This trip started on the 25th of March 2012 and went from Aqueduct Marina on the Middlewich Branch canal to Aston Marina on the Trent and Mersey. This is a trip of 36 miles, so at five hours sailing a day, this is a trip of 5 days.
Route
Up the Middlewich Branch to Middlewich junction and the down the Trent and Mersey to Aston Marina. 36 miles and 48 locks.
The Journey
Me, the crew, and some friends, still in Aqueduct marina.
Leaving the Marina. You can just see the marina entrance sign.
The crew, after many locks.
The crew again, after even more locks….
A view of Mop Cop, a folly built on a headland in 1754 by Randle Wilbraham of nearby Rode Hall. Originally an elaborate summerhouse looking like a medieval fortress and round tower, it is now a ruin. This shot, taken near Rode Heath on the Trent and Mersey looks over Rode Hall itself. The Macclesfield canal passes a lot closer.
The captain during a lunch-time stop. You can tell it’s a temporary stop as the boat is only moored by a centre-line!
This shot was taken moored at Westport Lake near Stoke-on-Trent. It is just South of the Harecastle tunnel which means we must have passed through the tunnel an hour or so before this shot was taken. It is fairly intimidating. I can’t remember if we had ever been through the Harecastle on a hire boat, if not this was our first transit. I’m surprised the camera wasn’t shaking a lot more.