Bosley Locks & Lyme Green

We stayed longer than planned at the beautiful Dane Aqueduct because Vicky wasn't well enough to cope with a dozen locks. Our rubbish was piling high and our cupboards were depleted as it was a long way to the nearest shop.

We eventually cast off on Sunday morning; Vicky steering with Leo and Tiger tackling the locks with Will. Despite not setting off early, we were closely followed by two other boats who'd been moored nearby and had had the same idea. The Macclesfield is a narrow canal so sadly there could be no sharing of the locks or the work.

Apart from the Stop Lock we passed through early on at Hall Green with a rise of just 1ft, the dozen Bosley Locks are the only ones on the Macc and they are clustered together over the space of 1.5 miles. Together they raise the water level by 118ft to 518ft above sea level. They are a beautiful flight, set amongst rural surrounds. Short, wide pounds, just large enough for two boats to pass are all that divide most of them. Beside each lock lies a now redundant side pond. These were designed as a water saving mechanism, whereby opening a sluice would allow half the water in the lock to flow into the pond, ready for refilling the chamber when the time came. They used to work and would certainly have come in handy during our recent summers of drought, but they were decommissioned by British Waterways many years ago and now stand as a mere monument to the ingenuity of the past.

According to the Pearson's guide, the chamber stones were quarried from the nearby hill nicknamed The Cloud. Unfortunately for Will, all the lock gates were mitered pairs instead of (as is usual) the top gate being a time-saving single wide gate. To make it even more difficult, the walk planks that are usually attached to lock gates allowing boaters to cross from one side of the chamber to the other did not exist on any of the Bosley Locks. Will either needed to use Rainboat's bow and stern as stepping stones (no easy task when the bow is uneven and slippy and the stern gates stay shut to keep Leo safe) or trek back to the small bridges crossing each chamber downstream of the lock gates (no easy task when Tiger is either dragging slowly behind on the lead or getting stressed about being left by herself). He worked very hard and we made steady progress, cheered by the wooden troughs of daffodils about to come into bloom at each lock. The Macc really does seem a well cared for and loved canal. We get the sense that the voluntary Macclesfield Canal Society is very active, keeping towpaths maintained and adding little touches such as these planters.

A several hours and only one short spell of rain later we cruised out of the top lock and moored almost immediately at services. Will filled with water and quickly relayed all our rubbish, recycling and composting to the wheelie bins. We didn't have the luxury of stopping for a rest as the boats who'd followed us also needed the services and a long line of moored craft ahead meant there was only the one spot to tie up.

We were both exhausted by this point and Vicky was in no mood to carry on. For the first time in six years she isn't taking any antidepressants for her fatigue and her mood is still stabilising. Poor Will got the brunt of it, much to the shock of a passersby who heard her disembodied yells and saw a map book flying out the stern doors 🫣 Will gallantly took over at the tiller, mooring at the first place he could find; a rough bit of bank where he slipped and fell in a patch of nettles 🤕. This allowed us both to eat a very ate lunch and Vicky to go to bed.

Regrettably our extended stopover at Dane Aqueduct meant we couldn't stay the night here. The fuel boat was due to deliver us diesel and a bottle of propane the next day but its route didn't come down as far as the locks. We needed to cover another couple of miles, including an electric swing bridge and a manual one before we could moor at Lyme Green winding hole; the southernmost reach of the fuel boat. With relief, Rainboat slipped into a line of about a dozen other moored boats, many of whom were also awaiting a fuel delivery. Vicky returned to bed while Will cooked us some tea and we both vegged infront of the TV that evening.

Early the next day we were awoken by Leo's worried growling, woofing and the beeps and bangs from a building site directly opposite. So much for a lie in! What a contrast to the quiet of our previous rural surrounds. At least the towpath was good enough for Vicky to get out in her chair to walk the dogs. She'd been keen to explore Dane's Moss Nature Reserve that we were close to but sadly there was a railway line with a high bridge and many steps separating it from the towpath so it wasn't to be. Despite this disappointment and being in an industrial area, we enjoyed our outing. The day was warm(ish), the other walkers friendly and our route ran alongside a lovely strip of mixed woodland, where we had fun spotting Elf Cup funghi among the leaf litter. Vicky even took her chair back out to photograph the wooden swing bridge we'd passed through the previous day.

Will went out afterwards and returned with his large rucksack bursting with fresh fruit, veg and other groceries. We had aimed to meet the fuel boat here but they'd messaged to say they were running a day late. Leo was really on edge with the noise from the building site so we decided to move on a short way that afternoon.Read more