Thursday, June 16, 2011

Shorter than planned….

I got stuck in yesterday, doing some of the preparation work before redesigning the bedroom. Wall cupboards came down, trims came off and the walls got 3 coats of silk emulsion after the redundant screwholes were filled.

At the moment we’re a bit cramped, with the cupboards gone their contents are stacked around the dinette, and the dismantled units themselves are stacked up. I intend to re-use a lot of the panels where I can.

Today we intended to head back upstream, stopping somewhere on Barnton Cut. It was a dull start to the day, and by the time we were ready to move out we had a little light rain.

Leaving Devil’s Garden on a gloomy morning.

Curving wake on a long bend.

That railway viaduct again.

We arrived at Dutton Lock and had to wait for the lockie to empty the chamber for us. We’d got in with the gates shut behind us when NB Amy arrived, so the gates were opened again so we could go up together. We'd met before, sharing the mooring at Vale Royal last week.

Just above the lock the towpath crosses the river loop on an elegant wooden arched bridge.

Dutton Horse Bridge

The spans are constructed of laminated timber, the individual layers are visible in close-up.

It took a while to get through Dutton Lock, and we knew we’d arrive at Saltersford while the lockie was having his lunch, so decided to pull in at Acton Swing Bridge to fill with water. I hadn’t realised but there’s also an elsan disposal here so we made use of that as well.

The day was looking a bit dodgy, so we had a council of war and decided to stop here overnight. Another reason; it saves me hauling bags of shopping from Sainsbury’s in Northwich; we’ve ordered a Tesco delivery for tomorrow morning. He can pull right alongside here.

With turning the bed through 90º, the TV needs to be resited, so I’ve been threading a new aerial lead and power supply to the new location this afternoon. I looked out of the window at one point and saw a sight that’s not so common any more….

Acton Swing Bridge being swung!

Just seen the weather forecast. Looks like it might be a soggy trip to Nothwich tomorrow. Still, it’s not so far.

Locks 1, miles 3½

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