The Day We Visited a Secret Nuclear Bunker! Shhhh!!!

11 October 2019

We left the Shroppie Fly mooring under overcast skies and the expectation of r#*n.

John and Jude, being much better prepared than us, donned their wet weather gear and took the helm while the forecasted r#*n fell. I have no photographic evidence of this, as I was inside the boat, keeping dry. Not silly!!

We cruised along a flat narrow canal for an hour or so before mooring beside Bridge 85. (But don’t tell anyone!! It’s secret!! )

Just in case the sign posts don’t give it away!

We followed the well signposted country road to Hack Green’s Secret Nuclear Bunker.

Built during the Cold War, and with the threat of a Nuclear bomb dropping imminently, this facility acted as one of the early warning detection posts covering the UK.

When fully armed, it housed 130 men and women specifically trained in all things nuclear should the bomb actually drop. It even had broadcast rooms for the BBC to issue emergency warnings and updates. It was quite spooky wandering the rabbit warren that made up the facility.

The cows in the nearby were totally oblivious to the potential danger and just went about their business without a care in the world. Lucky them!

The walk back was under heavy clouds of a non-nuclear type. Thank goodness! It certainly was a sobering experience.

The r#*n had eased making the afternoon much more enjoyable. We had planned a short day on the water today as we had important cargo to pick up about an hour down the canal tomorrow morning. So it wasn’t long before we found a mooring just before the aqueduct at Nantwich.

After a little bit of housework, we headed into the beautiful little township to “ooh and aah” at the wonderful old buildings.

Google photo. ( We couldn’t get one without a truck parked in front!! )

Dinner was at The Black Lion, a pub built in 1664. We sat upstairs in the dining room where the very wonky wooden floor made walking difficult. Our 6 ft. 7 in. barman/waiter had a hard time negotiating the narrow stairs and the tiny doorway on the upstairs landing. He wasn’t the only one to clunk his head during the evening.