A Visit from Mel and Peter.

 Thursday 14th July 2022 near Church Minshull.

We left early in order to get down to Church Minshull where our lovely friends Mel and Peter will be joining us for lunch on board MM. There is one lock on the way. It was fascinating to see how the steps up to the lock have been worn down by thousands of feet over the years.

Another boat was already going into the lock, so R went up to help them and then set the lock for us. One Robin was closely watched by another, very inqusitive (and very cute), Robin.

This is quite a deep lock and one of the bottom gates kept sticking, so it took both of us to close it.

It is only five miles to Church Minshull and it was lovely cruising. There is one particularly special spot there, only long enough for one boat but with a spectacular panoramic view overlooking the valley. Fortune smiled on us - it was free!  However, this is a popular mooring spot and we ended up mooring on pins. Sadly, people were coming by on boats so fast that the pins were pulled out several times and they have to be knocked back in each time.

But worth it for the views across the valley..

Mel and Peter, with their Hungarian Viszla called Inca, had driven down from their home close to Aston and they joined us for lunch on MM. It was really nice to see them and, as usual, lunch with them was accompanied by much laughter and fun. The obligatory photograph was taken by M (so as not to be in the photograph) in front of MM.

After a hugely enjoyable afternoon, we walked through the woodland down the footpath back to their car parked in the village.

The footpath also goes through a beautiful meadow of tall grass and wild flowers; the purple loosestrife in particular was at its best.

It follows the line of the River Weaver, meandering its way through the valley bottom.

Walking back from the village gave another perspective on the grassy meadow.

Tomorrow morning, M is going back home by train for the weekend, returning on Monday. Tomorrow afternoon, R will take MM into Aqueduct Marina a mile or so further up the canal as he is going up to Yorkshire for Saturday and Sunday. So we should both be back on Monday.

Today, MM clocked up 3,400 hours of fun. Thank you MM!

Today: 5 miles, 1 lock and 1.8 hours.

Trip: 281 miles, 168 locks and 146.8 hours.