15th--20th October

Thursday, 15th and Friday, 16th October
We had a quiet night at Westport Lake. It's one of those places where you're never quite sure what might happen. Once we moored there in the summer and youths were riding motorbikes up and down the towpath, but fortunately they seem to be warm weather nuisances, so this time we were left in peace. Now we were on our way to The Harecastle Tunnel, my least favourite place! When we arrived we went straight in. There's very little traffic on the canals at the moment and travelling is most pleasant. I suppose it might be a different story on the Llangollen Canal next week when it's half term. But for now we're enjoying it.

Forty minutes later, we emerged into daylight at the northern end of the tunnel. As we approached the first lock we met a boat selling Ecover products, and so I got our empty washing up liquid bottle filled. There's a shop in Llangollen which sells Ecover products and I was going to get it filled there, but we do like to give business to the working boats. It has to be an empty Ecover bottle, or else they won't refill it. I think it saves about 50p, but hopefully helps the environment too.

Then we set off down Heartbreak Hill, so named because of all the locks. However, it was known to the old boatmen as the 'Cheshire Hill'. We did really well today, largely thanks to Trev, who worked really hard and we did twenty-six locks. There was a boat in front of us and at one point Trev helped them with the lock gates, and from then on the man doing the locks opened a paddle each time he exited the lock, so that by the time we arrived, the lock was full and ready for us. We never got a chance to thank him, he had gone by the time we finished the locks. But it was a great help and we moored up at Wheelock, having done twenty-six locks and nine miles.

When we moored up, we realised we were moored behind 'Blue Toad'. We had last seen them at the bottom of Cape Locks when we left Warwick in September, but we didn't had chance for a proper chat, except to establish that they are going to Llangollen to moor for the winter too. That evening they were already invited to the boat ahead of them for a drink, and we went to the restaurant nearby, called something like Jaret's, though that's not quite right. Anyway, it's an Italian restaurant and we had an excellent meal. The service was very good, and we had a lovely lemon cream liqueur on the house. We'd definitely recommend the restaurant and will go again.

In the morning we were invited onto Blue Toad for hot chocolate and pastries--very nice. Our new friends are called Moira and Mike. They emigrated to Australia years ago and live in Tasmania, and we all got on really well. We're all delighted that we shall meet again at Llangollen. In the evening Moira and Mike came to have a drink with us on the boat, and we found plenty to talk about! The evening passed quickly and we ranged over a multitude of subjects.

Saturday, 17th October
Blue Toad's crew are early risers, so they had left by the time we started. First we went down to the water point and filled up and had a pump out. Then we went on along the T&M through pretty if rather flat countryside. The weather was fine, but the days are beginning to get cooler now and by 4.00 p.m., it's getting quite chilly on the back deck.

Today we had a few more locks and about six miles to go before we reached Middlewich. We filled up with fuel at King's Lock and then turned left onto the Middlewich Branch, and moored up to go shopping at Tesco. Blue Toad was moored up in front of us--again--but Moira and Mike were not on board. We were just about to go shopping when Moira and Mike appeared along the towpath and we had a quick chat before setting off.

When we were in Rugeley, I bought a pumpkin which Trevor manfully carried back to the boat, and I made pumpkin soup. It was delicious. I was hoping to find another today, but they were all labelled as 'carving pumpkins' and I wasn't sure if I could cook one. Also, they were much bigger than the one we had before, and I think Trev might have given himself a hernia if he'd tried to get one of those back to the boat! After the shopping we set off again and moored up near bridge 25 on the Middlewich Branch. This was a very quiet spot, no one else was in sight.

Sunday, 18th October
Ever onwards! We need to be in Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal for a visit to the optician's next week. The Middlewich passes through fairly uneventful agricultural land for the most part, and is fairly flat. It is ten miles long and has just four locks, and we went to the far end where it meets the Shropshire Union at Barbridge Junction. Here we turned left onto the Shroppie for just over a mile and then turned right, up through Hurleston Junction and onto the Llangollen Canal at last! Linda the lockie was at the top of the Hurleston flight as usual, and we swopped gossip during the brief time we had. Next we watered up and then went on to our first favourite mooring on the Llangollen, between bridges 4 and 5.

I always feel so much more settled when we're on the Golly, as though I'm coming home at last. Some times I feel quite rootless, like a ship tossed in a storm, and quite detached from real life. So it will be good to get back to Llangollen and feel as though I belong somewhere for a while. Friends in Llangollen have been emailing me, saying they are looking forward to us coming back. Isn't that nice? Trev will rejoin the Tidy Town Team, and go out with the group litter picking and generally making the town a little prettier. We're invited to their Christmas Dinner too. He will also rejoin the rambling group he walks with. Friends Eric and Judy are coming to meet us even before we get to Llangollen, for a bar snack, and I am hoping to start a quilting group whilst we're there. So there is so much to look forward to. We're very lucky people to have such good friends.

Another thing we're looking forward to is meeting up with the other boaters who moor with us. Elsie & Eric on 'Bendigedig' (which is Welsh for Splendid, apparently!), Eiddwen and Alan on 'Shush', Liz and Andy on 'Irene Constance',Liz and Nick on 'Henry' and Maggie and Bernie on 'Blue Diamond'. Ian will be there on 'Spadger', but sadly not his wife, Penny, who died in July. I'm glad he's coming, I'm sure we shall all be pleased to try to keep his spirits up. Ian and I have become good friends over the last three years as he's an ace on computers, and has helped me a lot.

Monday, 19th October
First thing this morning, before I was even out of bed (which isn't difficult, because I love my bed!) Trev was up and off. He walked into Nantwich. First he went to Nantwich Canal Centre, to pick up a water pump which had been reconditioned for us under guarantee, then he went into town and bought milk, the papers and a 2010 diary. When he got back, we had coffee and then set off. The weather has definitely cooled down, and |I have changed my wardrobe! Such as it is........Now I have warm trousers, several layers of blouse, jumper etc., plus a fleece, scarf, hat and gloves. It seems to have happened quickly this year. We went up the two Swanley locks and the three Baddiley locks, and moored up about a mloe above Marbury lock. This is a peaceful and remote spot, there were two other boats, but they were a long way off, and it was a perfect spot.

Tuesday, 20th October
We started around 10 o'clock this morning as we need to be in Whitchurch by early afternoon. Trev is going down to Solihull today for a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning, and he will stay with Catharine and Mamdooh overnight. I shall stay in the Whitchurch Arm on the boat on my own. I'm never keen on doing this, but I just hope there will be some other boats nearby, or I shan't sleep all night! Tomorrw I have an appointment with the optician in Whitchurch.

So we set off, passing through Quoisley, Willeymoor and Povey's Locks--aren't they all lovely names? After a short stretch without any locks, we came to Grindley Brook locks., Here there are three locks close together and then three locks in a staircase. As we were in the third lock, the lockie came along and said he would open the bottom lock of the staircase flight for us. Trev exited the lock, swung round the corner and under the bridge straight into the bottom of the flight of three. We were soon up and out and on the home straight for Whitchurch. A quick rubbish drop in the skip and one mile to go for Whitchurch. We arrived about noon, and so Trev had plenty of time to get himself ready for the train at 3.45. And, thankfully there were three other boats moored in the arm.

Whilst he was having a shower, there was a knock on the boat and it was the person from the boat behind us. She had come to apologise for having to run their engine. I didn't mind at all--at least she was there, and she and her husband were going to be there overnight, so I could relax and stop worrying!

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