Scholar Green (Macclesfield Canal) to Church Lawton (Trent & Mersey Canal)

Beautiful Night Sky at Scholar Green

Coming into Hall Green Stop Lock

Going over Poole Aqueduct

We are on the move today and fortunately the sun was shining, so we set off along the canal and stopped at the water point to fill up with water.  Just along from the tap is Hall Green Stop Lock which is only 1ft deep.  A boat had just come out so it was ready for us and Kev took the boat in and I emptied it and we were soon on our way again.

Coming to Hardings Wood Junction

Passing Red Bull Pub

Distant views of Mow Cop

Coming out the paired locks

We were soon going over Poole Aqueduct which goes over the Trent & Mersey canal and where we moored on the way up.  Also from here there is still lovely views of Mow Cop in the distance, wonder when we won’t be able to see it anymore!   The canal then takes a sharp left and on along there for a bit and then we were approaching Hardings Wood Junction and out onto the Trent & Mersey we went leaving the Macclesfield Canal behind, which was quite sad as it is a lovely canal and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time travelling up and down it but onto pastures new.

And into another lock we go

We turned left at the junction and into our first proper lock for today, we are doing six.  A lot of the locks on this section are paired locks, two single locks side by side which makes passage easy and quite speedy.  We were soon through there and onto the next one.  There was a few boats coming up so that helped as well.

Waiting for last lock to fill

We worked our way down the locks and were in the last lock and just coming out when would you believe it, it started raining and heavy at that, but luckily it was only a shower and by the time we had moored up, it had stopped and the sun was out again.

We had lunch then went for a walk down the locks to Rode Heath about a mile and a half away. There is a pub there and a shop/post office.  We sat by the canal for a bit and then walked back up the locks to the boat.

We are staying here tonight and going down a few more locks tomorrow.

Moored at Church Lawton

Watery Lane Aqueduct to Scholar Green (Macclesfield Canal)

Lovely mooring at Bridge 86

We are moving on today but only a couple of miles to Scholar Green as we want to have lunch at the Rising Sun pub which has been recommended to us by several  fellow boaters.

Great  view of Mow Cop from Canal

The sun was shining and it was lovely and warm as we set off along the canal and we were soon passing Bridge 86 where we moored on the way up and I think one of the nicest moorings on the Macc.  There are lovely views of Mow Cop along this stretch of the canal.  It is a hill with Mow Cop Castle on the top, an imitation ruin built in 1754 and is over 1,000ft above sea level and we walked up it when we came up the canal a few weeks ago, it was great at the top and well worth the climb up to it, but we won't be doing it again this year, we will save that for the next time we come up this way!

Ramsdell Hall

We then went by Ramsdell Hall which is now owned by Peter Coates who is the Chairman of Stoke City Football Club.  It is a very impressive house and has lovely views of the canal and the valley below.

We chugged on and past a marina and hire base, under Bridge 87 and we moored up in the visitor moorings.  It is a lovely open sunny spot, really nice.

Rising Sun Pub

We had a walk up to the marina to have a look in their chandlery and then we walked down the road to the pub, it is just a few minutes walk from the canal.

It is a nice pub and so we had lunch there, three courses for £12 and the people who recommended it to us weren’t wrong, the food was really good and so was the service, we will now recommend it too!

Suitably full, we walked back to the boat and just chilled out for the afternoon.  It has been a glorious sunny warm day and evening today, so here’s hoping we get a few more days like this.

We are staying here tonight then tomorrow we shall be saying goodbye to the Macc and hello again to the Trent and Mersey, oh yes and to lots of locks as well!

Moored at Scholar Green

Bosley Locks to Watery Lane Aqueduct (Macclesfield Canal)

Starting down the flight

Lovely view of Bosley Cloud

We are on the move today and we have the twelve Bosley flight of locks to do and the sun was shining so that was good  We were moored just above the locks and there was a boat coming up, so we set off to the locks so we could go in when they came out and off we went working our way down the locks.  

Coming out the last lock

Coming to the last lock

There were several boats coming up which made our passage easy as all the locks were set for us. There was an aweful lot of water running down the locks which made opening some of the top gates difficult, not sure why there was so much water today as when we came up them a few weeks ago the water was low and some of the pounds were down.

We worked our way and after an hour and a half we were coming out the bottom lock and on our way along the canal.

Lots of bridges coming into Congleton

Going over Congleton Aqueduct

We stopped for water by Bridge 68 then chugged on again and then we were approaching Congleton and moored in the visitor moorings which are under trees so it was a bit dark and dank.

We had lunch then walked down into the town. We were hoping to go to the Crema Deli again but unfortunately it was shut, so we just went to Morrisons instead and then walked back to the boat.

A snake bridge in Congleton

It wasn’t really very nice where we were moored as it was so dark under the trees so we decided to chug on a couple of miles to where it was more open.

We went over Congleton Aqueduct and on along the canal and moored in a nice sunny open spot at Watery Lane Aqueduct.

We are staying here tonight then moving on tomorrow, just a couple of miles mind you!

Moored at Watery Lane Aqueduct

Macclesfield to Top of Bosley Locks (Macclesfield Canal)

We are chugging on this afternoon and it was still dry and sunny as we set off along the canal, over Gurnett Aqueduct and on we went.

Back past the Hovis Mill

Over Gurnett Aqueduct

After a while we came to Broadhurst Swing Bridge which was open but should be closed, so Kev went through and I got off and tried to close the bridge but it was really heavy so Kev tied up and got off and helped me.

We went under a footbridge then we were at Royal Oak Swing Bridge which is electrically operated so nice and easy.  I opened the bridge and Kev went through and then I closed it again.  The road was quiet today and I only held up one car and a motorbike.

Through Swing Bridge

We chugged on for a mile or so then came to where we moored on the way up so we pulled in and Kev tied up the back and then came to the front to tie up then saw a swarm of wasps at the back of the boat, we had disturbed their nest, oh god, there was no way we were staying here so Kev untied the front and then braved the wasps to untie the back which had a chain around the metal so he had to go right where all the wasps were, they were all over the back, somehow he untied us and we raced off from there as fast as we could and by some miracle he didn’t get stung, it was a horrible experience for him though, I stayed inside at the back and stopped them from coming inside.  Luckily they all went back to their nest and we went on a bit further and moored just before the Bosley locks.  

We are staying here tonight then off down the locks tomorrow.

Moored at Top of Bosley Locks