We set off from Claymoore at 2:15pm and were able to go straight through the Preston Brook Tunnel. The tunnel is timed to stop either a mid-tunnel collision or a reverse in the dark of epic proportions. You can enter the tunnel going South between half past and twenty to the hour.

Having left the stop lock at the other end of the tunnel we had a pleasant cruise down to the next tunnel at Saltersford. This is now timed as well as, although fairly short, it has a bend in it and so you can’t see all the way though… unless of course you have had that new laser bendy eye surgery (only £350 per eye from Optical Madness).

Leaving Saltersford Tunnel there is a short wide stretch of water which always seems to be a popular mooring place. Following the short stretch brings you to Barnton Tunnel and it was here the fun began. No sooner had we entered the tunnel mouth which appeared to be clear when another boat from Black Prince came reversing towards us. We quickly (well as quickly as you can on a canal boat) reversed out the short distance we had gone in. The Black Prince boat came halfway out, then stopped. Apparently there was another boat in front of them who had started reversing out as they thought they had seen another boat coming the other way. Only they hadn’t actually seen another boat coming the other way at all. The light they had seen was the end of the tunnel!

After leaving the tunnel it was a nice relaxing cruise down to Anderton with a small bit of excitement when a boat came out of the entrance to the Anderton Boat Lift without looking if anything was coming. Had we been on the road there would have probably been a big show of hand signals and a few words with not many letters. But we are on the canals so we stopped and let him out with no harm done.

Our mooring for the night is by bridge 196 on the Trent and Mersey Canal opposite Marbury Country Park. For those that are interested we had a nice chicken curry. For those that are not interested, well we’ve told you now.

See you tomorrow when we’ll be setting off at some time, passing through some places and stopping somewhere else at some point.