Wednesday 8th August 2018



Wheelock Wharf has away been an interesting place with the old wharf buildings and evidence of activities long past.







Wheelock Wharf.

Harvey manages to get into most of our photographs, this is the first one he has been caught having a poo in.



  



Evidence of activities long past. A crane baseplate at the wharf, made by a Richard Kitchin of Warrington



We left Wheelock behind us and immediately started on the 26 locks spread out over almost 7 miles, that make up “Heartbreak Hill” or the Cheshire Locks as the old boat people used to call them. There was a hire boat just ahead of us who had passed us while we were getting ready. Most of the Cheshire Locks are paired and so we passed them at the first lock and never saw them again.

The M6 was again passed under, but this way heading south. Shortly after we moored up to go and have a pint in the Romping Donkey in Hassal Green only to be told it was demolished some years before. Shame that, I was looking forward to a pint in there. Our guide book is 12 years old and no doubt there will have been a lot of changes since it’s publication. We returned to the boat and it rained really hard so we stayed put until it had passed over.

At lock 54 on the outskirts of Rode Heath there was a young family from Crewe having a day out and watching us pass through the lock. I invited them on board for the run to the next lock a few hundred yards away. They were really excited, both parents and kids and it was a pleasure to have added to their day. Turned out  the dad was a driver in the Logistic Corps, same Corps our Aaron served in when he was in the regular Army.

We moored opposite the Broughton Arms in Rode Heath where we had our dinner. Again today, all the pounds in the canal are down in level to some degree.



Day Total: 14 locks; 4 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 3.8

Overall Total: 130 locks; 293 miles; 10 tunnels; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 159.4






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