Thursday 20^th September. Today, the weather forecast was correct. We awoke to low cloud and constant drizzle. Ah well, we thought, work the first lock, fill up with water, work the second lock and then snuggle down into the wet weather gear and off we go towards Barbridge Junction, Polgara’s former home mooring. But then, whilst having breakfast, skies cleared, sun came out and it stopped raining until lunch time. One or two dark clouds passed close by but missed us entirely.

And I’m glad of that because the canal we have now turned on to is one of my favourites and is part of the Shropshire Union Canal – Middlewich Branch. There are some lovely buildings alongside the canal, one of them being an old stable block, now converted into a private house.

The stables would have been where horses were changed over to ensure faster transport times. Another old farm house had a beautifully shaped gable end to the property.

At Church Minshull there is a little shop in one of the farm buildings which has been selling candles, flowers and gifts for as long as I can remember.

One day, I promise myself, we will stop and go and have a look. A little further on you look down on a farm and when there are cows in the field, it looks just like a toy farm.

And Church Minshull itself looks so pretty tucked away in the trees.

The canal winds its way through beautiful countryside,

over the River Weaver and past a new marina which, last time we came in 2008, was only just being dug out.

How permanent it now looks.