Monday 23rd May
Despite a gale force wind we have moved on from Chadderton to Slattocks. This name is derived from a Northern-style amalgamation of the two words South and Locks. However, I like to think of it as a Bridget-style amalgamation of the two words Slack and Buttocks, much more fun!
The wind today has been very strong, gusting to near gale force at times and we have had to do 10 locks in 1.5 miles. Actually we have only come the 1.5 miles because we moored up at the first opportunity after the 10 locks. We thought that as we had made it here unscathed and the forecast was bad for later on and we would have to do another 8 miles and 7 locks to find somewhere to moor again, it would be a good move. And it was, as it started chucking down with rain shortly after we stopped.
B and B needed a new computer so they went in to Rochdale on the bus, from the very handily placed bus stop you could trip up and fall into from the mooring, to find PC World. Ken and I went in search of a village shop but only found a closed down garage, which used to have a shop, a pet supplies place and a garden centre. We got soaked in the process and took shelter in The Hopwood, a very handily placed pub you could also trip up and fall into from the mooring. Just as we were leaving the pub B and B arrived – so we had to have one more, shame! We got chatting to the landlord’s father who told us about the Asian gentleman who, in a minibus, followed his sat nav directions through the pub car park – straight into the canal! He also sold us a tray of eggs for £1-50, bargain, they are £4 a tray in the pet supplies shop.
Tomorrow we are going through Rochdale and hope to get to a sanitary station the other side of Littleborough. We haven’t been able to empty our elsan since Wigan and are on our second cassette. Things are starting to get critical! We need to book our passage over the summit whereafter the scenery will hopefully make up for the crap we have had to put up with getting there!
