Onto the Bridgewater Canal

15th & 16th January

Tuesday morning dawned wet, wet, wet (I was going to make a gag about whatever happened to them? but they've just released a new single). I nipped into the village to buy a paper – the nearest shop didn't have an Indy, so had to slog up the hill to the one we found the day before. Saltersford tunnel now has a timed entry control, from on the hour to twenty past for northbound boats, so we had time to start a washload before setting off at ten.

Must say the timed entry bit is a big improvement on the old peer in and hope system. The tunnel is so bendy, there's just a brief opportunity to see one end from t'other as you go in. It used to be standard to sound your horn with the bow just in the tunnel – if there was no answering squawk from the other end, you knew it was safe to proceed.

This didn't stop me from coming bow to bow with an OwnerShips boat in there once, mind you. I was single handing, so it was a bit fraught. When we finally emerged, I said "Why didn't you sound your horn when you heard mine?"

"Oh, we wondered what that hooting was."

A case of "We're on holiday, so we've left our brains at home" methinks.

By 10.45 we were passing the Acton Bridge yard at Bartington (no, I don't know why it's called Acton Bridge, that's down the road on the river). We had a bit of fun there – it's a big Black Prince hire base, and one of their boats (which were lining the banks solidly at this time of year, of course) had come untied at the stern, and blown neatly across the cut.

Sheila, who was steering, said "I thought as I approached that this was a bit of a sharp bend coming up." We helped the boat yard staff push it round again, and plodded on along a very pleasant bit of canal to a quiet mooring just before you get to Dutton stop lock and Preston Brook tunnel. It's just beyond Bridge 123, where there are rings in a bit of concrete edge.

The weather was now quite fine, so we cut some of the wood Peter and Jan had brought us, then I worked on the picture album illustrating last year's cruising.

I also had a reply from iCom, the VHF radio manufacturer to whom I had sent our handheld for repair just before Christmas. We hadn't heard anything from them, so I'd sent a polite enquiry. I got an email in reply, but unfortunately devoid of any actual message, just a signature.

Bit of an achievement for a comms company, really.

Today we wanted to be at the entrance to Preston Brook Tunnel in time for its timed entry. Being a longer tunnel, you only get a ten minute slot every hour, so it's a good idea to hit it.

I set the heating to come on at 7.30, and we were on our way by 8.50. This meant that we got through the stop lock and onto the tunnel mooring by half nine, so we took the opportunity to start a washload (again) as we were going to water later in the day.

By ten it had just finished the heating bit of the cycle, so that we could run the engine at less than 1000 rpm, and off we went. It was a reasonably fast passage of the tunnel, coming out of the other end at 10.15.

We called in at Midland Chandlers to buy an oil filter (even more expensive than the one at Heritage, over £10, ouch) and to ask about a spare impeller for the shower pump. The present one is doing fine at the moment, but it seems as well to have a spare to hand.

They hadn't got one in, but said they'd get one in time for our return trip after the weekend. It's a funny thing about MC. They have three stores, at Braunston, Penkridge (which is the head office) and at Preston Brook, and the staff are increasingly helpful as you come north. Never go in to the one at Braunston without a clear idea of what you want – they aren't rude or anything, just not as ready to put themselves out as the others.

Shopping complete, we went a short distance up the Runcorn Arm to the water point and filled up. I then backed Sanity to the marina entrance, persuaded her stern to go in there and so winded.

We'd planned to come on to Moore for the night, but as we were going along it started to rain seriously, it was lunchtime, and we thought why slog on? We've tied outside the Daresbury Nuclear Research station instead.

I'm still working on the picture album, but it'll be a couple of days before it's ready to go before the world, methinks.