The towpath by the Marple visitor moorings was very muddy and full of puddles, and there were barking dogs somewhere nearby which distracted Macc from what he was supposed to be doing each time we took him out. So we’d already decided that we’d brave the forecast rain and head out into the countryside. But as it turned out there was no rain! After breakfast, we loaded Macc into his sling and walked to Marple’s pedestrianised shopping street, where a market was getting under way.
The local grooming parlour had a stall, and the lady came out to say hello to Macc and tell us the importance of stripping a Border’s coat rather than clipping it. He also got many smiles and comments wherever we went. Just round the corner is a fairly big pet shop, so we went in to get him a new toy (apparently you’re supposed to keep getting different ones to keep them interested) and some puppy-sized treats, because the ones we’ve got are big and have to be broken into four or five pieces. The staff loved him, and even gave him a discount! Then I made a brief visit to Asda while Adrian and Macc waited outside.
Back at the boat, I made a quick run to the Elasan, and then we set off — not just in the dry but in so,e sunshine. We’d put some washing on earlier and had the dryer running, partly because I wanted to see how much each process takes out of the batteries. The answer is that washing is very little (maybe half a per cent), but drying is understandably more at around four or five per cent of the bank. It’s a little difficult to work out as it hadn’t finished when we set off and I used the diesel engine because we wanted to charge the batteries. We’ve generated 1.1kWh from the solar today, which I think is the first time we’ve broken the 1 barrier.
As we headed out of Marple we passed Goyt Mill, which looks more impressive from this direction.
We did only a mile or so, to a nice mooring we stopped at a few weeks back to have our lunch. The towpath is more grassy and there’s less going on, although plenty of people have walked past. Macc had the latest in his series of paw washes (helped by lamb treats this time) and seemed to love his new toy, brightly coloured rope with a knot and a loop, and a ball on the end.
The rain arrived mid afternoon and appears to be well set in. Even so, I don’t think this towpath will be as bad as the one in town.
1 mile, 0 locks. (13 miles, 0 locks)