9 June

It seems that where we stopped in the evening, we had no mobile coverage for the internet.

Sue didn't sleep well in her single bed so we have to create a double bed for her for this evening.

This morning we started out at 6:20AM and that gave the water heating a kick so that the girls had had their shower by 7:20 when we came across the first lock. Jim had his breakfast and a shower and we were into the first of nine locks for the day.

Actually the locks went well during the day. Lynette and Sue managed with the raising of the paddles, (although some were very stiff) and the opening of the lock gates. It's really quite something to see a 20 ton boat rising several feet in a lock, and it's all done by water. Jim didn't bounce off the lock walls too many times and has almost perfected his way of stopping the boat, once through the lock, so that the crew can jump on board.

As yesterday, the weather has been great. It was a brilliant blue sky all morning and then clouded over in the afternoon. Unlike yesterday when it rained once we had moored up. Daylight starts sometime around 4AM and ends after 9PM, but you aren't supposed to sail on the canals after 8PM.

We stopped in Middlewich around 10:00AM and Lynette and Sue wandered around the town while Jim completed the blog, as there was a good internet connection there. The town was a bit disappointing with lots of empty shops and not many people around to buy from those still open. They found one shop that went from the front of one street right through to the next and along the way there were little side recesses on both sides crammed with even more items. Lynette wondered how the shop was able to survive in an area which seemed devoid of a large population. Perhaps it is the canal traffic that keeps them going.

After lunch we headed down to Wheelock. Lynette and Sue each had a spell on the tiller, as there were only four locks and they were towards the start of the run. Lynette is very good and Sue is getting there. Her spell this afternoon was very good.

Along the way we came across a swan that had a fish hook and float caught up in its beak. We tried bread to attract it so that we could grab it, but it wasn't interested. Lynette spent a frustrating quarter of an hour on the phone reporting the swan so that the RSPCA could come and catch it. We'll probably have to top up her phone to recover from that.

When we got to Wheelock, we moored up and went into the edge of town. There weren't too many shops but two pubs offering food to the boaters. We had a good meal, and pretty cheap too, at the Cheshire Cheese. It was Sue's shout!!!

After an early dinner Jim came back to write the blog while Sue and Lynette walked along the towpath for exercise and also to examine the two sets of double locks which we start off on, in the morning.

Checking out the first lock 

Unfortunately we can't make it to the Middlewich fair 

You gain a bit of height in a lock

The still canal gives excellent reflections.  Here we are at Wheelock.

An beautiful morning.  Looking at the sky it's hard to believe we are in the UK

One of the streets in Wheelock 

Sue loading up on energy food to help with the locks 

Some narrow boaters have all sorts of things besides their boats on the canal.   

Sue in control 

One of many bridges across the canal.  They range from bridges for farms to the M6 motorway 

Carrying out maintenance while you are cruising

The mile marker was originally put down in 1819