Retirement with No Problem

Acton Bridge to Dutton Hall, Trent & Mersey Canal, 1.25 miles 0 locks

The sheep escaped last night.  If it isn’t bad enough for the farmer who’s field of winter wheat, which was opposite No Problem this weekend, is slowly disappearing.  He has trouble with seagulls.  I noticed a flock of them eating the wheat, then in the afternoons moving to a new patch leaving a brown tell tale circle where they had chomped the corn.

But it was when I let Lucy and Meg out last night I heard them baa-ing away.. by this morning though they had gone, the farmer must have been out early!

We been a bit unlucky here close to Runcorn on the Mersey estuary, no sunshine but plenty of wind, almost gale force from the north, so we moved a couple of bridges to Bartington where, thanks to Traveline, we caught a bus into Northwich for a bit of a wander.. a pint and pie went down well too for lunch..

There is a huge long line of Black Prince boats moored along the towpath at the bridge on the British Waterways Bartington permanent moorings.. wonder if they pay?

Yet another fabulous mooring tonight overlooking the River Weaver towards Dutton Locks.. you can see how cloudy it is today!

I hope I have made the right decision not to go to East Anglia this summer via The River Nene.. late the other evening, it was almost dark, an Alvechurch hire boat from Anderton came past us faster than any boat has ever come past in 8 years.. absolutely flat out.  Didn’t pull the pins out as I had a spring on the stern (two ropes, one facing forward one back), but put us on the bank almost. 

I phoned the boat company straight away, got the answerphone, but never had a call back to apologise or anything which I was quite surprised about.  I suggested they caught up with the lager drinking crew to slow them down.  They didn’t even make the next bend with their headlamp on, smashing into the side of the stone edged canal..

Oh well, at least there can’t possibly be a faster boat come past this summer… well there better not be, decisions are made for a ‘canal cruising’ summer!