Wimboldsley

It was quite hazy when we set off at 10 this morning but things soon brightened up. When we came the other way last week I didn’t appreciate it was Bill and Ben the Flower Pot Men with Weed floating around in the cut.

Just after this we realised we had a stowaway onboard, a tiny Toad probably smaller than a 50p piece was legging it around on a very dry boat roof. it was captured and put safely ashore in the long grass beside the canal.

Wincham Wharf was quite congested, the wide beam with the overstaying ticket was still on the towpath 48hr moorings and had been joined by another, Narrowboats were three abreast on the off side and we met a poor hire boat as we came through the bridge, he did very well.

Passing through Broken Cross this Swan had all the cygnets lined up for inspection.

We came up Middlewich Big Lock with another boat who was doing it backwards. He had gone down yesterday and couldn’t find any shade so was coming up to moor by The Newton Brewery. We stopped by the park for lunch and a visit to Lidl. We had considered calling it a day there but I was concerned about water levels up the three locks with the Cheshire Lock being closed. Shopping done we set off, not one of the knitted bollard covers has been vandalised which surprised me. There is one on every post. A little further on there are a couple of interesting looking trucks behind a very high fence, if there hadn’t been a boat there I would have stopped and climbed on the boat roof.

We had a good run at the three locks, a boat had just left the bottom, but it had filled a little bit, a boat was coming down the middle lock and as we finished the middle lock a boat was coming down the top lock. All the pounds were down a bit all the way to Kings Lock and a went aground swinging into the Wardle Canal. As we arrived at Stanthorne Lock a cruiser was coming down. They had just bought the boat at Ellesmere Port and were heading to Liverpool with it with no clue about the Bridgewater being closed, just using a map on the phone. There was also a second boat waiting to come down so that made life even easier. We passed this nice pair of ex-working boats, we last saw them at the top of Anderton Lift last weekend.

Photos are much better with the light in the right place. Then passed the long term offside farm moorings, it looks as if the farm suffered a fire in the barn. HS2 was planned to cross here .

On a bit further and look to moor further from the railway than last time. We can still hear it but no where near so bad.
Had we have moored in Middlewich we would have tried to book a table at the Badger tomorrow night, but now we this far I have booked a table at Barbridge Inn.

 

Today’s Journey 12 miles with 6 locks in 5¾ hours