Middlewich and southwards

Monday June 7 Bramble Cuttings to Middlewich and near Wheelock 

Bramble Cuttings was once a quarry for canal puddling clay, now developed as a visitor mooring by Broken Cross Boat Club and CRT. Well done!   We passed Croxton Flash, still with lumps sticking up, then over the narrow Croxton Aqueduct to the wide Big Lock and adjoining pub at Middlewich. 

The pedestrian bridge was being refurbished.

NB Cxxxxx stole the lock from a hire boat by going straight in ahead of them, then did nothing to help! Liana shouted to this hire firm skipper as Cxxxxx left without closing the other top gate, so he then reversed hard and left a lady and dog behind to do it! She couldn't move it, so he had to come back and help - what a palaver! He must have been having a bad day, despite the wonderful canal environment we are so lucky to enjoy. We shared the lock with the hireboat folk, friendly beginners. Mooring up on visitor moorings above the lock, we visited town for supplies, which increased to include red wine and more flowers for the roof! After a snack lunch and coffee beside Big Lock, we set off through the three Middlewich locks, meeting NB Momemts of Inertia, clearly owned by another physicist! John spotted a lovely decorated cask on one boat passing.

Past Andersens and Middlewich Narrowboats hire bases and the busy junction with the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, we ascended Kings Lock and Rumps lock. These have bridges at the lock tail, helping us to operate tail gates.

 

 Huge mounds of salt were visible at the British Salt works, where palleted bags of salt were ready for transporting.

After a big Chemical works, a large new housing estate has been built after the three Booth Lane locks, near Elton Moss Bridge, where there was no sign of the boat builders.  

Someone has gone to town on converting this old watermill.

We decided to moor in the country near bridge 157, before Wheelock. The roof flowers are beginning to look good. 

Steak and red wine went down well!