Lock 11 West

We'd been at Grove Road service moorings for 5 days and Will was getting 'itchy tiller' (easily cured by a change of scenery 😉). Vicky's health hadn't improved so she stayed in bed with the dogs while he 'single handed' Rainboat through locks 9 and 10, mooring just before the 11th lock. The pound beyond this was still drained so it was impossible to go any further.

At Grove Road Will had encountered someone from the CRT letting water down the locks to help a boat grounded at Stalybridge. Apparently the CRT Directorate were meeting and travelling through Standedge Tunnel. The tunnel is situated in the top pound (the highest point on a canal with locks) so the workers had been told to keep as much water in it as possible. They wouldn't want the high an mighty getting stuck in the tunnel! Never mind the rest of us regular licence payers deprived of water downstream to the point that stretches are empty 😵‍💫 Ok, rant over 😂

The surroundings below Lock 11 were beautiful. Mature Oak Woodland giving occasional glimpses of the Pennine Hills beyond. The canal is in the valley of the River Tame and here they ran side by side, separated only by a footpath and a steep sided slope. Will and Leo enjoyed crossing over to the path via Lock 11 and walking along it before crossing back to the towpath via Lock 10.

On our day of arrival we received an email saying the cill at Lock 29 (ahead of us) had been repaired and the lock reopened. With this work complete and the CRT visit over, water would hopefully start to flow downstream again. Sure enough, the next day a boat came down Lock 11 and cruised past us, meaning the pound was full enough to use 😁 It turned out to be the first of many. Low water was no longer a problem for us so we moved on to the next most pressing supply; diesel. Our diesel stove is still necessary to keep us warm and its drip feed does gradually drain the fuel. The number of locks combined with Vicky's health are really slowing our progress and it's been a while since we filled the tank. There is no fuel boat on this stretch and the marina Will telephoned didn't sell it. After a bit of research he managed to find a petrol station on a road near our route that he could roll the 14 litre jerry can to on our trolley when we got nearer. Phew! Boat life does require a certain amount of flexibility!Leggi altro