Blimey... Where is everyone?

Today was supposed to be a lie in, a leisurely start, but when I woke up both the other boats had gone as had my husband biking!

When David did return, we had breakfast together tidied the boat and set off about 10am.

I had been hoping to meet boats coming up, but really this trip there has been a noticeable lack of boat traffic, I was thinking that it could be connected with Heartbreak Hill (The name of this flight) being closed last week or partially closed because of low water levels.  Good for us of course.

WaL coming along to the lock at Rode Heath.  I was filling the lock and if I'm not mistaken he was probably making himself a coffee.

Down she goes.

Here I was being showered in ash smuts.  The air stank of smoke and in my head I accused this white cottage of being guilty and what horrid neighbours they were, ash fell on the new shiny cars.

But here was the culprit.  An anti-social farmer not making friends.

Getting closer to the motorway.  I always feel smug near motorways as I'm convinced the drivers would prefer to be boating.

Gorgeous rolling fields all the way along this stretch.

I first came across these sheep below,  watching 'This Farming Life' on the BBC.  

One couple had these, the farmer had been persuaded to get a few by his girlfriend.  They washed them, showed them and are now selling them for many many thousands of pounds.  The farmer had never regretted the purchase!

I've not seen any in the flesh before but they are as cute as can be.

HERE   are some better photos of them

Swiss or Valais Blacknosed sheep.

Some rare orchids along here, I've no idea which, but the sign said please do not pick.

Now these were in one place and I love them, perennial Sweet Peas.  I hope the seed spread.

The side wash here was running full pelt at Makins Bank.

Coming out of this lock for a full sized boat is a tricky feat not to clonk the wall, but today all managed fine.  I thought we'd have the next lock in our favour but no.

If you've got bionic eye sight you will see dairy cows in the distance.  Cheshire is a massive dairy county but the cows are hiding in their barns.

Prettiest cottage on the flight, pity it's looking out onto a busy road but still.  

I walked down all the way to wheelock which was in the region of 5.5 miles, (Actually so did Lesley and Amanda) turned almost all the locks and after watering up here I did get on here and sat resting in the sun as we went through Wheelock and out into the countryside.

There with a lovely mooring were the Team members ready and waiting to take ropes, prep the barbie and whip out a couple of corkscrews.

Darling David Lewis was cooking tonight, steaks.  Amanda made my favourite salad that she had made last year in France.

It's a Hugh Feanley-Whittinhstall's recipe from the 

book: How To Eat 30 Plants A Week....

HERE   

Absolutely delicious.

I would have taken so photos of us enjoying a peaceful supper altogether, but as it was a beautiful sunny warm evening all the world and his mother came out walking, cycling, running, fishing and one young man was on a "Uni-Board" or a name very similar, it was a skateboard with a sphere in the centre and some magical motor, he literally posed on it and shot along the tow path,  he'd come from Winsford certainly 6 or 7 miles away!  

We thought we would be undisturbed but we were up and down like corks on the ocean grabbing the dogs and our plates.

Oh how we laughed.

 

MopCop and scones

So here are the Lewis's looking bright and breezy then next day.   They had only just got back from walking Fletcher goodness knows how far when David and I said we were going for a wander (That is to say the scenic route to the pub) and they piped up oh we'll come!  So they did.

       I really should have taken a shot of Fletcher but he was never still for long.  

We hardly got lost at all.

I will never understand why oh why people do this.

The countryside around here is gorgeous.  I could retire to here.

Prettiest house of the day.

Prettiest flower of the day.

We had a rendezvous with the missing team members at The Red Bull pub, a few spits of rain the the sun came out and it was boiling.

We watched three sets of parents with a fair number of children playing all over the pub gardens and the barriers to the lock, running over the bridge and not once did a parent call the children away.  

I almost felt I should intervene but David stopped me.  

When the whole group had departed, they were three bottles of wine and empty pint glasses.  

Now call me old fashioned but had there have been a terrible accident, I can't help feeling CART would have had to answer for it.

Sunset over Church Lawton.

Everso everso early the next morning we snuck away.  The photo below is so you can see just how shiny NB Caxton is.  I'd like to tell you that they were all still in bed but they were all up and walking the dogs.  

It was all a bit of a gamble as David had this very morning popped the car to Rode Heath, he'd spied that there were hire boats there who would undoubtedly be moving on.

A couple of years ago when we had arrived in Rode Heath from Church Lawton but not one space for us so we'd had to go on down to Wheelock which was some 20 locks, although David had swapped out with me locking I was well and truly bushed.  Would we get in?

Absolutely gleaming, Hogarth too in in front.

I think this tree has kicked this wall down.

Just lovely, this whole stretch is.

So this is a disused lock but the bridge is in better condition than some of the used lock bridges.  I minute I win the Euro Lottery I'll pay to have these re-instated.

Did you see that blue sky...?

Fields of maize coming up to feed all the dairy cows nearby.

This morning is one of those that is hard to beat and not to be forgotten.

Mow Cop on the horizon

Mow Cop again but from many locks later.

Hard to see with the sun but a pair of locks here, I'd walked ahead to set the next one.

 On we trundled to Rode Heath and some empty moorings close to the pub with rather splendid views over a valley.

Twenty minutes afterwards came Caxton and then twenty minutes after that Lesley and Joe.

So that was our cruising done for the day, it was 9am but we were where we wanted to be, two more boats left after we arrived!

Anyone fancy a wee drive up to Mow Cop or Mop Cop as it's called in my house?

The approach to the village is pretty then as the road goes up and up the surroundings become a bit bleaker,  there are such a variety of houses, some old wee miners and quarrymen's  cottages and today some big flashy ones.  

But the question remains who wants to live at the top of this hill completely exposed to all weathers especially the wind?  The answer is seeming loads of folk, it's a big sprawling village. Yes there's a view over Staffordshire, Cheshire, Snowdonia, Shropshire and Manchester but how many days a year can you see it?  

Well it's a place I don't want to retire to.  

This is a folly on the top built in 1754, it hasn't fallen, it was built like that. 

As we stood up there with Amanda a shower came through and we were semi sheltered, but it was a howling gale at the top.

On the way back I dropped David off at Rode Heath again and us girls took a flit to Sandbach and its supermarkets.

There I took a phone call from Carol who we were hoping to meet further along the way, she couldn't make that so her and George jumped in the car and whizzed over to see us all.

Amanda whipped up some scones to have with jam and cream but butter and jam had to do today, I made a porridge cake, "A what?" I hear you say well yes porridge cake made without sugar or butter so almost calorie free.... almost.

George and Carol are great buddies.

Way back at the dawn of time 2019 actually we four changed boats.  I'll never forget when the subject came up over tea onboard their fabulous wide beam Still Rockin' when George turned to me and said "You two like swapping don't you?" when I picked my jaw up off the floor, they meant us to have their wide beam on the Thames and they had our NB WaL on the canals.

You can read all about that starting   HERE  

So then L to R  Lisa, Joe, George, David Lewis, David husband, Amanda (scone maker extraordinaire) Lesley and Carol

 

It took a long while to catch up on all the news but we did.  Can't wait to see you both again.

Orange water, he dropped it and old farmers.

So then, the Harecastle Tunnel.  

Yesterday ago the nice lady I had chatted to at Barlaston lock had told me that nowadays you have to book to go through the tunnel with 48 hours notice, they hadn't been aware either.  But they had called up and spoken to a nice lady called Charlotte, who had explained that without any bookings they men are deployed to other work.  

I called up immediately to make a booking for the following day, to be told by another person, that there was only 1pm and 3pm left,  can we just roll up in the morning and go through asked I?  There is only 1pm and 3pm available said she... Marvellously helpful as we all wanted to go through early.

Nothing more to say to that person, I think she is working from home in a spare bedroom, sometimes I wonder at staff training at CART, we have in the past asked about a problem in Stoke and the CART employee asked David where Stoke was!

Anyway after a team meeting over supper last night we all agreed to rendezvous at the tunnel entrance first thing to hope and ensure that we could all go though.

We were first away for a change although to be fair Amanda and Lesley had already walked the three doggies there and back and I think around the lake.  

We watered up, I'd done a wash for Lesley of all her soggy clothes, then I put a wash on for ourselves.  The very nice CART man on duty readily agreed that we could go though last of about 6 or 7 boats so that we could stay on the waterpoint until the last minute.

Off went all the boats having had their safety talk, light check and sounding of their horns.  We followed on well behind and cancelled the booking!!

Since the accident ...

HERE

in the tunnel back in 2014, a year after we made our first passage though, David appeases me by wearing his cycling helmet in the tunnel, he forgot this time so I fitted it on in the dark holding a torch in my mouth!

I was faffing inside with the washing and nearly missed the off.

All the other boats long disappeared inside.

Its a teeny bit unnerving when the CART man wallops the door shut behind you, its takes a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to the black and cold.

The light in front looks like it could be the exit but I think I took this just after going in.

It was about 45 minutes to get though then out into the orange waters of Kidsgrove.  Orange from the iron ore in the water.

Straight past the junction for the Macclesfield canal.  Two boats did turn here, we didn't as there was a breach earlier in the year which we hope will be repaired by August.... we hope.

I take a photo each time we come though here, this little place is still standing but now the sign on the first floor is illegible.

HERE  I can't find out much online but it was built in the 1850's and was the entrance to the Kidsgrove Gas Light Company works estate.  I hope it doesn't fall down.

At the first lock was a volunteer.  He lived locally and told me that this is his home patch, he grew up here and as a child these canals were full of rubbish.  He was delighted to be here and working the locks.

We past the other two team members who's crew had gone food shopping close to here.  We just popped onto the water point at Red Bull to top up after the laundry and away we went again.

Now Reader I just want to point out to you that the next batch of locks we met two single handers, both jolly, both chatty, both sharing information and I helped both of them.

At the very last lock we were to do today, there was a CART workboat being worked up.

  

I was HORRIFIED that the crew dropped two paddles.  I did say it was shocking to him but I think he thought I was joking.  So I told another crew member if this was standard CART practice and he said no.

We moored up at Church Lawton.  A fav spot with dairy cows on the nearby farm, a sunny west facing aspect.

Red Bull Yard 

A few youngsters I could see.  I think the herd are indoors.

Lovely sunny afternoon.

Maize coming up, great soil here.

Two old farmers chewing the fat

Chicken and bean leftovers for supper.  I'm loving these meals, cooking for four and then not needing to cook the next night.