Stowaway.

Wednesday we stayed around Church Lawton,relaxing and walking through the woods. The weather was not as bad as forecast,only the odd shower. Away bright and early on Thursday we did the six locks up to the Harecastle Tunnel. Remarkably all the locks were in our favour, then at the tunnel we were allowed straight through after the short talk on safety. We hadn't gone far when I thought I saw something move across the cratch cover,I put it down to a trick of the light and said nothing. Tunnels are strange places,shadows everywhere and water dripping down your neck. Suddenly we had a bright light in front of us as if another boat was coming toward us. As this is a single passage tunnel controlled at both ends we new it couldn't be,then it was back to normal just the light at the end of the tunnel. We were nearly through when both Marlene and I saw something move at the other end of the boat. As we passed out at the far end I asked about the bright light and was told it must have been when the tunnel keeper closed the door of the tunnel,that it reflected my head light back at me. We were moving down toward our Mooring at Westport Lake when we saw the movement on the roof again,it was a mouse. Where it had boarded we don't know but as soonn as we moored we took everything of the roof.we found it in a bag which held out shore line wire. We released it back to the wild no worse for it's trip through the tunnel. We spent yesterday shopping in Tunstall and walking round the lake. Today we move on to the junction with the Caldon Canal at the top of Stoke locks.