Middlewich

We left Wheelock late, nearly 9 am.   Well it was only a few miles to our next destination and only a few locks.   However, after reaching Elton Moss Bridge we caught up behind an incredibly slow boat, so slow that I had to go into neutral at times to keep pace.   Then it ran aground briefly, slowing us further - not that we were in any hurry of course.   Anyway, by the time we reached Crows Nest Lock 67 we he was at the head of a queue of six boats, and for the next 4 locks we hit the up traffic taking locks ahead of us, so it was midday when we reached the outskirts of Middlewich.   I had, some weeks ago, downloaded supermarket info from the Narrowboatworld web site and this informed us that there was a good TESCO store to be found from bridge Cledford Bridge 168.   Nicholsons lists the bridge as 166, but reassured by the road names we found concurring with the directions, we headed off, only to find that it was only a TESCO Express, and of little use to the sophisticated culinary needs of the head chef.   Plan B was to try the Somerfield supermarket accessed from below bridge 172, but it took us about 3 hours to get there.  Firstly, traffic at the junction was milling around, secondly I found DIESEL at 41p/litre at King's Lock Boatyard too good the turn down, and thirdly there was a long queue at the three locks not helped by a dead shell being bow-hauled though the locks.    Somerfield was definitely the better of the two and we settled in for the night.    Talking of vegetation growing in lock gates, I couldn't resist a photo of this tree (a beech I think) growing in the gate of lock 68. (Click on photo to enlarge)