Full circle

The canal was shallow and we had to be careful to stay in the middle to avoid weed. But ahead: the hills of the Peak District. Worth lifting up your eyes for.

Coming into lock 22 the sides of the boat jammed against the sides of the lock and we were stuck. Trying to wash the boat out by opening the paddles in the top gates and keeping the bottom gates open only succeeded in beaching a boat in the pool above so we had to stop and go further up to release water to right its tilt. I imagined being wedged in the lock for ever, blocking the canal to boats in either direction, but John, unfazable, just suggested we eat lunch there. After which there was enough water upstream to wash us out with the help of engine power and ropes. So no chance of the Standedge tunnel, even though John did reckon we could get through the lock if we tackled it differently. Instead we moored downstream and got to the tunnel entrance and the highest point of the canal system on foot. On the way we came across a most surprising simple moorland café, serving cream teas and ice cream made from the milk of cows in the field opposite and offering wifi access in exchange for Facebook likes.

Peak District drizzle meant that we didn’t head off the path and into hills, but walked back down to the boat. I took the not-so-disastrous bike and cycled down 15 locks to last night’s stopping place, opening the top gate paddles as I went so the locks filled and the boat could get down faster. My most solitary time in over a week.

(Up Huddersfield Narrow to lock 22 and back to Millbrook.)