Brooding around Brewood

 Friday June 18 Brewood visit (8 miles, 0 locks, lotsa narrows)

John sanded and painted the cratch gunwhales this morning, so they look much better. Our current mooring is handy for our daughter Rachel to join us tonight, so we cruised the few miles to Brewood (pronounced ‘Brood’ by locals) and back.

There are narrows and wide pools either side of the M54 motorway bridge. On the way back, both we and the boat in front grounded while waiting for an oncoming boat to come through the tightest narrows. Some of these narrows have large rock ledges at the side, just below the surface, so keep in the middle!

Chillington  Wharf feels isolated in a woody setting at the start of a long deep Telford cutting, or rockin‘, which has a narrow section due to subsidence. The wide Bridge 10 is expensively balustraded in stone, as it carries the drive to Chillington Hall, obviously the seat of a family with clout! 

We moored at the visitor moorings in the cutting by the Bridge Inn, where we both had good value well cooked fish & chips plus tasty apple pies. The staff were friendly and helpful. Thank you!

Brewood is a pretty village to walk round, with a wide variety of impressive houses of all ages. The shopping area is around the Swan Hotel, which dominates the market place. There is a Coop  and Spar shop, as well as salons for fashion and the body beautiful!!

Thankfully, we have only had a few spots of rain, and the paint dried quickly.