Early Morning View

This was the view awaiting me as I opened the curtains on Solace this morning! I wondered why this lovely mooring place was called Devil's Garden. Was it because it would grow nothing but thistles?

An explanation given by Frodsham's Brewery,  who also make an ale using the name, is that it would seem that Devil's Garden is a name the locals have given to an ex marl (lime-rich mudstone ) quarry in Kingsley. When the quarry closed it became a marshy area and it is reputed that animals, and even people have fallen into it, never to be seen again! 

Oh, dear!

So, heading back now to the Anderton Lift, we got to the first lock bright and early, and found there was a problem. The lock attendants' life jackets had run out of guarantee (Or test certificate, maybe) yesterday. The chap at our lock was making repeated phone calls until he could find someone who would let him operate the switch with it on!

Eventually we made our way back up to the lift and waited for our turn to go up. Another new bit of the canal system awaited our exploration! We took the Trent & Mersey down towards Preston Brook.

It was lovely! I'm having a great holiday!