It’s a stunning time of year with low beams of sunlight cutting through the trees and periods of snow and frost carpeting the countryside like a quilt. The Maccy (Macclesfield Canal) is an easy stretch to find moorings on for the winter season, it doesn’t flood and we’re always within a couple of miles of shops. But it’s not without its hazards!
As winter approaches we close the bow of the boat with the cratch covers, turning it into a fuel storage area. We start with 10 bags of coal and then look for places to moor where we can go scavenging for wood along the tow path. In fact, this year there seems to be a lot of tree trimming going on, so we have lots to choose from and Ian has completely burnt out the motor on his rechargeable chainsaw! And having spotted another boater with a folding sawhorse, he’s now acquired one and really enjoys not having a bad back after a session of wood chopping (and I’m glad that the cold has encouraged him to wear boots when he’s sawing!!)
Having a fire lit all the time does cause a few problems when you’re cruising. Whilst I love the sweet smell and happy memories conjured up by burning wood, coal smoke (ironically it is smokeless fuel) is not as pleasant and catches in your throat. Wet coal and slightly damp wood causes clouds of fluffy white smoke to billow across the front of the boat which the helmsman then blames for the bumps as we pass through narrow stone bridge holes. Other challenges include the low winter sun blinding you as you turn the boat, strong side-on winds holding the boat against the canal bank and trees dropping snow on to you as you cruise underneath them. It’s all good fun and part of life on board in the winter (especially for those of us without the luxury of bow thrusters on our boats!)
One benefit of cruising up and down the same stretch of waterway is that you get time to spot little oddities. Below Hightown there is a large pipe sticking out from the side of a mill which is almost completely inaccessible. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to stick two cuddly toys into it, and I’m completely stumped by why you would go to such trouble.
Another unusual feature is a large runoff near to the Dane-in-Shaw embankment. This is normally covered in weeds, but for the first time in many years it’s been cleared and shows what a huge and quite dramatic structure it really is.
After taking advantage of another easy mooring at Congleton Wharf, we ambled down Canal Street for the switch on of the Christmas Lights. It was fabulous to see so many people enjoying the event and the Christmas market was buzzing with the sounds of buskers and busy shoppers.
The recent wintery weather might be a bit slippery underfoot and cause the mooring ropes to freeze, but it has certainly helped to get everyone into a seasonal mood.
