Started off at 7.20am, again in mist, again to try and keep dry. Dropping down the locks at Wheelock, we saw the lady that we had spoken to yesterday evening with her two Great Danes, it must be a bit crowded on their boat; we know someone that had one on a boat and that was bad enough; especially when you sat down and the dog decided to lie on your feet!
Wheelock has changed little since our last visit, and as we were almost out of the village, there was the aggressive swan protecting his mate and her as yet unhatched brood. The male was just a yob in feathers, attacking our rear fender and following us for a few hundred yards, making a right old song and dance with wings beating and hissing.
The remainder of the journey to Middlewich was uneventful and more refined, but a surprise awaited us as we came out of the road bridge and looked for the familiar Bisto factory – it was all gone! The site has been levelled and fenced off. The factory closed in August 2008 with the loss of 200 jobs; the result of a company take over. They were of course offered alternative jobs – in Nottinghamshire, no consolation at all.
The rain began to fall and by the time that we had tied up close to the fish and chip shop, it was quite heavy. After lunch (the fish and chips are still good) we had a wander around Middlewich.
There are a few good buildings, the Alhambra has seen better days, but the decorations on the frontage are still worth a look. The Victoria Technical Schools and Free Library building was a delight, I really liked the detail panels. The church of St Michael and All Angels has a commanding position with traffic on three sides; unfortunately it was locked up and we were unable to see the interior.
We returned to Martlet and moved onto the Middlewich branch, trying up on the embankment before Stanthorne Lock. A walk after supper found us in woodland where we found flowers in abundance and a few fallen branches to cut up and burn.
2010 totals: Locks 60 Miles 72
