JULY

It is 9th July at Westport Lake and, I am sure, at many other places in this sceptred isle in the midst of the latest heatwave  but fear not: the boat is rested under some very large beech trees which are shading it from the midday sun right unto sunset and even though the cabin is reading 28C there a light breeze on the towpath and my deck chair is out while I enjoy a cloudless sky and consider my options. 

This is a best mooring with bus stops less than 5mins walk from the boat and a frequent service to Tunstall and Newcastle until 6pm and a little later if I am careful. Bus services in the Stoke area tend to generally collapse from about 6.30pm on and after 7pm forget it. 

Tesco is reachable by taking a short ride to Tunstall and changing to the Crewe bus which runs every half hour and if I take the opposite direction 103 from that stop  it lands me in Hanley bus station within twenty minutes.

I have been unable to find a place to glaze Wavy and it is is likely that I will not so c'est la vie. I will just have to remain optimistic that as I get closer to Chester and the Wirral I may get lucky. meanwhile we make haste slowly and I will leave the rig here to get home at or after the weekend using a butt of a ticket bought almost a month ago the return half of which expires on 17th. 

When I get back to the boat next time I'll shoot Harecastle and leave the Potteries behind after Kidsgrove. 

Being now the 29th Jul Harecastle was shot some time ago and I fetched up for a while at Hardings Wood Junction where I shipped almost 100 litres of diesel and when the locks were unlocked I dropped down some sixteen of Heartbreak Hill to Wheelock where as the month's  end I reside.  The stretch remains closed ufn and I find myself in an excellent village as defined.  within spitting distance of two buses either of which take me to Crewe one way or Sandbach t'other where they split with one going to Maccesfield and t'other going to Northwich via Kings Lock at Middlewich, a potential destination if the cut ever opens again.