16 locks 10 miles and the weather forecasters are snake oil sales people. Supposed to have rain stopping at 9 am then dry all day - nope heavy rain till ten the rain until 2pm then drizzle until 5pm. The locks were hard work as C&RT seem not to practice much planned preventative maintenance. They are using their get out of jail free car on the paired Cheshire flight locks by not fixing any one of a pair that fails... and its the off side ones that are still in use which are harder to get out of due to vegetation on the off side on the lock exits.
Not seen any oil for a long while
The day started wet as above and as I approached Wardle lock I got a bit of a glare form a fella in his boat with his engine running - turns out he followed us so was no doubt not happy we passed him while he was pulling up his pants !
The turn onto the Trent and Mersey should have been easier but there was a pair of breasted up boats opposite - we are 60 foot no idea how a 70 foot boat would have done it as I was forward and back to make the turn and even got a compliment on my handling from the angler on the bank. He said he's seen some fun and games while fishing - I bet he has
The section after the junction is very noisy due to the road that follows the canal for a few miles. The salt works are always impressive - the reserves for the winter are in place !! I read somewhere a lot of the national archives are stored in the salt mines around Middlewich.
We motored on to Wheelock where we stopped for water and emptied the cassettes. The boat following were happy to see us pull in but they had no real benefit as we'd been turning the locks as they had also. We cracked a paddle on Kings lock but it seemed to confuse the lock wheeler so we didn't do any more.
Then it was just hard work on heartbreak hill with every lock full and no surprise as they were badly leaking on the top gates. It was cold and drizzly the locks were hard work. We stopped a the first moorings above lock 57 at Hassall Green and were pleased to have done so. Left at 10 moored up at 5. Seven hours is a lot for us now a days and it was not really enjoyable. We've been promised drier sunnier weather for three days - plus we have a decision to make when we get near the tunnel. Our original plan was to turn right up the Macclesfield canal but constraints before the trip and now a the end and some stuff going on in the middle might make us alter our plans and make this a final four counties from tomorrow onwards slow time ... but we'll see.
White water boating - no it's not from a gate paddle
One final reflection, how I miss the Shroppie where we moor, there is so much noise on this section of canal and the locks are poorly maintained makes me wonder of we cross boundaries with C&RT responsibilities ?
1 comment:
The storage of records is in fact at the Winsford salt mines (which extend for many miles) where the majority of the pink road salt comes from, Middlewich produces industrial grade salt from boreholes.
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