It's scary in the dark

I left Lymm and headed out further into Cheshire down some nice secluded canals.

This was so peaceful that it seems like a different world

Even the wildlife seem indifferent to me passing by









Then suddenly, there is the M56, and the junction with the Runcorn Branch.











I carried on, past Midland Chandlers and left the Bridgewater canal just before Preston Brook Tunnel

I've never done a tunnel before.
     It looks dark
     It looks narrow.
     It looks scary

 I'm not scared of the dark, so off I go, tunnel light on, into the void...

It is a lot darkey than I expected, and the tunnel light just lights up a small bit of the ceiling. Soon I could see the light at the end of the tunnel - big mistake.  Watching the light at the end of the tunnel is fine, if the tunnel is straight.  I was just getting confident when there was a huge crash, as I hit the kink in the tunnel.  You would not believe the noise it made, it sounded very bad.

I reached the end of the tunnel and pulled over, expecting the worst.  It turns out I have put a small scratch in the side of the boat, and broken the glass on the Port Nav light.  It sounded so much worse from inside the tunnel.

Antway, back in daylight, I passed through one of the stupidest locks - Dutton Lock with a rise of about 2", and carried on down the Trent & Mersey, which is narrower and has a completely different character to the L&L and Bridgewater.

Next came Salterforth tunnel (hit starboard front)

Then Barnton Tunnel (hit both sides)

 

Finally, I squeezed through the last section of Trent & Mersey to Anderton Marina where, as soon as I arrived, Chris Bruce started chucking paint about