On to Crooke

Thursday 16th June 2022

After a quiet night – both for sounds that keep one awake and Graham’s night shift – we sett off just after the scaffolders arrived at the house opposite our mooring and started clanking about.

We cruised to Leigh, where a Sports Direct was observed next to Tesco and so we pulled over just after the bridge. You have to pass Alde to get to Sports Direct and so Brenda re-provisioned there whilst Graham went to get new trainers. We plan to also visit Nando’s and Bon Marche’ on our return trip (long story – don’t ask)

Onto Plank lane (swing – in Nicks, lift in reality) bridge where Graham hopped off to annoy the traffic whilst Brenda held back to await the bridge opening. She found it difficult to get Jannock off the bank and the engine was accompanied by a loud metallic clonking noise. She slowly edged her way through the bridge using as little throttle as possible and then Graham did a weed hatch trip once the bridge had been returned to vehicle mode. It turned out that we had collected a landing net around our prop complete with metal frame holding the net open.

 

Onwards to Poolstock locks which had been closed earlier in the week due to water shortages in the pound between locks 1 and 2. An email had announced it open again from 09:00 this morning but when we got there the pound was exceedingly low. The bottom gates of No2 lock leak water as fast as one ground paddle and one gate paddle combined can fill. Therefore both side need to have the paddles opened to fill the lock. We finally passed through No 2 but Jannock went aground just as she was entering No1 so Graham had to run some water through to refloat her.

Up to Wigan junction and turn left towards Liverpool. Down the two Wigan locks which also had badly leaking bottom gates making to top gates very difficult to open. At Pagefield lock we found a couple of young boys jumping into the water and swimming in the lock. They got out to let us pass through and even helped by opening the offside gates. We discussed whether it was good to be swimming in such manky water but it was only when the lock emptied that the corpse of a long dead mammal was exposed stuck in the baffles of the top gate paddle that they became concerned. It could have been either a dog or a young badger.

 

We stopped for the night at Crooke and visited the Crooke Hall Inn for dinner on recommendation of No1 son Simon. An excellent meal was had with entertainment provided after outside by a Traditional English dance group dressed all in black and accompanied with lots of whooping and bashing of sticks.

 

G&B