Rufford: journeys end.

Thursday: 1 clean boat
Friday: 5.5 miles, 7 locks and 3 swing-bridges

The rain held off on Thursday and the boat was washed and polished.

On Friday the sun shone and we set off in good time. It was lovely day but Scooby injured himself getting tangled in his lead in the morning and was too sad to come out on the back and join us. It was a real shame that he couldn't enjoy our last cruising day. Now we will be packing and he hates that! We went past fields of vegetables and entertained ourselves trying to work out what was what. We found the (possibly) only rubbish point on this end of the Leeds & Liverpool canal and deposited the 3 bags we had accumulated. After just a couple of miles we turned north into the Rufford Arm and the first lock. The locks were hard work  but in the sun and with hills in the distance, we didn't much mind.

We found our marina and got settled in. Scooby remained traumatised but otherwise all was well. It's a nice place with good facilities and café that does excellent cakes! Shame we have to go home really.

St Mary's Marine, Rufford. 

Harold in his winter berth. 

This summer we have travelled 623 miles and been through 441 locks in four months.
Next year, all being well, we will set off mid-May to Liverpool for the tall ships and after that across the Ribble link to Lancaster. Something to look forward to as we toil our way through the winter 😉.

Back to Parbold

4.5 miles, 1 swing-bridge and 2 locks.

We weren't worried by the winds overnight in our sheltered spot and had a lie-in after the last few early starts. The weather was a mixture of bright sunshine and vicious showers in a chilly wind, and this continued all day. The countryside opened up as we got clear of Wigan.

At the first lock we discovered one boat in the lock ready to come up but waiting for another which was filling with water at the tap. As we waited the heavens opened and they eventually put their hose away and got in the lock so we could all get on with it. After another pretty cruise we reached the swing bridge at Appley Bridge. We crossed the border into Lancashire by these pretty cottages.

We remembered the Appley lock as being deep and nasty, and indeed it was, involving a narrow bridge with a deep drop for the locker to negotiate. A CRT boat was moored on the lock moorings and a workman sat in his car reading the paper ignoring us completely. Still, the locker took a brave pill and got successfully across and back again.

Looking back at the nasty Appley lock. 

All obstacles behind us, we arrived at lovely Parbold with light hearts and went to the café for lunch.

We need to clean and wax the boat and hope that the rain will hold off enough tomorrow so we can get it done. On Friday we go to Rufford and our winter mooring. Jo's train home is booked for Saturday and she'll be back with the car on Sunday. We've taken a hint from the weather; our summer is over early this year.

Around Manchester

Saturday: 11 miles, 1 lock and 1 tunnel
Sunday: 3.5 miles
Monday: 13 miles
Tuesday: 15 miles, 1 swing-bridge and 6 locks

On Saturday morning we went through Preston Brook tunnel. The headlight decided to pack up so Jo stood on the bow with the big torch, not her favourite activity. On the Trent and Mersey there are metal markers every mile telling us how far we were from the Preston Book junction, where the Trent and Mersey meets the Bridgewater canal. At last we were just one mile and then we arrived. We chose to turn north east, resisting the temptations of Runcorn to the West. The weather was intermittent rain and wind. We moored at Lymm, arriving late afternoon and the sun came out.

From the other side of the bridge you could see what our book says is the Pennines in the far distance.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast in the nice café we remembered from last time we were here. More rain and wind. We went just a few miles to moor near Dunham Massey Hall, a national trust house and deer park. The canal is raised up on an embankment here and Harold could be spotted high up among the trees.

Jo went to explore this  lovely place while Robin fixed the central heating.

In the morning, in yet more rain, we started off early on the big sweep around Manchester. We stopped off at the retail park in Sale for Robin to buy another pair of long trousers. He's been forced out of his shorts much earlier than usual this year. We passed the junction that would take us into Manchester. Next year for that. We moored well out of the urban area by the boatyard in Boothtown.  Robin quite fancied visiting the Astley Green pit museum but as Tuesday seemed to be the only half decent day forecast this week, we decided to leave that for next time and get through Wigan in the (mostly) dry. At Leigh the Bridgewater canal changed seamlessly into the Leeds and Liverpool canal and we were back in CRT territory. The swing-bridge at Plank Lane is a lift bridge on a busy road but was fine in mid-morning. The canal was clear and we saw a huge orange Koi carp but there was lots of litter; a group of plastic bottles in every spread of lillies.

Eventually the first Wigan lock appeared. Nasty big double locks with heavy gates and paddles.

We went through the first two locks with a hire boat which is going up the flight tomorrow and on to Leeds. We turned West towards Liver pool and two more locks before the turn at Wigan Pier. The pub which had marked the Pier has closed down and it all looked even sadder than usual.

We skirted the Wigan Athletic stadium and other warehouses and went through two more locks before finally mooring at Crooke. We moored just past the bridge rather than opposite the pub as Robin said the trees there were smaller. Gales are forecast overnight!

Pottering

Wednesday: 8 miles and 1 lock
Thursday: 2.5 miles
Friday: 4.5 miles and 2 tunnels

Wednesday morning was fine. After a celebratory breakfast and visit to Tesco's in Middlewich, we decided to do some boating while the rain held off. The industrial landscape continued, including a passage through the TATA chemical works.

We found a mooring near the Lion Salt Works in Marsden and had a nice but unremarkable anniversary dinner at The Salt Barge.

On Thursday morning we went on a tour of The Lion Salt Works museum and learned a lot more about the history of a major industry of this part of the world. In the afternoon we pootled up to Anderton and moored by the boat lift. We had breakfast at the boat lift café in the morning and watched a group of narrow boats going up and down. After heavy early rain, the sun shone as we set off. We had some headlight issues in the first of the tunnels but it all went smoothly after that.

After the tunnels we left the industry behind and the landscape opens out. The canal is high on the hillside of the river weaver valley and commands some lovely views.

In no hurry as we get nearer our destination, we moored with a lovely view and good walk down to the river. When we were last here a kingfisher ate a fish on our roof and there was a rainbow.

The view from the boat this afternoon. 

Robin fished in the sun and the washing dried. A steam boat chugged past.

A big push to Middlewich

9 miles and 20 locks in the rain.

We woke up to rain hammering on the roof and it was still raining when we left. It was tempting to stay on our nice mooring but the forecast continues dodgy, so on we go. It rained or drizzled most of the day. It did make for some interesting skies though.

It was all about the locks today. They were a mixture of single singles and double singles. The second lock here had been turned into an overflow and made a rather good waterfall.

The countryside was pretty to start with but about half way through the day turned more boring and industrial. This area is known for its saltworks and we passed this one with its huge pile of salt ready to be bagged up and shipped out.

We were tiring as we approached Middlewich in the driving rain, but this made us smile.

At Middlewich we passed the junction with the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union and we were back on familiar territory. We headed for the good moorings below the locks. Its not far to the centre of town and tomorrow we will take a day off to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

A long tunnel

7 miles, 14 locks and one tunnel.

We set off early in the grey but dry and arrived at Harecastle tunnel soon after nine. The tunnel keeper gave us some basic instructions and opened the wooden barrier to let us in.

The tunnel is one way. It's almost 2 miles long, designed by Thomas Telford and was completed in1827. The canal here is bright orange from the iron in the soil. Jo stayed inside and found things to do to distract her from claustrophobia. Robin helmed us through and loved every minute of it. He didn't stop smiling for hours afterwards!

Immediately after the lock is the junction with the Macclesfield canal and the first of our 27 Cheshire locks. The Macclesfield canal goes across the T&M on an aquaduct after the second lock. All you can see from below is a head moving along the wall edge.

We stopped at Kidsgrove and nipped to Tesco's for milk, beer and eggs (you can see how we roll on our boat!). Then it was more locks, all singles but some with two side by side and some where one is derelict and just one remains operational.  There was a lovely view of what we think is Mowcop hill and castle.

These canal cottages made a pretty edge to Thurlwood lock. The blue one had a lovely garden full of flowers.

After lock 54 (mid-afternoon and about halfway down the flight) we decided to look for a mooring. We were temporarily distracted by this herdsman rounding up and counting his longhorn cows. It looked like he was lecturing them....

We found a very nice mooring spot, surprised that the concrete bank didn't curve or have a step in it, opposite another field of pretty cows and calves.

Stoke-on-Trent

7.5 miles and 6 locks

We started off in drizzle and it followed us all day. Warm clothes were found. The captain wore long trousers at the helm for the first time in months.

We passed the Wedgewood factory and round the next bend was Trentham lock and we were welcomed to Stoke-on-Trent.

The locks were deep and some of the surroundings were a bit grim. We met other boats coming the other way and everyone was in their winter gear.

We went past quite a few remnants of the pottery industry, including these bottle kilns, sitting among new developments of canalside flats.

The top lock is just above the old Wedgewood site of Etruria (named after the Etruscan style pots which helped make him famous). The industrial museum now there is run by volunteers apparently and hardly ever open. What a contract to the one in Dudley.

Some of the Etruria site.

Above the Stoke top lock is the junction with the Caldon canal. We had planned to explore this but after engine hold ups and with deteriorating weather we have decided to leave it for another year.

The Caldon on the left and T&M on the right. Etruria's chimney on the middle

This swingbridge is the entrance to the Etruria boatyard.

We passed many derelict industrial buildings, but also the Middleport pottery which still seems to be going and would be worth a visit on another day. We moored by the Westport Lake, originally a collapsed coal mine and now a nature reserve, a mile short of the tunnel.
Tomorrow we will go through the almost 2 mile long tunnel. Then we will start down the Cheshire locks (or Heartbreak Hill as it is known), 27 locks over 7 miles.

There are 86.5miles still to go to our winter mooring.