Swanning about to Swanley Bridge.

The weather started out overcast, shock horror, but it was still warm and was to clear up as the day drew on.

We got away and then had the Wrenbury Mill automated bridge to operate. It seems to be a bit tempremental but I think that the single barrier that you have to manually close has had the lug that operates the switch that indicates it is closed and allows the hydraulics to start up and open the bridge has been bent. This is because it has been 'slammed' shut. The whole thing is still mokay but you have to ensure the barrier is fully closed, this may need a second person to lean on it to keep it in position until the pump starts up. We had just dropped the barrier to allow the traffic to clear when a hire boat came round the corner. We were worried that we had dropped it on them and decided we would wait for them at the next lift bridge. It may have been thought of as a mistake as they were really slow. I was amazed that they were heading to Audlem for the night. They are seriously putting in some hours to get the boat back to Norbury Wharf.

We didn't have to go far as we are off home tomorrow so we pottered on behind then through the Baddiley Locks. The tree that had come down on our way up, delaying us about an hour, had been removed completely.

Helen was enjoying the task of passing through the locks. I usually wield the windlass on the way down lock flights as I am able to stride across the bottom gates, saving lots of walking and time. I am usually at the helm going up as I can usually close one of the bottom gates from the boat so saving Helen lots of walking and time.

We were meeting boats coming up regularly so that often we were able to leave bottom gates open, or if no boat coming up there was another hire boat astern of us that were there to close up for us too. One more lock to go as Helen brings 'Holderness' to the last of the Swanley Locks.

We were mooring up in Swanley Bridge Marina for a week or so as we have commitments at home. I was on the train from Nantwich at just after 1800 and was back aboard by 1000 the next day to collect cat, kit and Helen to take them off home for a while. The check list was gone through and the boat shut up and left on the solar panels to await our return.

The marina is bigger than I had thought with full length pontoons too. Their brokerage was very busy with folk coming to look around the boats they had on offer often. They told me that they sold one not long ago about an hour after it had been put on the market. A good market out there if anybody is thinking of selling. The depreciation on our outlay for 'Holderness' is perhaps not quite as much as we thought it may have been at the time we bought her, six years ago now.