Left Stafford at 4pm on Thursday, for a steady run to Weston on Trent, arriving at 7.30pm. Locks all in my favour, but many many moored boats to pass on tickover.
Friday saw an early start (5.50am) for the run up to and through Harecastle. Locks all in my favour until someone pulled away from his overnight mooring right in front of me above Stone Top. Chased him up Meaford flight and Trentham lock, passing him when he moored for lunch. Up Stoke flight and along to Harecastle, arriving at the Southern portal around 2.30pm. Through the tunnel and moored one lock down on the Red Bull flight at 3.45pm. Food in the Red Bull and subsequent beer in the Blue Bell. Saturday saw a somewhat later start at 8.10am. The initial plan was to stop for water at the taps two locks down, but the sight of a boat just leaving the next lock and two boats moored pointing towards it with people stirring made my mind up. Fill up at the bottom of the flight and hopefully get much of the flight in my favour. In fact every lock on the flight was either set my way or was filling with a boat in it. Stopped for water at the water points in Wheelock and then cruised on to an eventual mooring just above King's lock in Middlewich. Initially I was going to go down the lock, and the boat coming out of King's lock saw me coming and left the gate open for me, but when I saw that this boat was none other than Tam Lin with John and Gill Watson on board, we decided to moor there above the lock at 5.30pm and go for some beers later on in the evening. Sunday saw a very short cruise, setting off at 9.20am, down King's lock, a brief cruise along the Wardle canal and up Wardle lock, mooring just along there on the 14 day moorings at some 45 minutes later. Terry Streeter NB Arun - Middlewich
