Passing through Longacre Wood
A narrowboat house
Ist and only lock of the day, Dutton Stop Lock.
Lock cottage
Entrance to Preston Brook Tunnel (1239 yards) which marks the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal and the start of the Bridgewater Canal. Once again, a one way working canal with northbound boats being able to enter on the hour for 10mins.
We made it through unscathed, the stiff thumb doing the trick regarding correct directions, in 25mins.
Not long after we emerged from the tunnel we were caught in a heavy rain and hale downpour so we pulled in under the M56 just short of the Runcorn arm to wait out the rain, The Runcorn Arm leads down to the River Mersey, hence the name of the T&M.
Rain over, we make ready to depart.
Built in 1892, the Norton Water Tower is part of the system which supplies Liverpool with water from Lake Vyrnwy in mid Wales
Lawrence has a fondness for old sheds
Another Horse Chestnut in flower
Old lady feeding swans - a very english village scene, Lawrence tells me
Typical Bridgewater Bridge
About 11.00am we came up behind a slow, slooow narrowboat and they wouldn't pull over.
Not this boat, we just had plenty of time to look at it, A multiple personaliy boat methinks
That is the slow boat ahead. He was soooo slow Lawrence could barely maintain steering. The question and discussion centred on the sex of the driver - even Lawrence at the end agreed it was probably was a man.
We crawled into Lymm round 1.00pm; it had taken us two hours to do what should have taken one!
Thankfully there was a plum mooring just waiting for us.
While waiting for Tim to post a letter, Lawrence and Mike discuss where to have lunch
After a surprisingly good lunch at the very hybrid, or is the right term 'fusion' Pasha Steak House (but without a curry in sight, however you could have an oriental beef salad with parmesan shavings!) Tim, Mike and I did a shop at Sainsbury's whilst L returned to the boat to begin some route planning.
At lunch we decided to stop and savour the delights of Lymm for the night and do a long stint tomorrow to get into Manchester and up the infamous Rochdale Nine. Once back on board and Lawrence's further research having revealed that we had to get through 20+ wide locks the following day before we could safely moor up (from the middle of Manchester on we will be in hooligan territory for two days. Our canal guide, printed in 2013 states that you must book with and be escorted by the CRT in convoys between Manchester and Failsworth. However not to fear, the CRT website says this is no longer necessarry!)
Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh yes, so Lawrence thought that two 8 hour+ days in a row could be a bit much, so we reluctantly untied, watched by this duck, whose neck & head colour was brilliant (as in vivid)
and backed off our mooring and departed the lovely Lymm
I understand the owners are making a statment, I'm just not sure what it is?
A newly laid hedge
Part renovated, part derelict building and
across the canal is this
Around 6.00pm we moored up beside the NT property Dunham Massey . While the others sat around doing whatever they were doing I went for what turned out to be a circular walk through the woods bordering the canal
which led into the Dunham Massey driveway
then back through the woods
to the boat. Very pleasant.
16miles, 1 lock, 1 tunnel, 7hours.
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