Boughton Cricket Pitch

It was time to move out of the city and on to a quieter spot. The journey was a lot of effort over a short distance. First we navigated the staircase of the three deep Northgate locks, then a further three single locks.

We stopped a few hundred metres beyond the Bridge Inn, where we'd moored a few weeks back, to settle ourselves beside Boughton Hall Cricket Club. The difference between these two places was striking considering how close they were. The pub was run down with flaking paint and cigarette butts trodden into the towpath. Small terraced houses and a noisy road sat behind it. The cricket pitch was beautifully mown, with a well maintained fence that had recently had ivy removed. On the opposite bank were cul-de-sacs of semi detached houses with drives and little gardens. As a rule, people walking past the Inn would keep their eyes to the ground, intent on their business. Those by the cricket pitch were mostly happy to exchange a few words in passing or stop and give the dogs some fuss.Read more