New Territory for us

We've not cruised the Trent and Mersey Canal north of Middlewich before,

so we're on new water from today (3rd September)

06:15 I got up to make a pot of tea to drink in bed - couldn't resist these early morning pictures

the sun appearing over the horizon

and the mist gentle on the water and edges, the sun soon burnt the mist away and became another sunny day. We descended Wardle Lock and backed up for water and set off into the unknown (to us)!! 

We could have chosen a better day - it was change over day at the two hire boat companies and the canal was chock-a-block full of moored boats, most double breasted, it was like working your way down a snake on the snakes and ladders board and to make things more interesting one of the paddles on the bottom lock of the Middlewich 3was broken and everything came to a halt for a while...

... but we were on our way eventually - here crossing Croxton Aquaduct .. 

and arriving at Croxton Flash which came as quite a surprise I must say; it was so big

keeping left of the markers as instructed ..

.. it went from the sublime to the ridiculous into a very narrow channel.

We eventually moored up at Bramble Cuttings just north of bridge 176.  This very pleasant mooring was apparently created by the Broken Cross Boat Club from an old clay pit from which the clay was used to line the canal.  It has picnic benches and a BBQ stand, but unfortunately no TV signal!

we stayed here for 2 nights and on the second day Kate and Paul Money and family pulled in on their hireboat and we got chatting (as you do).  They have been thinking of retiring and buying a boat of their own but not really done anything about it. We invited them to look around RnR and they were most impressed; Paul even asked us to give him first refusal if we ever decided to sell and I suggested that from their enthusiasm about going ahead with their plans they would have already purchased a craft long before we'd be ready to hang up our windlass.

It was great to meet you Kate and Paul - keep in touch - we'd love to hear what happens next.