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.

May 23-24 Cruising from Castle Marina, Nottingham through Sawley up to Shardlow

Wednesday 23 May Castle Marina to Sawley Cut

Marina electricity had recharged the batteries. A local boater asked John to look at his solar set up and batteries, which appeared to be square NiFe cells, with transparent tubes supplying fluid to each battery by handpump. John explained the solar meters display, and noticed that the batteries were only 88% when connected  to the marina supply, so something seemed wrong. The clear electrolyte was low, with none in the pump reservoir. John had never seen a set up like this, so advised  that he contact the marina electrician and read his boat's manuals, to see if the fluid needed was distilled water or something else (Potassium Hydroxide solution)!

John returned keys and remote gate opener to the Marina office and bought two discounted brass folding steps to place on the boat sides forward of the solar panels. Liana moved the car outside the gates and we set off in the unseasonably cool and windy weather, wearing winter gear! We tootled along the Nottingham Beeston Canal, past Trevethick's Boatyard, Players and Boots factories, to Beeston River Lock.

John moored at the lock pontoon, close by the lock, so the two narrowboats coming off the river had to leave the lock one by one, to avoid Annie. How would two widebeam boats cope crossing over? The river was pretty, with lots of wooden chalets with boats waterside. Liana filled the 11' deep Cranfleet bottom lock slowly, to avoid bashing Annie around, helped by the friendly ex-lock keeper. He suggested we could moor at the end of the lock moorings, on rings, for the weekend, if we wished.

looking basck at the moorings, Nottingham Yacht Club and Cranfleet Lock

After lunch there, we headed off in the now sunny weather up a busy river to Sawley, where several volunteers locked us up. Working boats were making their way to a bank Holiday event on the Erewash canal, so I guess it will be lively early next week when they all leave ...  could be fun on Tuesday ....

emerging from Cranfleet Cut - Leicester left, Erewash right, Sawley and trent & Mersey straight on

Two good pubs above the Erewash Canal river lock, Trent Lock

Mooring opposite the marina on the 48h moorings, we visited the marina, got free magazines, brass ventilator, present, tea and cake, before viewing the boats. As it was 4.45, we called it a day, and chilled! Still couldn't contact Whyatts, but the new alternator worked fine, keeping batteries at 100%, so solar panels provided zero current until we stopped the engine, when they kicked into action. :)

leaving Sawley Lock as working boats approached

Thursday 24 May a short cruise to Shardlow

John cooked himself a rare |Full English with scallops - delicious! Liana settled for just tea, after which we set off gently the mile or so up the Trent to Derwentmouth, where the Trent & Mersey canal begins.

under the road to Sawley Flood Lock and the river

Traffic was busy, so we waited for boats to descend, chatting with the volunteer lock keepers. Once up, we passed the wide beam Peter Le Marchant charity trip boat, giving old folk a day out. we got a wave! the two marinas on the right are packed with boats. After the flood lock, there are two lovely houses on the right, one with its own private arm and the other with an O gauge railway track going all round its garden.

Passing the old New Inn (!) and Malt Shovel pubs, then boats being fitted out around Dobson's boatyard, we moored by the famous warehouse, at the Heritage museum, clearing out lots of mud. It was closed, though ….. open weekends and bank holidays only.

lock to left, warehouse ahead, museum to right

the small Heritage Museum

We like the unspoilt nature of this pleasant, friendly village, and walked round it, back to the two pubs, reading the information boards. Friendly folk in the Malt Shovel helped us find a local taxi when our Nottingham firm couldn't come.
Liana had got packed up, including dirty washing. I sorted the boat, and we decided to try leaving the fridge on while we left the boat overnight, to see how the solar powered batteries coped.

May 19-22 Torksey Lock to Newark and Nottingham with Sarah. Alternator troubles ....

Saturday 19 May Up the Trent from Torksey Lock to Newark Castle and daughter Sarah. Alternator troubles.

Up at 7am, John set off for Torksey in cool air but bright sunshine, arriving at 9.30 in plenty of time for the flood tide before 11am.

approaching Torksey on a sunny cool morning

Leaving Torksey Lock, the tide took Annie, followed by NB SolvForet (Swedish for Silver Forest), up the Trent steadily to Cromwell Lock. Her friendly crew told us they were taking her down to London for a relative, and having a holiday at the same time!

locking down at Torksey Lock to catch the flood tide up to Cromwell Lock

The tidal range up here is less than a yard, so the current upriver, which lasts a couple of hours, is not too fierce. It's very rural, but pleasant and relaxing.

leaving Torksey along Torksey cut

Cormorants on the Trent

Dunham bridges

One of the many cruisers we saw, zooming past

Cattle on the tidal Trent

approaching Cromwell Lock and weir

you can moor below the lock, if necessary

we locked through Cromwell Lock with Solv Foret and a cruiser

the friendly boaters were taking her down to London

Through Cromwell, we covered the last few miles to Nether Lock, under the A1 bridge, and moored opposite the ruined Newark Castle, below Newark Town Lock.

small pontoons by the Bromley Arms pub at Fiskeerton

Blessed by a visit by daughter Sarah, we all toured the town before eating exotic pizzas at Zizzi's, by the bridge next to the castle.

Sarah in Town Lock, Newark

The new leisure batteries were getting low, and it was clear that they were not being charged. John checked battery wiring twice – fine: An alternator test suggested failure :/

The solar panels bought for fitting sometime were needed NOW!

Sunday 20 May Solar power arrives on Annie. A glorious day with Sarah, up the Trent to Holme Pierrepoint near Nottingham.
While Liana and Sarah shopped, John pulled out the two 100W semi-flexible solar panels, solar charge controller, fuse and wires. In the morning sunshine the panels were soon stuck down on the roof, batteries connected to the charge controller via a 10A fuse, then panels connected, and we were in business!! 30 volts, 4 amps, so 30v x 4A = 120W (Physics teacher, power = V x I = volts x amps!!), which seems fine for a sunny day. By boiling water on the cooker, to save electrical energy, the batteries gained about 8% today, and went from red light low batt on the Victron Inverter to green ok :) It was worth it!

daughter Sarah with Liana on a sunny Trent

Sarah and Liana had plenty of time to catch up and chat. Sarah brought my Birthday Present from her, sister Rachel, Liana and Gran Flo – an Apple iphone 6S, which is clearly more clever than I am! After passing through Town Lock, the phone wouldn't work – Sarah realised it was sensing movement and thought I was driving a car, so switched off!! She soon got everything working except my email, which I managed to sort next day :) Great present, guys!!!!! …. and the camera is very HD, too.

weir after Newark Dyke and before the power station

keep away from the weir

the river was busy

snap!

The twenty miles to Nottingham are really lovely, very scenic, with waterside pastures and parks, wildfowl, sheep and cattle sipping river water. Today, the sunny weather also brought out narrowboats and cruisers in droves! Cue lots of waving.

The five locks (Town, Hazleford, Gunthorpe, Stoke Bardolph and Holme) are all large river locks electrically operated by their lock keepers. John used our handheld VHF radio to keep track of traffic and contact each lock as we approached.

the power station looks very different with the new gas turbines

we hovered while Hazleford lock was lowered for this cruiser

Liana and Annie moored at the end of the lock moorings above Holme Lock

looking back at Holme Lock. the white water course is a few yards to the right

Reaching Holme Lock after hours, the light was orange, so we operated it ourselves with a CRT yale key. We moored above the lock by the white water centre, and watched the rubber dinghies paddling in the evening sun. After roast chicken, Sarah was picked up and repatriated to her car by her very kind Aunt Ali (Thanks, Al!), who was visiting gran Flo nearby. All this fresh air and sunshine makes for a good night's sleep ….

Monday 21 May Through Nottingham to Castle Marina: Car collection and Alternator testing.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours cruising the two miles up to Trent Bridge and Meadow lane lock, past the old defunct entrance to the Grantham canal and Nottingham Forest's city ground.

leaving Holme: Note the solar panels (which moved when I was sticking them down :( )

the weir can be adjusted to maintain the water level above

Grantham Canal river lock now leads nowhere … Brian Clough Stand behind

Meadow Lane Lock is 100m before Trent Bridge, on the right. You can go upriver half a mile.

a slow current made mooring for the lock easy

looking back as we left the lock

turn sharp left at the Premier Inn!

a new canalside view

note the new Nottingham tram passing overhead!

passing the law courts / old museum area

The canalside near the castle and law courts is now much modernised. We eased into Castle Marina to visit their chandlery. Liana spent a large chunk of the afternoon travelling to Lincoln and Torksey to collect the car from the lock car park. It eventually dawned on John that we could charge Annie's batteries from the mains if we stayed at the marina, so this was arranged.

John got the tools out, took out the alternator, then took a taxi to Stapleford. Here, Steve Whyatt bench checked the voltage regulator and coils, tested it and pronounced that the rotor coil was kaput. A replacement was ordered for overnight delivery.

John found The Old Cross pub near Whyatts, serving excellent Worthington Creamflow and playing wonderful rock music, so rested and sipped happily with the locals while waiting for Liana to collect him. I slept well again, but someone else complained about the beer-induced snoring!

Tuesday 22 May Fitting a new alternator.

Liana spent some of the day with her mum, Flo, shopping, while John worked on Annie. Steve Whyatt rang to say that the alternator had arrived, and he had fitted the original belt pulley, so it was ready to fit. We popped over to Whyatts at Stapleford (near Sandiacre on the Erewash Canal, 6 miles from Castle Marina by road) to collect it and pay the £245 (it is a 24volt, 110A beast of an alternator). John fitted it quickly – apart from the fact that the top lug had M12 x 1.75mm metric thread, while the bolts for the older model had a finer, Whitworth thread :/ ….. the helpful staff at Castle Marina let John look in their box of nuts and bolts, where he managed to come up with a solution :)

We now have leisure batteries fully charged from the mains, plus alternator and solar panels working, too. Couldn't contact Whyatts, but will try again.