Splish.... Splash.....

Up and fed his morning by 9am all ready to tackle the Marple flight. I pulled the mooring pins pushed the NB away from the bank then slowly moved forward and steered the short distance over to the entrance to the first lock. Leonie was just finishing the last touches inside making everything ship shape for the days travels. I jumped the 3 foot to the bank holding the centre rope to slow the boat to a stop. Damm no bollards to wrap the rope around and no lock landing. Just a sloping grass bank heavy with overnight dew. I lent back against the weight of the still moving forward NB, all but slowly, took the weight.....

That's when it all turned to S - - T...
Wet grass on a slope, weight pulling forward and best of all No grip with the Crocs......
My feet went from under me and I was on my arse in less time than the average rodeo rider who doesn't last the count. My legs ended up half over the bank and before I could let go of the rope...

I was......

Taking a Bath... It was 1.5 foot deeper further out...

The NB was stilled moving forward and away from the bank toward mid canal so I got my arms on the rear deck but with the weight of water soaked into my fleece lined jacket I couldn't pull myself up onto the deck.
Leonie... Leonie.. read it louder... when she soon appeared on deck she didn't see me so went back inside.  I'm clinging to the side of a runaway ship for christs sake.
Leonie.. Leonie... louder still.... then she reappeared and she looked down and to the side when she heard what she thought was someones last gasps.... Oh what do I do? she asked..
I said Nothing I just wanted to let you know I've done 50 lengths this morning..
The NB had come to a stop more or less only feet from the lock gate so unable to get up on deck with now  dwindling strength and the onset of hypothermia I let go and walked to the bank... now followed by laughter.....        

I managed to extricate myself onto the canal bank....

Looking like a drowned rat... but still got the Crocs on.....

Then when back on the NB.....steered the boat into the lock and done the workings...

 Before moving out of the lock....

Time to shed some excess weight..... (PS the camera was on a wog setting for these photo's but you get the picture)

Quick shower and dry clothes we were soon doing locks....

A couple of the 17 locks had no ground paddles working so you have to let the water in with the gate paddles. Usually I get off the boat and work the RH side paddles then open the gate, exit, stop the boat and shut the gate as Leonie biked one or two locks ahead to get them ready. With these two I stayed on the NB so Leonie could wind open the paddles more quickly which allows a "Mean" torrent of water to enter the lock but the NB can be controlled in gear, from smashing into the front or rear gate, with the throttle......

 

Sometimes one cannot see the logic...
After we'd done 4 locks two lock keepers appeared. My thoughts are that they are there to help, and to keep an eye on water flow, as it's usually on a flight of locks they appear and that's when help is appreciated. A NB was coming down and one lock keeper was helping them, 2 person crew, and the other came to our lock and talked and sat on the lock beam, yawned, said how boring this canal was and watched us, 2 person crew, do the work.
So we carried on and after another 8 or so locks a woman from a hire boat that was behind us from lock 2 came walking ahead to our lock and said, "We've caught you up and the lock keepers are helping us as well", Doohhhh... there's four freak'n crew on their NB and she was boasting earlier to us how they did 27 locks yesterday. Well they were still 1.5 locks behind and they never got close enough to blow smoke up our Ar- -s.....
Surely it would make more sense to help a two person crew when one of them is a woman doing more than her share of the heavy work.....

 

 Turned down the Peak Forest branch going to Bugsworth Canal Basin and Whaley Bridge...

The canal clings to the side and follows the hills... the valleys open out and offer nice views for miles...

Moored at Bugsworth Canal Basin which in it's hey day was a very busy place. Working boats carried Lime and Gritstone plus building stone which was mined and sourced close by..

The basin is huge with several different loading basins and has been rebuilt over recent years..

Entrance to the Lower Basin under the Horse Transfer bridges which enabled the horses to keep towing the working boats from one basin to another...

A higher view looking toward the Middle and  Upper Basins and the hills where Limestone was taken....

Standing at the entrance to the Basin is..

Canal House... 1797.. home of the Wharfinger who was in charge of the wharfs plus weighed and collected tolls from the leaving NBs....

Derelict but still there...

A couple of Gnat hole Limekilns....

And moored at the basin...

The Navigation Inn... A great place to quench the thirst after shoveling 20 ton of product onto the NB..... Previously owned by Pat Phoenix... aka... Elsie Tanner from you know where...

The rain has arrived to night. Won't be much.....