#256 The Poacher's Pocket, Gledrid, Shropshire : 1996 to 2018

Our first boating trip all the way up the Llangollen Canal was in 1996, although we'd gone as far as Whitchurch in 1981. Our first visit to The Poacher's Pocket was at lunchtime on Monday 26th August 1996.

This was the view from the canal side entrance to the pub. As I recall it was a pleasant pub and the first we'd come across in quite a few miles resulting in a very late lunch (we moored up at 2:25 pm!).

On our next trip along the Llangollen Canal, The Poacher's Pocket provided the ideal spot to rendezvous with our third crew member Andrew.

This was on the evening of Thursday 30th August 2007 and the pub was, remarkably, unchanged.

Our next visit was an Easter trip when we'd hired a boat from Chirk Marina and this was our final stop before handing the boat back in the morning.

This was on the evening of Monday 21st April 2014 and, for some reason, I'd decided to take a photo of the more attractive front of the pub (rather than provide a consistent view through the years!). Despite the change of perspective, there's no hiding the wholesale redevelopment and expansion of the pub into a substantial Marston's pub/restaurant. Even the name has been changed! After eating and a couple of pints we chose to leave and finish the session in the Bridge Inn, just a short(ish) stroll away.

Our most recent visit was a lunchtime stop on Friday 31st August 2018 on our way to Llangollen.

Pretty much unchanged from the previous visit, but this time I did take a shot from the canal side entrance which properly shows just how much the pub has been expanded.

#255 Bridge Inn, Audlem, Cheshire : 2002 to 2018

Anyone who has cruised along the Shropshire Union Canal will be aware of Audlem, with it's flight of 15 locks and the attractive Shroppie Fly pub right beside the canal. For many years we never ventured beyond that classic canalside pub.

However, over the years, as the Shroppie Fly has gone through difficult times, we've tried the other pubs in the village. As befits the name, the Bridge Inn is the nearest to the canal, but is not visible from the cut, even though it is next to the bridge!

So, despite first visiting Audlem in 1981, the first recorded visit to the Bridge Inn was at lunchtime on Wednesday 11th September 2002.

A reasonably comfortable Marston's pub that did food - just what we needed.

Our next visit was another lunchtime stop on Monday 29th August 2005.

 I don't think that it had been redecorated, the colour difference is due to the vagaries of photos in bright and overcast conditions (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

Although we visited Audlem several more times it wasn't until Monday 8th August 2016 that we revisited the Bridge Inn (again for lunch).

This is the rear approach to the pub from the canal showing the (fairly recent, but don't know when) extension. Still the same character as previously.

Our most recent visit was on Tuesday 4th September 2018 for yet another lunchtime stop.

The pub was largely unchanged and as pleasant as ever.