18 days in Adlington

Wigan Lock Flight was still being repaired and the small town of Adlington was the last place beforehand that had easy access to all the services we needed for an extended stay.

Boats at permanent moorings lined the opposite bank bow to stern, beyond which were fields with sheep and a few horses. We claimed a spot on the towpath close to a cluster of country cottages reached by a long driveway. It was a poplar place for dog walkers and well away from any road. Mature Oak and Beech arched their autumn colour across the water in one direction, creating a wildlife haven where we spotted Kingfishers, a Nuthatch and Long Tailed Tits.

Adlington's amenities were split between the upper town and the lower town. Close by were a few takeaways, post office, Premier, the Spinners Arms and a brilliant pet shop with a greater range of goods than many larger chain stores.

Clustered together at the top of the hill were a fishing shop, cafes, Tesco Express, Co-op and a local chairty shop among others. The two shops we enjoyed visiting most were out on their own; a brilliant Greengrocer and the Rail Weigh, a small ethical shop selling food, household products and gifts among other things.

Further afield was Ellerbeck Boatyard and the Boatyard Bus Cafe; a double decker kitted with seating inside and out. The two people running it were so friendly and fell in love with Leo. It turned out one of them lived on the boat we'd moored opposite! Vicky's stepmum Sarah came up trumps when she recommended Frederick's Ice Cream Parlour, a short cycle ride away that had the biggest selection we'd ever seen. Vicky took great delight in their vegan sundaes with a choice of flavours and toppings.

We burned off the calories with a cycle ride in to Chorley Wickes to tick a few things off our long term shopping list. On a dry day we left the dogs behind and did the 5.6 mile Adlington Circular Walk. As much as we love having the towpath on our doorstep it felt great to walk amongst woodland, beside flowing streams and rivers, over farmland and see the views afforded by climbing hills.

When Storm Babet hit, she rocked Rainboat so much that Vicky got seasick. We tightened the mooring lines several times and were glad we did because the following day we found ourselves pulling two unattended boats back to the bank after their mooring pins had been pulled out with the force of the wind.

The large White Bear Marina was only a few hundred yards away and kept us supplied with diesel and water as well as allowing us to empty our bins and wee pot. We're happy to report that composting our solids is working very well so far. It gives us so much more freedom when we don't need to find an elsan point every few days.

One thing we are finding needs our attention now the days are shorter is keeping the batteries topped up. Sunny days still produce sufficient electricity but the many overcast and rainy days just don't create enough. Luckily there were winding holes to turn the boat around in either direction so we went on several mini cruises to get power from the alternator. We also decided to buy a generator and were delighted when the post office said they would receive it for us when we found a good online deal. It does help but at 0.7kw it really strains the motor and is constantly revving creating quite a noise nuisance.Read more