No hassle to Hassall Green

Today saw the start of this spell of settled, warm weather, and our first fairly intensive locking day for quite some time.

We got off reasonably early to give us options for later, and to take advantage of the fine day.

Leaving Middlewich

The fence on the left is a new addition. The stretch here is popular with swans, and every year several were killed by traffic on Booth Lane. Local campaigners raised money to have the fence built and the contractor also contributed.

The first lock of the day was Rumps Lock, followed shortly after by the demolition site where the RHM factory used to stand. This was famous for production of Bisto Gravy and Saxa salt. A sculpture representing The Bisto Kids was saved from the wrecking ball and now has pride of place in Middlewich Library.

There’s a footbridge across the canal, allowing access to the factory from the car park. The bridge is still there, connecting nothing to nowhere.

Bridge to nowhere

The canal continues alongside Booth Lane for a couple of miles, although it changes sides at Tetton Bridge. There are another 2 locks along here, before road and canal finally part company.

Booth Lane Locks

From here there’s a windy section to Wheelock, with just one more lock at Crows Nest.

We passed NB Sandwich just below the lock, and they followed us up. They are a newly-wedded couple, the honeymoon is a fortnight’s cruise around the Four Counties Ring!

NB Sandwich

At Wheelock we topped up the water and emptied a loo and the rubbish. BW are trialing a mixed recyclables bin here, so I’d been segregating all the rubbish, but was dismayed to find that people had thrown general rubbish in the recycling skip. The notice on the front is big enough, believe me.

From this point on the locks come more frequently as the canal climbs up towards the settlement of Malkin’s Bank.

Bottom end of the Wheelock Flight.

We started to meet boats coming down, so it was one in, one out, efficient use of the locks.

Doing the boat shuffle between L65 and L66

We were making good time so option 1, mooring up just above Lock 61, was ignored.

A lot of these gates were replaced during last winter's stoppages.

New gates at Lock 58

Two more locks took us towards Hassall Green and our second option for a stop, but we chose to press on, under the motorway bridge and up the pair of locks at Hassall Green before pulling over.

Lock 59

Moored up above Lock 57.

We’ve had a good day with most of the locks in our favour (a good road as the boatmen would have said). We need to press on a bit as we now need to be at Fradley in a week’s time. Mags has an appointment for her annual MOT at our local clinic a week tomorrow, and Fradley is a handy spot for mooring and getting a motor out of Lichfield.

Locks 14, miles 7½  

On the up…

Today we made a start on the long climb up from The Cheshire Plain to The Potteries. Thirty-five locks lift the canal around 330 feet from Middlewich to the summit level at Harecastle Hill in less than 14 miles. OK, we didn’t make much of a start, just the first 5 through Middlewich. But hey, you know what Confucious once said:- “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Or in this case, 5 of them…

We set off this morning under grey skies after a promising start. Just 10 minutes away was Big Lock, named this because it’s…. big! Well, compared to the rest up to the summit, anyway.

Big Lock, Middlewich.

The pub is called The Big Lock, too.

The lock was built to barge width to enable salt barges to trade up to Town Wharf, but the size is now redundant since Croxton Aqueduct, a little further north, was rebuilt to narrow gauge in the 1930’s.

Croxton Aqueduct, now narrow.

As we arrived at the lock a boat was just leaving; as we left another was just arriving. This set the scene for the next three making gate swinging less of a chore. Not that it’s much of one anyway. On the narrow locks the gates are easy to open and close, being half the size of those on the Leeds and Liverpool.

We had a quick stop just after Big Lock so I could make a visit to the local shops, then carried on around the corner to the bottom of the 4 that lift the canal through the town.

Approaching Middlewich Bottom Lock…..

…..And in the chamber.

Anderson Boats, the hire base here, look to be fairly quiet. I expected a bit of a manic scene as returning boats were prepared for the next crews.

In Middlewich Three Locks.

With boats heading down and plenty of crews helping each other, we made good time to Wardle Junction where the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal arrives from the west.

Here Kings Lock was against us, but a boat had just arrived at the top so it was set for them.

After they dropped down we let another boat up ahead of us. They were pressing on towards Stoke, we were only going up the lock then mooring up for the rest of the day.

By the time they were up another had arrived to come down so we had efficient use of the water, no unnecessary emptying or filling required.

A bit busy around Wardle Junction.

The Middlewich Branch comes in under the bridge beneath the road on the left.

We left the lock and moored up alongside Booth Lane. It’s quite a busy road, but does quieten down later. And it’s Sunday tomorrow so the commuters will be staying in bed. One nuisance is the loose manhole (can I still call them that?) lid that rattles every time a vehicle runs over it. Though you tend to tune out the clunk-clunk after a while.

Popped across to the chippy for lunch, still recommended.

We’ll stay here tomorrow, after all we’ve travelled for 2 days on the trot! Anyway, the Singapore Grand Prix is on in the afternoon.

Locks 5, miles 1½    

Home Turf

First off, thanks to everyone who sponsored me for the Great North Run. Total raised is around £400, so not bad at all.

I’m back in training again, a 10k in Sheffield on the 9^th October is the next one. And, as I was a little disappointed with my time last weekend, I’ve entered another ½ marathon at the end of October. I’ve been through my race strategy and I think I know where I went wrong. You’d think I’d know better by now, but I got caught up in the “buzz” at the start and set off too fast. By mile 9 I’d started to run out of steam, so my pace dropped dramatically.

We’re now on the road south, intending to be on the Soar early in November. We’re having a family bean-feast on November 5^th. Having missed Dad’s birthday celebrations while we were up on the Lancaster, we’ve no intention of missing this one!

We’d been hanging around Anderton this week, waiting for a repaired alternator to come back. I’ve not been idle though. I’ve knocked up a couple of rolling under-bed storage boxes. The alternator arrived yesterday afternoon (Thanks, Dave at Uplands) so this morning we pulled back onto the services to do the necessary, then set off around 09:45.

 Leaving Anderton services.

This is very familiar territory to us. Just over 5 years ago, on August 9^th our “shakedown cruise” took us to Preston Brook and back. Seyella looked a little different back then, mainly due to the lack of stuff on the roof!

Moored in Marbury Wood, August 9^th 2006.

The canal swings wide around Northwich, not approaching closer than a mile of the centre. At Wincham Wharf there was the usual crowd of boats. With Colliery Narrowboats, Olympus Narrowboats, M&I Marine and Harrel Brokerage all sited here, it’s hardly surprising.

Wincham Wharf

The boat hoist at Harrel’s had just dropped a boat in as we passed.

Getting the new blacking wet for the first time.

A little further on we passed Orchard Marina, Seyella’s spiritual if not actual home.

Orchard Marina.

Changes have taken place here since 2006. It’s now owned by Liverpool Boats.

The southerly of the two large flashes near Watcroft was surprisingly empty of boats. The only one was NB Wild Horses.

NB Wild Horses in splendid isolation.

It’s a lovely, quiet spot, this. There is a goods line running nearby, but it’s infrequently used. And depending on the wind direction aircraft heading for Manchester Airport may pass overhead. But for all that it’s a favourite spot.

Nothing like a good stretch….

Pushing on we passed the fine Watcroft Lodges at Bridge 179, then swung south easterly, following the Dane valley.

There are some delightful wooded sections along here, above the river.

Above the River Dane.

Still life death

We pulled in between Croxton Flash and Croxton Aqueduct, about a mile from Middlewich. It’s been a fine day, cool at first but warm and sunny later. There’s been quite a bit of traffic out on the water as well. Tomorrow we’ll push through Middlewich, hopefully avoiding the hire boats on change-over day, and moor on the other side.

From this point on we’ve 58 locks in 51 miles to take us to Fradley, where we want to be for the Sheffield weekend. But keep it quiet; I’ve not told Mags yet!

Locks 0, miles 8¼

Great North Run 2011

Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt! And the finishers medal, and the aching knees….

Not my best time, but not my worse, either. But still a long way behind Martin Mathathi’s finishing time and course record of 58:57. Fellow Kenyan Lucy Kabuu took 1^st place in the women’s field. How do they do it?

We had an early start, leaving Anderton at 03:30 (yes, that’s half past three in the morning!) and arriving at South Shields at just before 07:00.

Sunrise over Marston Rock.

Looking down the last 1.1 miles. It got a bit busier later…..

I caught a shuttle bus up to the start at around 08:00, leaving Mags and Meg in the car. They’ll be at the 12 mile marker to watch the race unfold later.

Looking down on the start, in 2 hours 50,000+ runners will stream under this bridge.

There are around 30 double decker buses at the start, carrying the baggage of the starters to the finish, to be there when the runners arrive.

Loading the baggage buses.

Heading down to the start line.

The start is organised into zones, separating runners of different abilities. This ensures that the faster runners don’t fall over the slower ones! The whole assembly sequence covers over ¾ of a mile of the central motorway through Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Elite runners, those who’ve completed all previous Great North Runs (since 1981), and fast club runners line up right at the front. Behind them are the celebrities.

Celeb spotting.

Following along are the rest of us.

In the zone.

Penned in with the rest of my paced runners, Orange C. Poor photo, looking into the sun.

It’s all over, now I’ve the long walk back to Mags and the car.

Looking down on the extensive hospitality village. Most of the supported charities have a tent with staff that welcome their runners with drinks, food and a massage.

The Red Arrows display team always appear at the event. They do a fly past before the start, then soon after the gun has gone off. This time they flew a tribute formation in memory of their colleague, Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging who lost his life at the Bournemouth Air Festival in July. His widow, Emma, was running the race to raise money for a trust she’s set up in his name.

The final appearance of the team is at South Shields, at the finish point of the race. They arrived as I was walking back.

The iconic Red Arrows

The weather wasn’t too bad, cool and bright at the start, then we had a heavy shower 2 or 3 miles from the finish. This blew over in time for the air display.

Some of the later starters feeling the pain but with only ½ a mile to go.

We drove back via Ingleton, just a flying visit to say hi and pick up the mail, then got back to the boat at around 7 o’clock. A bit of a long day.  Slept well last night!

Many thanks to all those who sponsored me to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. If you forgot, or never got round to it, my sponsorship website is still open…..

And thanks for all the messages of support, here, by text and on Facebook.

Locks 0, miles 378 by car, 13.1 running.