Friday 17th July

Heading upstream we passed an enormous rock salt mine. Over 500' down there are miles of chambers where the salt is extracted and the worked out seams are now used to store data and valuable artefacts.

There are no moorings at Winsford and only just enough room to turn In The Mood. Heading downstream we passed a boat yard with lots of different shapes and sizes of boats in various states of repair. There never seems to be anyone working at these sites and some boats must have been there for years.  Even the cover over the boat needs a lot of repair.

I don't think  'Proceed' will be taking to the high seas anytime soon.

Back at the lift we had a 3 hour wait before an available slot so plenty of time for a leisurely lunch. We were one of the last 2 boats of the day and Saturday is fully booked so it is a good job we arrived when we did.

We cruised towards Middlewich and then stopped about 7pm to watch the golf and  to feel relieved that the weather is better here than at 'The Open'.