A cold morning’s cruise.

Down to -6° this morning at eight o’clock. You know I said yesterday that it has to be really cold for ice to form on this canal? Well, that’s cold enough!

Meg loves it when it’s frosty…

Daft dog!

The temperature warmed up enough to melt the thin, brashy ice on the canal before we left, but not enough to melt the frost out of the sun.

Less than a mile away was the bottom of the three Baddiley Locks. It was empty so I dropped Meg off on the lock landing then gently nudged the gates open with the front fender and motored in to the chamber. These locks are ideally constructed for single-handing with ladders on both sides of the chamber positioned at either end. So one is always close to the counter, no matter which way the boat is going.
 
A good job too, the roof was much too icy for clambering about on!

The middle of the three had a boat coming down, so it was just a few minutes before that one was ready for me, and the top lock, Baddiley No 1, was still empty as they’d left it.

Baddiley No 1.


It was a beautiful morning but cold, barely above freezing. I bought some gloves from Screwfix last winter, and they’re a god-send in this weather. Rubber for waterproofing and a good grip, lined for warmth. They’re a steal at £6.







After the locks we didn’t have much further to go, the sight of Wrenbury church tower across the fields indicating that we were approaching our destination, just short of Church Lift Bridge.




Tackling the locks since leaving Barlaston has been fine, but now, until Mags is fit enough to spend some time on the tiller, there’s a whole new set of challenges in the form of the lift bridges. Most of them have the lifting mechanism on the offside of the canal, with limited opportunities on that side for mooring.
I‘m sure I’ll work it out…

Locks 3, miles 2¾