RC in time to enjoy a magnificent BBQ lunch prepared by club volunteers. Northwich RC is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and the Chair Graham Jump said, “It was lovely to see the River Weaver come to life as we welcomed 16 recreational quads to the club. Many thanks to members who looked after the crews during lunch and came to see them off too!”
After lunch, the rowers went by coach to the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, where they had a fascinating guided tour and learned about the history of the area. Most of the exhibits, historic boats in various stages of reconstruction, are outside on the canals, so we were grateful that the sun shone, as indeed it did for almost the whole weekend.
On Saturday, the tour carried on downstream through Hunts Lock (again, with one broken gate), to Saltersford Lock, where some of the boats ended up behind the historic steamer Daniel “The Danny” Adamson, which carries passengers up and down the Weaver. Although we were pleased to have a chance to see it, it meant we were late arriving at the Grange School, where we stopped for lunch.
After hauling most of the boats onto the bank, we refuelled at the Leigh Arms, which laid on a huge buffet lunch of sandwiches, pork pies, quiche, and the best chips we had ever tasted! Somewhat bloated, we carried on through the last lock, Dutton, to Runcorn RC, the end of our Weaver experience.
Despite being unfamiliar with rowing boats, which the Canal and River Trust were initially reluctant to allow through the locks, the lock-keepers were extremely friendly and helpful, clearing weed away from the lock gates and ensuring our safe passage. They really entered into the spirit of the tour, taking loads of photographs and even complimenting some of us on our rowing skills! So a big thank you is due to them.
On Saturday evening, we had our gala dinner with the guest of honour, British Rowing’s Learning, Education and Development Manager, Rachel Hooper, who started her rowing career at Northwich RC and was Head of Rowing at the Grange School for a while. After the event, Rachel said, “It was a pleasure to meet the tour as the travelled along the Weaver Navigation before heading to the River Dee.”
“I was delighted to share some local interest, ranging from industry and engineering to salt mining and Royal connections. What struck me is how everyone was enjoying the tour in their own way whether it was an appreciation of nature and blue space, getting to know rowers from around the country, or simply enjoying a change of scenery on a different stetch of water. It was evident from the rowing backgrounds of the group that a number have come to enjoy the sport relatively recently through the British Rowing learn to Row initiative, and have been supported by their clubs to stay in the sport without having the commit to a specific training or competition schedule.
“We sometimes lose track of how wonderful our waterways are when we’re training hard, but the touring side of the sport is a fantastic way to not only keep fit, but enjoy the mental wellbeing benefits that come from being in the great outdoors. I would encourage any club to look at how they can create the right opportunities for rowers to enjoy the recreational side of the sport and all of the benefits it brings.”
The final day, Sunday, was a morning outing on the River Dee from Chester Sailing and Canoe Club upstream to Aldford Iron Bridge near Eaton Hall, the country home of the Duke of Westminster. After trailer loading and a picnic lunch, it was time to go home. We all enjoyed meeting up with old friends and making new ones; for about a dozen of the group, it was their first tour. A typical comment on the WhatsApp group read, “Thank you to everyone for a fab weekend. To the organisers, trailer drivers, boat helpers, every one of you is much appreciated. Without you all, it wouldn’t have happened.”
