Catch up 1: Cheddleton

We are almost completely off grid here at Cheddleton, so I’m writing this to post tomorrow, hopefully. There’s a sporadic Vodafone signal, but nothing from 3 or EE. {In fact it's had to wait two days…}

Leek pool was notable for the numbers of huge fish which came up to the surface in the late afternoon, presumably because it was so hot. You could see them from quite a distance away, very striking.

It was a rather disturbed night sleep-wise last night, a result of the temperature; the area was very quiet apart from the owls, the dawn chorus at half four and the odd cow shouting its head off. We made another early start, though not as early as Moonraker who left just after six.

This was a good move; we could get the boating done before it got ridiculously hot. Sheila steered back to the junction, making a superb job of the 90º turn off the aqueduct. We didn’t attempt the very sharp turn at the junction from the Leek Arm back onto the mainline. You could possibly get 70’ round there, but it was easier to go on to the big winding hole between bridges 34 and 33, turn round and come back.

We were still the first boat down the Hazelhurst Locks and had a pleasant plod to Cheddleton, only meeting one hire boat who promptly stemmed up trying to pick up a jogger.

The moorings here were quite busy at first and again over lunch, but are very quiet now. We’re tied in the shade of some trees, so it’s actually cooler sitting in the well deck than in the boat. There are shops here, but they are a ten minute slog up a steep hill alongside a busy road, so not pleasant in the present conditions.

I expect we’ll make another early start tomorrow; plans are a bit vague, other than to go down to Consall Forge and turn round. We may moor there or may come back to the Cheddleton Railway Centre.

It all depends on how we feel.