An easy day.

Yesterday I finished the door liners at the stern and on the right hand side hatch. Quite pleased with the result.

Back door panels.From today and for some time we’ll be “left side to” with the towpath swapping sides at Church Lawton and on the left heading up the Macclesfield Canal. This gives me an opportunity to do the same for the left hand side doors.In fact I made a start when we’d tied up today.

There were a few boats on the move today before we got away, all heading downhill, so we had what the boatmen used to call “a good road”, with all the locks in our favour. We only passed one other boat all day, near Snapes Aqueduct.

Mags posingThurlwood is a pleasant spot

Thurlwood top lock, No 53, is the only one on the Cheshire locks with one ground paddle and a gate paddle.
Palmer and Harvey was delivering to the Broughton Arms at Rode Heath.
Time was, they were pies and sandwiches, then fast food, now it's....
The prettiest bit, Lawton Treble Locks.The local branch of the IWA is having a “do” here on Bank Holiday Monday.

Meg had been off all trip, but she decided to ride up the last 2 locks.Don’t know who Mags is waving at though….

Church Locks are a pair with a short pound in between. All the locks on the Cheshire flight were duplicated to speed up boat traffic, but a lot have been filled or fallen into disrepair. Both of the south chambers of these locks are derelict, but local volunteers have been working towards reopening them.

Church Locks
We pulled over shortly after, on the Church Lawton visitor moorings. Not another boat in sight. Very unusual at this popular stop-over.

Just watched the news. Gordon Brown’s faux pas has made headlines, as has the hapless would-be sailor who tried to sail his second-hand boat around the coast from Gillingham to Southampton, but ended up circumnavigating the Isle of Sheppy instead. His charts? A road atlas!
It's good to see the British pioneering spirit is still alive and well, if a little ill considered.
After being rescued by the Coast Guard (he ran out of fuel), he set off again on his voyage of discovery. I'm sure he'll get a warm welcome if when he gets to Southampton!

Locks 10, miles 3¼