Sunday 10 July 2016

On with our journey.  Through the big lock marking the end of Middlewich and out into the open countryside again, then through Rudheath, Broken Cross, Northwich, Wincham, past the Lion Salt Works at Marston.  Sounds like a long way but in fact we only travelled about 9 miles.

We moored to watch the Grand Prix, only we couldn’t get a picture! So had to enjoy our surroundings instead.  I went for a walk along to the Anderton Boat Lift to have a sneaky look at what we are going to experience tomorrow and Steve kicked back with a book…

We’ve had a mix of cloud, a tiny bit of sun and of course the odd shower today.

We tried the telly again six hours later as other moored boats seem to be watching TV and realised that the aerial plug had come loose in the back of the booster box!  We watched a DVD, so as not to hear the result before we can watch the Grand Prix on catch up, then just as we were about to go to bed I said to Steve “I hope those cows are not going to moo all night” and I looked out of the window to see a calf, a reasonably big calf, stuck in the canal.  Steve went outside with his phone to see if he could call the RSPCA or something but there was already a small gathering of people on the towpath – one of them had apparently called the fire brigade 40 minutes before. 

Arriving at The Big Lock - looks like we have company.|

Entering Croxton Aqueduct - now a steel structure that is only 8ft 2in wide.

And that's the River Dane down there.

Passing one of the many lagoons along this stretch - caused by subsidence - some of which apparently repose the hulks of abandoned barges and narrowboats.

Great name!

Colin - there's another Summer Wine!

Now that's what you call powered by solar!

Tata Chemical Works

Decontamination shower!

Shh - don't tell everyone!

Lion Salt Works

There are lots of baby frogs on the edge of the towpath - it's a job not to stand on them!

That's an impressive church in Higher Marston.

Cows, sheep and crows living together in harmony!  I'm pretty sure it is the young heffer having a drink from mum that went for a swim.  He did actually manage to get out of the canal once but the gap between the fence and the canal edge was so slim that his mum accidentally knocked him back in.

Ready to pounce...

Gottcha!

and gone...

In the light of the fireman's torch - thankfully there is a happy ending to this story - one persistent boater managed to track down a farmer and his wife who came out with a JCB lift.  The farmer jumped over the fence, lassoed him round the neck, attached it to the lift and lifted him out of the water and straight over the fence to be reunited with his mum - he was in the canal for about two hours - poor thing.