Onto Grindley Brook

After the Internet free stay at Wrenbury, we set off in somewhat cloudy conditions heading for  Grindley Brook.

You can't beat a good scratch in the morning!

The sun soon broke through the haze and the heat increased.  The locks prior to Grindley are very pleasantly situated and after the deep double locks of the Leeds Liverpool seem a breeze to operate. Except.....the by washes are fierce and entering the lock to ascend can prove a tad tricky.  This also obviously applies to the descent as well, which we found to our cost at one stage when a boat descending did not account for the effect and side swiped us.

We made steady progress enjoying the scenery until reaching the first lock of the Grindley flight.  This we ascended without a wait, but then found that there was a log jam of boats.  As you may be aware, the top three locks of this flight are a staircase.  The keeper allows three up, then three down. The problem was everyone was heading up!  So we had a bit of a wait and explained to those not familiar with the procedure.  Some could not understand why we were refilling the lock above us in readiness for the next boat descending until we explained that as the pound above was full, nobody was moving until the final ascent of the next three began.

Anyway, up we went eventually.  I think the lock keeper was a little stressed as he was a little short to Ali.

At the top of the flight are the services, and a little beyond these some decent moorings. So we filled and emptied as you do. I found a set of keys at the Elasan point, which had a telephone number on them. Rang this but it went to answerphone, so I left a message and handed them to the lock keeper.

After having a really pleasant meal at the Horse and Jockey, we walked back to the boat.  I have had a sore throat all day, and this has got worse.  Feel crap, it has to be man flu !  So had an early night after taking my medication.  As I type this on a cloudy and sultry Thursday morning, I do feel a little better.  That old speckled hen is bloody good medicine!

P.s. Grumpy git came up to me yesterday at the top of the flight, and apologised for his outburst yesterday. I was magnanimous....

7 Miles.  10 Locks.  1 Lift bridge.  Only minor grumps and one apology!