Coming home 12th - 15th July

I arrived at the visitor moorings at lunchtime, and here I can brag. There were two boats moored about 70' apart: I'm 57' and coming down with the flow so lots of momentum. I was going to have to do a 180° turn across the flow, kill the speed, and get into the bank without too much fuss, and without clattering anyone else, so I could get secure without the boat drifting away.

I only nailed it!

And a splendid view:

Wet and cold all afternoon so did not indulge in any of the lovely walks thereabouts, but instead made myself a gf pizza. Dead simple, cupboard staples, stupid cheap, not buying ready made ever again.

I can't believe that Saturday is my last full day on the River. The weather has been mostly pants but the morning was OK to prowl looking for rust to cover with a conversion paint. It's quite happy to be drizzled on after a while, and guess what, it probably will be.

After lunch away to Northwich for rubbish and water, and then probably down to Saltersford moorings, another quiet spot. I had thought about the Devils Garden moorings but that's a 4 hour drive, nuts to that.

About 10 minutes after I had set off, guess what, the air turned silver and the water started to freckle.  On the way, I passed a boat I had only just seen on YouTube, the night before:

a steam powered narrowboat!

 Thoroughly wet and cold by the time I reached Anderton, I stopped for a cup of tea and to check the weather report. Wouldn't you know it, due to dry up once the lock keepers have gone home. And Sunday's gone off as well. So I shall stay put ready to go up the Lift tomorrow lunchtime.

Sunday morning was warmer and the clouds only intermittently weeping. I discovered an aristocratic neighbour had come onto the Lift moorings

The Daniel Adamson, the last operational steam tug, out of the Cammel Laird shipworks. It's run and lovingly maintained by volunteers, who have done a wonderful job of rescuing and restoring her.. They kindly let me have a look around.

Here's a diagram of the three boilers

And here's one of them

You can just see the glow of the furnace as coal is shovelled in. 

The upper saloon:

A lower one in similar style, a promenade deck outside, and an upper passenger feck, with the bridge above that.

She's a big'un! Where we draw 28 or inches below the water, she's 7 feet.

My turn in the Lift, all very smooth, and then back on the canal and my first chance to use my foghorn! Worked fabulously and startled the gongoozlers very satisfactorily.

It's a lot narrower!

I passed a young female Swan with her cygnets, and was concerned that she may have damage to her  flight feathers. There was a male around a week ago, very aggressively trying to mate with another swan, which was flapping its wings furiously in an attempt to get away. Suspect the same here.

That is not a complete silhouette, am sure the pinions are missing.

Kept driving all afternoon,  with the weather increasingly benign, until I finally risked the removal of my raincoat, faithful friend. I was heading to a popular offside mooring spot called Bramble Cuttings. Alas, but unsurprisingly at 4pm, it was full. However, a mere 4 boat lengths further on, 

Another mooring spot, with a pretty view too.

Alas, the football didn't come home tonight, again.

Such a peaceful spot! No signal worth speaking of though. A gentle start as I was only travelling a couple of miles into Middlewich,  where I moored below big Lock, to spend the day on shopping, town visiting, and doing boaty jobs..

Tomorrow I welcome some crew, just in time for the locks! I had been very big girl brave and prepared to single hand the journey, but tell the truth, it's a relief.