Tuesday 17 July 2018

Birthday

Hi
Well that's it heartbreak hill over and done with Noreen and I have only one lock to do (small 3 inch drop of the stop lock at Preston Brook before we get to Wigan.
We are now heading for Anderton  and the river weaver where we are looking forward to a lot of catching up with visitors.
The trip down Heart break hill was relatively easy everyone was helping each other and being very courteous which made the task so much easier not quicker but easier. Even when we arrived at Wheelock mooring where there was room for our 60ft boats moved back and forward to get us in, that's how boating use to be its very nice to see that boaters are getting back to the essence of boating and managing to leave all the rushing, panicking, stress and worry behind and just enjoying life
I had a great Birthday yesterday our Kieth and Carol came to help celebrate my Birthday and in true Hodgkinson  fashion Kieth and I had a frivolous  oaps afternoon in a gudgeon catching competition (Gudgeon are the smallest fish in the canal) but its something we use to do as kids and there is nothing in the book of living that's says sensibility comes with old age why should we be sensible and stoic just because we are showing a few signs of age our skin might be getting a few wrinkles but the rest is still ready to plays stupid games and LAUGH
After our competition we all went for dinner then back to the boat for bed time drinks I do believe that Kieth is getting a liking for the Port
Now as I said tomorrow we get to Anderton then Thurs we hit the weaver Thurs we have Matthew, Friday we have Maryanne and the kids and Sat Thomas joins us for a week the first of his big break before starting Big School. then we start the trip home the slow trip home
God Bless
Heartbreak hill on the Trent & Mersey canal starts as yo leave the Harecastle Tunnel and consists of 24 Paired narrow locks that means that every set of locks has two locks one on the right and one on the left it can get confusing to the first visitor to these locks but I always tell people to use the most convenient one. and always check what other boats are doing More confusion is caused by not all the sets have two locks as some have been filled in instead of being repaired probably in the 50s
Its a very unique system and works wonderfully well I can imagine when the canal was in full swing there was a system and it would have speeded up the journey of boats heading to and from the Weaver   

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