The Last Lock for 55 miles!

Tuesday 27th June 2023 near Bostock.

With "Heartbreak Hill" behind us, it is hard to think that there is only one more lock before we get to Wigan's Poolstock Locks, 55 miles from here. That last lock is "Big Lock", so named because it is the only wide lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal south of Wigan. Originally, the idea was to make the whole canal wide and they started by making all the bridges between Wigan and Middlewich into wide bridges but they never got further than "Big Lock".

As we approached Big Lock, there was a Swedish family on a hire boat trying to come up through the lock and, as it was their first ever trip and the first lock that they had ever seen, they were looking very confused and a trifle anxious!. M to the rescue! She helped them through and showed them what to do for the future. 

Despite their problems with the lock and the rather cool, overcast weather, they seemed to be having a great time and cheerfully waved us goodbye.

With so many local names ending in "Wych", this is a salt producing area. Salt has been mined and extracted with brine here since Roman times and probably before that. The result is that the land is very unstable and suffers frequently from subsidence. Occasionally, the canal had to be rebuilt when the whole canal consequently sank lower. Sometimes the ground next to the canal would subside and create large lakes or "flashes" like this one. It may look inviting but the far edge of the canal is still there, just under the water, so you stay well away.

This is a mooring site created by the Broken Cross Boating Club from an old clay pit. It has picnic tables and barbecue facilities and is very popular. We were lucky to find a mooring. On the last two occasions that we passed here, there was no space.

Later in the evening, the wind got up and it became quite cold. We have an acrylic sheet that we can put across the door to keep the wind out but let the light in; however, we have to put a towel in front of the door to remind both of us not to try to walk through the invisible sheet - neither one of us has ... yet!

Today: 2 miles, 1 lock and 1.6 hours.

Trip:38 miles, 52 locks and 29.6 hours.