10-14 June 2018: Up the Shropshire Union Canal to Audlem and Hurleston

Sunday 10 June: Coven to Autherley Junction and the Shroppie (12 miles, 2 locks)

Sunshine again! After superb kippers and toast for breakfast, we set off into the flow of boats heading southwards. We didn't need to dawdle or go fast, as turns, bridge holes and the narrow sections around Pendeford Rockin' (maybe ten feet wide with passing places) slowed folk down.

Autherly Junction, turn right for the Shroppie

we chatted to Lincoln folk at the 21 inch stop lock at Autherly Junction

Wolverhampton Boat Club

Hard red sandstone meant Brindley's navvies dug the minimum width here. The three miles to Autherley Junction passed pleasantly. We had to wait at the junction for a boat to come out of the stop lock. As John made a very tight turn into the bridge hole for the Shroppie stop lock, a boat travelling North didn't slow down much or try to avoid us, so John zoomed around the corner! Thanks, mate! Boat hirers were being trained in locking by the Napton Narrowboats staff, and John chatted to a gentleman from Welton, near our home, who had been taught by our good friend Karen Lamming: Small world.

Once on the Shroppie, things quietened down. We passed Wolverhampton Boat Club, where members were having a work day. Through narrows with stop gates, we approached the section with embankments (once called “rockings”), cuttings (“valleys”) and narrows. Two nice looking narrowboats (ex-Challenger, maybe) set off 100m in front of us, unfortunately. John just took his time, a good thing when they had to stop quickly at bridge holes, twice! Each time, we reached them as they set off again, tortoise and hare-like. The sun blazed down as we passed Chillington Wharf and shady cuttings to the beautiful view on the embankment before Brewood. Stopping at the Brewood visitor moorings, we enjoyed a walk around the village, which has three pubs, plenty of shops, plus a large church with magnificent Giffard family tombs, two fonts and eight large bells to ring. We had a tasty Sunday lunch at the Bridge Inn before setting off the three miles to the busy Wheaton Aston Lock, where we chatted to boaters and canoeists.  The Stretton Aqueduct needs some TLC, grass cutting and painting. We saw Phyllis May, of Narrowdog fame, at Stretton Wharf,

Annie on Stretton Aqueduct

Stretton Aqueduct needed TLC

Phyllis May

A mile north, we moored on the long high embankment to enjoy red wine and the afternoon sun. That Shroppie ledge meant the boat was 80cm from the bank, so mooring pins and plank were needed. What a gorgeous, hot day!

Wheaton Aston Lock

we saw the Red Arrows - can you? :P

On tv, we stayed up and watched an entertaining charity Socceraid match. Neil from Inbetweeners scored the winning penalty after 3-3 at full time! The Canadian GP highlights was the usual boring procession, sadly: Isle of Man TT, and Formulas 3 and E are better spectacles, these days.

Monday June 11: Northwards on the Shroppie to Tyrley Wharf (18 miles, 0 locks)

Good news: Nephew Carson and sons are spending a few days with us on Annie from the end of July :)

Up late, John finished the kipper and blogged, then we set off in the sunshine (again!), through Rye Hill Cutting, Little Onn, Lord Talbot's Wharf to Cowley Tunnel and Gnosall Heath. There were lots of boats going both ways in the bright sunshine – what a gorgeous day!

watering up at Norbury Junction

We got water and used the Elsan and rubbish skips at Norwood Junction, colourful and busy in the sun. John visited the decent chandlery to get a brass vent, needed to cover a hole to be cut when fitting hidden plastic conduit pipe for the solar cables and their battery connections. Moving from the services, we had a light lunch nearby.

The wind got stronger on the high Shelmore and Shebden embankments, while the deep cuttings were shady and rather overgrown on the off side – we had to stop in a wider bit to allow one boat through on the very deep Grub Street Cutting, where that telegraph pole still dominates the double arch high bridge 39. John had a call from solar panel sellers while driving!

the isolated Anchor Inn

Knighton canal warehouse

We had forgotten how many long term moorings there are on this long pound, at Norbury, near the Anchor pub and Shebdon, plus around Little Soudley and Goldstone Wharf. We just relaxed, passed slowly and enjoyed looking at boats and moorings.

Reaching Tyrley at 5pm, as expected, we tied up and chatted on the mobile with daughter Rachel, who was fine, thankfully. John started fitting the solar cable conduit. The new stern gland packing seems superb, with not a drip! John used nappies to dry out the bilge under the prop shaft. Liana cleaned the floor with the steam cleaner. We finished off the Fajitas for tea. Liana chatted to folk by the lock, and John had an interesting chat about eco-farming with a passing walker as he sorted out the back and locked up in the gathering dusk.

Tuesday June 12 2018: Down Tyrley Locks to Market Drayton, then down Adderley Locks towards Audlem (6.5 miles, 12 locks)

We made an early start in the sunshine, meeting a CRT man who had been repainting the cill marks white.

Tyrley Top Lock

We worked together, lock wheeling. The fourth pound has a shelf next to the towpath, according to Nicholson's guide and notices on the lock gates, so you can't moor, so we let a second boat come up before we descended. I guess we could have passed, really. It is only a mile after the five closely spaced Tyrley locks to Market Drayton, where we could shop. We walked down from the embankment and along a quiet country lane into town, where we shared a big Mocha at Costa, Liana read the Times and John caught up with emails, etc. The town centre is rather nice, with a variety of shops. We visited Wilko and Asda to stock up. Doctor daughter Jo rang to say she had intubated someone who she biked past after an accident! They were lucky! Setting off, Whisky Boats base was unoccupied. We cruised in the sunshine to Adderley locks, through the less precipitous Betton Cutting.The fourth pound had a big ledge, so you couldn't moor.  We expected the locks to be set for us, as boats had passed us, but they must be leaky, as we had to keep topping them up. Passed a boat in the bottom pound, then carried on to the top two Audlem Locks, which were set for us, too. At the top lock, expensive (we thought) cakes and scones were for sale – they looked nice, though! We moored below with other boats on the quiet embankment. We have done 12/25 locks, so we hope tomorrow is fine.

Wednesday June 13: Down the Audlem Locks to Audlem Mill and Northwards

John woke about 7am, sorted out pots, curtains and a cup of tea, then m oved Annie down to lock 3 of the Audlem fight in the sun. It needed filling, so John went down two locks and opened top gates ready for Annie, as these were nearly full. As he returned, other boats were arriving, so in we went! It was another sunny morning, with plenty of walkers. The locks descend through a shady cutting, with water rushing down large bywashes into each pound below. We soon were passing boats ascending, and with (almost) everyone helping, we were past the Bridge Inn and Shroppie Fly and moored after the bottom lock close by the old stables by the winding hole, where John attended a good canal  painting course some years ago.

Audlem Mill with excellent selection of canal books

passing the Shroppie Fly (water point near lock)

Audlem has developed, with some classy houses and gardens plus more shops. After a pleasant walk round, we had cake and drinks at Number 11 tea shop. The lady replaced Liana's dry cake, but didn't charge for the fresh piece. At Audlem Mill shop, the lady said trade was much reduced as they were seeing ten, not sixty, boats per day because of the Middlewich canal breach. We're surprised, as the Shroppie has seemed quite busy to us. John bought an old book about European Canals, by Hugh McNight, as Liana has been investigating shares in boats in France - ooooooooh!

The solar system is definitely helping the batteries, once the engine has stopped.

Thursday June 14: Nantwich and beyond

After a rainy and windy night, we braved the wind and walked into Nantwich for a coffee at Costa, searching for the wood yard where we could get a wooden batten for the rear cover. The usual impressively distorted Cheshire black and white wood frame houses greeted us in town.

Nantwich

looking back into Nantwich Marina arm

After WHS and the market, we returned to Annie. The wind dropped, so we set off for Hurleston: The wind got up and made entering the bottom lock difficult for John: At least we had remembered to remove all fenders this time, as Hurleston locks are notoriously narrow! Volunteers helped us up all four locks. Apparently, the Middlewich breach has reduced traffic a bit this summer. We moored up soon after and watched the World Cup opening ceremony and first match: Russia won 5-0! Audlem sausages (Shropshire Blue cheese, cranberries and chives – delicious!) were very tasty – we'll buy them again! Springwatch has been good on the tv this year – last one tonight :(

4-9 June 2018: Up the Trent & Mersey Canal to Stone and back to the Staffie!

Monday 4 June: Back to Annie after a successful Lions weekend

John delivered flower planters back to six local schools, together with award certificates and small thank you boxes of chocs for the young gardeners and their supervisors, after our Lions-run Market Rasen Gardeners Fayre. After visiting cuz Karen & Andrew for haircuts, we got bags in car and off finally at 12.30. Visiting mum-in-law Flo for soup and pate on toast on the way, we eventually reached our mooring: The old sat nav needs updating, so Love Lane, Rugeley, took us to the Tesco car park, next door. You need to go out, turn left and left again into Leather Mill Lane to reach the moorings now. Once unloaded, we found a quiet road nearby, Kings Road, to leave the car. The solar panels seemed to have done their stuff: The batteries were 100% with the fridge working :)

Salmon for tea and a quiet night in.

John is trying life without painkillers.

Tuesday 5 June: Rugeley to Great Haywood (5 miles, 1 lock)

Up early, walked to Morrisons via Costa at 8am! Visited Wilko and Tesco to get Liana her quiz books – no joy :(

We idled along, admiring the Rugeley gardens, crossed the Trent aqueduct and reached Colwich Lock, finding ourselves fifth in the queue! Odd, considering we hadn't seen a boat moving! Chilling and chatting made time pass pleasantly. Entering the lock, the engine coughed, spluttered and wouldn't switch off – odd! Reversing the gear seemed to clear it. John checked the propeller shaft, which was clear.

We reached Shugborough at 2pm, moored below the lock and walked to see the Hall and gardens. The Hall was open, so we learned all about Admiral George Anson, who voyaged around the World and gained a fortune (£100 million in today's money) in Spanish gold, and his brother, aesthete Thomas, who was also well travelled and spent the money on the estate! We enjoyed the visit. The rhubarb and sausage roll was interesting in the coffee shop. Fajitas for tea, follwed by Springwatch life and death on tv.

Wednesday 6 June: Great Haywood to Stone ( 9.5 miles, 5 locks)

Liana counted seventeen boats moored overnight, with most moving on today. It was one up, one down at Great Haywood Lock. Boaters were mostly helpful, cheery and chatty. John emptied five loo cassettes at the services Elsan by the Anglo Welsh office at the junction. Liana had an odd fellow who insisted waiting for us to move, staring daggers, when his boat was in a spot behind us, and could move ahead of us. Nowt as strange as folk!

Great Haywood junction - services on right

It was a lovely day, and we took our time, waiting our turn at locks, occasionally being lucky and arriving at the right time to go straight in to the lock chamber.

do you recognise these ducks?

ornate stone bridge for the Gentry

deep lock

Reaching Stone, we winded just before the Stone Town Lock, moored and walked into town. We visited charity shops and the Dunoon Pottery Shop, a favourite of ours, and resisted buying any mugs. A pint for John went down well at the Star, as did coffee for Liana, but the lock outside was quiet.

Thursday 7 June: Stone to Tixall Wide (10 miles, 4 locks)

A beautiful morning – the sun had charged the batteries right up when we got up. We decided to walk into Stone, buy a coffee and get a bit of shopping before heading South. We resisted Dunoon pottery again and helped at the lock, had lunch and set off.

Aston Marina

The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed our cruise. We just took it steady and arrived at Tixall about 5.15pm. After spag bog for tea, we T cut one side of the boat, using microfibre clothes to finish off. It looks better, but we do need a repaint.

Friday 8 June: Tixall Wide to Penkridge (8.5 miles, 6 locks)

From the quiet of Tixall, we journeyed uphill through Tixall Lock and across the Sow Aqueduct, up the Sow and later Penk valleys, southwards. Lots of twists and turns, lots of boats met in bridge holes and on corners, all sorted out pleasantly. We were not hurrying, following a distance behind another boat, and enjoyed the sunny landscape unfolding before us.

sheep shearing!

The deepish locks come every couple of miles here, but we crossed over with other boats at several, allowing plenty of conversation. We were ready to stop just past the services above the lock by the Boat, and found a place, thankfully. John got down and dirty in his overalls. Using a chain wrench, he loosened the stern gland fittings and dug out the old stern gland packing, what was left of it: It had been dripping badly, recently. Cutting the new greasy packing into three pieces which just fit around the propeller shaft, he had to hammer each flat and shorten it to get them in! Once in and tightened, there wasn't a drip! For a change, we had well deserved and rather nice burgers at the Boat, then returned to Annie to rest and read.

David Suchet (supporter of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal restoration) was Poirot on the Blue Train, which we enjoyed on tv.

Saturday 9 June: Penkridge to the Round House at Gailey and the Anchor moorings at Coven (6.5 miles, 6 locks)

If you walk west past the Boat on the Cannock Road half a mile through the town centre and turn right at the main road, you will find the large Saturday Market. This has loads of clothes and plants, plus tools, food, meat and fruit stalls: Well worth a visit. John bought some wonderful huge Peterhead Kippers from the fish man, full of bonhomie; microfibre clothes for Annie's paintwork; plus fruit and pliers. From Penkridge, we continued past Otherton Haven and the M6, up six locks in the sun to Gailey, where we stopped opposite JD Boats, whose breasted up boats left barely enough room to get past on this narrow bit of canal when people used the visitor moorings – less than thoughtful, we felt.

Otherton Marina

leaving Gailey

Hatherton Marina

Calf Heath Marina - the  Hatherton Canal

event at Calf Heath

poppies

It was lovely to speak to Eileen at the Round House shop. John bought new editions of Pearsons canal guides for Welsh Waters and the Leicester Line & River Nene (the Nene is newly included), plus some lovely little canal books from the well-stocked shelves. Her garden looked beautiful, too.

The countryside was also scenic in the sunshine, pleasant despite us skirting railway and M6 at times as we motored along the long pound southwards. John checked the packing wasn't making the stern gland overheat, at one of the locks. No Kingfishers were seen, but plenty of heron and other wildfowl. John felt like a pint, so we stopped at the Anchor at Coven about fourish. The stern gland was still cool, so all was well there. The Anchor is now a decent Vintage Inns pub with reasonable food, but we finished off the spag bog on Annie, drank wine,read and watched Canal Journeys in Ireland.

May 29-31 Old Haunts: up the Trent & Mersey from Shardlow to Rugeley

Tuesday 29 May 2018 Shardlow to Willington along the Trent & Mersey Canal

Popping in for a cup of tea on the way with Liana's mum, Flo, we continued from Nottingham to Shardlow. We stopped for milk at the local store a mile from the canal,before we reached the Malt Shovel. Leaving the car just around the corner, we realised that John had left the fridge switched off: He had left the mains switches on, but had forgotten that setting the Inverter to “charger only” switches off the inverter …... doh! Some food was spoiled, and our experiment to see how much the solar panels reduce battery discharge with fridge on was undone …. doh!

Still, the day was lovely and sunny, so we said bye to the friendly landlady as she arrived at the Malt Shovel, cast off and winded in the short arm by the pub.

Clock Warehouse and Shardlow Lock

Annie and Liana waiting at Stenson Lock, the last big, slow wide lock

Cactus at Stenson

this new boat copies several old boats designs

boats leaving Stenson lock

Dove Bridge seen from the aqueduct

As luck would have it, we joined NB Yarak (which means the state of mind of a bird of prey about to strike, John was told) and shared the wide locks at Shardlow, Aston, Weston and Swarkstone, making the work much easier: Thankyou! There was no hurry, as we were following working boats leaving the Erewash Canal after their Bank Holiday Festival. We saw loads of walkers and boats, too. Three silly boys dropped a pebble on the roof at a bridge, the first such incident for years. After a lovely, sunny but windy afternoon enjoying the fields in the Trent valley, we reached Stenson Lock. The three volunteers speeded things up, organising pairs of boats. Going up, they had John keep Annie against the bottom gate and opened both ground and gate paddles. By hanging back, the bottom paddles' water didn't get under and behind the boat and push it forward, for the gate paddles' water to sink us, so they said! It seemed to work, thankfully. After Stenson, we left Yarak to pump out at Willington Marina and continued to Willington village moorings. The coop is close and quite good, for a village, so we were able to make good our losses. Three pubs are very close, the Green Dragon, Rising Sun and Green Man, where we both had good main meals. This pub is a franchised Heineken pub, a new one to us, but we liked it.

Wednesday 30 May Wet Willington to Alrewas

John had just taken off the back cover to set off when it teemed down! Cue cover replaced and watch a few hardier souls setting off while we wrote our blog and diary. We were surprised by how many were braving the elements! The drenching stopped late morning, so John set off wearing his inexpensive bright yellow wet weather gear (charity shop).

Overcast and grey, with bitty rain at times, it was ok-ish, and the countryside was very green, if wet, with the bright red of Rhododendrons brightening the woodland scene.  Horninglow Wharf, Dallow Lane Lock and Burton passed by, with the brief excitement of Jannel Cruisers at Shobnall Marina, once the Bond End Canal, now their basin. The massive housing project near Branston Lock had not progressed as much as we expected.

We were tempted to stop early at either end of Branston water park, a favourite mooring for us, away from the A38 noise with a beautiful lake to walk round and view the wildfowl. The improving weather encouraged us to carry on a few more miles through the easier Tatenhill, Barton and Wychnor narrow locks alongside the A38, until we turned away and passed through the Trent watermeadows, past isolated but pretty moorings to the river crossing just above the weir. Previous warning signs at Barton Turns Marina and Wychnort lock had been “Proceed with caution” (amber), but we passed several happy oncoming boats who had crossed without trouble. We found that the green was showing as we reached Alrewas Lock. Below is a series of pictures showing the short passage across the Trent.

Wychnor Lock, after which sluices and weirs are on the left

keep away from the weir as you turn right onto the main river

Weir on left and boatmen's bridge in distance by Alrewas lock

turn left before the boatmen's bridge

turning off the river onto the short cut to Alrewas Lock, with lock moorings on left

about to enter Alrewas Lock off the Trent

On locking up, we moored just past the first bridge at 6pm, as closer moorings were occupied. Alrewas is a lovely village to walk round, so we did so, buying excellent strawberry jam (again) from a thatched cottage honesty stall, and used the wifi while having a pint at one of the local pubs. Happy days!

Thursday 31 May Old haunts: Alrewas through Fradley Junction to Rugeley

The sun shone and John cooked himself a fine English breakfast before setting off. It's only a couple of miles and five locks (Bagnall, Common, Hunts, Keepers and Junction locks) to Fradley Junction.  There was no hurry: there were boats ahead and behind us going our way, plus plenty coming the other way, so the locks were busy, without really holding us up. We had great chats with a number of other boaters as we all worked together. The Fradley locks were manned by helpful volunteers who were having their assessment day, so we got up very easily! Reaching Woodend Lock, ¾ mile beyond, was a different story – four boats ahead of Annie, and boats coming down. John tied Annie to a pin until she was close enough to the lock to use bollards, and we chatted to folk as we operated the lock and waited in the sunshine.

Junction Lock and the White Swan, Fradley: We were watched up the locks :)

Young boating family on Free Thyme at Woodend Lock

Liana walking to Armitage Tunnel to see if the way was clear for Annie

Eventually we were through the last lock of the day, and continued the six miles through countryside and the well kept gardens of Handsacre. At Armitage the white ceramic toilet factory looks to have expanded. It was fun to go through the narrows to the embankment by the Plum Pudding Inn. We saw Lady Patricia, the first boat we used, thanks to our friends John & Sheila Lamming.

Lady Patricia

apart from lovely gardens, this old wharf has been well renovated

Armitage Tunnel, long opened up but still very narrow, was fun to pass through (Liana hopped off to check the way was clear). On to Rugeley, where we moored on the visitors moorings, which are very handy for town and shops. For us, it was Rugely Trent Valley Station and a train trip to Derby via Tamworth, then bus to the car at Shardlow and home for the weekend to help at our local Gardeners Fayre.