Going Down at Bosley

Friday 15th June, 7 1/2 mile + 4 miles on foot.

Set off from our base of 4 days at Bollington. Stopped for water in Macclesfield. then soon after stopped again for lunch and have a chat to Richard on his birthday. From there we walked through Dane Moss to visit Gawsworth Hall in the village of Gawsworth. Diana had checked their website for details. What it didn't tell you was that today they are closed to the public, so best we could do was take a few pictures from the road and visit the church. Walked through the village before returning via Dane Moss. Back on the boat we continue to the top of the Bosley locks, a flight of 12. 3 kiwis from Tauranga moor up behind for the night.

Saturday 16th June. 1 1/2 miles, 12 locks, 118 feet vertically.

Rained most of the night so when we woke there was no enthusiasim to tackle the locks. We turned the heater on and  waved to the 3 kiwi's as they set off, having to get their boat back by Monday morning. Rained on and off till about 1300. By 1400 we decided it was worth moving although thunderstorms are forcast. These are the first locks since coming up them in September 2016. Diana goes to set the lock, looks at them a few times then comes back to confirm which paddel has to be opened. I reminded her that water flows down hill. There were some difficulties on the way down with low water and going aground in a couple of the pounds. As we approached lock number 11 the thunderstorm arrived so we put the boat in the lock and stayed inside waiting for the heavy rain to stop. Good plan except another boat coming down caught up with us so we had to move on during a really heavy downpour. I kept the boat under a bridge while Diana set the lock. We are now at the bottom, rain stopped, and we moor up for a dry but cool pleasant evening.