alafloat

No lack of water on the Maccesfield Canal


Twin side by side locks on the Trent and Mersey at Kidsgrove







Thomas Dad and a Dragon at the Buxton Carnival




Hi Everyone


Buxworth basin is at the end of the Peak Forest canal; a terminus, dead end. At one time over 250 people worked there loading lime stone on to the barges from the adjacent quarries, or working in the many lime kilns that ran along the canal. The work was manually hard and living conditions like so many in the era 1800 were very basic.
However today the renovation is complete and Bosworth is now a quiet corner of Derbyshire were you can either admire the wild life or sit and imagine what it was like 200 years ago, I prefer the latter.
We spent a very nice weekend in Bosworth Mat Lorraine and Thomas came to celebrate my birthday and play postman with all the cards.9which I thank everyone) Saturday we all caught the bus to Buxton to watch the Buxton festival. However, this time the bus journey was quite uneventful nothing like the last time we came. The festival was great, lots of floats and fun though the weather was its usual temperamental self and waited until all the floats were in the middle of town when the heavens opened. I really felt sorry for all the kids getting really soaked, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone the show went on as if it was brilliant sunshine.
We had decided to leave on Monday morning and meet Carol and Keith in Marple, However on Sunday evening I was asked if on Monday morning I would paint the back and side panels on a boat as a commission, and you know I never turn work down, a quick call to Keith to change the venue from Marple to Bosworth and all was on track. The job only took 2½ hours so I was back in plenty of time for lunch Keith brought his sister-in-law and husband so we all had a very sociable afternoon.
Leaving Bosworth on Tuesday, we cruised down to Marple through some very heavy showers, moored overnight in Marple and now we are in Bollington. Tomorrow we will hit the first set of locks for Noreen lets hope her arms is fit for purpose and holds up. She is determined to do it so I have relented to let her try.
Nothing much else to report, the canal seems to be filling up but it is still very low so much so that this morning I had a hard job getting moving, overnight we seemed to have been sucked into the mud and the rudder had become jammed on something, but a lot of forward and reverse, rocking and swearing and we were off again. We are missing all our friends, the lack of water seems to have split everyone up, lots have just run for their mooring before the canals get closed but now with the influx of water we all may get chance to meet up soon.

That’s your lot

Keep smiling

Buggerlugs

Saturday July 24th

I am sorry for the lack of news but honesty this is pathetic it’s been almost a week now without Internet I am getting withdrawal symptoms.
So Far! We did the first lock system on our own yesterday, the Bosley flight all 12 of them Noreens wrist seems to be holding up, luckily we all the locks are down until we turn onto the Llangolen (tomorrow) so that means that I can assist in closing the lock and opening one of the gate paddles which makes live easier.
Today we have joined the throng of holiday boaters even though we started at 07.00 we still got caught by them don’t get me wrong they are ok and they are all happy and enjoying themselves but most are very slow But! Like us, they are on holiday and why should they rush, the only thing that really bothers me is the way the fool around in the locks it is so dangerous especially for the kids.
We are now moored on the Trent and Mersey having joined it at Red Bull Basin Kidsgrove were the a Maccasfield goes under the Trent and Mersey, we are resting up for the day, as we will be getting an early start tomorrow the hire boats don’t wake until 10 we will have done three hours by then and will be looking for looking for moorings
I hope that by tomorrow night we should be on the middlewich branch heading towards the Llangolen.


Sunday
That’s it the going down hill is over; today we turned the corner on to the Shropshire canal. Since we left Bugsworth last Tuesday we have dropped nearly 1000ft through 47 locks over 60 miles , and now its all up hill towards Elsmere on the Llangolen Canal where we are meeting up with Maryanne. Today was a hard slog, the locks were quite a distance apart that means stopping and starting and you can’t get a rhythm going??? The canal is getting very busy now that the kids are off school, but it’s nice to see so many people enjoying themselves as much as we are. But some people idea of boating are very strange, they moor in the most ludicrous of places what we need on the canal is double yellow lines they moor in front of bridges, locks, bends, and even narrows, most accept your advice and move and even thank you for putting the straight but there are always the holiday experts. Being Sunday we had to cruise through at least three fishing matches again most of the anglers accept we have to pass but again we always get the niggley old sod who thinks the canal was built just for him.

Monday
Today has been a very busy day we had to take on water, diesel, Gas and have a pump out we also did 12 locks and cruised an extra 3 hours more than the schedule. All that through driving rain gale force winds and no oil in the gearbox, The rain was real Belthorn rain; sideways or right in your face, oh! How we love boating at least when the weather is bad its only real boaters who travel in it (or just the idiots, you judge)
In addition, I have been able to get on line and get this published.


Buggerlugs


Monday 26 July 2010