Friday, May 25, 2012

It’s raining blossom…

Travelling from the flashes towards Middlewich this morning there are several wooded sections to pass through, and the brisk breeze was causing a snowstorm of blossom in places! But the smells of hawthorn blossom and fresh cut grass as a local farmer gets his first crop in were fantastic!

As I was finishing last nights post the local swans kept coming back to try their luck…

The whole world loves a trier… but he still didn’t get any more bread!SAM_0409
There’s a new marina being built on the towpath side between Orchard Marina and the Davenham Road. It seem to have slowed to almost a standstill, but there’s still equipment there and the latest addition is the other half of the towpath bridge that will cross the entrance channel.

Park Farm (I think) Marina.SAM_0410SAM_0411

We had only a short trip to make today, so left it till the morning surge of traffic had died a little, getting away around 11:00.

Leaving south flash.SAM_0412
The white dot in the middle is the ever-hungry swan.

If I had to choose, I’d be hard-pressed to decide which stretch of the T&M I prefer, the bit north of the tunnels along the Weaver valley or this bit south of Rudheath heading towards Middlewich and running above the River Dane.

Near WhatcroftSAM_0413

SAM_0416
Lovely, isn’t it.

The towpaths haven’t been cut yet this year, and that spell of rain followed by this warm weather has really got them going.

We need to do a bit of shopping in Middlewich, but don’t particularly like to moor in the town so stop between Croxton Flash and Croxton Aqueduct. Close enough to walk, far enough away not to be bothered.

Croxton FlashSAM_0417

Moored near Bridge 175SAM_0418

We’ll take a day out tomorrow, then head through the town on Sunday. Starting reasonably early, we should start to catch boats coming down the locks as we go up by the time we get to the narrow ones. That’s the plan, anyway.

Graham and Jennifer on NB Best O’ Mates went past this morning and gave us a shout. They, too, have a heap of wood on the roof, the result of foraging last week before the weather took a turn for the better. Ah well, it’ll still be there come Autumn… I’ll have to get a tarp or something though to make it look a little tidier.

Locks 0, miles 3

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