Civil Engineering

It has been a grey and gloomy afternoon, and it was making J feel gloomy. Only one thing for it - some fresh air and a short walk.

The last time J had been along this stretch of the River Weaver was March 13th 2020 (I’ve been a few times since). I know this because I blipped a narrowboat, and recorded in my journal the (fortunately) short conversation - the chap on board expounded about how Covid was clearly a conspiracy ….. etc. Blips can be a useful record.

The private road alongside the river to Dutton Locks is in a bit of a state, as it is currently being used by a lot of construction vehicles - we had to stand aside as various trucks, vans and cars passed. And as we approached the locks themselves, it became apparent that ahead was a hive of activity. We got near but then turned back.

The cause of all the activity features in the image. It is a huge Archimedes screw, sitting on a trailer on a pontoon with a huge crane nearby, and my suspicion that it was part of a scheme to produce renewable energy was confirmed by a bit of Googling when we returned home. It is going to be sited next to the sluice gates across the old bend in the river (which is separated from the main navigation) and attached to a generator which as the screw turns with the force of the water passing through will feed via a cable into the national grid. An adjacent fish pass will allow migratory fish to pass through - there are a lot of eels in the Weaver.

Bizarrely, whilst taking a few pics of the Screw, we heard a horn being blown. Looking across the river, people on horseback, and just visible through the hedge at some distance a pack of dogs. The man in red points to this being the Cheshire Hunt (extra). The strangest of juxtapositions.