Bridge layers. F-B a road, flyover road, railway and pedestrian bridge looking back to Congleton.

The long North Staffordshire railway viaduct blending onto the wooded slopes.

The Cloud or Bosley Cloud; a hill of 1125ft whose shape was carved during the ice age

Approaching Stanleys Bridge with stop planks on the left

Looking back on Stanier 1st Bridge with its swathe of snowdrops

Congleton Bridge with Stanier 1st Bridge beyond

Whiskers heading to the cobbled overspill. Free for the first time since the night before his op

Vicky found what she thinks is a Robin nest near our moorings. Small, mossy and lined with fleece.

Heading back to Rainboat over Dane Aqueduct

Screenshot of our position on a terrain map. You can see the Pennine Hills to the east and north

Looking over the aqueduct railings to the River Dane 45ft below

Looking up to the aqueduct from the River Dane

Proud of Tiger making it down the muddy, overgrown slope. Leo wasn't having any of it!

BT tower on the distant Suttons Common and the cobbled overspill in action

You can really see the embankment and shape of the aqueduct from this angle

Freshly baked, warm fruit scone with honemade strawberry jam courtesy of Will

Dane Aqueduct, below Bosley Locks

February 25 in England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

The cruise from Congleton to Dane Aqueduct was a true pleasure. Starting off, the sun warmed the air and made the colours around us pop. The course of the Macclesfield runs mainly straight with only a few bends so steering was a breeze. We began in a cutting, passing under numerous rail, road and footbridges, mostly constructed with huge hunks of squared off sandstone; probably Chatsworth Grit quarried from the surrounding hills.

Our views had been somewhat limited within the confines of the cutting but now the channel emerged and was carried over a series of embankments and small aqueducts. The Shaw Brook and Dane Valleys sprawling away underneath and to our port while The Cloud hill rose amongst the Pennines in the distance to starboard. Beautiful!

We'd seen Narrowboat Lexi setting off before us and timed it well because she was just leaving the water point on the offside as we arrived. Will even managed to return the tap connector they'd left behind after they'd winded and were passing us in the opposite direction. Another narrowboat arrived just as we were finishing, but apart from this we saw no other vessels on the move.

We moored just before the impressive Dane Aqueduct that passes over the river some 45ft below. Will got busy stirring our compost boxes and Vicky did a little more on a macrame window drape for the bedroom. Later, Will worked with his niece, going through her online maths homework, while Vicky walked the dogs past 6 of the 12 Bosley Locks that we had yet to navigate.

The following day it rained and we rested inside, blogging, learning on Duo Lingo, making marmalade, scones and fajitas. Being around 1km from the nearest road, it was wonderfully quiet and wonderfully dark when the sun set😊Read more