When the news of Marple and Bosley being shut we were just on to the Peak Forest and ready to go back to Tardebigge Old Wharf by way of The PF, Macc, T&M, Staffs and Worcs, BCN and Worcs and Brum. We have a deadline of the 11th August and decided that the only way of meeting the deadline would be to turn around and go bakc the way we came. That is down the Ashton, Rochdale 9, Bridgewater, T&M, Middlewich Branch, Shroppie, BCN and Worcester and Brmingham.
We stopped for lunch half way down the Ashton and saw the latest announcement: Marple and Bosley are open, CanalPlan said that it would take only a little longer each day (7hrs 45mins instead of 7hrs 15 mins) to turn round again and go back up the Ashton and carry on our original intended route.
If we had been idle and hung around where we were we could have just carried on.
What a b...
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