... to Macclesfield !
Elaine here ...
Today we set off late morning again - we just can't seem to get it together in the mornings !!! We heard the boat next to us set off at 6.30 am - it just seemed like the middle of the night !! We headed off on our continuing journey along the Trent and Mersey canal toward Macc. This part of our trip took us through Stoke on Trent - and a flight of 5 locks through the town itself - which was a new experience for us - all our locks had pretty much been in 'the sticks before this' !
As we were travelling along, we saw this Sainsbury's distribution centre - I took the pic sideways as I couldn't fit it all in !!! What a massive building - I have never seen a building so big - it just went on and on and on ! It must feel like a small city inside it !
On one of the locks the BW people were getting some rubbish out of a gate - so I had a nice chat with one of them while we were the test subjects going through the newly cleaned gate !
There are some amazing bottle kiln buildings still standing in Stoke
- monuments to its potteries past! (If you want to see some more info on the bottle kilns still standing, follow this link .. click here).
- monuments to its potteries past! (If you want to see some more info on the bottle kilns still standing, follow this link .. click here).
Whilst going up the locks we followed and elderly chap who was travelling along with only his dog - heading for Manchester. I tried to help him as much as I could after I had finished our lock (and the chap from the next boat waiting to come up was finishing off our lock for us, so I could get ahead and help him - so it was all working really well). Those locks are really deep - they made me feel quite nauseous looking into them - and that elderly boater was tackling them single handed for much of the way - tying up his boat, opening gates, climbing up ladders - what an amazing man !
The chap who was in the boat behind us turned out to be someone who had been following our blog - and was also from Yardley Gobion ! Great to meet you, Bob - and your lock keeper (sorry I didnt get your name - oops !). This narrowboating world really is a small world !!
I also found some interesting pictures on this website (just click here somewhere !) - it shows some old pics of lock 36 and how it looks today ! Interesting !
Anyway, we finally made it up the locks and carried on along our way.
We stopped for a top up of diesel and we filled the fuel tank again - so Paul worked out it is averaging 1.48 litres per hour - including running the heater - which is pretty darn good !
Tonight we are moored up at Longport - at Westport lake - which is really pretty ! As ever though, photos don't do a place justice !
We took the dogs for a walk around the lake and then along the towpath back towards the town. There were loads of Canada Geese and their babies (? Goslings I guess) around the lake! Very pretty .... very protective !
On the way back to the boat, we snapped these bottle kilns ...
Some really sad looking buildings ... I hope something is made of them one day!
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