archivejuly-aug2005

July 4

As forecast, the weather has been reasonably cool but dry - until yesterday evening - so we've stayed at Dunham, mainly painting the side of the boat but also celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary with another pint at the Vine Inn. We are saving our special meal for the Spread Eagle in Lymm where we remember the food as very good, though not as cheap as our missing sizzlers.

We had been here for only a day when we received an email from Carl and Liz (now back at home after their cruise on Blackstone) offering to take us shopping if we needed a lift. We were quick to accept and they picked us up on Saturday morning and drove us to Sainsbury's and various DIY centres in Altrincham, returning to Snecklifter for a well-earned coffee and biscuit (they wouldn't have more than one - we'll invite them again!)

Liz and Carl had earlier in the season offered to help us on our proposed ascent of the Wigan flight but by Saturday we were able to tell them that we had now decided against returning to the Leeds and Liverpool this season. However they have said if they are free they'll help lock us through Heartbreak Hill two or three weekends from now and, again, the only reward they ask is hot bacon sandwiches and coffee when they finish. We'll probably throw in some sausages as well.

It's still raining so we'll sit here in this lovely spot until we have a two hour dry slot to get us back to Lymm. In the meantime we can enjoy emails from friends like Sarah Levick on Arcadia who is cruising on the Ashby with husband Andy and their four greyhounds :

"Well, I’m corresponding with you based at one of your mooring tips – just beyond bridge 26. Excellent choice – the dogs went mad and raced over the bridge and back again. In fact, they’ve been doing a lot of that at every stop. Last night, we moored between bridges 7 and 8, and they loved that despite the ‘light up the sky’ storms we had. I tried to get them to do a pre-bed pee but it was tipping it down and they just looked at me like I was stupid. Thankfully, they managed to hold it till 6 this morning. The only things I really have to guard against are a) Monty finding a hole in the hedge - which he’s a very successful at and which necessitates many commando like scrambles in his wake by yours truly - and b) other dogs and their owners. Monty and Miffy are not too good with small dogs but today, faced with two tiny JRs coming their way, they just legged it in the opposite direction. So maybe I don’t have to worry too much.

"Anyway, this cruise has already been the Friends of Snecklifter holiday. We’ve said hello to Wimopson and Ronarosa, although the latter penny only dropped when we were too far past to mention the connection. Hopefully we’ll get to the end of the canal tomorrow and then dawdle homewards. Our cratch should be ready when we get back and I know we’re going to put it to very good use, so it’s worth the investment."

July 6

A day of high drama yesterday - by Cut standards, that is. We woke early in the morning to find the boat heeling over a fair bit even though we had pushed her out from the bank the previous evening because the water level was dropping. By 7 am we were on our way to Lymm, stopping at the Old Number Three to take on water, have some breakfast and chat with our friend Jim on Jed who told us all about the problems with the sluice in Manchester - the canal from Sale into Castlefields had apparently drained dry. In Lymm we stopped again, intending to spend the day so that we could enjoy our promised anniversary meal, but talking with another boater 45 minutes after arriving we learned the water level was still falling. We decided the best place to be was not there.

By 11 am we were on our slow and increasingly bumpy way off the Bridgewater, passing boats at long-term mooring sites that were leaning over at varying angles and in some areas actually sitting on the exposed mud bank at the canal's edge. Most of the time we made reasonable speed on the wide stretches where there were no moored craft to slow us to our usual crawl but through a number of bridge holes we had to steer carefully, riding up over banked silt or other obstructions. The bridge beyond the Runcorn arm was especially difficult and at one stage I thought we would be stuck there but we did find a narrow way through that allowed us to slide over the silt. By the time we reached the Bridgewater end of Preston Brook Tunnel we found it impossible to moor while we waited the 40 minutes before it was time for our passage through and I had to stay at the tiller, keeping the boat more or less centred in the canal.

And all this time it was raining. It started as drizzle soon after we left Lymm and by the time we got through the tunnel and moored at the first sensible mooring, about a quarter of a mile after the stop lock, it was very heavy indeed and we were both soaked. We tied up at about 4.15 so, deducting the time we spent in Lymm and watering at the Old Number Three, I must have spent about eight hours at the tiller - and as regular readers of this diary know that's a lot more than usual. Liz spent most of the time below in the dry but she supplied me with constant cups of tea and sandwiches and finished two loads of washing.

Not surprisingly, I was physically knackered but pleased that we had reached the Trent and Mersey, even though we were cheated of a couple more days on the Bridgewater, especially at our special spot near Moore where we spent so many enjoyable days three years ago. We had that enforced five-week stay on the Bridgewater in June-July 2002, of course, because of a breach in the T & M near Anderton. This time we had to leave because of problems on the Bridgewater itself. Perhaps we should stay away from the area in the future! But then, think of all the excitement we'd miss.

July 9

After a couple of idle days near Acton Bridge - in my case a break for recuperation - we set off yesterday morning in search of bread and a few basics. We stopped briefly near Barnton tunnel so Liz could walk to the shops in the nearby village and then pressed on to this excellent stretch of visitor moorings about half a mile above the Lion salt works at Marston. With its broad band of concrete before you reach the grass it is a perfect place to continue painting the side of the boat and that is exactly what I did through most of yesterday afternoon. The work will continue over the weekend unless it gets too hot - though even then I could reverse the boat (or walk it) a few hundred yards under an avenue of trees.

We will also use some of the time to reply to emails (sorry we've been slow recently) among them this charming but, in one respect, thought-provoking missive from Chris and Richard Adams:

"We have had some catching up to do with your adventures as we have been busy on our honeymoon in Mullion Cove, Cornwall. Absolutely wonderful walking along the cliffs and countryside and even got face to face with a real live baby badger munching on the vegetation one late dusky evening after dinner at the hotel.

"We have been boatwatching at Denver sluice and got chatting to the owners of one boat who gave us some great tips on living aboard. Richard calls me the boat botherer as I love to chat with anyone that I can, but I only walk by in the hope that people will chat. I don't really bother people, cos I feel when we are living aboard I will chat to anyone, and imagine anyone that has such a lovely lifestyle would only be happy to chat about it. However, reading the August edition of Canal Boat there is a letter from a grumpy old man - his own description of himself - saying that he doesn't want to chat with everyone, so maybe I'd better beware in future."

No, Chris, carrying on talking. The chap you quote is not typical but you can understand his point of view. Some people come on to the Cut for peace and privacy - which is why I always ask other boaters if they mind my mentioning them on this website. Only two have said No in three years and a bit. The majority are friendly, ready to chat at a moment's notice and, as Liz says, it's amazing how much total strangers will tell you about themselves - especially at locks. There are also a few boaters who don't even want to say hello as they pass you on the canal (you can invariably tell them at a distance because they are studiously admiring the countryside in the opposite direction to you!) but then you pass dozens in a day who give you a cheery wave, make a quick comment about the name of your boat, warn you of problems ahead, or just smile and nod.

Keep talking to people, Chris. Most of them will be delighted at your interest in them and their way of life.

July 11

This morning we moved - back under the trees mentioned above. I've managed to carry on painting in the mornings but the last couple of afternoons have grown increasingly hot, which is why we have at last capitulated and sought some shade. However, whatever the weather, we will almost certainly move on tomorrow towards Middlewich and more bread, meat and vegetables to replace dwindling supplies.

July 14

We moved again on Tuesday, this time to Middlewich where we topped up our shelves and re-filled our fridge, stopping on the official visitor moorings near some trees, where we were able to sit out in shade. Although we had not planned it, we stayed for the rest of the day and night, sampling a very cheap pint of Tetley's cask in the White Bear and an excellent pint of Blond Witch (Liz) and an even better pint of Midsummer Madness (me) at the Big Lock, a pub we had not supped at before. On Wednesday we left at 6.15 am to beat the heat - and other boaters - to another mooring under trees about a mile before Wheelock, just four hours of actual travelling plus 20 minutes to water at Middlewich.

This morning an even earlier start to tackle the first batch of locks on the Heartbreak Hill stretch, Liz doing wonders with the windlass on the first seven locks and me taking over on the next five. A short distance after the two locks below Hassall Green we spotted yet another tree-shaded mooring so were safely pinned by 9.30 am. It was very satisfying to watch some of the many boats we passed before breakfast now passing us in increasing heat and humidity. One of them called out, in fact, that he had seen us moored in shade the previous evening and now we'd found a cool spot again - that sort of divination was something he greatly admired! Tomorrow we'll be up and away by 6.30 to reach Red Bull and the Macclesfield in good time for the weekend.

One small p.s. for regular readers. Sometime yesterday morning we passed Judd and Maurean Wall on Piggiwig heading north, with only time for a shouted greeting. Not a season has gone by without meeting or passing them somewhere on the system.

July 16

Three hours yesterday morning brought us down to Red Bull where Liz hoped to use the BW washing machines but when we stopped we discovered that the nearest place to buy a card to operate them was at Harecastle - even though there was a BW office just above the Red Bull facilities. So we moved on immediately and by 11.30 had come on to the Macclesfield canal and moored at Scholar Green. We were looking forward to a return visit to the Bleeding Wolf, but the bleeding pub wouldn't serve beer without the sparkler on the tap so we turned straight round and for the second time that day moved on. By 1pm we were happily esconced in the Rising Sun at Kent Green supping Pedigree the way we prefer it and we liked the pub so much we returned in the evening for sausage egg and chips and another pint or so. The Bleeding Wolf, by the way, is only the third pub in three years to refuse us service. The second, which I neglected to mention at the time, was the Oddfellows in Nantwich. The landlord told me curtly "I don't serve flat beer" and it was only later that I thought of the obvious reply: "If you keep your beer properly it won't be flat."

Anyway, we are happy to be back on the Macc, despite its shallow stretches and the sign on one local house asking boaters not to moor opposite them on a long stretch of legitimate towpath mooring. (Why do some folk choose to live near canals and then complain about boats?) It's a lovely area with the first signs of the high ground that make this and the Peak Forest so special and most of the local people have been really friendly. Coincidentally, we have returned almost to the day three years after our first visit (well, five days later, in fact).

July 19

We stayed at Congleton wharf over the weekend, partly to get some more supplies but mainly so that Liz could see a local doctor to get a repeat prescription - he was excellent. It was also still quite hot and the trees on the towpath side gave us some welcome shelter through most of the day. Our mooring was almost opposite the old mill that three years ago was derelict but is now a des-res for locals who can afford the new flats. See Latest pictures.

Yesterday we left about midday and cruised a mile or so to this quieter mooring on the aqueduct above Galley Bridge. From our side hatch we can see a railway viaduct and on the other side the land drops away to a wooded valley. One of our Ashford in the Water friends, Linda Pelc, is meeting us at the bottom of Bosley flight tomorrow morning - she wanted a day out and we will be glad of an extra pair of hands on the 12 locks - so we are staying here and will set out early in the morning to cover the three or four miles to the flight.

July 20

Linda Pelc arrived from Ashford in the Water yesterday just as we were entering the second lock in the Bosley flight so we made good time through the next 10, mooring on the long pound between locks 2 and 1 so that Linda could eventually get back to her car which had been parked near lock 5. With virtually no mooring available immediately above the lock we decided to spend the night and set off up the final lock early this morning to take on water and avail ourselves of the other facilities. I had forgotten just how beautiful this canal becomes as you rise higher up the flight with wonderful views of The Cloud and beyond Bosley the "vistas" appear around almost every bend.

Just before midday we came down in the shadow of mist-shrouded hills to one of our special moorings at Gurnett Aqueduct and within an hour we were back in Ye Olde King's Head for a delicious pint of Banks, the perfect lunchtime beer that set on us our 25 minute walk into Macclesfield. Late afternoon we saw a familiar smile approaching along the towpath - Wendy Brown and her two dogs Scrappy and Scooby. We had become quite good friends when we first came up here in July 2002 and despite the intervening three years she was as welcoming as ever. Tonight it's back to the pub for a long-delayed anniversary meal - originally planned for Lymm but postponed when we had to flee falling water levels.

We left the basin early on Tuesday morning and were tied up on the long stretch between Furness Vale marina and New Mills by 9 am, giving me the rest of the day and Wednesday to get on with sanding and varnishing the steps into the boat as well as the wardrobe and wet-locker doors at the stern. We also had a visit for coffee from Albert Platt of Smokey Stover who we met on our first visit to the Macc three years ago. Moored at Gurnett Aqueduct at the time, we asked him the way into Macclesfield and he offered to walk the 25 minute route with us. Although he was 79, he certainly outpaced us! Now 82, he is still as fit and is still a fascinating man to talk with about life on the Cut and life in general.

Last night I spent alone, except for the dogs of course, because Liz went back to Ashford in Water with some friends to sing at the local folk club. Most of it I spent in bed. Perhaps because of all the varnish fumes in an enclosed space I felt quite dizzy and couldn't eat anything at teatime, lay down on the bed at 6.15 and woke again at 9.15. I walked the dogs for 10 minutes and went straight back to bed, waking at six this morning and feeling a lot better.

My great regret was that I was unable to join Bob and Barbara Findlow on Lady B who moored behind us. We first met them at Huddlesford two years (see entry for July 12 2003). We did have a short chat as they were mooring but they wanted to get their grandson Jake off to bed before we settled for a long chat and I had to excuse myself to become horizontal as soon I politely could.

Meanwhile we've had a few shouted greetings with George Boyle, known to most boaters around here for his coal and diesel boat Alton. This time he was the steersman on the trip boat Judith May, which is based at Whaley Bridge and has passed us several times. We had often seen her before on car trips to WB from our Derbyshire home but she's looking extremely good at the moment after a repaint. More than deserves her description as Pride of the Peak.

August 1

One of the joys of wandering the canal system for a few years is returning to a mooring you rated highly on your first visit to find that little has changed. It's still as safe and secure as it was, as attractive as you remember - and the local pub is still serving excellent real ales, with friendly staff behind the bar. Higher Poynton is one of those moorings and the Boar's Head is definitely one of those local pubs. We had only been here for 24 hours when our old friend Trevor Cooper-Tydeman arrived on Zungeru with dog Ziggy and family friend Terry Sadler and we almost immediately debouched to the pub for pints of Black Sheep and some first class ham sandwiches with salad and chips on the side. Trevor is another feature of the canal system that doesn't change, of course, merely growing more entertaining on each encounter and there have been plenty of those over the last three years. He and Ziggy have become leitmotivs of our travels.

Zungeru was just leaving us to cruise on to Bugsworth when another pair of old friends approached on the towpath on a round walk from Lyme Hall and they sat with us for an hour drinking coffee and talking about mutual acquaintances. Brian and Pam Edwards lived close to us in Derbyshire and I first met artist Brian when I interviewed him for a feature in the Sheffield Morning Telegraph many, many years ago. The lovely pen and ink drawing of Harecastle Tunnel that he gave us after his last visit to Snecklifter is on our saloon wall, close to a print of another of his drawings that Clive and Joy Thrower gave me for my 60th birthday. Tomorrow Clive and Joy are coming to see us for the day, so the string of happy coincidences continues at this happiest of moorings.

Our last day at Furness Vale/New Mills was splendid, as well. We walked into New Mills in the morning and found the shops there were as good as we remembered and the people as friendly, especially the chap in the second hand bookshop. In the evening, six of the folk club regulars (see Latest pictures) arrived for a picnic on the towpath (it was just warm enough), among them Ken and Mary DeVille and Lesley Swain and Alison Farthing, all of whom have visited the boat many times, plus newcomers Daz and Anna Barker. The latter couple started off the singing beautifully - both of them justly admired in folk-singing circles for their talents - but by the end of the evening all had joined in, especially Lesley and Liz who also have lovely voices. When they all sang - with me, wisely, remaining silent - they created a haunting choral sound that was clearly enjoyed by some neighbouring boaters who commented on it as they passed us when we were watering up at Marple the following morning. Weather witch Alison played a special role in ensuring a dry evening - it has never rained on Snecklifter as far as she's concerned.

August 3

Our Derbyshire friends Joy and Clive Thrower arrived as arranged yesterday, bringing with them their son-in-law's brother, Murat Yakar from Marmaris in Turkey. Studying to be a vet in Turkey but in England for some work experience, Murat is an excellent cook, judging by the chicken goulash he brought for our lunch which we ate at a quiet mooring below Adlington after a short trip from Poynton to show him what a narrowboat can do. Clive steered most of the way and then Murat took the tiller for a short time (see right) before the narrow, twisting canal proved a bit too much for a beginner.

While we enjoyed his tasty goulash, with Joy's blackberry and rhubarb crumble to follow, the Throwers brought us up to date with the latest news from home and we told them about an important change in our boating life. After a few hours we returned them to Poynton to pick up their parked car, moored there overnight and early this morning set off for Gurnett Aqueduct. By the time we reached the same spot below Lyme View marina where we had lunched yesterday it was raining quite heavily so we pulled in, moored and have been here the rest of the day. We'll carry on to Gurnett tomorrow.

Now to that change in our lives. We are no longer continuous cruisers. On our way up the Macclesfield canal on July 23 we pulled in at Lyme View marina to take on diesel and I got talking to David Hodgkinson, the owner, mentioning that four years earlier when we were waiting for our boat to be built we had called there to talk about moorings. They had been absolutely full then and I supposed it was the same now. Surprisingly, David said he had a 60ft slot vacant, we took a look at it and within an hour or so had put down the first six months rental. Although the mooring has no electricity yet (it's due to go in over the next few months) it's very quiet, we look up at hills and, perhaps most important of all, it's only 30-35 minutes car drive from our old home and our friends in Ashford in the Water. During the winter Liz will be able to return regularly to sing at local folk clubs and we will have somewhere safe to leave the boat so we can have a few short breaks together.

For the first few years, of course, it will be a comparatively expensive mooring because we will continue to cruise for six or seven months in the spring, summer and autumn, returning to the Macc some time in October. And even in winter we will do the same as we did during our four months at Barton Turns marina - get out for three or four days at a time every couple of weeks. When ice and winter rain permit, we'll have from Bosley locks to Bugsworth basin to enjoy, although we are more likely to cruise between Gurnett Aqueduct and Furness Vale, with regular breaks at Higher Poyton. The main reason for grabbing the chance of the mooring now is that we have more than one eye on the future. We may decide to cut back on the length of our cruises in a few years time through choice or even illness. We'll then have a good mooring to settle down in.

Our immediate plans have inevitably changed. We will not be making our way back to the Ashby canal which we will miss greatly (we've promised ourselves a month there next season) but will leave the Macc in the next week or so and cruise back up to the Middlewich arm and down the Shroppie as far as Audlem. Then it'll be a slow return to Adlington for the beginning of October when Liz is off to Spain for a few days.

Meanwhile, I have now posted the panorama based on photographs taken at Church Minshull in early June (see Latest pictures ).

August 6

We have spent two enjoyable days at Gurnett Aqueduct, moored just where we like to be, with a view across the spillway towards the distant hills and Macclesfield forest. It's also been a great pleasure to renew our friendship with Wendy Brown, who lives just below the canal and walks her dogs Scooby and Scrappy on the towpath every morning. Yesterday evening her husband Ken was able to join us for a couple of hours so we paid our first visit to Sutton Hall, which used to be a nunnery. Wendy had long been urging us to try its excellent beers and she was certainly right. We sat outside the lovely old building sampling Bass and Hydes ales for me, the guest beer Valour for Ken and cider for Liz and Wendy (see left).

Later we moved inside as the evening grew cooler and were impressed by the unspoilt atmosphere - and the friendliness of the bar staff. We will certainly return there during our winter on the Macc, though it has not replaced the Old King's Head as our first choice for a pint or two - and we've never had a poor meal there. We had intended making an early start to reach Bosley locks this morning but cheerfully changed our plans to walk to Macclesfield market where Wendy sells second-hand books most Saturdays - a hobby that complements her main job as a court usher. Later this afternoon, Liz is going to take advantage of Wendy's kind offer to take some washing over to their cottage - she did the same thing just before we left the canal three years ago and Liz spent a couple of happy hours there. We can always move on tomorrow.

August 8

An early start on Sunday morning while most boaters were still in their bunks brought us down through Bosley locks and on to a quiet country mooring before 11.30. Again this morning we set off before 6.30am * to arrive at Sherborne Wharf in time to take on diesel and gas before finishing an excellent run to Kidsgrove where we are moved below lock 44. Liz was able to buy a BW a swipe card at Bosley and her first priority at Red Bull was to use their laundrette facilities while I wandered over to the pub of the same name for a pint of Robinsons' best. The service we received at Heritage Boats at Sherborne, by the way, was first class, with their young assistant Nathan especially helpful both at our arrival and departure and in lifting the heavy gas bottle into the forward locker for me.

We are staying here for the rest of the day and tomorrow we will continue our slow progress to Middlewich and Church Minshull on the Middlewich arm, probably breaking the locks on Heartbreak Hill into three bite-sized chunks.

* Many friends, experienced boaters among them, still express surprise that we often start our boating day so early but there are so many advantages. (1) An early start means an early finish and we are normally looking for a mooring in the gap between some boats leaving and others stopping for lunch. We then have the best part of the day to relax. (2) Between 6 and 9 in the morning there are very few boats on the move (today we saw the first of them about 8.45 am) so we are not constantly queuing for locks, not slowing down or backing up at bridge holes and not pulling over to the side which usually means going aground on the Macclesfield canal. (3) On very hot days (I know, there aren't that many) we do most of our cruising/locking before the sun is at its warmest. (4) You see a lot more wildlife early in the day before boats and towpath walkers have driven them underground (rabbits) or into the tree and rushes (heron etc).

Besides, for every day we travel early there are usually two or three days that we don't move at all!

August 12

We are back at the wonderful Church Minshull mooring in almost the same spot as we were two months ago to the day - and had an eventful time getting here. Once again we took our time coming up the Cheshire locks with two overnight stays before we reached Middlewich and our last night's resting spot overlooking Winsford flashes (between bridges 22 and 21). Here, the second of two happy coincidences happened when I spotted Fred and Betty Drake on Drake's Folly coming past us. They stopped, moored for the rest of the day, and we sat out in the sun (shade, in my case), catching up on the two years since we last met at Abingdon on our first visit to the Thames. Friends of Mike Hecken on Ronarosa when they both kept their boats at Newbury, they first crossed our path as we were leaving the K & A after our aborted trip in 2003.

Earlier we had met John and Judith Duckett on Nutwood, first encountered at a lovely mooring between bridges 74 and 75 on the Staffs and Worcs - they came on board for a brief teach-in on computer graphics etc after coffee on their boat. This time we had to catch up on their news in the few minutes it took for us to come up Stanthorne Lock and them to get their boat into the empty lock - which mainly meant Liz and Judith talking as fast as they could.

Today we left at 9.30 am (very late for us) but it was only an hour or so to Church Minshull and we wanted to let moored boats move on. They did, flowing past us in small convoys, and when we arrived only one boat remained and that left within half an hour of our arrival. So at the moment we have the place to ourselves and we'll now stay at least until our son Jonathan and his partner Jenny arrive from Norfolk tomorrow for an overnight visit.

E-mail update: Among our latest batch was a graphic account from Norman Weston in Spain of his recent anti-clockwise trip around the Cheshire Ring (for full details see his website at www.normanweston.com) balanced by a confident note from Pat Bycroft whose boat Hyperion is due to be commissioned before the end of September - if it's on time we won't be able to get to the ceremony but wish her and Mike the very best and hope to see them on the Cut soon.

New to us is a couple living in Limerick in Eire who have just placed an order for their own boat. "My wife Joyce and I have lived in Southern Ireland for six years now," says Peter Gibson, "and as Joyce is constantly homesick we have decided to return to the UK, retire, and live on a narrowboat. Whilst searching the web for various boat-related subjects we came across your site and it has had us enthralled! Reading your story feels like reading about ourselve - I'm a big real ale fan (it's not available here in Ireland!) We both enjoy second hand shops, markets, canals and rivers. We feel as if we have been travelling with you - you wouldn't believe the coincidences that have appeared in your log. Firstly, when we were doing pub relief work about 15 years ago, one of the first pubs we looked after was the Tide End Cottage at Teddington - does it still keep the ale in a sort of cupboard behind the bar or has it been modernised? The second coincidence is the fact that we used to moor our cruiser not far from the WBC, my wife is from near Wolverhampton! Add to this that my dad was in the Navy and we both love dogs - will send a photo of Meg and Molly when I've learnt how to! "

As I said in my reply to Peter, I was always happy to drink draught Guinness in Ireland, a totally different drink from the stuff we get over here. It was marvellous - and, if nothing else, waiting for it to be served correctly taught me patience!

August 17

Once again our stay at Church Minshull was a delight, although the weather was mixed. Liz managed a bus trip into Crewe for emergency rations (mainly bread), our friends Dave and Susan Lane from Plodder drove over from Sandbach just to deliver some needlework material even though they had no time to stop for tea or coffee, and we met up with a couple who e-mailed us some months ago. Roger and Maureen Yorke are living on their narrowboat Ramyshome for only two years but their route, especially this year, seems to have been very similar to ours. A fuller account of their travels can be seen on their website http://www.ramyshome.co.uk/.

The highlight of the weekend was an overnight visit from our son Jonathan and his partner Jenny who drove for six hours from Norwich to celebrate my birthday. That's love, or at least dedication! We had planned a barbecue but heavy rain followed by blustery wind drove us inside the boat where we had an excellent supper of sausages, chicken kebabs and ribs, topped by my favourite pudding - cheesecake. Their main present to me was a box of five very fine Cuban cigars bought during their recent holiday over there. I haven't smoked for 15 or 20 years but I shall make an exception with these on the right occasions - the first of them when their baby (our first grandchild) is born sometime in November.

Yesterday we set off after breakfast and I cruised the mile or so to this lovely 48 hr mooring a little before Nanney's Bridge while Liz walked the towpath with the dogs. With plenty of food, a hot day yesterday and another forecast for today, we are happy to stay here for a couple of days before heading for Nantwich and a quiet country mooring for the weekend. Not that anywhere is quiet at the moment. The steady stream of boats past us yesterday and the crowded mooring last night is strong reminder that we are in the middle of August. Still, another three weeks and it should start quietening down again.

August 20

Another splendid few days at Nanney's bridge when we saw at least three Heron boats within an hour or so and got to meet the Grainger family from the most recently built of them, Caitlin Jayne. Lisa and Dave have been living on their 69 footer with daughters Kimberley (13) and Caitlin (7) since December but can only cruise for a month or so in the summer because both are still working. A lovely family from Derbyshire, they seem to be taking to life afloat very well. While we sat and talked around the picnic table at the mooring, we were joined by Rachel Kendon, a teacher in Brighton who was cycling to Land's End, taking three months over her journey. She was very much on the same wavelength as most boaters we've met - ready to stop and chat at any opportunity and eager to change her route to take in the Llangollen canal and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct after Lisa, Dave, Liz and I had talked about it with mixed emotions. A cup of tea or coffee and a few biscuits later, Rachel continued on her journey and the Graingers returned to their boat for a photographic session (see Well Met on the Cut).

Yesterday we set off early through the two locks up to Barbridge, watered at the incredibly slow waterpoint at the junction and continued down the Shroppie to moor at Nantwich, where we settled down for the rest of the day. This morning another early start brought us to this marvellous Coole Pilate mooring with its picnic tables and barbecue stands provided by the Shropshire Union Canal Society. I was able to black the bottom of one side of the boat between water level and rubbing strake - when we weren't sitting chatting with the couple on the next boat to us called Dame (Life's a pantomime). Frank and Margaret Johnson have had their boat for four years and, like us, move very slowly, so we could have excellent company for the weekend. We plan a barbecue for later this evening and will stay at least until Monday before moving on to Audlem where Liz hopes to see a local doctor for a repeat prescription and also to pick up mail from the local post office.

August 24

The barbecue was an abject failure (Roger Morgan, where are you when you are needed?) It was windy, the bbq pot was damp and I readily gave up when Liz said she'd cook everything in our oven and grill. The result was a delicious meal but a feeling of inadequacy on my part - it's a male thing, I suppose. However, the rest of our stay at Coole Pilate was most enjoyable, sitting chatting with Frank and Margaret (see Well Met on the Cut ), blacking one side of the boat, cleaning the rest after workmen arrived to mow the grass and covered us in fine green leaves.

I cruised gently down to Audlem yesterday morning (Liz walking on the towpath with Bess and Molly) and by lunchtime Liz had arranged for a repeat prescription, we had done some necessary shopping and I had enjoyed a pint of Flowers in the Shroppie Fly. Unfortunately, the Shroppie shelf had not improved since our last visit and as the wind increased and convoys of holidaying boaters passed us on their into or out of the first of the Audlem locks, Snecklifter banged and grated most of the afternoon and this morning. Fortunately a move of just 150 yards has put us closer to the bank and although we are leaning a little to port we are no longer bumping and grinding. There's a good chance we'll stay here until Friday when Ruth and David Tomlinson are visiting us to bring us up to date on the building of their boat.

N.B. Meanwhile, any further update to this website over the next week or so will be brief. The program I use to design the site (upgraded in 2006 so this won't happen again) is running out of space so I will be spending a few days re-organising. Some older pictures and contributions from friends will have to be cut - without upsetting too many readers, I hope. Copies of older versions of the website are always kept, however, and when we eventually finish our cruising, a complete diary of our time on the Cut will be available in PDF form - so nothing will be lost irretrievably.

August 30

The revised version of this website is now ready and is being posted over the next day or so. If there are some problems - pictures missing etc - please be patient. *

In the meantime I can bring things up to date by describing the rest of our stay at Audlem as delightful, despite the indifferent weather. David and Ruth Tomlinson duly turned up on Friday morning and took us out for an enjoyable meal at the Shroppie Fly, bringing us up to date on their boat building which has inevitably suffered a few delays but is expected to launch in September. We will miss seeing them on the Ashby this winter but will certainly catch up with them somewhere next season.

On Saturday morning we cruised the mile or so to Coole Pilate leisure area, planning to stay over the Bank Holiday weekend and try again to have that promised barbecue. And blow me down, the wind was too lively and the rain ever present on the designated stay so once again we enjoyed our sausages and chops in the boat. I felt more sorry for the members of a local boat club who had come out to the mooring for the weekend and sat out defiantly in the blustery cold weather - hardy souls we decided. Today we came on to Nantwich for some top-up shopping and Liz spent a couple of hours in the laundrette in the basin, chatting with other boaters most of the time, while I caught up on a few computer chores. Tomorrow we will take on water and get rid of rubbish before finding somewhere in the country to shelter from the threatened heat. Never satisfied, are we?

* As soon as this is complete I will catch up with emails and other contributions.

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