The penultimate cruise.

 Wednesday 18th,

 Today a mammoth eleven miles and eight broad locks to reach Sawley, and we hoped to do it in record time. roughly 5 hours. It can be done, we have managed it before, but then everything was in our favour, no waiting for locks to fill and boats coming toward us, so the bottom gates could be left open. Unfortunately, today everything was against! 

First lock, Stenson, a deep lock which ,if all the paddles are working properly, doesn't take too long to fill, so I decided to sit out in mid-channel and wait. 5 minutes went by, 8 minutes went by, and all the time the slight breeze kept trying to take me to those boats moored on the offside. "Blooming 'eck...what's the problem?" I thought, "For goodness’s sake, hurry up!" Was I glad when Ian opened the top gate. I was inches away from hitting a wide beam! 10 minutes it took before Ian managed to open the top gate. And the reason? Only the ground paddles worked, those gate paddles, useless, allowing just a trickle of water in.

At Swarkestone lock, we got ourselves a locking buddie. He was about to leave the mooring as we sidled past. We said we would wait in the lock, but this was another lock that required filling. Again I held out didn't feel the need to go onto the landing and our buddie arrived just as the gates opened. Gosh, by now we had been on the move nearly 15 minutes short of two hours! We should have been halfway to Weston lock by now!

 

It appears that all I'm doing is talking about the locks. Well the three-mile journey to Weston lock was pretty straightforward, and we could actually get a good a move on, a heady 3.5 mph! And our locking buddie stayed with us the whole way. One slight hairy moment came when I noticed three walkers standing by the water's edge staring at FS. I joked to Ian that they must be admiring our sleek lines, but I nearly laughed on the other side of my face when suddenly two men in a small dugout appeared from behind a bush. Blimey, I knocked the revs back super quick, I could have hit the boat and tipped both over the side! I couldn't apologise enough, I just hadnt seen them and those walkers never gave any sort of gesture. One of the men said, "Not to worry love, my mate is expendable!" 

It was a for gone conclusion that this lock would also be empty, and this time I pulled FS onto the landing. From experience, we knew that the bottom gates of this lock leak like a sieve and to open the top gates, even with both paddles still open, two people would be called for to push against the balance beam. 

 In the end, our locking buddie also joined in the heave and with the three of us, we almost fell over when the gates moved easier than anticipated.

Met another canoeist  on the next leg of the journey. Only because of the colour of his oar made me realise he was there. Again he had tucked himself behind the reeds. This time I did pass very slow.

Finally, at Shardlow lock, a stroke of luck. This lock was full!!! And the luck continued when a boat appeared from under the bridge so the bottom gates could be left open. Here we said goodbye to our buddie. He stopped for water, we carried on toward Derwent Mouth.

Easier to climb down the steps.

Look at this impressive Wisteria. At our bungalow we also have wisteria . It never flowered when we lived there, and it still doesn't today for our tenants. We have no idea why!

 Derwent Mouth was also full, a boat had just left. I dropped down onto the river and noticed how low the water was. Even Ian had trouble getting back on FS from the landing.

 

Sawley stop lock

Not many spaces at Sawley, although one was left by what looked to be an abandoned cruiser. Checked the time, and it took 5.5 hours, slightly better than I thought. Tomorrow we head for Langley Mill, normally a sad time because of knowing our trip away is over but with the motorhome for our next adventure, Really looking forward to that. 

Oh, I mustn't forget the dry docking in between!

Radcliffe cooling towers in the distance

I noticed something in the hedge bottom right by our mooring. A beautiful bunch of flowers, roses and carnations, placed in a cut coke bottle. Oh dear, someone's appeasement offering rejected? Anyway, they are mine now...😏

Amazing fishing here. Roach after roach and not a tiddler to be had, It had to come to an end though and it did when a Cormorant invaded my swim!

And seen on route,

Fields of blue. I believe it is Borage Thanks to Alan it is Linseed

And wildlife

White throat, (thank you, Jo)

Mayfly