2006 - Cheshire
        Canal trip notes
Saturday The weather forecast proved to be accurate as the various car loads made their way north and it got steadily wetter. We all pitched up at the boatyard in Acton Bridge in good time and made our way 200 yards down to the road to the Horns Inn for a few pints of Deuchars IPA and more solid sustenance. Very conveniently the pub had a restaurant so the potential problem of the last night was instantly solved. Back at the boatyard we identified our boats and loaded baggage and shopping, got the usual instructions and set off – in the wrong direction due to the way the boats were pointing. This gave the drivers and early opportunity to show off their turning skills. Chappo showed he had not lost his driving skills after 27 years, however he foolishly confided in JOC that he managed to get hot chilli juice around his willy after a heavy drinking session down his local pub. The evening’s route was pleasant at first before we hit the chemical works around Northwich. We arrived at Anderton Lift theoretically in time to get a descent but the jobsworth in charge grunted “Too late” and so it was Plan B, Marston for the evening. Meanwhile Les and Roger had treated the crew to a delicious dinner of pasta, salami, salad and olives. Our pub for the evening was the Salt Barge at Marston, just a short stroll from the boats. A pub that looked larger than expected on the inside with numerous drinking areas. Just a bit too tarted up and the beer choice – London Pride (until it ran out) and Abbot – was not what we came up to Cheshire for.
Sunday . Some of us woke up thinking the Abbot was not such a good idea. Others woke listening to Chappo whingeing about Dude’s snoring, being cold all night and Les not putting sugar in his morning coffee after being offered it. Les and Roger did breakfast and the realisation that the kitchen area was not suitable for two made for a fraught atmosphere, much relished by the non-cooks. (John’s notes state Jake’s swearing was very impressive and set an high standard for the other cooks).By late morning the rain had set in as we ascended the locks in Middlewich. By the time we finally stopped Colin had negotiated for us to use the Royal British Legion Club, just a couple of hundred yards up the road. The Club sold Hyde’s mild (£1.52 a pint!) and bitter and a guest from Beartown. We arrived in the middle of the bingo session but everyone was very friendly and we had a good session. Dude hit the jackpot on the one armed bandit and pocketed £85. In order to get his hands on it Les dyed his hair purple and put a skirt on but Dude was having none of it. We had more locks in the afternoon as Tom and Ron K cooked the Sunday roast beef with just a hint of potatoes. The weather was a bit brighter by the time we arrived in Wheelock. Our choice of pubs was the Nags Head, the furthest from the canal but not too far and worth the walk. We found a suitable niche and enjoyed the Deuchars IPA and Beartown and Titanic ales over the usual banter. Well not exactly, it was here that Iain first argued his controversial theory of eating dead babies to keep hunger at bay. Did he know something about the meals to come?
Monday Another mostly dull and damp day as we tackled the numerous locks. Tom and Ron’s breakfast was smoked mackerel, poached eggs and last night’s potatoes mashed with dill on the top. Because of our latish start and slow progress through the locks there was no time for a lunchtime stop, although Cat and JOC did sneak into the Red Bull for some Robinsons while we filled with water. Some of the crew fell into conversation with an all female party on a Black Prince boat who had only worked out how to flush the toilets after two days; you will be spared further details. We moved on to the Macclesfield Canal where the towpath turned out to be none too impressive and rendered boggy by the rain. Cat and Roger squelched along and were entertained by a group of swallows which seemed to take a liking to us. We were also held up when Roger’s hat took flight into the canal; luckily a nearby boater fished it out for me. Later that boat crew saw a kingfisher which gave an excellent display. To nourish us Joe and Ken had cooked a delicious stew for starters. Unfortunately this turned out to be the main course as well, the aim presumably to avoid getting the whole plate dirty. There was also a marked lack of potatoes but we were reassured by the ‘chefs’ that “the goodness is all in the gravy.” .” However the cooks must have taken the first sitting’s grumblings to heart, as Dude put the 5 pieces of grizzle that Tom could not eat and left on his plate back in the pot for the second sitting.  Congleton was our stopping point and the Beartown Tap our venue, a nice long walk in the rain and wind. These factors deterred the Whinge Twins Ken and Steve who stayed on the boat playing cards, amongst all the illegal immigrants washing, which was hanging in the dining room area. Their loss as the BT was up to its usual standards. It was agreed in the pub, that the next day would be “Truth Day” – but we wouldn’t tell the whinge twins. The elderly and infirm/lazy (chapped nether regions) took a cab back to the canal while the others had an extra pint. The walkers were treated to Iain’s dramatic descent of the steps down to the canal. Was he pushed or was he pissed? Well, Tom was walking behind him….. Before going to bed Jake let Steve and Dude into the “Truth Day” secret.
Tuesday One of the better days for weather, although the shorts stayed firmly in the locker. We negotiated the 12 Bosley locks without too many problems, with Ken and Joe’s breakfast as a distraction. Being Truth Day it was also surreal to hear Hines admitting his driving was crap when he got stuck between locks. Our original plan was to stop at the Fool’s Nook at Oakgrove for lunchtime, but we were the fools as the pub was shut. We did have the fun of working the swing bridge, but managed only a disappointing 4 car tail back. Plan B was the Old Kings Head at Gurnett Aqueduct and Colin set off at a rate of knots along the towpath with Roger and Cat in hot pursuit. The good news on arrival was that the pub’s guest beer was Black Rock bitter from the Islay Brewery, co-run by Paul Hathaway who we had met in Bollington four years earlier; and a very nice brew it was. The bad news was that the landlord had to shut at 3 o’clock to go and collect his kids from school, news not well received by JOC who had reversed the boat perfectly at speed some 400 yards and arrived at the bar at around 3.05. All was not totally lost as we were not far from Macclesfield where we were staying for the evening. We turned round at a convenient wide section, closely watched by assorted twats on moored boats who warned us that this was not a winding point. OK, so it’s a boatyard, but the absence of boats meant there was plenty of room to turn round. We tied up near the main road bridge and most of the crew strolled along to the Puss in Boots on the bridge for some more Deuchars while Iain and John H opened their tins of spam. This was miraculously transformed into an excellent chicken dinner. For the evening we returned to the Waters Green Tavern where the usual excellent beer range awaited us. What with the ladies darts match it was a bonanza night for the pub. Here we were joined by Dave Lloyd, ex BT and original Special Branch who lived locally.  We managed to get away a bit earlier than on our last visit. For the second night running the Landlord took pity on us and supplemented the meager rations we had received for tea with some pub grub, which was soon gobbled up.
Wednesday The return leg started with a very early rise, Les having champed at the bit since dawn. This time we only held up one car at the swing bridge. Chappo and Jake despite volunteering to get up early, stayed in their pits. The former was rewarded later when he eventually surfaced, by losing his shoe in the mud and falling into the quagmire, which brought from him a prolonged whinge that bordered on a break down. Bosley locks again and despite warnings of a water shortage on the canal the water levels were very high, to the extent the lock crews couldn’t walk along the towpath as the pounds were flooded. RonB pointed to the overflowing lock covered with foam, “I see Tom’s had another shower”. Later, Tom got stuck between locks and since it was no truth day gave a very lame excuse, which sounded even less plausible when Chappo on the boat behind turned the boat in the same place without a problem. At 11 am Dude moaned to Les “I don’t know what’s wrong with the cooks, why is breakfast taking so long” Les to Dudie “When you were cooking I had my breakfast at 1.15 pm”. Dude exits towpath left. We eventually sat down to a champion breakfast of spam and stuff by Iain and John H. Bollington at lunchtime accompanied by some terrific hailstorms. No problem for those in the pub or supermarket but less fun for Tom and Les who went for a walk. Our pub was the Queens Head at the top of Iain’s steps; an impressive range of beers including Woodlands mild from Wrenbury and ales from Storm and Derwent. We had a good chat with the guvnor who originated from Croydon. The weather was brighter as we moved on towards Hardings Wood Junction. Down in the kitchen the Chelsea Chaps were reviving the memory of Steve Treacy’s culinary skills armed with tin openers (they bought one specially!) and scissors. They started at 3pm and the last sitting sat down at 7-30!  The resulting pie dinner certainly lived down to expectations. Just to compensate for the food we spent the evening in the excellent Blue Bell sampling a fair range of beers. We were joined by Duncan from Crewe and we filled one of the rooms in the pub to indulge in a quiz, hosted by JOC with occasional intervention by the lady of the house. Given the number of correct answers by Joe, it was thought he had read the questions when pretending to be sick in bed at lunchtime. But very enjoyable session in a non smoking pub.
Thursday Another early start with plenty of bodies in action to start on the locks down to Wheelock. Lucy quickly gathered a bunch of weeds around the prop but the boats regrouped at the water point. Quite a few boats around so progress was on the slow side but at least the weather had improved and we got to Wheelock soon after midday. En route we tucked into another cheapo cheapo meal from the Tin Men, boiled eggs and toast….bread anyway. A sunny day, well no rain. We decided to try the Commercial but the advance party found it closed. Despite the paper boy’s assurance that it always opened at lunchtime, Plan B was just across the road in the shape of the Cheshire Cheese. JOC generously bought everyone a pint out of the remnants of the food whip to compensate for the paltry breakfast and we sat down to our Hyde’s beers, except for Tom who stood up to knock Ken’s over. Tom, Iain and Cat went off to play darts at the other end of the pub while the rest of us read the papers and to moan about the lack of toast for breakie. Steve countered the critism by stating we should do what he did and go back and make yourselves a cheese sandwich! This got the crew onto revisionist canal folk history. The famous Coley Kedgeree, being presented by Hines as a Low Tar alternative to the usual smoked variety! The weather stayed fine and sunny for the afternoon as Colin and Ron B got busy in the kitchen, safe in the knowledge that culinary standards could hardly fail to improve. Cat and Roger walked on ahead and had time for a couple of pints in the Kings Lock at Middlewich. This had two handpumps offering a choice of Greene King IPA and…Greene King IPA. It was with some relief therefore when they saw the boats approaching and were dragged aboard to eat. Tandoori pork chops and curried veg was on offer and very tasty too. A few more locks followed during which Les managed to redesign the tiller handle and pick up a comfy chair for a skip. Duncan returned to enjoy our company and admire our locksmanship. Having tied up, some of the party went to the Big Lock to watch the footy on TV, a few remained on the boat while the rest went to the Boars Head for some Robboes. This sounds simple now but the old duffer had misplaced the boat padlock. Firstly JOC had to talk Tom through his actions in the afternoon when opening up the boat, then we had to call Les and go through with him what he did. Needless to say the locals were highly entertained by the whole charade. Les eventually called back to say he found it and it was all due to him being caught short!.... again. After one pint we relocated back to the RBL club where we watched the ladies line dancing lessons. Eventually all of us made it, Ken and Doc after spending half the evening trying to book a red cab, and Les dragged Humberside John (HJ) away from his quiet pint to help entertain us. A few statements sum up the evening. HJ “Name a famous Yorkshireman? Iain “Peter Sutcliffe (Yorkshire Ripper) Les “what does 6 inches mean to you?” HJ “Young boys” RonK after being asked to bring his trophy along tomorrow “Am I man of the Canals” Les “Do I recognize you from somewhere? Hines “I’m your son.”
Friday Back to a more leisurely start, the return of the rain deterring even Les from stirring. We worked through Middlewich Big Lock, the last of the week, took on water and headed for home. En route we were overtaken by some ton up boys eager to get to Anderton Lift. We had something quite different to look forward to, namely JOC’s famous kedgeree (well, he’d been talking about it all week) cooked with Cat’s help. You certainly couldn’t complain about insufficient portions. It was another morning of great cooking weather, being wet and windy, the industrial landscape not helping at all. By the time we arrived at Anderton Lift we’d long given up the idea of having a ride on it. Instead it was over to the Stanley Arms for the awards. Not a great pub and the beer choice was mediocre but at least the weather had cleared and we were able to go outside to the canalside patio for the usual rigmarole hosted by JOC. Steve marked his return to navigating by collecting a pile of awards including Man of the Canals. And so back to the boatyard and the Horns Inn where it had all begun. A few pints and then down to our exclusive room at the end of the restaurant where we enjoyed hearty portions of good food. The landlady joined in the fun by presenting Chappo with a couple of boiled eggs instead of his starter choice, which he took in good stead. There were discussions about next year’s trip; can’t wait!
Saturday Home, home in the rain……… after a very very long drive.
Humberside Jack with the crew in the
British Legion. Note Doc has managed to perfect sleeping on his feet
Ken posing as a figurehead on the Roberta with Steve Chapman driving under the watchful eye of JOC and Joe
Don’t be fooled by the weather this was taken later in the week on our return to Wheelock and shows the crew of the Lucy boarding after a lunchtime session.
Doc driving. This was the year that Doc came of age and took Ronnie Kirkman’s ‘Most feared driver to be cooking with’ mantle. In the past he showed some promise but this year his performance was awesome. Most bridges were given the nudge and of course every lock was given a good seeing too. If Les hadn’t re-arranged Roberta’s tiller in Middlewich, Doc would have easily been Driver of the week. Keep off his boat and Doc please ‘bed bid’ for the non cooking boat next year.
particularly useful Doc doing his usual stuff at a watering point – wedding spare and tadger come to mind. Below another view
The excellent British Legion Club in Middlewich
Cat in his "waterproofs" and above JOC runs away after turning at Macclesfield leaving the crew of the Lucy to receive tongue from one of the ‘Marple’ set.
Wednesday’s breakfast from Hines and Iain included spam, the crew hoped that Iain didn’t practice what he preached.
Photographic evidence of the unbelievable repast when 34 years of canal cooking hit rock bottom. Chappo and Doc discuss the logisics of opening 27 tins and four packets. Also pictured is one of the toilet rolls they brought art the 'tin' shop
Hines poses with his windlass. Above; Cat, Iain and Tom go their separate ways at a swing bridge on the Trent & Mersey
The Anderton lift taken on the return journey as the weather was better
Another rare moment when the sun was shinning. This was taken on Friday and shows the crew of the Roberta as it steams full ahead. Note the list which isn’t due to JOC’s gut but poor ballasting –which resulted on those sleeping uphill having uncomfortable nights avoiding falling out of bed
Canal Stress Management in the Beartown Tap. Ronnie B tries to get rid of his pent up aggression against asylum seekers following a disturbing psychopathic dream. The next day they seem to be getting on much better together
Les and Dude discuss the Daily Mail’s article on asylum seekers bringing their families with them. steep stairs
Another rainy day – this time its at Lock 2 on the Trent & Mersey
John and Doc taking pictures of the Anderton Lift.
Ronnie B discusses with his counsellor his psychopathic dream to kill someone by pushing them down steep stairs
Quiz time in the Blue Bell, Joe impressed all with his performance, except the opposition who spread rumours that Joe stayed on the boat at lunchtime feigning an upset stomach due to the crap spam baby meat in order to swat up/ cheat.
Our depiction of the Last Supper. Steve our Messiah has a real Judas on his left side
Action at the Big Lock in Middlewich, Doc and Joe operate the paddles, Dude supervises, Steve and Iain drive, JOC crosses over boats to cook the Kedgeree and Jake and Colin have a chat
The landlady gives Steve a touch of his own medicine, interestingly too, she forgot to serve toast.

Its goodbye from them and its goodbye for another year
Doc, dreams of his next cooking effort, whilst Les tries to influence him
Academy Awards
Worst Dinner Award; Steve and Doc’s Tin and packet stoodge,
Worst breakfast Award; Steve and Doc’s boiled eggs and toast, without the toast and the eggs left in their natural packaging.
Most consistent cook Award; The packaged crap chefs Steve and Doc 
The crews eagerly await the outcome of the Awards in the garden of the Stanley Arms
Man of the Canals:  Steve Chapman
True Confession of the Week Award; Steve Chapman’s sordid perversion of rubbing hot chilli juice around his willie.
Adventurer Award: Steve’s shoe for leaving him in quagmire
Far sighted award; Mr Chapman for not bringing his waterproofs
"Hello Boys" Award; Steve's puts Chilli on his hand to enhance his partners pleasure.
Iain soaking up the applause at the Academy Awards for his Boy of The Canals effort and in particular for saving the rest of the crew by testing the stairs from the Queens Head to the towpath. Dude isn’t impressed.
Best dinner Award: Iain and JohnH Chicken (Iain’s campaign from Saturday to discredit Les’s meal paid off)
Best breakfast Award: Spam and grits from Iain and JohnH accompanied by the best selling spam book.
The youthful Mr Hines after becoming Les’s son. “Now can I have the house Dad”
Best carrying out of nominated Duty Award: Iain for checking out the staircase safety arrangements.
For the most improved Cook Award: Iain for putting babies on the menu
Playing to the Crowd: Award. Iain the stunt Drunk
Steve Chapman-Man of the Canals
Rip Van Winkle Award: Jake for refusing to get up early despite volunteering to do so.
Wind up Award. Jake for telling Steve and Dudie about "tell the Truth Day."
Sisyphus Award for the most pointless exercise. Getting Hines removed from bulk shopping thenJake who volunteered to take his place puts in writing –“I'm quite happy for the northerners to do the shopping, thanks very much! Roger”
A forlorn Jake following his failure to get  best dressed man of the canals settles for the ‘Turd Award'
Dereliction of Duty Award. Dude for putting Tom’s leftovers back in the stew pot
Skittler /Games Award. Dude for winning £85
The Editor’s ‘Rainbow’ award for stunts committed after the Award Ceremony: Dude for  buying us a pint each after he won the previous award.
Driver Award. Les for remodelling the Roberta’s tiller  
An upset Les, who has a full bladder and has lost his gloves being comforted by JOC
Reading Material Award. John’s special annotated maps, just substitute D for E or is it E for F
Statement Award: Joe; “There’s a lot of goodness in that gravy”
Joe pictured not in his shirtsleeves but in his waterproofs for a change
Donald Yule award for the most impact by a non-crew person. The toilet ladies who rather than flush their loo used their brush and wipped it on the grass. Going to the boat karzee will never be the same.
By the wonders of modern science and Les’s skill we bring you a picture of Tom wearing his faithful wining pullover. As none of our photographers were able to capture him in it, Les was asked to extract one from his video of the cruise.
Chappo, Ron, Cat, Colin at the Award ceremony
The photo glorifies this year’s Man of the Canals. Here he is being presented with the trophy which Ron had forgot to bring along. It is a measure of the man that he exaggerates the size so much, maybe he thought he rubbed chilli powder on it! A worthy winner and we look forward to seeing him next year provided he practices his cooking.
Because of the constant criticism about his driving Doc has put this sticker on his car.
Iain has the last word with his marzipan babes for more info paste the link into your browser as Geocities do not allow us to link it for you  http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/marzipan.asp
Below is Jake's article for the SPBW magazine Pint in Hand
The annual Special Branch May gathering took place on the Trent & Mersey and Macclesfield canals in a linear return trip between Acton Bridge (near Northwich) and Macclesfield. Cheshire provided plenty of wet and cold weather but also sufficient good pubs and beers to keep our spirits lifted. Here are some selected highlights.
The Horns Inn is the nearer of two local pubs to the boatyard at Acton Bridge. It consists of one room for drinking with a restaurant at the back. This friendly establishment offered Deuchars IPA and Jennings Cumberland and provided a suitable bookend to the drinking week. Heading south, the first town of note on the canal is Middlewich, which has plenty of pubs but nothing outstanding. Instead we signed ourselves into the Royal British Legion Club in Lewin Street (CAMRA members welcome) which tempts the beer drinker with Hydes mild and bitter and a guest, in this case Beartown White Admiral. The mild was a bargain £1.52 which we didn’t argue with. Despite being strangers we were made very welcome. The small canalside town of Wheelock has three pubs within a quarter of a mile of the cut and we visited two of them. The Nags Head is the furthest flung but merits the short walk. Effectively consisting of one long room we had a beer selection of Deuchars IPA alongside Titanic and Beartown brews. Another place we were made welcome; I guess publicans must realise the merits of 14 additional customers. Very close to the canal is the Cheshire Cheese, a Hyde’s tied house with bitter (now known as Original) and Jekyll’s Gold. A long, narrow, split level pub with a dartboard at the far end with good value beer. Macclesfield Canal leaves the Trent & Mersey at Hardingswood Junction, Kidsgrove where a stop at the Blue Bell is essential. The Blue Bell in Kidsgrove is not merely a canalside pub – it is situated between the Trent & Mersey Canal at the front and the Macclesfield Canal at the rear and is known as “the pub on an island” as you have to cross water to reach it.  It’s also, in my humble opinion, one of the very best canalside pubs I’ve been to in recent years. The pub consists of two cottages which have been knocked into one. It became a pub in the 1870s or 80s and by 1893 it had acquired its name. The pub was very much a boatmen’s tavern when there was still commercial traffic on the canals and it is believed that sometimes leggers (the men who propelled boats through Brindley’s Harecastle Tunnel, the northern portal of which is close by) would lodge in an upstairs room. Surprisingly, up until the 1960s the Blue Bell had only a beer licence, but this was remedied when a full licence was granted in 1963. The pub has been through several ownerships, including local brewers Dix’s and Parker’s, Allied and the pub-owning arm of the Whitbread brewery, who put it up for sale in early 1997. Having failed to find a buyer for the Blue Bell as a going concern, Whitbread closed it down, but a few months later, after a last-minute rush to avoid the pub going to auction, the Blue Bell was bought by Dave and Kay Washbrook, who turned it into the true free-house that it is today.
The pub is compact and cosy inside with three separate rooms away from the bar area. Since early 2006 it is completely non-smoking throughout and there are no fruit machines, juke box, TV or pool table.  Instead there is a genuine, traditional pub atmosphere where conversation is king. There is also a small lawned garden at the rear and a few tables overlooking the canal at the front. Six handpumps serve an ever changing range of ales from small breweries – 2,000 since Dave and Kay took over. There are also genuine Czech and Belgian draught beers and some 30 bottled continental beers as well, not to mention at least one draught cider. The Blue Bell is at 25 Hardingswood, off the A50 and close to Kidsgrove rail station, should you not be travelling by canal. Buses between Crewe and Hanley stop within a couple of hundred yards. Beware that opening times are restricted – the pub is shut all day Monday and other midweek lunchtimes. But to my mind this is one of the finest pubs around, serving excellent beers in pleasant surroundings and run by a dedicated couple. Heading east towards the Pennines the first town is Congleton, home of the Beartown Brewery whose Beartown Tap was featured briefly in the last issue. It’s more than half a mile walk from the canal (uphill coming back!) but it’s not to be missed. If you don’t want to walk or you reach Congleton at lunchtime (when the BT is usually closed), look nor further than the Queens Head, next to the canal close to the railway bridge. A flight of steep stone steps takes you from the towpath to this former Ansells pub. It has a long narrow bar with an eating area at one end, plus a smaller public bar with pool table. Seven handpumps greet the weary traveller; the landlord (a refugee from Croydon) takes full advantage of all the beers he can serve from the brewery approved list (including the likes of Green King IPA, Courage Directors and – remarkably, Woodlands mild from Wrenbury) plus two ever-changing guests, delivered direct from small breweries. Storm (Macclesfield) and Derwent (Silloth, Cumbria) were the suppliers at the time of our visit. The landlord is a real enthusiast for good beer and deserves your support.  On the way to Macclesfield one or two of us managed a sneaky pint or three in the Old Kings Head at Gurnett Aqueduct. What made our fleeting visit worthwhile was the presence of Blackrock bitter from Islay Brewery, brewed by SPBW member and general good bloke Paul Hathaway. This was the first time we’d seen one of Paul’s beers on draught and very tasty it was too. Macclesfield has an abundance of pubs and our choice was the Waters Green Tavern, close to the rail and bus stations. Not very near the canal but you can work up a thirst to tackle the excellent selection of beers. A fairly basic pub in the market place, its L-shape splits it into two drinking areas, one with a dartboard. The beer range on our visit included the likes of Oakham JHB, RCH Pitchfork and Abbeydale Vespers, an excellent 4.2% stout; and that was only the half of it. Locally brews usually feature on the bar, beer quality is always good and prices are sensible so, wherever else you may drink in Macclesfield, don’t miss the Waters Green.
St Peter’s denial award 2006. Ron Kirkman “I’m wasn't the 2005 Man of the Canals, was I?”
Ron pictured in 2005 receiving the Man of the Canals Award  
Beer of the week: Deuchars
Best Pub of the week: The Waters Green Tavern
Worst Pub: Stanley Arms 
Man of the canals; Steve Chapman
Boy of the canals: Iain
Turd of the canals: Jake
The Waters Green Tavern, Ron explains how his dreams turned into reality the night before when Iain took a tumble.
Delinquent(s) of the week. Ronnie B the psychopath dreamer
Mills and Boom award for lovers. Steve and Ronnie B for discussing in graphic detail their medical problems. Ronnie B’s description of his rectal examination was a ‘mind blower’
Following his disturbing dreams of pushing Iain overboard and down lift shaft and stairs, Ron is seen undergoing treatment, first he tried booze which had no effect and then counselling, with the use of headset and special tapes for nutters. Picture courtesy of his psychoanalyst.
The Nags Head at Wheelock
The Cheshire Cheese at Wheelock
The Blue Bell at Hardingswood
Queens Head in Congleton
more pictures taken at the Award ceremony