Oh dear, oh dear me, what are the canals coming to ? Friday afternoon and our first trip out of Aqueduct Marina (since arrival earlier in the month) saw us heading towards Middlewich with a plan to head up to Anderton and back by Sunday lunch time.
Still several miles from Middlewich, under a blue sky, and there were tales of woe passed from boats heading towards us. We were told to expect hell on water, disaster, 20 boats lined up waiting to get to the junction. Had we made a big mistake with this moving up north malarkey, we pondered? And as we chugged closer the improving news was that its bad at the junction but the first lock (Stanthorne) was OK. Arriving at that lock, around 5:30pm, there was a single boat just pulling in to descend. Jim McDonald from Croxley (on board the uniquely styled nb Elizabeth) then ascended and we were in. The latest news was that there was still a lot going on at the junction. Oh doom, oh gloom. We had to endure all the following litany of misery as the weekend unfolded. The dire news persuaded us to tie up at Br 28 and go for a pleasant early evening walk to survey the goings on at the locks. Boaters did look glum. These locks are slow to operate at the best of times and freshly liberated hirers from Middlewich Cruisers and Andersen Boats slowed things further. So we strolled back to Uncle Mort for drinkies and an excellent M&S supper followed by an early night with alarm set for 6:00am. After a cuppa we set off at 6:45 and were through all 5 locks by 8:00am. No other boats on the move, and we stopped briefly to pick up the newspapers from Tesco Express. We would not want to miss any revelation such as details about The Lord Privvy Seals expenses for dovecote refurbishment and a packet of Brillo pads. We had a glorious cruise northwards with hardly any traffic, stopping for breakfast at 10am adjacent to one of the collapso-bank flashes on the approach to Northwich. After that we spent an hour reading the papers, followed by a gentle chug to Anderton, winding by the lift. We took a 2 hour afternoon walk along the towpath to the Barnton and Saltersford tunnels then back for lunch at 4pm ! After yet another pleasant 3 hour chug in the early evening we found ourselves a perfect mooring about 20 minutes away from the Big (and very slow) Lock, more refreshments and another early night in advance of yet another early transit of Middlewich. At 5:45am a boat went past, southbound, which we thought might be single handed, so we had a cuppa and followed on about an hour later. Another unhindered passage through 5 locks with a subsequent mooring for breakfast at 8:45am (and a short walk into town for . . . newspapers) Im sorry to rant on about all this repetitive enjoyment. We arrived back at the marina just before 1pm and there was still nothing to complain about. I ask you, wheres the pleasure in all that ? If you know, don't tell. We don't want it catching on with the masses. Beeky
