Due to poor internet signal and general laziness for the last few days this post is by way of a catch up.
12 Jul – Wrenbury to Church Minshull
We left Wrenbury just after 9 and as one of the ABC hire fleet was being brought into their base we had the lift bridge operated for us. Just a few hundred yards later we were at Wrenbury Church Lift Bridge (forgot about that one last time) where we met an excited first time hirer who shut the bridge after we and they had gone through.
This bridge caught my attention as from the distance it looks substantial enough for a railway bridge, but it’s actually only a footbridge! Goodness knows why it’s so heavily built, I wonder if the girders have been reused from somewhere else?
By 1 o’clock we had descended the 9 locks back to Hurleston Junction and were turning left back onto the Shropshire Union.
We had intended to moor up at Barbridge Junction but had made such good time and the weather was glorious so we swung right into the Middlewich Arm and did two more locks before mooring up near Minshull Mill Bridge as it had just started to rain.
After tea we saw the high bows of a old working boat coming through the bridge, it was nb Victoria & her butty, aka Royalty Fuels. As we had missed Mountbatten on the Llangollen I hailed them from the sidehatch and it was a privilege to see to see a ‘motor’ & ‘butty’ being stopped and brought alongside us so expertly. A very serendipitous meeting which left us with a full fuel tank again. More photos here.
13 July 2015 – Church Minshull to Middlewich
Monday morning was rainy so we stayed put until noon then carried on the largely agricultural landscape, there was an interesting Dutch Gabled house and some converted stables on the way but once through Stanthorne Lock then stopped again for a cuppa as we reached Middlewich to dodge another shower before dropping down Wardle Lock and turning into the Trent and Mersey Canal and reversed to Kings Lock Chandlery to buy some gas and a couple of new fenders.
My mysterious comment comment last time about 1987 was a bit out, it was April 1988 we hired from Middlewich Narrowboats with our friends Carol & Ted and our respective children. I must admit I can’t remember too much about it but we have photos to remind us. 
We had nb Taurus which still currently licenced though I guess it’s not still in their fleet..
.. and who is that young chap on the tiller?
We moored on Middlewich Visitor Moorings behind a dairy and it was not until we left that we discovered the best moorings were just around the corner. Hey Ho, we had a good night’s sleep anyway.