Narrowboat Holiday Day 21 - Barbridge to Middlewich (5 hours; 10.7 miles; 7 locks)

Well, that was a nice night on the canal.  After waking up, showering, and eating breakfast, we set out at 9:23 AM for our last day on the canal.

One last, beautiful day on the canal.

Here is a typical site along the canal...dairy cows.  Throughout the 3 weeks, we passed by many dairy farms and sheep farms.

Our last day, our last mid-day stop at a town with a pub.  The guide told us to moor by bridge 14 to access the town of Church Minshull and that it is only a half-mile walk.  They didn't tell us that we would have to take our lives in our hands as we walked the short half-mile since there was no sidewalks with 2 bridges and a tunnel that were all one lane so cars / motorcycles / bicycles / were speeding and weaving and jostling their way though these obstacles.  We arrived to the Badger Inn and really needed a pint this time.

Here is the entrance to the Badger Inn with St Bartholomew's Church in the background.  After the pint we actually went inside the church and took a peek.  This church was rebuilt in 1702 after a collapse, but there is evidence of a church standing here since 1541 and possible a Saxon church before then.

Anyway, the pints were delicious and it was time to walk back to the narrowboat, but by an alternate walking trail.  Here is a cool 17th century half-timbered building named "Church Farm House."

We found the entrance to the walking trail.  This will be much more pleasant than the walk here.

Yep...so much better.  Here is the exit of the trail right onto the tow path alongside the canal.

We got back to the boat, made sandwiches for lunch, and were underway at 1:30 PM.  We should only have about 4 hours to go to get back to Middlewich depending on the boat traffic at the last 6 locks.

This is kind of cool.  It is an old horse stable converted into a residential building,  If you zoom in, you can see the old stable doors are still along the side of the building.

Another nice, old brick building along the canal.  Tim liked the shutters.

In the past 3 weeks on the canal we saw many, many ducks, swans, geese, pheasants, herons, some unknown black bird with a red beak, and many other birds.

Here is a nice shot of a bridge with someone fishing on the other side.

This was a nice treat.  The people in the boat waiting for us to go down this lock so they can come up it said that they will work the lock for us.  I think this was the first time we both were able to stay in the boat while going down a lock.

Ahhhh...the welcome to Middlewich sign.  We just have to make a left, go down a set of 3 locks, go past Anderson Boats to a winding hole to turn around, fill our water tank, and then moor for good.

After countless locks, I finally decided to take a video of me working a lock.  Tim already drove the boat into the lock and I have already opened one of the gates to let out water.  I now have to open the second gate, open the doors, and close the gates.  I was able to leave the doors open since a boat was coming the other way.  Typically I would have to close both doors after Tim exited.

Our last water point stop.  The water points all along the canal are provided by the Canal and River Trust.  They provide a key to everyone that registers their boats on the canals.

After getting water, we moored at Anderson Boats so we don't have to move the boat in the morning. We did it.  We made it.  After 3 weeks we completed out narrowboat trip.  To celebrate, I had takeaway Indian food and Tim finished some food we still had on board.  We organized some to prepare to pack in the morning, watched some TV, and went to sleep.  We have to be off the boat by 9 AM tomorrow morning, so we will have an early day to allow for packing and cleaning up a bit.  Until then...