Today began wet and for the most part was even wetter! We thought as we cast off that we might be lucky but by the time we reached the other side of the basin and stopped at the water point, we knew that we were in for the long haul. In the small shop beside the service block Christine spotted that they had some hooped mooring pins - one of ours lost its ring some days back, although we did have a spare - so we bought a matching pair. She also exchanged a couple of books. Once of the interesting and quietly thriving feature of the canals is the number of book exchange places, usually run entirely free.
Water tank full - this was one of the faster taps we have encountered - we set off in what was now solid rain.
At the junction we decided not to turn down to Whaley Bridge as we thought that we might need the time to get as far as we planned today. The idea at this time was to make a brief stop at Marple and then continue far enough to be able to shop in Macclesfield tomorrow.
As we passed under the busy A6 the camera was finding it difficult to distinguish between the rain and the scene that we wanted to capture!
It was now so wet that we had to put the camera away for the most of the morning.
We think that this is a milestone - will check later - but spotting them is complicated by the fact that many of the stiles and footpath gaps through walls are marked with similar flat slabs.
When we reached the first bridge we realised that we could not count yesterday - there are two each of swing and lift bridges. This one was remarkably easy to swing.
Occasionally we had glimpses of the distant hills but the view was often blurred by the drizzle and rain. Mike was so wet through by now that when he saw a rare free mooring spot he pulled in. A complete change of clothes was needed! With even heavier rain falling we opted to stay put until after lunch!
There were two boats already waiting for another coming the other way as we reached the first lift bridge - but they waved us through. Of course, this was the automated bridge!
This meant that we were now at the front of the convoy so lifting the last bridge was down to us. No automation here - 83 turns of a windlass on the hydraulic mechanism to the fully open postilion. As a result we went from first to last!
Another hill view.
We managed to find a free place at Marple Junction where we were able to get much closer to the bank than when we paused here yesterday. The rain now paused so we shut up the boat and walked into the shops. Only when we were on the way back did rain fall on us again - but it returned to the heavy state.
As a result, having checked the timings for the route between here and Macclesfield we decided to stay put, try to dry out clothes for tomorrow (more rain forecast) and possibly complete the weekend shopping here and look for a country church for Sunday.
7.0 Miles - 0 Locks
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