A last minute week - where do we go?

[captain birdseye]

If you come through Harecastle in the morning as we usually do you can stop at Stoke at the Toby Carvery and take the Children to Waterworld, its only a five minute walk, especially if you take the shortcut up the bank and through the car park. Great fun with lots of big water slides. you can then have the afternoon getting far enough up the Caldon to be out of the industrial bit, or if you decide to go down stoke locks you can get out to Wedgewood easily enough in the afternoon. There was also a decent Thai café in Waterworld last year

[Galoka]

Thanks Captain Birdseye, we were thinking of maybe going there.

However things haven't gone to plan so far today. Wife and daughters were in a car accident last night. (tyre blowout it seems at 70mph, spun off the road, car is a write off, as the side smashed into a tree or post of something, the cill is bent in about a foot). They are ok, some whiplash, some bruises, various musclo-skeletal  aches and sprains. (in the context of what it might have been, they are lucky, thinking of what might have been in rather scary)). They got back from A&E a couple of hours ago, and we all need a bit of kip first before we drive up.

Middlewich Narrowboats have said if we arrive too late to go out someone will be there to get us on the boat and we  can stay overnight on the base and head off in the morning.

So, a change of plan might be in order. Doing the Cheshire Locks up to Hardcastle tomorrow might not be  a good plan with half the crew a bit out of action. Maybe head up the Shropshire Union towards Barbridge (5 locks in 10 miles) and see how we go.  Dunno. Gonna have some breakfast,  load up the car ready to go, then have a bit of kip

[tizzy]

Hi 

Sounds like you have had a lucky escape glad your family is more or less ok . If you want an easy start go north from Middlewich towards Anderton this means you only have 1 lock to do and then a flat run with no locks all the way to Manchester. The Bridgewater canal is pretty ,you can look at the boat lift,there are a couple of fun tunnels and nice places to stop ie Lymm and Dunham Massey. If you get to Manchester Castlefield is really interesting and good mooring. Whatever you decide have a good trip

Tizzy

[Rob-M]

Sounds like the fewer locks the better, I would consider the run to Manchester.

Hope everyone recovers ok and you still have a good holiday.