Well and truly on our way home now…..

Pics of Tixall at 10pm last night, very still with lovely reflections and the moon just rising

When we left this morning it was dull, cloudy and humid, and that’s how it has remained most of the day, with just a few outbreaks of sunshine.  We had a first today – when we got to Great Hayward the water-point was completely empty of boats for the first time ever!  We watered, emptied the loo cassette and headed off towards the lock.  We were second in the queue to go down.  By the time we got to Colwich Lock, we were fifth!

We were so far back we couldn’t even see the lock!  With boats coming up as well, it was very busy.  In fact it’s been busier today than we’ve seen it the whole trip.  An hour later we were on our way.  We haven’t come very far today.  I caught a cold while we were at Norbury, which made itself evident on Sunday evening, and Rog has just started with the symptoms so neither of us were feeling up to much today.  We have moored just before Rugeley, opposite Taft Wharf Farm, where we have bought some lovely fresh eggs from an honesty box on the off-side, under the bridge.  Unfortunately our favourite spot just another hundred yards or so up the towpath had already gone, but it’s fine here.

A ‘lovely view’ in the distance!

4 miles and 2 locks

Another short day…..

Not a lot to say about today’s cruise really – it’s been very quiet, boat wise, and no dramas.  A beautiful day with sunshine and a gentle breeze,made for a very pleasant cruise.  This stretch of the Staffs and Worcs is very pretty. 

Deptmore Lock receding into the distance

Stafford Boat Club

Aqueduct over the River Sow

Tixall Bridge, with beautiful gardens on the off side

Tixall Lock, as usual beautifully kept, presumably by the owner of the lock cottage, but with not so many flowers as in previous years

Our planned mooring for tonight was Tixall Wide, only about two and a half hours cruising, and we arrived at about 11.30.  Chairs out and a cup of coffee as soon as we moored up. 

Views from our mooring – I love it here!

6.1 miles and 2 locks

Onto our 9th canal this trip…..

Yesterday we made the short journey to Autherley Junction and our 9th canal in less than 6 weeks.  We made a short stop at Bridge 2 to go to Morrison’s to top up the cupboards, and then through the stop lock, turning to port onto the Staffs and Worcs.  This is the second part of our old stomping grounds.  Having been distinctly underwhelmed at the lack of towpath maintenance on the Macc and the Shroppie, the S & W is even worse!  In most places the towpath is at least waist height in grass and weeds, and sometimes even shoulder height!

We came through Pendeford Rockin’ without meeting any other boats, thank goodness

There is some serious road and bridge widening going on here

Hatherton Marina where we used to moor our old boat,  nb Teasel

We were by this time being pursued by some very black clouds, so we decided that it was time to moor up and batten down the hatches.  We ended up mooring amongst some bridge-hoppers, but, needs must.  Just in time, it turned out as the heavens opened shortly afterwards and it rained heavily all afternoon and well into the early evening.

This morning the weather didn’t look too hopeful, but it has been better than expected.  I waded through the undergrowth along the towpath as I walked Ozzy, feeling a bit like Dr Livingstone.  I forgot my to put my camera in my pocket this morning, so there are no photos while I was being intrepid!  Today has been a day of spaced out locks, the first being Gailey, with it’s iconic Round House.  As usual, I couldn’t pass it by without going in and buying something, although this time it was just a couple of postcards.

Several more locks, and we were passing Otherton Boat Haven, where we bought nb Teasel, our first boat, so long ago now that neither of us remember exactly when!

A few more locks and we were into Penkridge.  We briefly considered mooring and going to the Market, but as we didn’t really need anything, it was decided that it was too long a trek to get there just for a wander round.  Yet another few locks and we were through Acton Trussell, and looking for a mooring spot.  And, wonder of wonders, it had recently been mowed and strimmed.  Very recently as it happens – the mower and strimmer has just come back along the towpath and blown 10 tons of cut grass through the open side hatch into the boat – and I’ve only just hoovered up the last lot of hay that we collected on out trip down the Shroppie!

Our very rural mooring for tonight – even though the houses of Acton Trussell are still visible behind us

Yesterday -  9 miles and 1 lock

Today -  7.8 miles and 10 locks

A trying few days…..

Having spent all of Friday waiting for a phone call to tell us our alternator had arrived, it finally came at about 4 pm, and of course there were no engineers available to come and fit it, so we were told to expect a call from the engineer on Sat morning to let us know when he was coming.  Well, Saturday morning came and went, and we finally got the call on Saturday afternoon, to say that the alternator that they had ordered had a different pulley and wouldn’t fit!  Needless to say, Rog was not amused!  He agreed to them ordering the right one, but told them that he was also going to try to get one at Norbury, which is what he did, and fitted it himself with only one minor mishap – he managed to blow one of the twelve volt fuses attached to the batteries when his spanner slipped and caught one of the contacts.  But a quick call to a friend who knew exactly where the fuses were (we had forgotten), and a quick look by one of Norbury’s engineers who turned the fuse upside down and replaced it, and it was all working again.  The alternator cost £95, and a tenner to Norbury’s engineer.  RCR were going to charge us approx £260, including labour and travelling time (the domestic alternator isn’t included in their parts cover), so we saved ourselves over a hundred and fifty quid – bargain!  Rog then called the RCR engineer again and cancelled the order, and the call.

We stayed where we were on Saturday night (overstaying the 48 hrs by half a day – slapped wrist!) and then yesterday we moved up onto the other visitor moorings on the embankment, having filled with water and emptied loo cassettes on the way.  We partook of the Sunday lunch carvery in the Navigation Inn, and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sunshine.  I know we’d not been doing anything for two days, but it’s amazing how stressful it is just waiting for people to call and keep you in the loop as to what is happening!

This morning we set of to another of our favourite mooring spots on the Shroppie.  We filled with water again at Wheaton Aston, queued for a little while for the lock, and continued on through Brewood (pronounce Brood) and moored between Bridges 7 and 8.

Our stalkers, Rosie and Jim (!) setting off from Norbury on Friday morning

Making the most of their canal-side setting, this unusual house seems to blend into the surrounding countryside.

Another long, straight bit!

And another cutting – it looks much brighter in the photo than it actually is

We spotted Beacon’s No 7 boat, moored in Brewood, but there didn’t seem to be anyone on board

The very ornate Avenue Bridge leading to Chillington Hall

Moored between Bridges 7 and 8

12.3 miles and 1 lock

Another catchup…..

Thurs 3rd July

We cruised the 7.6 miles to Norbury Junction on Thursday, our intended stopping point for tonight, through cuttings and over embankments typical of the Shroppie.  Miles and miles of agricultural farms and not a lot else.  We spotted the Wrekin on the horizon, but it was too misty and indistinct for a decent photo.

Cutting

Knighton Wharf with factory behind which was first opened by Cadbury in 1911 as a centre for processing milk collected by boat from Shropshire farms.  It was blended here with sugar and cocoa to make raw chocolate and then returned to Bournville to be turned into the chocolate we know today.

As it must have been in those days, full of working boats unloading countless churns full of milk – but all quiet now, just the boats, empty and forlorn.  I thought it was quite poignant, the boats just waiting in hope of trade returning to the canal.

The tiny Anchor Inn at High Offley – just the one room with the beer that used to be brought up from the cellar in jugs – not sure if there are beer pumps now as it’s years since we passed at the right time of day to call in.

Bridge 39, in Grub Street cutting – with the redundant telegraph pole, left over from the days when the phone line marched along almost the whole length of the Shroppie.  We looked, as we always do, for the strange, monkey-like creature which is said to haunt the bridge since a boatman was killed here in the 19th century, but no luck today!

Moored at Norbury Junction, we called RCR out to have a look at the domestic alternator which, although charging ok, has been doing strange things for the last few days.  They were here within the hour, but unfortunately they couldn’t fix it, so we await a new one, hopefully tomorrow afternoon.  We shall be here until at least Saturday, and possibly longer if they can’t fit it then.  Oh yes, and, funny old thing, we went for lunch in the pub, the Junction Inn.

Norbury Junction, busy as ever

7.6 miles and 0 locks

Adderley to Goldstone Wharf…..

Wednesday 2nd July

We had some visitors on Tuesday evening, and they brought lots of flies with them – we counted a dozen in the bedroom when we went to bed!

We started the ascent up Adderley locks in bright sunshine this morning.  Another hot day was on the cards, but with only the five locks it wasn’t too bad, even though we had to empty most of them before we could use them as we were following another boat.

‘Look, Mum, I’m being a good boy and staying where you put me – do I get a biscuit for that?

Then on to Market Drayton where we filled with water and emptied the necessary.  Then it was on to the five locks at Tyrley (pronounced Turley).  We were pleasantly surprised that only the second lock had a fierce by-wash.

Approaching Tyrley bottom lock –  having had it turned against us by some impatient sod!

Waiting

Tyrley top lock and wharf

Job done, and only one more lock on the Shroppie, at Wheaton Aston (not including the stop lock at Autherley)

We were then into Woodseves Cutting, one of the deep cuttings typical on Telford’s Shroppie.  Some 100 feet deep in places, it never dries out and is home to all manner of flora.  It’s also now extremely overgrown – it won’t be too long before it is impassable unless there is some serious cutting back done.  We met 4 boats going the other way, but managed to pass without too much scraping!

High bridge

We are now moored at Goldstone Wharf, opposite the Wharf Tavern (yes another pub called the Wharf!)  We felt it was rude not to go and sample the beer, although we were too late for food as they stopped taking food orders at 2 o’clock.

7.1 miles and 10 locks

Audlem Locks

Having done the first two of the 15 at Audlem yesterday, we had 13 to do today.  We were the first up this morning with quite a lot of boats coming down, so all the locks were set in our favour.  We had a fairly quick trip up, but it was hard work, due to the blazing sun.  I opted to work all the locks and let Rog drive the boat as there were some fierce side-washes at the bottom of most of them. If he bumps it going in, that’s ok, but if I do, there’s hell to pay!!

Looking back from lock 9

Looking forwards from Lock 9

Rog preparing to negotiate one of the side-washes, just coming into view on the left of the photo

And trying not to get caught by this one – it was very fierce, pouring down from the pound above

Strong enough for a bit of white-water rafting!

If it’s this bad here, God help us at Tyrley tomorrow!  When we arrived at the top locks there was a table out in front of the cottage selling cakes, scones, jam, cream and eggs so we had to buy some eggs, scones and clotted cream.  We continued on to the bottom of Adderley locks and decided that we would call it a day – it was just too damn hot to do another five locks, and we knew if we did we’d end up mooring in Market Drayton for the night, not a favourite place to moor.  After mooring up we had a very late breakfast of fried egg butties with the eggs I’d bought – they were so fresh they were almost still clucking – lovely!  We sat outside under a tree in the shade and felt right at home as we watched the helicopters from RAF Shawbury buzzing around

Our mooring at the bottom of Adderley.  Just before 2 o’clock we decided to take a stroll up to the Farm Shop at the top of the locks.  Unfortunately, although they were open, there was not much stock as it was all at Telford Indoor Market, where they run a stall 3 times a week.  We’ll try again tomorrow morning after we’ve taken the boat up the locks.

2.5 miles and 13 locks