We were in two minds about whether to move on Friday but by 3.00 in the morning we had made our minds up. We have two pairs of Canada geese nesting on the opposite bank, at either end of the boat, and the ganders have been aggressive with each other over the last few days, which has been fine as it’s just been a lot of squawking every few hours. Last night it reached a new level and they were getting physical in the water outside our window. It carried on every hour or so during the morning and at one point was even taken up onto the roof!
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You can’t really see but each gander has its beak round the other’s neck
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We took it easy in the morning just sitting on the towpath reading and having the occasional chat with passing walkers and boaters. After lunch we set off for Disley knowing we would stop in ½ mile at New Mills boatyard. We arrived in the lunch break and one of the residents told us they had closed at 1.15 so it would probably be at least 2.15 before they were open again.
A purple boat was moored at the service point, so we breasted up against it whilst we waited.
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Waiting for the boatyard to open
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By the way, that’s Swizzles sweet factory the other side of the bridge.
We were in no rush so took on water and got rid of our rubbish and chilled for a while. They eventually opened up at about 2.45 and soon got us filled with diesel and replaced the gas but neither were happy with the owners of the boat moored at the service point. The owners had taken temporary moorings in the marina for ten days and had been told there would be a mooring free at 4.00 in the afternoon. They actually turned up at 9.00 in the morning and insisted on leaving the boat at the service point as they had a train to catch.
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Looking back from the boatyard office to the annoying purple boat with us moored on the outside
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If you look at the picture above, Kinder Scout is the high point (in the far distance) just to the left of the tree on the right and behind the green ridge. The humped plateau in the middle is what I mistakenly said was Kinder Scout – sorry 😉
Once we left the boatyard we carried on another ¼ mile and found a nice open spot to moor near Disley railway tunnel. Interestingly there are three railway lines that run through the Goyt valley but as the trains are infrequent and don’t run late at night we have hardly noticed them over the last few days.
After mooring up we went for a walk and a bit further on passed an even better spot to moor as it was open on all sides and had a couple of mooring rings. So, when we got home, we set off for another ¼ mile and moored just outside Disley.
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Moored up for Friday night
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We noticed that, even though we had only moved a mile during the day, there were no commuting cyclists so felt we had found a good spot for the next few days. And, as Karen pointed out, there were no Canada geese 😊
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Our Friday evening view whilst having dinner
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Whilst eating dinner our view was suddenly spoilt by a family of Canada geese walking by. The parents were teaching their only surviving gosling how to graze on grass but were also keeping a sharp lookout.
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At least these should be quiet as they have finished nesting having hatched their eggs
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On Saturday we’ll probably
get the bikes out and cycle into Marple.
I also have a good circular walk planned out for Sunday taking in a hill
overlooking Macclesfield and Bollington.
So, we cruised for a grand
distance of one mile with three stops - it won't be long before we've covered
the 6 ½ miles back to Marple!
PS. We’re still not keen on Canada geese because of
the damage they do but I had to remind Karen that they can only be shot in the
months from September to January 😉
I have now found out that you can get a licence to shoot
them at any time of year to prevent serious damage to livestock or crops, to
prevent disease and to preserve public health or safety. That’s the new thing I learnt today 😊
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