I had a really good night's sleep last night in our quiet peaceful spot with no roads, railways or people to disturb me!
We set off around 10am knowing that we were going to have a day of showers and we did - as fast as we got our waterproofs on the rain stopped and as fast as we took them off it started again!
We followed a couple of guys on a hire boat and went through a few locks with them, except for the iron lock where you can only go through one boat at a time as it has bits sticking out and if you have two boats in there you can get wedged. We also watched one of them climb back on the back of the boat and slip because of the rain - he banged his chest on the tiller arm - thankfully he didn't fall in on top of the prop...
It also makes quite a bit of difference going up or down in a lock - when you are emptying it and going down the water level reduces much more gently but when you are going up, especially if you are in a double lock and you are the only boat in it, as we found out yesterday the force of the water entering the lock can send the bow of the boat crashing into the wall on the other side even if you are holding the centre line.
We made our way back up the Bunbury staircase and arrived at the Middlewich Branch and moored where we did last time. I had thought that we wouldn't do the Middlewich Branch as I thought we would go across the Manchester Ship Canal but, as that was not to be, we have to make our way back down and across to the Trent and Mersey (we have been on some of the Trent and Mersey before - a long time ago - but this stretch of it is new to us). There is one good thing about going where you have been before – you know where to moor and where the shops and facilities are!
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| Cheers! |
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| Howdie! |
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| Passing The Shady Oak - we won't be stopping here this time. |
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| Beeston Castle on the top of the hill. |
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| Entering the beautiful countryside again - shame it's raining this time. We'll leave the hire boaters having fun up ahead and stay under this bridge as we are having another shower! |
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| In the iron lock - I'm driving this time! |
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| Arriving at the Bunbury Staircase - it's raining again! |
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| We've lost the help of the guys on the hire boat in front as there was one waiting in front of them. |
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| Back to tying up - when you are in a double lock with another boat you don't get knocked around - only into each other! |
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| A good use of old pallets - tables and chairs! |
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| Entering the Middlewich Branch - I'm pleased to say it has stopped raining now! |
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| We should all have one of these signs! |
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