TODAY I had a glorious adventure and also a great disappointment.

My brother and I, lifelong Northwich residents, decided to use some of our leisure time and take a tourist eye's view of our area.

We travelled on the Edwin Clarke glass roof boat along the River Weaver to Northwich, reserving a trip up the Anderton Boat Lift for the return journey, before proceeding on to the Trent and Mersey Canal.

It was most interesting. The boat was user friendly, the commentary extremely comprehensive and the scenery lovely, but to my dismay we stopped short of Town Bridge - what a disappointment and missed opportunity.

A boatload of 56 eager tourists and they didn't see our glorious town with its ancient and modern black and white buildings, or its natural riverfront foyer.

They didn't see the floating hotel, Yarwood's old boat building yard or the waterways office with its Georgian clock tower that has marked the passing of time since 1830.

We all use the promotional phase 'vision of Northwich', but this didn't give them a glimpse of the town.

The lift trip was indeed an experience and I'm told it took £7million to restore it.

It is one of the wonders of modern technology but one wonders at a certain irony.

The old electronically operated lift in the 1980s was operated quite speedily by one man, whereas now the process requires four men and takes 30 to 40 minutes. Progress certainly has many facets.

The trip was fascinating, thought provoking and definitely worth making.

The whole event was rounded off with coffee and cakes at the lift centre caf.

NORTHWICH

RESIDENT