Good to be moving

The forecast was for a dry afternoon, consequentially we decided to move.  In the morning I walked into Middlewich (complete with brolly) to post a letter and buy the last of the perishables.  After lunch we moved to the water point around the corner and spent an hour topping up the tank.  The CRT buildings and land here are for sale.  Actually they have been on the market for years as the dilapidated signs have BW on them.

Both buildings are very close to a busy road and I wouldn’t be interested in either as a residential property.  I doubt whether there would be much commercial interest as both buildings require extensive renovations.

We slowly slipped past Andersen Boats (the exterior of their boats have always looked good) and went up the first of the eight locks we did today.

There is a plastic boat moored above Wardle Lock.   Actually it’s moored immediately above the lock on the mooring bollards.

Why moor here?  Not only is it against the rules, but if the owner had reversed back from the lock mooring then they could have moored anywhere on the vacant 48 hour moorings.  I guess they are one of those people who hold a grudge with the world and derive some pleasure in extending one digit to the rest of us.  Oh, no license on display!  I doubt they would moor in the same spot during summer.  Not that they would be worried about CRT.  I would think they’d be more concerned about the volume of hire boats on the canal and the strong possibility they might be converted into a rice bubble.  You know….. snap, crackle and pop!  I guess I’m turning into a grumpy boater.

We’re heading south rather than west and headed up through Kings Lock past the Bisto Factory.  Both of us have memories of the strong gravy smell when we first passed this way in 2003.

Bloody hell…. Its gone!  

There’s a new housing development adjacent to Booth Locks.  

And a second new residential development beside the canal at Sandbach.

I don’t think I’d want to live here.  The canal in front is OK, but the main rail line immediately behind would annoy me!

Getting Jan off the stern of the boat at Booth Lane Top Lock proved to be interesting.  An abandoned looking plastic boat at one end of the lock mooring and a CRT tug & barge in the middle.  Jan managed to step off Waiouru and onto the CRT boat to access the towpath.

I’m definitely becoming a grumpy bast@rd!

By now it was 3.30pm and the sun was making a dash for the horizon.  The mercury had also decided to go south.  We didn’t make it to Wheelock but found a quiet rural mooring roughly halfway between Sandbach and Wheelock.  Tomorrow the forecast is looking OK and we will probably press on making the most of the fine spell.