Sunday 1st June, 2014 below Bosley Locks.
June already? How did that happen?
We both slept well and awoke to a lovely sunny day.
We set off after breakfast to do the three locks up to the Etruria Industrial Musem. The top lock was particularly busy with gongoozlers (sightseers), the sunshine, plus a canal festival, had brought them out in droves. M was ably assisted by "Rob-the-Lock", a young man whose hobby is going around the local area and helping boaters through the locks. He remembered meeting us last September, when he helped us up through the staircase locks just round the corner at the start of the Caldon Canal.
There was a line of trading boats above the top lock and we spotted the "Wild Side" lady on the first boat.
She makes and sells jams and marmalades with fruit gathered from the hedgerows along the waterways. We had already enjoyed the "fruits" of her labours at Crick last year, where she had a stall - so we could not resist buying some more (all delicious and made with a touch of alcohol!).
There were other trading boats in a line, one of which was a home brew boat that cheekily invited passers-by to "Get your kit off...."
A little further, on we passed the Round House, the sole surviving building of Josiah Wedgwood's original works in Etruria. Due to mining subsidence, the factory was moved 75 years ago from its original location to its present site (next to where we had lunch yesterday); the original site is now a retail park.
Soon, we arrived at the Harecastle Tunnel and we were fortunate indeed as there was a line of boats about to go in and we were able to tag on to the back of the line. As the tunnel is one-way and it takes about 45 minutes to go through, there can sometimes be a wait of up to 2 hours.
When we went through last autumn, M had walked over the top, but this time she went through with R on MM. There were a few drips from the roof but it was mainly dry. The tunnel is a mile and three-quarters long and as we came out at the other end it was just possible to see the light at the other end, but only just, as the tiniest pinprick in the distance.
Soon after the tunnel comes Hardings Wood Junction where the Macclesfield Canal branches off the Trent and Mersey. To our delight, we saw Kingsground's award-winning boat "Simplicity" at the junction - note the colour of the canal water - it is tainted with local iron ore and resembles liquid milk chocolate!
The junction is fascinating as, in order to turn right, you have to turn left! Then you run parallel to the T&M before turning right across an aqueduct over the top of the T&M, which drops down below through a flight of locks. The side-by-side pair of locks on the T&M can be seen below the aqueduct in the photo.
There is a "stop-lock" shortly after which was installed to prevent the Macclesfield Canal from "stealing" water from the T&M (the canal companies guarded their water jealously!) . It only has a drop of a foot - but originally there were two stop locks, one immediately after the other, each just six inches deep and next to each lock was a toll house. One lock and toll house belonged to the T&M and the other to the Macclesfield!
A hire boat immediately behind us appeared to be having some problems so M went to see if she could help. She discovered that they were a Canadian couple, Rick and Elma, and this was their first lock ever! They had come all the way from Winnipeg expressly to experience the English canals! M was immediately concerned for them, remembering the flight of 12 Bosley Locks not far ahead and suggested that they follow us up; but they were planning to moor up shortly and walk to Mow Cop, a local beauty spot.
The scenery was very pretty; hayfields full of buttercups on both sides and views of distant hills, one as high as 1,126 ft is called the "Cloud" and we think that we might try to walk up it on our way back.
We were lucky enough to find the last mooring space below the Bosley flight of locks and the "Cloud" is in the background.
We did something that we have rarely been able to do - we got out the "Director's" chairs, put them on the grassy bank and enjoyed a gin and tonic in the evening sunshine. Bliss!
Before dinner, we walked up past the first lock to reconnoitre the lie of the land and to look at the disused railway line that crosses the canal.
We also walked down through the fields to look at the aqueduct that carries the canal over the river Dane.
Difficult to think that there is a canal way up there!
Today: 16 miles, 4 locks and 7.1 hours.
Trip: 26 miles, 16 locks and 13.9 hours.
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