Fear not, gentle reader, not some gruesome disembodied piece of anatomy but today’s destination for the Wrens-Nest.
Another day of not going very far, a mile and a half to be precise, but we did do the six Grindley Brook locks including the three lock staircase where each lock leads directly into the next.
Then it was just a fill of water and disposal of rubbish and we were away. We must have done about half a mile when a crew member from another boat that had been watering up came hotfooting it back down the towpath, they had left their keys at the waterpoint!
When he caught us up again, with keys safely retrieved, we offered a lift which he gratefully accepted and told us a tale of how he had become part-time gravedigger and told his wife that he had to swear vows and join a secret society to get the job. His wife was taking it all in but needless to say he just went a bit too far and she realised that he was kidding her!
We reached New Mills Lift Bridge which someone opened for us (hooray) and then reversed into The Whitchurch Arm where there are 48 hour moorings (an arm is a subsidiary branch of a canal). In this case it used to go to the centre of the town but was abandoned in 1944 and later filled in. With the support of the town council The Whitchurch Waterway Trust was incorporated in 1988 and the restoration of the first part of the Whitchurch Canal was completed in 1993. They have ambitious plans to create a new basin and further moorings.
After lunch we caught the 205 bus into town and bought some provisions including some burgers for our tea from one of the town’s four butchers. As the 205 is a circular route it was difficult to know where our stop was, but the bus driver couldn’t have been more helpful and set us down even nearer the canal than the stop we had found for ourselves.
While we were in town we found ourselves a small folding table which we used later when we lit our bucket barbeque and sat on the bench thoughtfully provided beside our boat to cook our tea whilst Catty explored the adjacent nature reserve. It’s a lovely spot and we think we shall stay here tomorrow.