Leaving Bugsworth on Thursday morning, we’d intended to visit Whaley Bridge , the other “canal terminus”, for some provisions , but failed miserably: from the junction with the Bugsworth arm it was was wall-to-wall reserved long term moorings, and the few visitor moorings at the terminus/basin were all occupied. So a swift about turn, and quick visit to Tesco at the junction ensued. Much less interesting.

Retracing our steps we braved the warm Love Hearts blow dry at New Mills again, and fibally moored up on the outskirts of Disley. We’d arranged to meet our friends Mon & Phil again, and have another day of reminiscing while visiting Lyme Park, and that was as close as we could get to the entrance. They managed to find Song & Dance without any problems, and by car we were only 5 minutes or less from the entrance to what is a huge estate.

We decided to “do” the house first, and were particularly taken by some Grinling Gibbons woodwork, of which here are but two.

In keeping with the unintended “splendid ceilings” theme this year, we were very taken by this one. The long gallery was equally impressive, even if the serried ranks of pictures were actually borrowed from the National Portrait Gallery.

Lyme Park has a very fine clock collection, but while perusing it, the fire alarms went off: the volunteers had the evacuation so well organised, we can only surmise they were expecting a fire drill…

Rather than go back indoors, we walked along the ridge to “The Cave” (which isn’t, it’s a folly). Great views all round: Welsh mountains, Cheshire Plain, Manchester, Peak District… you can see it from several points further down the Macclesfield Canal.

There’s also a fine Italian Garden, best seem from above.

And of course, the ladies were all a-quiver walking around the lake, in the hope that Mr Darcy/Colin Firth would wade out without many clothes on.

After all that excitement, we retired for an early supper at Sasso in Disley, where we had a truly excellent Italian meal, before returning to the boat only slightly guilty at having left the Captain on his own for so long. When we got back to the boat he was – as usual – asleep.