We had a relatively late start this morning after the hard work of yesterday. We got up and had a full English breakfast and then did some chores around the boat. We left Kidsgrove at 9.45, we had one lock to navigate and then onto the tunnel. As we came out of the lock the turning for the Macclesfield Canal is on the right hand side, we plan to do that next year but it looks very narrow. We then headed for the tunnel and arrived at about 10. The tunnel keeper gave us the safety briefing and then we had to wait a short while for a boat coming from the South to come out of the tunnel. Finally it was our turn. I was really nervous about the tunnel but John was relaxed. It takes about 45 minutes to get through the tunnel but it took us about 50 minutes so not too bad. The tunnel is 2675 metres long, it is quite straight but very low in places. Thankfully it is one way. I was very happy when we came out the other side into bright sunshine. On our way to Stoke we passed a really lovely mooring spot next to Westport Lake, we have marked this for next time we come on the Trent and Mersey for a couple of nights stay. There was a great sign for dog owners which stated 'ATTENTION DOG OWNERS, pick up after your dogs, thank you. ATTENTION DOGS Grrrr, bark, woof.' Someone at canal and river trust have a sense of humour. We passed Middleport pottery on the way which is used in lots of tv shows. We then carried on towards Etruria Junction where we were planning to stop for the evening before going through the five locks however when we arrived at Etruria Junction the locks were closed for emergency repairs and are not due to open until the 11th June so we now have to stay at Etruria until they reopen. It was a pity we did not get the alert for the stoppage as we could have stayed at Westport Lake for a few days. Thankfully we are ahead of our schedule so should still get back to Kings Bromley for the 15th June. As we were stuck at Etruria we went up to the Toby Carvery for a drink in the evening and on the way we came across 6 geese with about 15 goslings coming up the canal. Two of the geese were guarding the goslings as they swam past us. Very sweet.
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