and on to Hardings Wood

Tuesday 26th june 2018

A leisurely start, the sun was already up and heading for ‘scorchio’ but Graham managed to wash the shady side of the boat before it got too hot. We cruised to bridge 68 where we stopped for a water fill at a water point not marked in the 2015 edition of Nicholsons guide Volume 5.

Then on to Congleton as the temperature approached the predicted scorchio so we moored under total arborial UV protection – OK, shade alongside the Queens Head, to sit it out. The irritation was that we’d moored downwind of a bakery baking chocolate cake. Correction – a Waitrose’s mincemeat factory and an oat millers. We have some posh porridge with cocoa nibs in, so perhaps they make that. The smell forced us to have chocolate cake for lunch.

A couple of boat jobs done, a slob about and we were on our way again at 5pm. The sun was still high and hot but less so than earlier. How a field of handle barred McCattle were coping we do not know. We moored up before the A50 aquaduct for the night immediately before the Maccy joins the Trent and Mersey.

The cruise plan curse got wurse. We set off to find the Blue Bell pub at Hardings Wood. we had to drink at Plan B, the Canal Tavern as the Blue Bell has a stoppage for a refurb. They did an interesting range of slush – only £3.50p with shots in.

There were a group of early teens strutting their stuff, innit, around the adjacent lock. The boys were showing off on the road bridge and lock balance beams; foolhardy at beast. The landlady came and told them to stop it and be safe. Mild mouthyness got them reminded that a kid died in Westport lake yesterday. “Yeh, but he was mucking about and in the water” was the reply. So, nothing like falling off a lock or bridge into the canal then. “We can swim” – not after a bash on the head as you go in.

Brenda & Graham