Heartbreak Hill..... again

So late last evening we had collected last family members to visit of the season, daughter Verity, husband Mitch and Mitch's sister Gemma.  Frequent Flyers to this blog may remember that Mitch is a Kiwi, has fast long legs and never sits still.  He also likes to sleep a lot.  

David and I thought the kindest way of waking them is just to set off.  From where we were it takes about 10 minutes to arrive at the stop lock at Scholar Green, this was amusing as when we pulled up one boat was on the water point, another was parked back a bit then others all along.  Its hard to tell who is exactly next in turn.  I got off as a  chap was turning the lock and opening the gate.    He called us through.  It turned out he was a single hander who effectively did the lock for us, David went through  and hovered and Mitch and I turned it back again for him.  So thats nice.

Yes Mitch only took seconds to get dressed and was on deck for duty.  When's the next lock he asked?  

"Well its in about another ten minutes then its just locks all day!" was the answer..... and so it proved to be.

I am sure this has been much photographed but I liked it.

An old building left aside after other buildings erected all around at Kidsgrove

So we set off proper down past Red Bull yard now on the Trent and Mersey canal again, we had worked this well by having Amanda to help on the way up and now three to help (Or do it all on the way down)  Truth be told sometimes it hard to find enough locks to keep Amanda happy....
But having four crew does make light work I can tell you.

This is looking back through the gloom to Mow Cop David and I visited yesterday

Daughter Verity in pensive mood

Verity and Gemma

Mitch 

So it all continued very well, a couple of hire boats going our way, but they stopped for lunch breaks etc...  We made grand progress then it rained.  Now hire boats mostly have to continue in the rain but we don't, so a prolonged lunch occurred after a few hours it cleared off and as the forecast for the following day was rain all day we jointly made the decision to kick  off again, passing the boats who had moored up for the day.  Now Reader did I ever tell you that Verity loves dogs?  Actually she is dog mad but can't have one because they work full time and live in London.  When they were all small we had a Saint Bernard, which quickly became my fourth child.  Just look what was on the tow path that afternoon........

As they approached, she instantly rolled over to have her tummy rubbed

She's big, she hairy, she's slobbery and she was nearly stolen.

A Newfoundland, these dogs have webbed toes and love to rescue people from water

It was tough but we managed to get Verity to pass her by.

This looked precious and just left there....

Anyone know what it is?

Gemma and Mitch are very close, here they are kicking.

She loves him really.

How cute is that?

To have five of us onboard was a challenge frankly...  The best bit was the food, I have never had the fridge so RAMMED, so as we moored up ever so late for us at about 7:30pm but I had dinner ready, it was chicken ginger and red pepper stir fry and Cherry and almond tart that gave a wee bit more space in the fridge again.  
Gemma was on the couch, the marrieds were in the spare bed and their bags were pretty much everywhere.  
Drying five bath towels is impossible so some staggered showers ensued, David had his at 3am.

Castle in the clouds

Don't you just love mornings like this?  

A short trip today... We went from the Bosley Locks to Scholar Green, the sun shone, the birds sang.

The Cloud haas reappeared this morning.

Mr Chirpy.

I think this is Congleton.  Count all those bridges.

This big house right next to the canal belonged to a local wealthy

We moored up almost at the bottom of the Macclesfield canal, near to the Rising Sun Pub again.  

We jumped in the car to do Supermarket Sweep down at Tesco near to Harecastle Tunnel in Kidsgrove.  

Now at dawn this morning David had followed his nose to go up Mow Cop.  Now this is an odd place.  The name goes back to Anglo Saxon times.  There is actually a village way up there, clinging to the hill top just below the folly castle.  The whole hill top was an area of quarrying stone used for mill stones.  

These are David's photos at dawn...

Great rock colours

This was teatime

The hills surrounding were covered in heather, just past its best.

Is this Jodrell Bank on the Cheshire Plain?

The huge pits now left form the quarrying.

The view towards Kidsgrove and Harecastle Tunnel

Back to the boat as we were nipping over to Crewe to pick up the troops.  They thought they were having a weekend away from it all.  
Tomorrrow morning Heartbreak Hill.

A days outing

This is the view from the kitchen window today.  The forecast was more of the same too.  The car was nearby so we walked to it and passed by a boat coming down the last of the locks.  The middle-aged man dropped a paddle BANG right next to us, David remonstrated with him, pointing out that this action results in broken paddles.  He was most abusive and seemed to think that because we were from the south, our opinions counted for nothing.  Indeed he went on to point out that he had been treating paddles in this manner for 25 years and had never broken one yet.  So that's alright then.

Off we went to visit some great properties in the area.  

The Cloud is there..... somewhere.

 Here we are at Biddulph Grange Gardens.   HERE.
So glad we made this trip here as recommended by son-in-law Leon, who is a local to this area of the North Staffordshire Moorlands.  
Very attractive Victorian gardens created by a most enthusiastic plant collector spurred on by his wife.  

View of the Italian sunken garden from the terrace.

The house, which has been sold off now into private apartments.

Now this had us guessing.....

Something from outer space

But after asking a local, we were told that it's a Stumpery, first one I have ever seen.  Gathered stumps and placed in position, Big Fat Wow.

The Japanese pavilion

My fav.

We walked the woodland walk and stood in awe at the Californian Red Woods, David called me sniffy about the Dahlia collection, but I loved the Acers and maples in the Japanese garden.  Well worth a trip.

We didn't stop for coffee here but hurried on to the next one;

Little Moreton Hall.

A gem of heritage 

 This one is easily accessed from the Macclesfield canal if you are passing, a short walk across two or three fields.  

It was very busy today considering the horrid weather.  The info says the hall owes its survival to the fact that the family were wealthy and had an eye on improvements and generally being flash with the cash.  As soon as a neighbour had a new wing, Little Moreton Hall had one too.  Its a bit wonky in places today to to its being built on marshy land.  But a gem none the less.

How fantastic that Richard Dale's work is admired today still.

View down the garderobe, bit draughty in winter me thinks.

We didn't stop here for refreshments but got back in the car trying to avoid the puddles and went to the next one.  I had noticed this on in the handbook and was frightfully pleased when David said yes we can fit it in.  

Nether Alderley Mill
HERE  Now I am sorry to say that I didn't take any photos of this one, we drove up and hopped on the last guided tour of the day so it was all a but quick but also very dark inside.  So here is a link to inter web photos for you.  
HERE

The mill is terribly old in fact David thinks he heard that there has been a mill on the site for 600 years.  But its a stunning piece of work, fully restored and had us totally fascinated.  Go visit, the guides are brilliant.

We wanted some refreshments, so nipped into Alderley Edge.  no sushi but a Costa.  I tried spotting famous footballers, but didn't see one.  Not completely sure I would one anyway.  Its a lovely town full of individual shops.

Home through Cheshire's rush our traffic.  It makes you appreciate canals again.

Lucky Devils we are.

We set off today at about 10am, David got back from car retrieval and had breakfast in the cratch, as we sat there, several boats went past us.  The next stop from here is really the two swing bridges and then the Bosley flight of twelve locks down.  So to non boaty Readers if you see a bunch of boats go before you to many locks, then you know you are going to be following them down the flight and turning each one, some people would then say that there are twenty-four locks to be done.

Well we set of hurriedly following the convoy in-case anyone else departed in front of us.

The sun was shining and I started to feel hot already.  Its a pretty run along this section, banks of flowers and reeds, houses are set well back and, well I like it.

Then the last two boats we had passed us when we were moored, were parked on the side, I didn't see anyone around, but secretly we were pleased to be in front of them.  

Around the next corner was a boat pulled right up to the swing bridge.  (Now this bridge I had trouble with coming along.  I almost had to call my son-in-law beefy Leon out to help but in the end it suddenly did go for me and a single handed boater going the other way), this time the single handed boater, who was a different chap, was the one having trouble. When I arrived his boat was unsecured, in gear pushing against the bridge, at this swing bridge there are not any bollards on the off side as there should be, so I went quickly to help.  I think he had been there sometime as in his discombobulation and general bafflement, was pushing with all his might..... the wrong way with the lock still locked.  

Together we did it, and even with both of us its not easy.  But I sent him back to his boat and I would shut it, then as he was passing by I realised that in the bridge locking mechanism was his key!  I called out him that at the next bridge I would give him back his key.  Suddenly just as David and WaL came through there were the two NB's who had pulled over, of course I waved them through, but called out jokingly to a lady crew that now I understood why they had pulled over, to avoid doing the maddening bridge!  But then I pointed out that the first boat in the convoy now didn't have a key and wouldn't be able to operate the next bridge....

Later, we arrived at the swing bridge, it has traffic lights, a barrier and many passing cars to find the single hander demanding his key from the other two boats and the lady I had joked with operating the road bridge.  The two boats who are friends and were travelling together waved us through so now back into second position.

We arrived at Bosley Locks.  There had been a problem earlier in the day and that had resulted in a drained pound.  From our experience two weeks previously we knew that problems do occur here....  

The single hander surprised us by saying he was going down, David told him we would help when we could,   but we had both thought and hoped that he would moor up and enjoy the sunshine...

The two following boats both wanted water so dropped back and filled up.

We waited for a boat to arrive up from the flight.  When the captain arrived he declared that the last two locks had taken four hours and he was thoroughly p***** off.  Not much you can say to that really.  The single hander went in.  David had faffed and faffed about water, now as he went down a shout came that another boat was coming so we had to wait,  we too filled with water while we waited.

Our turn and as David descended someone said "Are you Lisa from What a Lark?"  Yes I said and turned to look up, it was Paul from Manly Ferry    HERE.  

A blog I have followed for ages but we had never met before.  I knew he was stopping in the Bollington area, further down the canal, but I have to say its a surprise to see standing in front of you someone who's life on you have followed but I am very sad not to have met Elaine.  

So pleased you said spotted us today Paul, Bombo and Sammie and we both wish you well in the future.

Paul with The Boys,  Elaine's beloved Bombo and Sammie

Well we continued down the locks and talk about Lucky Devils, every lock had a boat leaving it.  That is to say that out of twelve locks and following a single hander down, I only had to prepare two locks, this was because of the hold up, it had created a traffic jam, all in our favour. 

Hurrah!!!!

It was a blissful day in sunshine with happy people all around and I loved it.

Boats crossing.

And another

"The Cloud" in the distance

Almost down

Now I am not passing judgements but did you look at these photos above?  If yes then look here  READ THIS  Its something we all should consider.

Chairs out, kindles at the ready, naps taken and gin sipped.  A fab day.  Later, the two boats arrived down, equally happy crews and it transpires that one of them NB Two Lazy Bee's is form Debdale Marina like us!

I really took this for David Lewis, a man who is always in my thoughts and loves tractors

Amazing to have two like named boats moored together.

Now this REALLY is the smallest boat I have seen, unless you know better....?