Oakgrove to Higher Poynton

After negotiating the Royal Oak Swing bridge at Oakgrove, we moored with the intention of visiting the Fools Nook Pub, however Dave discovered, (again by using the CAMRA Good Pub Guide on his phone), that there was a Brunning & Price pub a couple of miles further on.  This is the same pub chain as the Corn Mill Llangollen - Dave's favourite pub.   This wasn't listed in our "new edition"  Nicholson's guide, which when checking, was dated 2003, as the pub had only been open a couple of  years,  having won the title of CAMRA/English heritage UK Pub Refurbishment Category winner 2009. So we untied, and made a dash for it in the fading light.  The pub certainly didn't disappoint.  Well worth a visit.  Good beer and good food, we'll be making a return visit on our way back.

By the way, the coal boat Alton is based at Oakgrove, and he delivers along the Macclesfield, Peak Forest, T&M and Shroppie.  CLICK HERE TO GO TO WEBSITE, which gives details of their schedule, and   CLICK THIS TO GO TO HIS TWEETS.

The repaired buttresses on the way into Macclesfield

Lovely stonework

The old Hovis mill at Macclesfield, now converted into apartments. 

There is a chandlery shop to the left of the moored boats, where we needed to buy at least one more engine filter, as we had just used our last one and always like to keep a spare.  So we checked their website, which stated they were open seven days a week.  Apart from Mondays that is, and of course it was a Monday!  Now, why put up your opening times at all, if they are incorrect? Just don't bother putting anything up!  Needless to say, we didn't get a filter as we didn't fancy mooring here overnight - but we did make a quick pitstop to the co-op and a lovely veg shop at BR37.

There's snow on them there hills

Welcome to Bollington.  First a plastic cow, now a rubber crocodile! 

At least they've got a sense of humour around here.

This is the Adelphi Mill, once a silk mill, and now converted to offices.

 

Clarence Mill, formerly a textile mill now converted to small manufacturing units.  We had planned on stopping here, but the only mooring available was on a bend, which we couldn't get near anyway, so ended up mooring about a mile out of the town as we couldn't get into the side anywhere else.  Bit of a pain really, every 48hour mooring we come to is stuffed with boats nose to tail, not normally a problem for us, as we prefer to moor out of towns/villages where it's quiet, but now and again, you need to buy a pint of milk, and it would be nice not to have to walk a mile or so to the shop through the mud.

Beautiful old mile markers.  This should say "Hall Green", but it's eroded over the years.

 

The Macclesfield canal is beautiful, however it is dominated around these parts by great big ugly electricity pylons.  Unfortunately the Llangollen canal around Frankton & New Marton is set to go the same way, if the national grid has their way.  CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT

 

Electricity cables stringing along the canal

 

 

Again, boats moored nose to tail at Higher Poynton.  We've taken to stopping about half a mile back out of a village, and me walking (or wading) through the muddy towpath, to see if there's a space to moor up ahead.  No there wasn't!  So we moored up where we were, near Hag footbridge

(great name), which was nice and quiet for me and Nemo, but a very messy walk for Dave to check out the Boar's Head.  However, when we moved off the next day, there was plenty of room - without mud - near BR14 - noted for our return journey.

 

 

 

And for the random photograph of the day ......

A duck sporting a hat at a jaunty angle.