Shiralee Cruise 2012 # 19

Billinge Green Flash to Bridge on the Macclesfield


Wednesday 1st August

I can’t say I’m happy about the weather this morning. Even though it isn’t raining yet, the wind is really too strong to even contemplate moving. Still, I can think of far worse places to spend three days moored up.

Thursday 2nd August

That high wind of yesterday had died down before we turned in and it is still pretty calm this morning although, at 5.30 am we did have a red sky. Oh dear!

We really must be on the move this morning, so I’m hoping it will stay calm. However, we haven’t decided which way to go as yet. We need to empty both cassettes and top up with water, not to mention some much needed shopping. Going on to Middlewich will save a few days in our trip to the Macclesfield, but that will mean calling into the boatyard at Middlewich and then finding somewhere to moor up. Alternatively, if we return to Anderon, we can use the BW facilities and then catch the bus into Northwich. Decisions, decisions!!

We’ll think more on it after breakfast.

A couple of days or so ago my Smart Defrag nag screen came up telling me there was now a new version. So, as I like to keep my programmes up to date, I downloaded and installed Version 2. I made sure to click on the bit that says not to run it on boot up. This morning I had another nag screen telling me the programme wasn’t working and, despite all my efforts finding a solution, I went online to CNet Download and downloaded it again. After uninstalling the earlier install, I then reinstalled Smart Defrag 2 and tried running it again. No go! I am now left with the Windows defrag prog. Any ideas on this would be much appreciated.

Friday 3rd August

Well, how about that? I’ve just been online to CNetDownload and downloaded Smart Defrag 2, saved it to my desktop – I always keep downloaded programmes in my Download Folder, just in case they need re-installing at a later date – and then installed it. Would you believe it, the darn thing works this time? There are times when this laptop is a bit of a pain in the rear end.

Yesterday we decided to go on to Middlewich and, after topping up with water at the bottom of the Big Lock – this one is a double – we passed through the lock and moored up, doing so at about 10 am.

Our next important stop was for victuals and the chemist for my prescription. As usual the chemist had to order my test strips as they had not had any call for them in the past! Wow! A brand new product, which I seem to be the guinea pig, for and I’m wasting days waiting for it to be ordered. I really must have a word with our surgery staff when I get back to Mercia.

Our next stop after shopping was a walk to the chandlery at King’s Lock. This is quite a stretch for my legs, because it takes in the distance between three more locks, but I made it there and back without too much trouble. The purpose of our visit was twofold, one was for some smelly stuff for the cassette, the other was for a new horn which, I’m very pleased to say, they had in stock and, joy of joys, it was £15 cheaper than the one we would have bought at Anderton, had the nice man there bothered to get one for us.

Sadly, the local chemist doesn’t get a delivery of regular medicines until 11 am, so it will be a late start for us, assuming it doesn’t pee down again. The weather this morning is looking promising, it’s sunny and calm, but that could change by the time we get away from here.

Later…………

Having collected our chemical stuff at around midday and also picked up a few more things at Tesco and as it was a reasonable looking day, we decided to set off for Whelock.

Huh! Not a good idea. We had only travelled past the first bridge and were approaching the first lock, when we noticed that there were three boats already waiting to pass through. This, we thought, is going to take us all day and we still have another seven locks to go after this one, each of which will entail waiting for the others to go through. At this rate we’d be lucky to see Whelock by dinner time.

Needless to say we spent the next hour reversing back to the nearest mooring rings and decided to stay the nigh and make an early start Saturday morning, and I mean early. Wifey has volunteered to forego the pleasure of tea in bed so that we can be away by 7.30 am, which means we should be at Whelock well before lunchtime.

Saturday 4th August

Mooring overnight near a large town on a Friday can be cause for concern, especially when there are a few pubs nearby. From reports by other boaters when moored by the kiddies play area, the chances of night time disruption appear to be higher. I suppose we must have been fortunate in mooring at the first place we could when we backed up yesterday afternoon, because all we heard was faint music drifting across from town. Wifey thinks this came from The Narrowboat, but we heard no rowdy behaviour after the pubs shut, so no complaints there.

With the day dawning calm with light cloud, we could be equally lucky this morning and make our way through the eight locks and five miles to Whelock. One thing is for certain, we won’t be setting off in the afternoons again, especially where several locks are concerned. Too much trouble!!

As you all know by now, Sheila and I do quite a bit of reading. We mostly wade through authors such as Patterson, Cussler, Rankin and Crais etcetera, which are thrillers and mysteries in genre. Jeffrey Deaver is another favourite of ours and, with the exception of his Carte Blanche, we had read every one of his novels.

Carte Blanche is Mr Deaver’s attempt at taking over the role of Ian Fleming and writing about James Bond. Now, although Deaver makes a reasonable job of the Bond character, he doesn’t quite match the flair of Fleming with his story line. In fact I do believe some other authors have also tried his hand at bond, but I’m not sure who they are. Suffice it to say, with Ian Fleming no longer with us, I think Bond should be left in peace also. But then I could be wrong.

Later………….

True to her word, Wifey surfaced real early this morning and we were away by 7 am. We had six miles and eight locks to pass through to get to Wheelock and we didn’t want to be stuck behind other boaters like yesterday afternoon.

In the event we needn’t have worried, we met very few other boaters on our trip and, as luck would have it, after filling up at the water point, we managed to squeeze ourselves into the only spot available. The whole trip took us four hours.

The shops are just a short walk away and we found a small mini-market and a pet food shop, both of which came in handy. Also, for the first time in living memory we decided on local fish and chips for dinner. The lady in the chippie pulled two anaemic looking pieces of fish out of the pan, all flat and without any puffiness to the batter and, when we asked for ‘regular’ chips, she just seemed to shovel them on like they were going out of style. Honestly, the amount of chips she plastered on to our pieces of paper could have fed a family of sic for a fortnight. I have to say I was not impressed and am surprised the shop is actually trading. Nope, next time I want fish and chips, we’ll do it in the time honoured way, home made.

With three pubs to choose from we’ll stay here tomorrow too.

Tuesday 7th August

The Cheshire Cheese pub was empty on Sunday, apart from us and one other person, and he was sitting in the garden. Apparently the boss lady’s hubby celebrated his 60th birthday the night before, so, obviously his regulars had spent all their money.

Later in the afternoon we enjoyed a very rare thunderstorm and plenty of torrential rain, so I still haven’t fitted the new hooter.

Yesterday we made an early start and headed for Hassel Green but, since we know there are very limited moorings above the lock; and they can’t be seen until you are there; we decided to moor up below it at bridge 148. This is where we moored the last time we came through here, only in the opposite direction. On that occasion the towpath was pretty clear of weeds and other overgrowth. This year, as with the Worcester and Birmingham, nothing has been done to keep such growth down. Goodness knows what next year will bring, and BW is now a charity!! On top of all the weeds and set to annoy us even more, was the fact that we had plonked ourselves over a ledge, so that every time a boat went by the bottom of the boat banged against it. Even with a rope fender wrapped around the tyres we still felt the occasional bump. Thank goodness nobody travels during the night.

I joined Townlink buses in Harlow in 1993; since when they have been taken over by Arriva; and I joined a Lottery syndicate, to which I still belong. I had a call from my old colleague Alan, asking for my contribution. I usually send him £10 at a time, which seems to last for far more than 10 weeks, since we usually win a few odds and sods here and there.

As a matter of interest he pointed out that, after 17 years without a decent win, we in the syndicate had contributed over £30,000 to the lottery coffers. And not one decent win to show for it.

Today we’re off to Rode Heath.

Wednesday 5th August

Rode Heath is just a couple of miles and nine locks away from the Macclesfield canal and boasts a Post Office/General Store and a couple of pubs, one of which we used last time we came through here. Fortunately there are also plenty of moorings, but only if you arrive here at a sensible time of day. Some folks like to get plenty of cruising in during the day, especially those that are on holiday, as a consequence of which they sometimes have trouble mooring up at their destination.

We didn’t use the pub this time, settling instead for an ice cream, but we probably will on our return trip in a few weeks time. Meanwhile we’ll set off for Red Bull Basin and the BW facilities, where we’ll meet up with Alan and Chris Oxley. We’ll also meet Chris’s grandchildren whom they are babysitting.

Tomorrow we’ll move the boat along a bit, which will place us nearer the local shops at Kidsgrove, after which we’ll either stay another night or move along the Maccy.

Friday 10th August

Yesterday morning, after topping up with water, we moved the boat up two locks so as to be nearer to Tesco and the Vet’s. Tesco for obvious reasons, the vet’s because our wee pooch has been having problems negotiating the stern steps when coming back onto the boat. Sometimes she will miscalculate and has been known to take a tumble, so much so that we now have to lift her down the steps. It seems she probably has a touch of arthritis and may have to be put on medication. For now though we have some stuff to giver, so we’ll see how she goes.

It’s marvellous, isn’t it, on the day when it’s really warm, we find ourselves in a spot where it’s too hot to even consider painting the roof? We’ll get to it eventually, I suppose.

Well, I finally finished my pastel of Rusty and, even if I say so myself, it’s not too bad for a first time. My next project will be the Trip Boat in Llangollen. The Trip Boat uses a horse-drawn passenger boat to take people down to Horseshow Fall, which are not accessible by narrowboat.

Today, after Wifey pops out for the paper and some more milk, we’ll be off up one lock and then turning off onto the Macclesfield canal.

Saturday 11th August

Once again we started out on a really beautiful day and took just two hours to negotiate the two locks and three miles to bridge 86 on the Macclesfield canal. To be honest, the day was far too hot for my liking, simple because I sweat very easily. Thankfully, I don’t suffer from the smelly side of sweating. Yeuk!

Last night was a different story though. Having used our boat hook to remove weeds from the rear fender, I must have replaced it in its cradle incorrectly because, during the night, when the wind whipped up, it rattled around and disturbed our sleep. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me in briefs and waterproof, standing on the stern deck in a howling gale. Not a pretty sight.

Now, for what it’s worth and since we have a nice, strong signal here, let’s post.

All the best for the weekend and following week.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.