Monday 30-04-90 - Bloody hot for 4.00 pm.

Trent and Mersey between Middlewich and Anderton Boat Lift. It's been hot and very sunny, a very burnt David reporting.

As you said this would be glorious and it is. The story so far, the trip up was the now usual race between the two boy racers we didn't get above 120 mph. As you know we were late setting off so we were not sure to stop or not. We had a computer generated route but decided to change it and drive through the Peak District, This was a great decision. We went through Bakewell, as in the tarts, on the A6. This is some 20 miles south of the Edale area and the walks and scenery look just great.

Via radio we met up with a local farmer who recommended a pub for good food and beer in a nearby village. The food was so good that we would have to had waited 2 hours for it, so we pressed on.

It only took half an hour or so to get unpacked and underway down the Macclesfield Canal from the Bollington base. We moored up at Oakgrove, bridge 49, for the night. Ate and drank well, baked potatoes and Casserole, Some went to the pub, John and I went to bed (not the same one).

I got up early with Steve, had tea and set off on my own for a walk. The others were still in bed. Walked to bridge 53 with Jodrell Bank visible in the distance. All sorts of wildlife, Herons out for an early morning fish, Jays, Magpies, beautiful singing wrens and so on. Wild Garlic, Bluebells, Whitebells, Anomies even Orchids and not forgetting the buzzing power lines. the lambs were competing with this noise and there was mist in the valley. No wonder Brian Redhead is always going on about Macclesfield.

Underway early and through Posley Locks, just hope the photos can do justice to all this. Over Congleton Aqueduct to Scholar Green where we then joined the Trent and Mersey Canal at Hardings Wood Junction. Been here before, this leads to the entrance of the Harecastle Tunnel, which the group made three attempt at going through. I missed the successful one since I had just started at Milton Keynes. On down the long flight to stop for the night at Hassall Green lock 56. The last time I came through this stretch it was minus 5 with snow and ice. This was 1986 and I can remember Ted being completely covered at the helm, unable to see much while the rest of us stayed in the cabin except when lock duty was necessary. Now its so hot we are all suffering from sunburn.

Roast Pork, Lambs Liver and onions and veg plus baked potatoes with banana custard to follow. Off to the pub for a couple of Tetley beers (sorry but it says here really crap).

Awoke this morning to mist or fog with visibility nearly nil, but warm. We set off down to the plains of Cheshire and arrived at Middlewich where near disaster struck. I was at the helm and committed the sin of catching the rudder on the sill. This misplaced it out of the bottom bracket making steering impossible. We phoned the boatyard and had to rope in at a nearby repair yard (lucky close by). They managed to replace the pin in the socket. Slight damage but steering OK. We would have been held up for at least 2 days for the drydock repairs, a lucky escape (for me).

No more locks for sometime now, pleasant scenery but with increasing number of Salt extraction plant. These have over the years caused much subsidence to the canal as can be seen by the concrete sides often diving into the canal nearly vertical, with new edging formed against it. In places the canal is very deep as a result.

This boat suffers from very smelly bogs.

Steve thought the Soda Bread was lovely, Simon and Mike were not very polite about it!