23rd/24th April - Macclesfield and Bollington

Two days in one report, sadly I forgot yesterday's blog as I was stressed, more anon.

23rd:

Cruising through Macclesfield

Visiting duck slipping off the boat pole

Our first ducklings of the year

Travelling through the hills between Macclesfield and Bollington

We left our mooring near Bosley at 9:20 in cool weather under overcast skies.  Our aim was to reach Macclesfield where we would be able to shop the following morning.  The canal overlooks Macclesfield as it enters the town, but the industrial views are not particularly interesting though as the picture shows there are some quite attractive sections.

In previous trips to Macclesfield there was nowhere to moor but in the past few years a section of pontoon moorings have been built for visiting boaters.  However when we arrived these were full so we had no choice but to carry on.  The next possible moorings with some shopping facilities were at Bollington some 3 miles further on.  The canal was very shallow and our speed low so we arrived at Bollington some 1.5 hours later.  Again all the moorngs were full.  We tried to get into the bank just outside the village but only succeeded in grounding Densie some distance from the side.  So we had to move on yet another half mile or so before we were able to find attractive and accessible countryside moorings.

Total 8.3 miles, 1 lift bridge 4 hours cruising

24th:

Rain forecast from lunchtime today so we set off earlier than usual at 8:50 and travelled another 20 minutes to reach a winding hole where we could turn the boat around.  ANd then back through Bollington towards Macclesfield.  The rain started earlier than forecast but we were surprised and delighted to find that there was one available slot on the Macclesfield pontoon moorngs.  Firtunately the rain was not too heavy so were able to walk the half mile or so to a large Tesco where we stocked up for the next few days.

Despite the rain, which has getting heavier,  we set off again just before lunch and arrived after a bit more than a mile's cruising at Gurnet Aqueduct where we moored up for the day, the rain now beng too heavy for enjoyable cruising.  Last time we were here in 2012 we had a very good meal at the nearby Sutton Hall pub/restaurant, so despite the rain we plan to walk there this evening to check that standards have been maintained.

Total 6.1 miles 3 hours cruising