Stop Start Journey

 

We started the day with a walk into Sandbach about 1.5 miles away from Wheelock. Although there are some typical black and white houses in true Cheshire style, but also a shiny red brick is used for lots of the important buildings of this market town.

 

As we approached the town centre, we could see what we imagined was the Town Hall, but no, this was built as the Literary Institute.

 

Down the road a bit, here is the Town Hall, with the Market Place underneath.

 

 

Town Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

But the most famous sight of the town is the Sandbach crosses, two Saxon crosses to commemorate the time when the community here converted to Christianity in the seventh century.

 

They have had a troubled past as so many town crosses have, they were broken up and scattered during either the reformation or civil war.  In the early 1800’s they were rebuilt with the stones discovered lying in the locality and set in the towns marketplace.

 

 

 

 

 

Around the cobbled market place there are four pubs……..

The Black Bear Inn was having the finishing touches added to the new thatched roof.

 

The Old Hall, once the grand home of the Lords of the Manor is now a restaurant.

Built in 1656 it is now a Grade 1 listed building, saved from falling into complete disrepair by local people and developed by a large pub restaurant chain.

 

 

 

We got back to Tacet and after coffee and cake we were ready to tackle the locks of the Cheshire flight, sometimes called Heartbreak Hill.

We got through the first one, then Ian pulled Tacet in and disappeared down the engine hole.

After spending several hours last night, fiddling fixing something or other to do with the alternator, once we had got going, it was clear something was still not right.

He ended up reversing what he had done, so it will need some more attention at some point soon. An hour later it was raining really hard so we had lunch before setting off again once the rain stopped.

 

 

At lock 57, the cafe/bistro and little shop are now closed.

 

 

 

Mow Cop could be seen in the distance once the clouds lifted a bit.

 

 

The sets of locks here are attractive with rows of terraced cottages beside some of them.

 

 

 

 

The rest of our journey was in heavy showers with glimpses of bright sunshine in between, we stopped at Church Lawton at 6 o’clock with still a few more locks before Harecastle Tunnel before we down the other side.

5 miles, 20 locks.