Congleton & Bosley

by Paul Bateman

Tuesday: Arrived at the marina around 1pm. The A500 through Stoke was clear - all roadworks were either finished or suspended. And of course town traffic was light as it was Boxing Day (shame the same couldn't be said about the M6 which was very busy). Rodbaston was looking great from its recent re-painting, though it was covered in a film of dust.

We got underway quite quickly, heading north up the Macc as Harecastle Tunnel is closed today. Works on Bosley Locks though are suspended until the New Year. We moored north of Congleton and went in to the town to see if there would be anywhere to eat. Most places were closed, but we found the 'Taste of Raj' Indian Restaurant open - and boy are we glad that we did. Although it wasn't cheap, the food was first class (the best Indian meals we have had for a long time), and it was therefore good value. They also gave us two £5 vouchers, valid for the whole of January, so we have left them in the diary for anyone to use. If you go into Congleton from Congleton Wharf, turn right at the Town Hall and the restaurant is on the left.

A nice trip in good weather conditions and a chance to take some photos (we'll get them onto the website).

Wednesday: Continued up and through Bosley locks. Although the day started with sunshine, it turned to heavy rain as we were ascending the locks. Almost all of the locks were set against us, so progress was slower than we had hoped. We ended up mooring before bridge 50, leaving us a short trip to the winding hole the next morning. Being fairly remote we stoked up the stove and ate on board. We soon had plenty of heat, though couldn't persuade the stove to keep burning overnight. I guess that the lack of a chimney would reduce the draw, but any tips welcome!

Thursday: Winded and returned through the locks. Fortunately this time most of the locks were in our favour. There was very little other canal traffic, but we did see a few other Ownerships boats. One was unfortunate enough to follow us down the locks, ensuring that almost all the locks were set against them, until the last two where we met a boat coming up the flight.

The day started with light drizzle, but soon cleared, which made for a very pleasant day cruising. We moored at Congleton and popped in to visit the shops. We did try to get some replacement tops for the taps but without success. Peter has offered to get some, if we send him the details that we have taken.

We decided to stay at Congleton, giving us a bit of a run the next morning, so it was off to bed ready for an early start the next morning. Again we managed to get the stove burning really well - the interior of the boat got rather warm, but again there was unburnt fuel in a cold stove the next morning.

Friday: We woke up and immediately regretted the decision not to return all the way to the marina the previous afternoon. Strong winds and light rain made for a tricky journey back to Heritage, but we made it back with no problems. Unfortunately the rain got heavier as we got back and moored.

So we had a great trip, but don't envy Kay and Chris if the forecasts for gale force winds and heavy rain are to be believed!