Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Stayed where we were yesterday. A day of showers and bright periods, better in the afternoon. I got the shelves in the back cabin mostly finished, just got to make a small door now. Next job will be rebuilding the control panel area.

We’ve changed our plans. We were intending to get up on to the Leeds and Liverpool, and get somewhere near home for the middle of July for Mag’s doctors review. Then we would need to hire a car to get us down to near Dad’s, on the Soar north of Loughborough for a do on the 21st. Sister Sue and her husband Trevor are coming over from New Zealand for a couple of weeks.
We were worried that we’d have to leave Meg in an unfamiliar car while we were in the restaurant, it may be hot that day, and it would be a long drive there and back in the same day. We’ve been offered as bed for the night at my brother’s house, but then we’d have to find somewhere secure to leave Seyella.
So the upshot is that we’ve switched our trips around. We’re now heading back down the Trent and Mersey, aiming to arrive in Dad’s area mid July. The restaurant he’s booked has a mooring on the river, so we can stop there and leave Meg on the boat. After a few days we’ll head back up the Soar and turn onto the Trent going north up to South Yorkshire, and then onto the Leeds and Liverpool from the Leeds end. Mags has postponed her doctors review until early September, so we should have plenty of time to get up to Gargrave, or maybe East Marton.
So that’s this summer taken care of!

We set off this morning at 09:25, up to Daresbury Laboratory where the navigation is wide enough to turn, and then back down to Preston Brook.
A quick stop at Midland Chandlers, and then we just made the transit window for the tunnel, entering at 10:40.
We came back in to daylight at 10:55, and were amazed to see 5 boats waiting between the lock and the tunnel, and a further 7 above the lock! All ready to go north through the tunnel!

Between Preston Brook and Saltersford Tunnels we came across 2 groups of boats, heading north. We’ve never seen it so busy on this stretch. Then it dawned on me that these will all have been visiting last weekend’s Folk Festival at Middlewich, and will now be heading home.
I’m glad we’re going the other way.

A clear run through Barnton, serviced at Anderton and moored at our favourite spot near Marbury at 14:30.

Locks 1, miles 10½

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