Trent & Mersey Canal - Wheelock to Middlewich (time lapse)
The stretch of the Trent and Mersey Canal (Mail Line -- Harding's Wood to Middlewich) forms part of both the Cheshire and Four Counties Rings. Since we were doing the Cheshire Ring clockwise and then the Four Counties Ring anticlockwise on this trip we had to do this bit twice.
This video shows the last two and a half miles to Middlewich as we were starting out on our second week beginning the Four Counties Ring. It was shot from the pointy end with our one remaining camera.
We moored overnight near Rumps Lock No 70 and had a wonderful dinner at The Kinderton Arms. Sadly the pub is now closed as documented in this extract from Bestpubs.co.uk:
"After a refurbishment this was a brilliant pub, then the owners, trust inns, forced the tennats out by removing the toilets and leaving a single communal toilet for both male & femail, the tennants had no choice but to close the pub & the locals have vowed never to return if it ever opens again" (their speeling not mine)
Making our way to the bar through a crowd of colourful, interesting locals we bought drinks and asked if they were doing food. "Only bar food" replied the landlady handing us a menu. We repaired to the dining area and studied both the menu and the colourful, interesting locals, ordered dinner and sat in anticipation of culinary delights. Several drinks later we were still anticipating. Dinner appeared after about two hours. The portions were huge and everything was freshly prepared from scratch. Their can't be many pubs where the landlady is willing to spend two hours preparing and cooking dishes such as Steak & Kidney and Chicken & Mushroom pies from their basic ingredients while running a busy bar full of colourful, interesting locals.
Still, she did and the results were excellent. After settling the bill, a mighty sixteen quid for dinner for four, we waddled back to the boat hoping that our over indulgence wouldn't sink it!
We awoke next morning feeling colourful and interesting and wondered if the ICI chemical works on the other side of the cut had anything to do with this. As we sailed off towards Middlewich the Kinderton Arms Fishing Club were pegged out in colourful and interesting ways.
