Beginning of June has seen a great improvement in the weather so we have decided to start our summer travels whilst that long waited for season is still with us. Spreading our bets we have plenty of wet weather gear loaded together with sun-cream and shorts.....as we are always the optimists......but wet weather in the U.K rarely sees the pessimist disappointed :)
Most of our first day was spent stowing food, bedding and other essentials into various cupboards. Most boats (especially ours) needs some planning to ensure everything is squeezed into the available space - something of an acquired skill. Loading from the car to boat we open the centre hatch and I hand bags and boxes down into the boat whilst Cap'n Denise stows things around the boat.
As the afternoon grew older we stopped at the Higher Poynton water-point to fill the tank with that essential of life I am reliably informed is more important than all the beers in all the world. So with the day growing older we decided to stay at the next 'watering-hole' called the 'Miner's Arms' for the night and sample just a few of those aforementioned beers. Travel by canal is often called the 'fastest way to slow down' so it was decided to leave all the rushing around at four mile per hour until the morning.
Sun shining through the port-holes of the roof mounted 'pigeon box' greets us at 4.30 am so we tried hard to ignore it for a couple of hours. Sunshine and our West Highland Terrier scratching at the door to go out are difficult to ignore, so 6 am found me pounding the tow-path in my principal occupation as walk-slave for Suzy the hound.
By 8am I was sipping a hot coffee with my arm around the tiller as 'San Serriffe' headed towards Macclesfield under the fresh new blue sky of one of those mornings that we all wish for and money cannot buy........a morning only luck and greater things can give us.
Reaching the flight of 12 locks at Bosley we looked forward to a couple of hours hard lock-wheeling. For once the weather and Gods were kind and a couple of volunteer lock-keepers gave us a helping down the flight.......making life easy and by mid-afternoon we were moored for the night under the brooding high ground of 'Bosley Cloud'
Following day we on the Trent and Mersey and heading for the dreaded Harecastle Tunnel and Stoke-on-Trent. I must admit the Harecastle is not my favourite tunnel which is a passage of some 45 minutes in the subterranean, dripping darkness. An unfortunate accident last year caused the death of a boater after he fell from the stern. For the first time in a tunnel I donned my auto-inflate life-jacket as recommended by the tunnel-keepers. Harecastle tunnel becomes very low in the centre and as I stand 6ft I have to bend to clear the masonry passing near the crown of my head. As a spooky finale to your passage an air ventilation motor begins to give a eerie whirr as you reach the Stoke portal, bringing memories of the 'Ghost train' of childhood fairgrounds. Yes, I am more than relieved to see the 'light at the end of the tunnel' and have the open sky over my head once more.
Spending the evening at the tranquil Westport lake just before Stoke we continued the following morning towards Great Haywood to join the Staffordshire and Worcester canal that will lead us past the West Midlands and onto it's terminus at Stourport and the River Severn.
Most of our first day was spent stowing food, bedding and other essentials into various cupboards. Most boats (especially ours) needs some planning to ensure everything is squeezed into the available space - something of an acquired skill. Loading from the car to boat we open the centre hatch and I hand bags and boxes down into the boat whilst Cap'n Denise stows things around the boat.
As the afternoon grew older we stopped at the Higher Poynton water-point to fill the tank with that essential of life I am reliably informed is more important than all the beers in all the world. So with the day growing older we decided to stay at the next 'watering-hole' called the 'Miner's Arms' for the night and sample just a few of those aforementioned beers. Travel by canal is often called the 'fastest way to slow down' so it was decided to leave all the rushing around at four mile per hour until the morning.
 |
| Early morning fishing session for this patient Heron, Adlington, Macclesfiedl canal. |
Sun shining through the port-holes of the roof mounted 'pigeon box' greets us at 4.30 am so we tried hard to ignore it for a couple of hours. Sunshine and our West Highland Terrier scratching at the door to go out are difficult to ignore, so 6 am found me pounding the tow-path in my principal occupation as walk-slave for Suzy the hound.
By 8am I was sipping a hot coffee with my arm around the tiller as 'San Serriffe' headed towards Macclesfield under the fresh new blue sky of one of those mornings that we all wish for and money cannot buy........a morning only luck and greater things can give us.
Reaching the flight of 12 locks at Bosley we looked forward to a couple of hours hard lock-wheeling. For once the weather and Gods were kind and a couple of volunteer lock-keepers gave us a helping down the flight.......making life easy and by mid-afternoon we were moored for the night under the brooding high ground of 'Bosley Cloud'
Following day we on the Trent and Mersey and heading for the dreaded Harecastle Tunnel and Stoke-on-Trent. I must admit the Harecastle is not my favourite tunnel which is a passage of some 45 minutes in the subterranean, dripping darkness. An unfortunate accident last year caused the death of a boater after he fell from the stern. For the first time in a tunnel I donned my auto-inflate life-jacket as recommended by the tunnel-keepers. Harecastle tunnel becomes very low in the centre and as I stand 6ft I have to bend to clear the masonry passing near the crown of my head. As a spooky finale to your passage an air ventilation motor begins to give a eerie whirr as you reach the Stoke portal, bringing memories of the 'Ghost train' of childhood fairgrounds. Yes, I am more than relieved to see the 'light at the end of the tunnel' and have the open sky over my head once more.
 |
| Harecastle tunnel |
Spending the evening at the tranquil Westport lake just before Stoke we continued the following morning towards Great Haywood to join the Staffordshire and Worcester canal that will lead us past the West Midlands and onto it's terminus at Stourport and the River Severn.
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| Westport lake. Stoke-on-Trent |
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| Canada Geese gosling - Westport Lake. Stoke-on-Trent |
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