After a night spent in Middlewich moored next to one of the main roads into town , we were glad to move further along the Trent Mersey canal for a  few miles on Wednesday , that night then  being spent moored at Wheelock which is a suburb of  Sandbach. Today (Thursday )we caught the bus into town I got my free geriatric  ticket but Hilary had to pay£2.20 for one mile!! , it was market day so was quite busy , another nice town to visit , with some interesting buildings , nice floral decorations and clean streets.
Tomorrow we shall start the first climb of locks , heading towards the Macclesfield junction.

To get an idea of the size and scale of these  locks see Hilary taking a well earned rest on he left hand lock beam

This was Friday night  and the twentieth lock we passed through , we moored  just around the corner

for a well earned nights rest .We don't think this flight of locks deserved it name of Heartbreak Hill as most of the locks are well maintained and easy to work

A salt works we passed on Friday just outside Middlewich

An owl sat on the pub fence at the Red Bull pub at lock 42 on the Trent Mersey while his keeper enjoys a well earned drink after a morning spent removing pigeons and starlings from a local abattoirs roof 

Double locks ie two separate narrow  locks side by side each with its own entrance arch there are no set rules as to which one you use so there can be two boats going up or down or one in each direction

This is a boat we moored near earlier this week  the boat was fifty feet with a seventeen foot butty behind so both could fit in a lock together.

The butty was originally a self contained boat  complete with stove and a single cylinder engine but now is used as a store and workshop , a sort of mobile shed I suppose

A foot bridge over the lock entrance with a split down the middle so that the horse can walk up the ramp at the side letting the tow rope slip through and pulling the boat into the lock

Saint Marys church Sandbach  with an unusual bell tower open underneath forming an entrance porch ,