Lyra's Travels

Tuesday 19th July
The dull weather continued as we got an early start this morning (well for us it was early) in an effort to beat the queues at the locks.
We nearly managed it, there was only one boat ahead of us as we started the slow climb up to the summit. First there are the 4 locks climbing out of Middlewich, then 4 more on the way to Wheelock where there is the first service block since Northwich. The total climb was about 70 ft. The service moorings were packed, as you would expect with the lack of them north of here but we were lucky to find one boat leaving its slot just as we arrived. After doing all the necessary; cans, rubbish, and water we moved on just a bit to find an overnight mooring.

Wheelock itself is a pleasant village, named after the small river which runs through it. A plaque on the canalside gives a short history of the name through the ages. Anyone interested can probably enlarge the photo above to read the text.
Tomorrow we will continue our climb up The Cheshire Locks, sometimes known as 'heartbreak hill' towards the summit level.