Back on board

Wednesday 8th July

We drove up from Cornwall, setting off in good time just after 8 o'clock. With just a couple of comfort breaks and one coffee stop, we arrived at Macclesfield in soon after lunch and met up with Andrew and friends as expected.

After a cup of tea, Mike then drove one of the party up to Marsden, on the Huddersfield, where their car was parked. The trip took an hour and a half each way so by the time the other party had left it was too late to take our car down to Birmingham.

Instead, we took the opportunity of still having the car to make a visit to Sainsbury's to stock up with food (we deliberately did not bring much up with us) avoiding the need to carry everything back the next day. We had planned fish 'n chips from close to where the boat was moored, but an announcement offered haf price cooked chickens - change of plan! Nevertheless, we still called at the shop for three helpings of chips and one of mushy peas.

Thursday 9th July

An early alarm call so that Mike could make a quick getaway to take the car down to Sherbourne wharf in Birmingham. Apart from a short stretch of congestion around the M5 junction, the trip was smooth enough - only one wrong turn in Birmingham which was easily corrected and the entrance to the wharf is now becoming familiar.

After paying for the mooring, Mike set off to New Street where he caught the train back to Macclesfield. A change at Stoke was very quick and the trip was very efficient - even had a cup of coffee from the on-board trolley service!

Meanwhile Christine and Andrew went into Macclesfield to visit the shops where Christine picked up a warm fleece top. They also visited the town centre church and were especially impressed by the welocme and the variety of activities which took place there, including a playgroup in the chancel!

By midday we were all ready to set off, continuing the boat's journey down the Macclesfield Canal. All but one of the locks were group together as the Bosley Flight. These we operated most efficiently, helped by a number of boats coming up.

We eventually moored just before Hardings Wood, ready for another early start onto the Trent and Mersey.

Along the Macclesfield there are several turnover bridges - apparently known locally as snake bridges. Their attractive shape demonstrates how it is possible to make something essentially utilitarian into something beautiful.

Friday 10th July

Perhaps we should now explain that our immediate timetable is set by a request from Andrew to get back to Barbridge - where his car is parked - by noon as he would like to call in Bristol on his way home to replace the mobile phone which ceased working during an earlier part of his trip. (He and his friends had been over both the Rochdale and the Huddersfield Pennine crossings - and that is quite another story!)

So, another early start - after a short distance we were over the aqueduct (which crosses the main line of the Trent and Mersey) and beinning the long descent. The water in the cnal here is very distinctively iron coloured - from the Harecastle Tunnel just above the locks as we joined them.

Originally, all of these locks were doubles (two narrow locks side by side) but some were filled in a long time ago and quite a number were under repair. neverthless, with reasonably light traffic and an efficient crew, we dropped down to the bottom of the Wheelock Flight by lunch time. The main reason for pausing here was to fill up with water but we could not moor there and moved on just a few metres, passing under the next bridge.

Lunch highlight was another of Christine's famous soups - this time based on the last remains and carcase of the half-price chicken we bought on Wednesday evening!

From here the locks are more spread out. Towards Middlewich we passed the large salt factory - newer works still operational but extensive buildings had recently been demoloshed and the stone and concrete was being broken up into large piles of hardcore.

We arrived at Middlewich to discover a queue for the Wardle Lock (the turning onto the shropshire Union Branch). We waited over an hour but as we had already come close to our original objective we were unconcerned. It also gave Mike a chance to prepare the sweet and sour pork for the evening meal (whenever we might get it!)

Soon after we cleared Wardle Lock, Andrew shifted the goalposts again! He suggested that we might like to visit Nantwich Sainsburys as there would not be too much opportunity for shopping along the Llangollen Canal. a good suggestion but one which means that we need to be at Barbridge by 9 or 10 tomorrow morning! As a result we continued cruising until it was almost dusk, eventually finding a mooring after nine o'clock!