A couple of beaufiful day’s cruising.

It’s been sunny and dry, but there’s been a chilly breeze from the north-east keeping the temperature down. But still, it’s not Easter yet. We’ve had snow on Good Friday in the past!
We dropped down the last two locks of the Cheshire Flight yesterday morning, filled up with water at the Wheelock services, then set off on the three-mile pound to the next one on the way to Middlewich.

Locks 65 and 66 at the bottom of the Cheshire Flight

Wheelock Services.


The canal twists and turns as it leaves Wheelock, following the valley of the river for which the village is named.

But after the dismantled Bridge 158 it starts to straighten and head decisively north. The river meanwhile continues westward a while longer before also heading up to Middlewich and joining the River Dane just to the north of the town.

An angling match near Ettiley Heath, but they were mostly amenable as we passed.

After Wheelock the next lock is Crow’s nest Lock, and we arrived just in time…

We’d actually passed another four boats heading up towards Wheelock, so I was pretty sure the locks would be with us.

Booth Lane Locks, 68 and 69, alongside the busy A533 Booth Lane



The last time we came into Middlewich the usually large swan population had been reduced to just one or individuals. But there are more about again now, including a Whooper Swan mixed into the more common Mutes. He was very shy, this was the closest I could get…

Coming into Middlewich, approaching Kings Lock

It was a “shall we, shan’t we” moment, before we decided to pull in above the lock for the night.

This morning, it was bright sunshine again after a chilly night. I was just getting ready to head down to Kings Lock when there was a flurry of activity around the lock as a boat came up. So I held back to let them leave the lock, incidentally ready for us.

While Mags was dropping down I walked around the corner to Wardle Lock, to find it empty and ready for us. So I opened the gates, trotted back to Kings, and then we turned the sharp corner under the bridge and into the lock.




We’re now going uphill, and will be doing so for a while.

Above Wardle Lock

Just before Stanthorne Lock, as the canal leaves the town, is where that major breech occurred on March 16th 2018 which closed the Middlewich Branch for 9 months.  

It’s all looking very solid now, and they’ve even installed a few mooring rings at the Stanthorne Lock end of the reconstruction.

Coming up Stanthorne Lock.


We had a lovely trip through the rolling Cheshire countryside, heading south and west.

At Weaver Bank lies a canal-side cottage and a row of converted stables.

The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company ran a passenger fly-boat service between Chester and Middlewich, hauled by a team of horses that were regularly changed. This was one of the change-over points. The cottage would have been occupied by the ostler, responsible for ensuring a fit team of horses were always available.

Passing Church Minshull down in the valley, the Weaver is crossed on an embankment, then there are some fine moorings just before Aqueduct Marina, where we pulled in.

We’re going to have a day off tomorrow, before toddling on on Friday to join the Main Line at Barbridge.

Locks 9, miles 12¾ – 2 days.