Bartimaeus

We have a schedule of fifty locks to get through in less than a week in winter daylight, but we are confident we can do it with Bryn’s help. It was a bit of a blow that Bryn had a cold and we hoped he would still feel able to tackle the vigourous schedule, but we would manage even if he couldn’t help as much as usual. He still has a sense of humour and we agreed that his arrival normally heralded a drop in temperature and yet again the cold had accompanied him. He seemed in good spirits and got stuck into a lemon and honey drink straight away.

We made a start on the driving before he emerged in the morning, since we didn’t have locks for a while and it was fair to let him sleep. He has our bedroom so we could get breakfast and set off without disturbing him in theory but in practice the engine and movement would almost certainly be rousing. Sure enough he emerged soon after we had set off and also unsurprisingly had had trouble getting to sleep. We hope he isn’t going to regret coming on a winter activity holiday, with a cold. 

Shane was driving except when he needed to deal with his bread baking…. Then he said he would operate a swing bridge and it all went smoothly until he was trying to close it. I was trying to stay still ready to collect him but  hovering or just staying still isn’t always an option so I was hoping he would mange to sort it soon. Bryn hopped off to see if he could lend a hand. It still wasn’t an instant fix but it did seem to help to have two at it. He had come in handy in the first morning, before we even reached the locks. He was not too lacking in energy as once he had come away from the bridge he decided to stretch his legs and walk down the towpath for a bit.

We had one less obstacle as the next swing bridge was the one that was away for repars. There were some workmen there though and Bryn was choosing the narrowing of the canal as a spot to get back aboard. He was stretching over to step on the gunwale and I thought that with a good audience and an unusual manoeuvre this was the perfect time for a complete cock up, either I might hit the side trying to get nearer or he might slip in to the water overstretching himself. To my relief neither happened and he got on pretty quickly and we didn’t make a spectacle of ourselves. 

The bread was ready for lunch just as we reached the top of the Bosley locks so we had hot rolls while tied  on the lock bollards and in perfect timing a boat arrived coming up the flight just as we were finishing eating. Shane went to help them through so they could get back on and I got ready to drive in.

Bryn finished his tea and was out to help close the other gate as I drove in and then came to get a windlass and we were all set.  Shane was going ahead to get the next one ready leaving Bryn to finish up working that lock. 

It all went like clockwork and we had none of the water shortages that other boaters had warned us about. I didn’t get too cold but Shane checked that I wasn’t needing to swap. Bryn was warming up but didn’t seem to be overheating as much as Shane. We passed some thick coated cows on the way.

While it stayed misty all day, it didn’t rain, and the satisfying locking was making for a very good day, not a dull day. I liked the shape of the stones on walls of the locks, rather than bricks and they emptied quickly.

We made short work of the flight. Around lock 10 Shane and I swapped over and I found the winding stiff but not impossible – driving was the easier job. At the last one I arrived to find a boat in the lock and I helped the man with the winding. He was effusive in his thanks. He had plenty of work ahead of him and I hadn’t done much winding at all. I went  to walk round the other side to be ready to open the gate (all the gates are paired in this flight and you can only cross at the bottom end). The boat was nearly fully risen and the man invited me to cross the boat to get to the other side of the lock, rather than walking all the way to the bridge. I didn’t need steadying but his hand was ready at my hand, arm or back to make sure I had a safe crossing. It was a very nice end to the flight.

Cows came to have a look as we moored up and some long tailed tits sported in the hedgerows at the other side and I got closer than usual since they were in low bushes rather than high trees. When the gentle rain started while we were snug inside, it was a satisfying feeling to have got it all done in good time.