Looping the loop.

After a bit of a late start yesterday morning, the "Let's get off early" falling foul to the idiosyncrasies of the washing machine and generator combination - don't ask - we set off to wind (turn) Yarwood and get her serviced before escaping the City.    I had suggested/requested that we take the boat around the Icknield loop which has no towpath so has not been explored by myself and the mutts on our daily meanderings.  

 What once would have been a busy canal servicing the needs of industry all around its course is now a quite back water, the industry has gone for the most part, the factories and warehouses torn down or derelict.

Yarwood's bow edging around the loop with the retaining wall of the Rotton Park reservoir looming up in the background.

 At the top/bottom of the loop is the Rotten Park Reservoir, built to service the canal,he Icknield loop acting as a feeder into the Main Line.

Nansen II.  Built in 1951 by WJ Yarwood at Northwich as a tug and ice-breaker.

There is a BW work yard at the base of the Rotton Park reservoir and a collection of BW Heritage boats moored here.

 Heritage working pair Scorpio and Leo.  Built 1935 by WJ Yarwood for the GUCC

BW yard under the reservoir embankment

 A current BW boat.  

Oh what a grey day...well it started grey anyway.  In the background as we pass through the bottom of the loop is a a golden temple, you can just see it left of centre.

 More dereliction

 Approaching the other end of the loop and the Main line.

That's it, we have turned back onto the Main line and are headed back into the City