On the Trent & Mersey Canal going south

Fresh water mussels on a lock wall

Where would you rather be.....

Here on the M6

 Or here looking in the opposite direction..

After going nowhere yesterday, today has been our longest day on the move so far this year.  We set off early at 8am, went through Wardle Lock to the junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal and started on our way south.  The scenery in this part of Cheshire is mostly very rural, pleasant enough, but not particularly attractive.  The canal starts off straight and wide but just outside Middlewich turns into a typical meandering Brindley canal.

However despite what the northern Trent & Mersey may have missed in some departments, what it doesnt have is a shortage of locks. By the time we stopped out in the countryside south of Sandbach exhausted after 6.5 hours travelling we had ascended 18 locks.  Fortunately we didnt have to wait at any of them as there are relatively few boats on the move and many of the locks are paired which doubles the chance of a lock being set in your favour.

We are now a day ahead of schedule again and so well set up should the rains return.