Mayhem at Haywood Junction and a ‘name and shame’…..

To make up for my tardiness yesterday, I was up early this morning, and we were on our way shortly after 8.30.  Cloudy skies with sunny periods was the order of the day.  We made fairly good time to Haywood Junction, although we did have to wait for a boat we were following to go up Colwich Lock, and then one to come down before we could use it, and were 3rd in the queue when we reached Haywood Lock.

Shugborough Hall

While we were queuing I dashed over the bridge into the village to the Post Office – only to find that it has closed!  A workman working on the building told me I could buy stamps in the Spar, but I didn’t want to venture that far and hold up the queue for the locks.  What a shame, I thought, there will be a lot of boaters miffed about that, as it was well used for Poste Restante.   I found out later that the whole kit and caboodle has moved to the Spar shop, which isn’t so bad.  Once up the lock we decided to try to get in on the water point to fill up the tank.  After hanging back just short of the junction, to allow a couple of boats to sort out which way they were going, and vastly amused by one boat which did a full 360 degree turn and then some, before deciding to head south on the T & M, we managed to squeeze on the end of the service wharf.  Now for the ‘name and shame’ – 4 boats waiting to use one of the two taps, and a 5th already there – he was only washing his boat!  Now, to my mind, that’s taking the piss mickey!  So, whoever you are on nb Busker, you have been ‘named and shamed’ for your inconsiderate behaviour!

Watered up, courtesy of Anglo Welsh’s hose, offered to me by the lovely chap with the pony-tail who serviced our engine a few years ago, we were on our way again.

As we passed the entrance to Great Hayward marina, we spotted not one, but two Beacon Boats.  Nb Goldcar Lily, who I missed with my camera on full zoom, and nb a-n-other – who’s licence number we later looked up, and found it to be nb Singing Hinny, Beacon’s No 10 boat, with the same colour scheme as us.

Moored now just north of Weston on Trent.  Tomorrow we will both attempt to get haircuts in Stone.

7.1 miles and 4 locks