The Malthouse Farm, Wheelton

We stayed over a week oppostie The Maltings pub at Wheelton. Our onward passage is blocked by major repairs being undertaken at Wigan Flight after a boat damaged the foundations of one of the locks. CRT issue progress reports every Friday but it is likely to be about a month before it is navigable once again.

The bank where we moored had suffered extensive erosion and there was only a narrow passage between us and the garden hedges lining the towpath. The pub was a bit rowdy at weekends but otherwise it was a quiet enough place to stay.

We spent most days dodging frequent heavy downpours; we're certainly appreciating the comfort of the diesel stove!

We ventured out one day to visit Top Lock pub for lunch. It had been closed for some time but had recently been taken over by new landlords. There was a lot of work going on when we arrived but it wasn't ready to open to customers. Google Maps showed a vegetarian restaurant less than a mile away so we crossed our fingers and headed for there. Many vegetarian eateries we'd visited while travelling in Europe had been disappointing but Whins Green was brilliant! Set on top of a hill, its floor to ceiling windows looked over the rural valley with Exmoor ponies grazing and a kestral flying between the tops of trees. Will's haloumi burger and Vicky's chocolate brownie ice cream sundae were delicious 😋

On the way back we swung by Wheelton Boatyard who were able to supply us with a chimney cap to replace the one that blew off in the storm few days ago, as well as a rubber fender after ours became detached and sunk.

A long line of boats were moored along the towpath at Wheelton Leisure Moorings, one of which had an honesty wheelbarrow selling organic fruit and veg. We picked up an orange marrow and some pears from here.

The Maltings wasn't too far from Chorley. The town hosts an indoor market open every day, and on Tuesdays it is joined by an outdoor market. We rode the bikes along a puddle pocked towpath, then up the road leading to the town centre. The place was buzzing with activity despite the drizzle. We enjoyed a low priced lunch of fish'n'chips in a marquee that extended the seating area of a small café.

Now both ebikes are working they make such a positive difference to what we are able to do day to day. An attached to the bathroom sink drainage pipe had become, well, undetached. We looked up a plumbing store several miles away that was relatively easy to get to by bike. A helpful employee rolled his eyes when Vicky told him we needed parts for a boat, but he cleverly put together three different fittings that did the job well.Read more