A wet, dry, wet, dry, wet sort of day. We left Middlewich at 8:30ish. The three locks were set for us, but as we came down the first one a young lad started to empty the middle one! I went down and told him we were just coming out of the top lock, so then we had to re-fill it. His boat wasn’t even in the bottom lock.

A quick stop off at the marina for Paul to get hist sunglasses from the car and for others to use the toilets. Then on to near the Lion Salt works for an early lunch and to sit out a particularly heavy storm.

We reached the Anderton visitor’s moorings mid afternoon – time for the Downs family to have a good look at the lift and visitor centre ready for our trip nown tomorrow morning.

I noticied the Halsall fuel boat coming out of the lift so hailed them over for a diesel topup.

Prosecco and lemon drizzle cake, was followed later by gin & tonic and crisps all before chicken and wedges washed down with a bottle of Ned. It’s a hard life this boating.