Wednesday, 8th April
There was a strong wind blowing today, and so we decided to stay put. Trev walked into Nantwich and bought a paper. It's about two and a half miles each way. That gave me a chance to get on with the quilt I'm making, and I was pleased to get the top finished today. Now it is ready to put together when we get to Anita's next week. In the evening we watched "The Apprentice". I find the contestants quite ridiculous, but I do like Sir Alan and his henchmen. Margaret reminds me of my old secondary school head--I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a piece of her mind..........

Thursday, 9th April
It was a dull and overcast day, but it wasn't raining and the wind wasn't as strong as yesterday, so we sallied forth for the end of the Llangollen Canal. First we filled up with water and got rid of the rubbish, then we went down the four Hurleston Locks and left onto the Shropshire Union Canal. In about a mile and a half, we came to Barbridge Junction and turned right onto the Middlewich Branch. This is about ten miles long and joins the Shropshire Union and the Trent and Mersey Canals. We went through two locks and moored up about half way along, near Church Minshull. The wind had got up again, and the Middlewich Canal is in a very flat exposed area, the Cheshire Plain I suppose, and we were glad to stop.

Whilst we were moored up a man came along and chatted to Trev about my website, which he reads regularly. Isn't that nice? As Basil Faulty said: A saitisfied customer; we should have him stuffed"!" No, really it's so nice when people stop us and say they've read my website. It's happened a few times on this trip already.

5 miles
6 locks
2 Aqueducts

Friday, 10th April--Good Friday

We set off around 9.30 and went on along the Middlewich Branch towards Barbridge Junction. We moored up just before the junction so that Trev could go to Somerfield. However, when he got back, he told me that Somerfield is no more and Tesco is going to open in its place in about three weeks time. So he walked into town to get the shopping. Then we set off for the junction.

This isn't one of my favourite places as its a tight little spot. There is a lock just before you leave the Middlewich Branch, followed by a low bridge, and then you have to make a right angle turn with boats moored opposite waiting to be hit, and the whole thing is imposssible to see because you're at the back of the boat inside the bridge hole! Then, as soon as you turn right, there is another lock with a queue of boats waiting to go through it. So, as you can guess, I left Trev to handle the situation and went ahead to set the locks. And then it started to rain. And it continued to rain for the rest of the afternoon.

I got colder by the minute. We continued on along the Trent & Mersey, passing the Ideal Doulton factory, where there are stacks of wash basins, baths and w.c.'s, then past the salt factory, where there are mountains of salt. The offices of the salt factory were being knocked down, though, so I don't know what's happening there.We moored up eventually in a nice quiet spot about a mile short of Wheelock. We were glad to get inside, warm up and dry out.

12 miles
6 locks

Saturday, 11th April
The weather was much better today and we set off for Hassall Green, where we wanted to moor up, as Catharine was coming to see us, complete with the post. She'd been to visit someone near Nottinghamn and for some reason, she thought it would be nice to go back home to Solihull via Cheshire! I tried to convince her it was a rather long way round, but she still wanted to come!

First we filled up with water at Wheelock, next to three hire boats with about thirty young people from a youth club. Oh dear--have I grown so old I've forgotten what it was like to be young? Or is it the case that my mother had me on such a tight rein I never had the chance "do my own thing, man"? They were on top of the boat with guitars, singing , yomping around on the grass, lying out sunbathing--oh to be sixteen again without an inhibition in the world!

We set off rapidly to ensure we didn't get stuck behind these three boats. The scenery got better and better and we had a lovely cruise. The locks on the Trent & Mersey are paired, that is two single locks side by side, but less than half of them are working and in most cases there is just one lock at a time to use. There are quite a lot of boats out, as it's Easter weekend, but it's not as bad as we feared, and certainly nowhere near as bad as the Llangollen Canal.

Eventually we arrived at Hassall Green and moored up a short way along from the lock, again in a lovely peaceful spot, except for the distant buzz of the M6. As we were coming along I talked to a person from another boat who had walked back to Wheelock to see if the Quilt Studio (a patchwork shop) was open. It wasn't but we got talking and she was moored up quite close to us on a boat called 'Megan Mary'. So after we had moored up we got together for a chat. Her name is Chris and she does all of her patchwork by hand--most commendable! I'm afraid I do everything on the machine, my hand sewing is awful.

Catharine arrived and we had an excellent meal at 'Lock 57' a restaurant just by the lock--naturally. They opened especially early for us, so that Catharine could get back home before it got too late. The food was excellent, as was the service. I don't like meat on the bone, but I do like lamb, and so the chef very kindly served me lamb shank without the shank. It was delicious. Thank you to everyone there--we shall be back!

Lock 57 Home Page

3 miles
10 locks

Sunday, 12th April
A perfect Spring day, it was really glorious. We continued on along T&M (as we diehard boaters call it) through more pretty countryside and past settlements along the canal, all the way to Church Lawton. There are plenty of boats about, but we never had to wait very long at any lock and in fact it was often a help to have other boats around, as the locks were set ready for us. We've moored here at Church Lawton several times and although there are no facilities in the village, it's a lovely spot. Tomorrow we go through the dreaded Harecastle Tunnel. I have seriously considered walking over the top, I dislike it so much. But I don't think I can expect Trev to go through on his own--although he says he doesn't mind. But this awful thing called conscience tells me I should go with him. There are worse things in life........I suppose.

Trev spent the whole afternoon today trying to get the chimney off the roof. It's too high to got through the tunnel and also one isn't allowed to have a fire going whilst in the tunnel. He tried every technique he could think of--gently easing it, hitting it, hammering it, WD40, to no avail It had seized up completely through the winter. In the end he had to prize the bottom away with a screwdriver and rock it about until it gave way. This of course made all the gunge in the chimney come down into the fire, so he had to take that all to bits--what a mess--on my new carpet! He said he doesn't think he'll go through the Harecastle Tunnel again if it's going to cause all this trouble. "Amen" to that!

4 miles
10 locks

Monday, 13th April
We were up and away early this morning. (Real boaters call this "pulling the pins".) We left at 8.20 as we had a long day ahead of us. We saw very little traffic anywhere along the canal before Harecastle Tunnel. We stopped at Red Bull Basin to fill up with water and offload rubbish and then headed for the next lock. A boat was coming but just as we approached it. "Good," we thought. "We shall be able to go straight in." But, oh no. Some people on a boat above the lock couldn't wait for us and started to close the gate so that they could fill it up and get in there. I hooted the horn and Trev sprinted up and they reopened the gates. Whilst I was in the lock, Trev had a chat with them. They were an interesting group. They were winding the lock paddles with a large spanner which didn't fit, and didn't appear to have a windlass.
They asked Trev:

"Is there a four mile tunnel up here?" They were going in the opposite direction to the Harecastle Tunnel.
"Where does this canal go to?"
"Where's Heartbreak Hill?" To which Trev replied, "You're just about to start it!"

We continued on through another three locks and arrived at the Harecastle Tunnel. No one else was waiting to go in, no one was coming in the opposite direction, so in we went. I promptly went down below, and did some much needed dusting. Trev steered us through manfully and we were out in thirty-six minutes. Out into the beautiful sunshine, it felt wonderful.

We continued on past The Royal Doulton outlet shop--I didn't even ask if we could stop so that I could go in, past Middleport Pottery--again the outlet shop was open but on we went............. ( I like outlet shops-----) We went through Etruria and the middle of Stoke-on-Trent and met quite a few boats, which was good because it meant the locks were set ready for us. We passed graffiti strewn bridges and walls, loads of rubbish in the canal and on the sides and were sad to see how the best efforts of the local council and other groups were so easily destroyed.

Eventually, we came out on the other side of Stoke and into the country again. We saw a swan and several Canada Geese sitting on nests, the trees are wearing a beautiful shade of fresh green and the blossom is out. It all looks so pretty. We passed through Trentham, which is a nice area, and arrived at Barlaston, passing the Wedgwood factory--which I hear is about to relocate to Indonesia. How sad--poor old Josiah would have taken that badly. We moored up in walking distance of Barlaston and were glad to stop. It had been a long day, and we were cold, despite the sunshine. The wind has a chill in it, but at least we had kept dry. Now we are through the tunnel, it's as though we're in a different part of the country. North of the Harecastle is a foreign world to me, but I know this area quite well and feel more at home here.

We moored up at Barlaston for two nights, and enjoyed having a lazy day, particularly as it was poor weather. I finished a quilting project I had started on a weekend course a few weeks ago. Here it is, on the right.....

12 miles
14 locks
1 Tunnel (2926 yards long)

Wednesday, 15th April
We set off today for Stone--not a long trip. We went through some peaceful countryside and saw our first brood of ducklings of the year. We went down through the four Meaford Lcks (pronounced Mefford, apparently) and the four Stone locks and moored below the bottom lock. Now we have friends to meet. This is where Anita & Wyn live, and where I am going to put my quilt together. Anita, Wyn and Brenda walked up to meet us and then we all went to "The Lounge" for lunch. Anita and Brenda are Trev's running colleagues from a rather long time ago!

The afternoon and the next day were taken up with getting the quilt done, and I'm delighted to say that it is now finished apart from the binding, and I'm very pleased with it. Yet another to go on Catharine's spare bed--until I get a house to display it! I'm afraid it's too big to get a good picture of it to show you--maybe when I get a bigger space to lay it out I'll be able to take a photograph.

We enjoyed our time with Anita & Wyn. They were great hosts and cooked us a splendid meal on Wednesday. On Thursday evening we all went for a meal at Pizza de Piazza in Stone--excellent.

3 miles
8 locks

Summer Cruise 2009

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