Chamberlain Carrying Co.

06/04/2026

We have to announce the selling of our beloved narrowboat Lindsay, currently residing on the topside of the Llangollen breach. All parties are happy with the decision, which has not been easy. The advert is below. Thank you for your interest
We will continue to provide a service to our loyal customers up there until a buyer is found.

Narrow Boats: For Sale: Fully Operational Working Narrowboat Fuelboat Shropshire

22/01/2026

Who says all the wharves have gone? We made Platt lane wharf work again! 😄

The Chamberlain Carrying Co. Is now partially loaded with coal and heading towards whixall but will probably load more on at gate bend near Hampton Bank in the morning (Fri 23rd jan) if not this evening.

It's a logistical puzzle, this one! 😁

21/01/2026

Lindsay is above the breach and getting reloaded for her first delivery trip of 2026 (and the breach)!
Richard and Sven have spent a very long day waiting patiently for Lindsay to be craned out (thank you Aqueduct Marina, A.S.Taylors for the road transport and finally ABC at Whit hurch) and carefully lowered in above the breach at Whitchurch.
Therefore, normal service will be resumed for this trip.
However CRT phoned us earlier today, to report a 3 week stoppage at New Marton locks: 4th to the 25th Feb! This is much needed work, so none of us can really complain.

Sven took some footage from today

19/01/2026

Plan 797.4-62b 😄😄😁

Tomorrow, Tuesday 20th January, a very empty Lindsay, will be going to Aqueduct Marina to be lifted out of the water.
Wednesday 21st Jan, Lindsay will be craned onto a large trailer and taken by road to ABC Boat Hire above the breach at Whitchurch.
During Wednesday/Thursday, Lindsay will be reloaded and begin heading up the Llangollen Canal.
Ruth is taking orders, please check your messages on either text or What's App if we have your number. Otherwise, just let her know in good time so we don't miss you and also we need to know how much of everything to load onto the boat.
Lindsay is completely empty and been made safe for road haulage, so reloading will take Rich and Sven a while to get deliveries onboard.
Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to get back to 'normal'.

09/01/2026

On a lighter note, presenting our gorgeous handmade sign from Kev and Sheila of Gordanneus Crafts! Thanks folks we love it!

08/01/2026

So, we have managed to secure a lift out, road haulage and lift in for 2 week's time back up to Whitchurch (above the breach) thanks to Bowern's Transport.
This is great news for us, albeit an expense we can really not do this time of year.
It will mean that Sven and Richard can serve everyone and not just people near road bridges (van delivery restrictions) for the foreseable.
I will send out messages in a week or so to those up the Llan, but if we haven't got your number, please pm me and I'll make sure we don't miss anyone!
Also What's App is the only way I can send out a volume of messages at the same time, so get our mobile number in your Contacts, then our messages will be received. Otherwise I can send a small amount of texts if you don't use What's App.
Keep warm everyone x

08/01/2026

The Chamberlain Carrying Co. Is up Hurleston locks and on its way towards Wrenbury.

After one of the toughest quarter miles of serving and ice breaking to get off the Middlewich this morning, I'm hoping i may make Wrenbury before dark tonight but it could just as likely be tomorrow morning at this rate, as I have quite a lot to do on route.

See you when I see you! 😆

06/01/2026

Hopefully the ice is melting, so our fuelboat can move again!
Please help get your Llangollen Fuelboat working again!
It hasn't been a great start to January for us so far, with the breach and snowfall/ice basically halting operations here at Chamberlain Carrying Co.
Regards the transhipping of Lindsay from the Middlewich branch, to ABC at Whitchurch above the breach:
Jason at ABC told me today, that if they can get at least 4 firm bookings off boaters for haulout to justify the cost of them hiring a large crane for the day, they will go ahead and get one booked. ...
Please contact Jason on 01948 662012 The cost he anticipates is going to be around £550 for haulout (I know, but it's insurance, hire costs etc etc, I did push him) This, he said, could then happen within a fortnight.
So please take this opportunity to get in touch TODAY and we can get the ball rolling. He anticipates hiring just for one day because of the extreme costs involved.
I am still waiting on comparision quotes, so we get the best price for the road side of things. Our boat takes a longer lorry being 70foot boat, but smaller boats obviously should be cheaper as they won't necessarily need an es**rt.
All in all it is going to cost us as a business maybe in the region of around £2500, but that is for a 70 footer, but that gives you a ball park to work from. OUCH!
Yes and it wasn't in our budget for this year either! But there is no choice for us, unless we want to lose maybe around 70% of our fuelboat income for the rest of this year!
On a lighter note, here's a quick video of us in 2022 trying to get motor and butty through ice at Swanley on the Llangollen Canal! video courtesy of Paul Kleiman

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02/01/2026

Happy New Year to customers old and new!

We have had our break, now we need to try and get Lindsay above the breach and dropped into the water, so our business is not totally disrupted by the breach!

We are on version #3 of trying to get to customers within a timely manner, as per our 3 weekly schedule on the Llangollen Canal.

Calendar decided within the Chamberlain team today:

Saturday : Load the van with everything for deliveries on one section of the Llan
Sunday : 1st day of van deliveries
Monday : Richard - 2nd day of van deliveries
Sven - setting off on Mountbatten, from Venetian Marina (Middlewich branch) up to Bunbury Winding hole and wind
Tuesday: Richard - 3rd day of van deliveries
Sven - Up Hurleston to serve those stranded up to Wrenbury and reverse back (too shallow we think to wind)
Wednesday: Richard - 4th day of van deliveries
Sven - South to Audlem through Nantwich
Thursday : Sven - Serve Audlem and reverse back down the locks

If you have not replied to our What's App/text message, please put your order in NOW, so we can properly plan our van trips. We have limited capacity in the big van, so will not be able to carry 'extras'!

Logistics to finalise: as everywhere has been closed for Christmas, we need replies to our requests for quotes asap, to haul our 70 foot motorboat 'Lindsay' out of the water, take her by road and drop her in by crane above the breach.
So... If you have any recommendations for this, please get in touch!

16/12/2025

Sven has set off from Burland this morning for his Shroppie Christmas run.
If you haven't ordered, please flag him down as he won't be back until second week in January 2026!
Thank you for supporting small business's like ours and have a lovely Christmas and New Year xx

06/12/2025

Sven is heading up the Welsh, he's loaded so give him plenty of time.