Water Everywhere–Tuesday 3rd May

Last nights mooring had lovely views over the River Weaver Valley and the Acton Swing Bridge. A little further on we passed where the major Dutton Breech had now been repaired making a lovely mooring area with magnificent views over the valley.

We made it to Dutton Stop Lock with plenty of time to go through Preston Brook Tunnel (on the hour) but what happened. First of all a hire boat was moored on the lock landing and the occupants were just waking up. A woman on a boat ahead of us in the lock was refusing to move the boat out and arguing with her husband who was working the lock. Eventually he got aboard and took the boat out and a single hander came in. As he was going out the hire boat decided to drift so stopping him and the guy on the bow decided to use the pole to push off from the bank. It slipped and he ended up in the water in front of Autumn Years. Eventually we were able to get in the lock and just made it into the tunnel at 9 minutes passed the hour. It took 13 minutes to transit. Autumn Years followed closely behind and was out before the half hour for transit time for the boats going south.

I moored up at Midland Chandlers to buy a new water pump as last night we discovered that it was leaking. The staff there were very helpful giving advice and enabling me to get an extra piece of wood cut and drilled to raise the height of the pump. Thank you Midland Chandlers.

We motored on along the wide and deep Bridgewater Canal with views over the yellow rape seed fields back to Runcorn.

We soon came across our first wide beam boat, one of many on the Bridgewater.

We stopped at Moore to get a paper and bread at the village store and then came across these Tree Surgeons just cutting another dead tree down. If you look closely you can just see that it is falling forward.

A couple of unusual little boats spotted on todays trip.

Lymm was not as busy as usual and we could have moored there with its pretty black and white buildings and this delightful canal side cottage.

The wind strengthened as we went down the long straight to Agden Bridge where we passed Nb Miss B Havin another of Sandhills boats. We stopped to fill with water just beyond the pipe bridge.

Motoring on we reached the Bollington Aqueduct where we moored up with beautiful to left over countryside and to the right to Dunham Massey House now almost hidden behind the spring growth.