Saturday 24th April 2010
Arrived at Elton Moss at about 14.45 and loaded up all our stuff. WD was pointing South and we want to do the Four Counties anti clockwise to facilitate meeting up with family next weekend. Dougie had said that he would leave WD facing north for us so I suspect CC have been doing demo runs. However she was very clean and tidy.
We set off south and passed Jenny Wren going the other way. We winded by the railway bridges and headed back north. We got held up at the first lock by 2 brothers coming the other way in a boat each. Pip got talking to them and found them very talkative. After that we had a clear run down to Middlewich, apart from loosing a fender, then onto the Middlewich Branch. Then through the two locks and we are now moored just above lock 2 along with Jenny Wren. Ate in, spaghetti bolognaise and a bottle of Merlot. Very nice. I got the freesat box working ok but now it has stopped and no amount of fiddling with the dish will get it going again. But freeview terrestrial's ok.
I am very pleased with a new toy, namely a Three MiFi dongle. Basically this turns a 3G mobile signal into a wifi one so WD is now a wifi hotspot.
We would like to get to the Hack Green Nuclear Bunker tomorrow but I'm not sure we'll get there in time.
Will keep you posted, 3 signal permitting.
Sunday 25th and Monday 26th April
We had a leisurely Sunday morning cooked breakfast and set off about 10:45. The weather was sunny and just warm enough.There were a few NBs about but we went straight through Minshull lock where in the past we have always had to queue. We got talking to a chap waiting to come down, he was a boat mechanic and told us about a time he had been called out to a group of people that were having trouble filling the water tank. They'd apparently been filling the tank for over 4 hours and were worried that it still wasn't overflowing. When the mechanic got there they had given up and were no longer trying to fill the tank. He checked under the floorboards but the bilges were dry. He asked them which water point they had been using as they weren't moored at one now. They said they hadn't moved but had just stopped trying to fill. He said "But there's no water point here, you must have moved". "No" they said they just hooked the hose up to the kitchen sink tap and were filling it from there!!
We got to Venetian Marina and pulled in there for a bag of smokeless coal in case it gets cold at night and for a new fender!
WD now has 6 fender hooks which hook over the grab rail with a longish rope to attach fenders to so we've attached these and put them out when we moor. We have removed all other fixed fenders (except for the right hand side rear one that we can't undo).
We then joined a queue of three for the Cholmondeston lock. Then there was an uneventful trip to Barbridge where we turned left and onto the Shroppie.We cruised down there for a while and moored at about 6 PM above the Hack Green locks.
We ate in again. Roast pork with all the trimmings. However we didn't attempt Yorkshire Puddings.
The satellite tv still wouldn't pick up the satellite even though there was a completely clear sky and no trees. I tried another cable that happened to be in the cupboard but still no joy. I think the dish is broken.
However terrestrial digital worked fine.
Monday
We went and had a look round the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker. It cost £6.80 each to get in but it is well worth spending a couple of hours or 3 looking round. It was decommissioned in 1996 (or was it 1993?) but up till then would have been an important government place where prime ministers and the like could go in the event of the Russians pressing the button. It was actually quite eerie and a little bit frightening to see what preparations had been made and the amount of money that must have been spent setting it up. Anyway apparently we are not under threat anymore so the don't need any bunkers. Yeah right!
We then set off at about 12:45 in the direction of Audlem, did 3 locks filled up with water and moored outside the Shroppie Fly. However not being lunchtime drinkers we didn't venture inside but instead went to the handy co-op and bought some provisions. The water hose has about 7 splits in it. We've found two more hoses in the gas locker that we will try out further into the trip. We then set off up the remaining 12 locks of the Audlem flight at about 3 PM and got to the top less than 2 hours later. EVERY lock was in our favour! Also the first three earlier on in the day had been empty. We then carried on to the Addeley 5 locks and went up them. They too were all in our favour. So that's 20 uphill locks today and every one of them had been empty. We were very grateful. We have now made it to Market Drayton and have finally managed to get into the bank after about 5 attempts. Even so we are not actually up against the side but we are near enough.
No terrestrial TV tonight either so we are having to talk to each other (Actually I'm writing this blog!) but the Three MiFi works a treat.
More next time there's a mobile signal in the evening.
Tuesday 27th April
I must admit that we had another cooked breakfast (well we are on holiday) and then took a stroll into Market Drayton. The town centre is in a sorry state, lots of closed shops everywhere. But we found a paper shop, a supermarket and a barbers and that's all we wanted. I'm now sporting a grade 2 all over haircut.
We set off from Market Drayton at about 12 ish and passed through the 5 Tyrely locks quite easily. I must say that the Shroppie locks are very easy to operate except that they don't have a bridge over the bottom end of the lock. So we got into our 2 person method of operation where Pip opens both bottom gates and I drive in. She shuts one gate and I climb out and shut the other. Then I climb back on board and she opens the ground paddles. She then sets off up to the next lock and I get off when it's easy to do so and things have quietened down a bit taking the centre rope with me in case. I then open a gate paddle if there is one. When the lock's full I shut the offside ground paddle, open the gate, shut the other paddles then drive out. I stop with the stern in the neck of the lock, take the centre rope with me and shut the top gate. Then head off to the next lock which by now is probably ready. We all have our different methods I'm sure but this seems to work for us.
We then passed though the impressive Woodseaves Cutting (very narrow) and across the equally impressive Shebdon embankment, the site of last years breech. I got FED UP with the amount of moored boats and the length of time spent passing them at idling speed. We've now stopped for the night at Norbury Junction and are considering some food at the Junction Inn.
The weather today has been great and a lovely evening is in prospect.
We seemed to have cracked the dishwasher operation. We don't put it on until the engine has been running for at least 3 hours. Seems to work ok.
It seems that Dougie had winded WD for us last Saturday (I never thought he hadn't!), then CC winded her again then we came along and winded for a third time! Oh well, if only we'd know they were going to do that.
More some other time.
Wednesday 28th April
Last night we ate out at the Junction Inn at Norbury Junction. My advice to anyone venturing there would be "GO THERE HUNGRY". I had a very nice broccoli and stilton soup and then an absolutely huge meat pie. Really nice it was but it could easily have served three without complaints. Two pints of extremely nice Bank's Bitter but no room for pudding. I was very full for the rest of the evening.
We got up late about 9.30 ish then had a small breakfast and set off southbound. The weather was greyish but warm enough and there was no rain. We continued to pootle on along this 17 mile pound. Pip's getting bored with out locks. We stopped at Gnosall for some bread and milk then continued on our way. Cowley tunnel is very short and hardly deserves to be called a tunnel. It even has a bridge number. The following cutting is very narrow and I was pleased we didn't meet anyone coming the other way.
We got to Wheaton Aston and moored up below the lock for some lunch. There had not been much traffic to speak of all day (apart from two of those quandaries where you are approaching a bridge hole and so is another boat coming the other way and it's 50-50 whose right of way it is!) then just as we were thinking of setting off up the lock four boats passed us going our way! So we joined the queue. Pip speeded things up by going and helping as she was feeling a bit deprived of lock work. We were soon through the lock having tried to cheer up some hirers in front of us who were having a bit of a miserable time. They found the driving difficult and the stress of going through this one lock was too much. Pip helped them set the lock and I advised the chap how to push the front of the boat off first when setting off otherwise its very difficult to get off the bank. This cheered him up but he was still downbeat. Shame.
Anyway that's the last of the Shroppie locks apart from a small stop lock at Autherley Junction. All the locks on this southern section have been really nice and easy to operate but some of them have a fierce bywash just at the wrong moment as you are coming into the empty lock. Does anyone manage these locks without contributing to the scratched paintwork? If you do you are a better man than me.
We have continued on and are now moored south of Brewood, unfortunately just within earshot of the M54.
We're going to eat in tonight. We are moored in the middle of nowhere on one of those nice moorings provided by the Shropshire Union Canal Society, nicely dredged and plenty of mooring rings.
Onto the Staffs & Worcs southbound tomorrow.
Thursday 29th April
A quiet night in last night, there was after all nowhere to go! But we enjoy nights in probably more than nights out!
We had a very nice chicken casserole cooked by Pip and we've got a box of unoaked Australian chardonnay which is very quaffable.
Whilst having breakfast we were watching a heron just 15ft in front of us and the heron was WATCHING FISH! Then he successfully pounced thereby depriving the angling community of a future catch. Very impressive.
Then we set of towards Autherley Junction but S - L - O - W - L -Y as we were following the couple we met yesterday who weren't enjoying themselves. A Viking Afloat boat that was in no hurry to get back to Gailey. They pulled over and let us pass after a while. We then stopped just short of the junction for water. It's a bit smelly there just by the sewage works that supplies the Shroppie with its water. Then through the stop lock, which is sort of redundant now that the canals are all British Waterways. So we have now covered the whole of the Shroppie Main Line (we were in Ellesmere Port last September). That's the first canal we have completed in total.
We turned right onto the Staffs and Worcester and headed south. Immediately things just feel different. Different bridge design, different bank design, different coloured water and different accents on the towpath. Then different locks, (locks.... oh yes I remember them). We went down through Compton Lock and then moored up to find some shops. We came across an amazing little supermarket called Daisy. The deli was to die for. Lots of cheeses, cooked meats, quiches.... all sorts of stuff. The sales assistant wasn't particularly adept at cutting us a portion of goats cheese but we got there in the end (and the cheese is absolutely great. The meat counter had lots of local choice too and we got some nice looking pork chops for tomorrow night and some chicken breasts stuffed with garlic and mushrooms and wrapped in bacon for tonight. Very yummy.
We then set off in quite heavy rain now which has turned out to be persistent We have now gone down through The Bratch locks and are moored on the offside just below the bottom lock. It's a shame that it was raining as we both had full wet weather gear on and that doesn't include carrying cameras in case they get wet. I'll bet it looks a picture in the sunshine. The lockie didn't seem to mind being dragged out in the rain and he was a dab hand at winding paddles with one hand whilst holding his umbrella in the other.
We tried out the washing machine with a full load just before setting off after the supermarket. This has turned out to be a mistake as it was still drying the load when we moored for the night 3 and a half hours later. I had to take out half the load and dry it in two loads. We only got one done before feeling guilty about the engine still running at 8 PM.
We are due to meet up with family tomorrow and they are with us for the weekend. Stourbridge arm at The Bonded Warehouse is the arranged spot. So we need to be a bit sharper away in the morning than of late!
Friday 30th April
Short Blog tonight, we've got family on board.
We've been further down the Staffs and Worcester then turned left onto the Stourbridge Canal. We didn't go up the Stourbridge 16 but turned right and went on to the end of the Stourbridge Arm. Had a pump out and have winded and are now moored behind security fencing and BW key padlocks.
Quite heavy rain showers today and it's raining now. Hope it goes away tomorrow as we've got first time canal travellers on board.
Saturday 1st May.
It's not May weather is it? We had the fire going yesterday(Sunday) from about 3PM.
Anyway, Saturday:
Friday night there were 5 of us on board. It's the first time we've had to get all the beds in use but Pip managed to suss it out easily and they were said to be comfortable. Maybe the visitors were being polite about the comfort of the beds but everyone claims to have slept ok.
We were moored on a vacant mooring inside Stourbridge basin. This is behind locked steel gates so we felt quite safe. Stourbride was a very suitable spot to meet people coming by train and both arranged meetings worked very well.
Saturday dawned fairly sunny but could not be classed as warm. We all wrapped up warm and set off from Stourbridge at about 10.30 ish and retraced our steps back towards Stourton Junction. We looked at the bottom gates of the Stourport 16 but will have to leave them and Birmingham to another trip. We easily locked down the 4 Stourton locks with lots of crew, some of whom needed training on lock operation. We then turned right, again retracing our steps and headed off up the Staffs and Worcester. What a delightful canal this is. The architecture of the structures seems to be in miniture compared to the Shroppie and it's all very pretty. We met up with more family, just visitors for the day this time, at Greensforge lock. They had left their car at Bratch then walked down to meet us coming the other way. We watered at the water point that Nicholsons doesn't mention> So we then had a big family gathering of various siblings and their partners for lunch on board (we never allowed more than six on board at once of course:-) ) and then headed off towards The Bratch. We enjoyed the staircase at Botterham and enjoyed three at Bratch even more. Then we moored for the night, a couple of us showered then we all headed back to The Round Oak at bridge 45. Very reasonable food and good Bank's beer (again). We then said goodbye to the day visitors so we were back to 5 on board for the night.
Sunday 2nd May.
It was raining and quite windy this morning. We had to make Penkridge today so that two of our visitors could head off by train early on Monday morning. So we were off reasonably early (for us). It had stopped raining by then but it was still cold. We stopped at Crompton again to stock up at the deli there then kept going onwards past the two junctions. We waved at the Wolverhampton 21 but again ignored them. Just as we we were about to enter the Very Narrow Cutting we had to stop a bit sharpish to let one coming the other way through. It is Very Narrow. We wondered why? Perhaps it's solid rock and they couldn't be bothered to make it wider. However that sort of thinking doesn't usually seem to have entered the canal builders heads so we just carried on wondering. Under the noisy M54 then along the very windy bit and up to the M6 lock (Rodbaston). By this time we are all cold so we light the fire and some go inside to warm up. We then make it to Penkridge at about 6.30. We ring round the pubs of Penkridge but none of them do food on a Sunday evening so we went and had a very nice Indian meal at a restaurant called Flames in the village. Very nice food it was too. Not the cheapest but very nice. Then back to WD for a night cap and a bed making session.
Monday 3rd.
Early on we said goodbye to my sister and her husband who were heading off back to Eastbourne by train. So that now leaves three of us left on board. That's me and Pip and another of my sisters (I've got four!). We've not got far to go today as we need to be near Stafford train station tonight. So a leisurely breakfast then half an hour on the water point above Penkridge lock then head off again. The locks here are frequent but not that frequent, definately further than walking distance for the crew. We soon pass under the noisy M6, passing a delightful little cottage right next to the motorway. It must have been so peaceful before the motorway was built. Acton Trussell looked a bit posh. We decided not to grace the 4 star hotel with our presence. We just allowed the diners to look out on us poodling past. We wondered if they were eating swan pate as there were lots of swans around there! We moored up for the night at about 3 ish. Pip needs to head off for an unavoidable meeting in Hull tomorrow so she's getting a 06.54 train in the morning. She's not happy about this but it needs doing unfortunately. We got a bus into Stafford to suss out where the station is for the morning but the busses don't start early enough so Pip has a taxi booked for 06.30.
We are going to eat in tonight and I think I might light the fire again.
So tomorrow we're down to two again but it's not Pip but my sister instead.
WD seemed to cope ok with the multitude of people however you wouldn't have people that argue on board!
The poo tank had been pumped out on Friday evening but will definitely need another one in a day or so.
Back to the Trent and Mersey tomorrow.
Tuesday 4th May.
Pip had her meeting in Hull to go to today. 06.54 train from Stafford! So the alarm was set for 05.50. That's 05.50! Whilst on holiday! Anyway she got her 6.30 pre booked taxi from outside the Radford Bank Inn. I don't know what the taxi driver thought picking someone up from a pub at 6.30 in the morning but apparently he didn't pass comment.
Having dutifully made tea to see her on her way I went back to bed for a couple more hours kip.
My sister was still with us so I wasn't lonely We set off from Radford bridge about 10 ish and followed the course of the railway all the way to Tixall lock. Tixall lock was very pretty and not very deep (only 4' 3"). There were complaints from the stand in crew that there was not enough time for taking photos before the lock emptied. Then onto Tixall Wide. If that's the gatehouse one can only wonder at the scale of the original main house must have been. Then a left turn at Great Haywood and we are back on the Trent and Mersey, our final canal (boo). We poodle along Northbound again closely following a busy railway and the small and not yet mighty River Trent. We end up moored on the outskirts of Stone. The poo tank is in the red, it really will need emptying tomorrow.
I get the trusty Brompton folding bike out and cycle up to Stone station to meet Pip on her return from Hull. We then all go the Star Inn at lock 27 for tea. This pub claims that every room is at a different level. The food is nice but my sister's steak is definitely well done as opposed to the asked for medium rare. Tuesday night is pudding club night where all puddings are £1.50 each. However they've run out of almost all puddings except for Lemon Drizzle cake so we each have one of those.
Sunny today but a chilly head wind that kept us wrapped up all day.
Wednesday 5th May
Cloudy all day today but only a few drops of rain now and then. Still cold and we have plenty of layers on.
We set off and spend another half an hour on the water point. The washing machine was on so this helped to extend the time a bit. Then we did the first two Stone locks and stopped off at The Canal Cruising Co for a pump out. We also filled up with diesel at 70p per litre which is really £1 per litre at the 60/40 split. WD took 97 litres for about 80 hours running and a few hours heating. I think this is cheaper than Artie's diesel.
So that all took another hour then we set off up the rest of the Stone flight then the Meaford flight, both of which are really very pretty. Then a 2.5 mile pound to Trentham lock by the Wedgewood factory. We needed a handcuff key here (and also at lock 40 later on). The next pound got more and more boring through the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent. No other boat traffic and no moored boats anywhere. There was an absolutely HUGE Sainsbury's distribution depot on the left then we were into Stoke proper. We dropped off my sister at Stoke station. She is heading back to her home in Cork tomorrow. I hope the volcanic ash stays away and lets her get home.
We then do 5 more locks up to the summit pound then turn a sharp right and moor just past the water point at the beginning of the Caldon. We then go to find the shop marked in Nicholsons but be can't find it. We find a small asian supermarket but were not feeling adventurous enough to experiment with some unknown ingredients so bought a tin of tuna and some pasta. Oh well. More investigation required next time.
Harecastle tomorrow, then downhill all the way home.
Thursday May 6th
Another cloudy grey day but not much rain. It could not however be classed as warm!
We woke up in Etruria happy that we had not been cast adrift by the local youths. To be fair we were disturbed only once last night by one motorbike that rode along the towpath but it never came back. We didn't come across it in the cut later today!
We had already done our voting duties by post. A complicated procedure involving getting voting forms sent to my sister so she could bring them to us last weekend.
We had turned into the Caldon last night for a couple of hundred yards and moored just beyond the water point. We winded under the metal bridge and then headed off north towards Harecastle. We were closely followed by anther NB that had been moored at the same spot but they pulled over after about half a mile and we never saw them again. The northern outskirts of Stoke are very industrial. Lots of derelict buildings but there are some that are still working potteries. Doulton looked very posh and new but there were a couple of old buildings that still looked like they were successful going concerns and turning out ceramics of all sorts. Then the long straight to Harecastle. We've not done Harecastle before but the friendly tunnel keeper spotted us coming and gave us lots of useful info. We could go straight in, there was a convoy of three others about 10 mins ahead of us so he sent us in, closing the doors behind us and fans blowing hard (or more likely sucking hard) he saw us on our way. We don't mind tunnels although this one was unusual in not having ventilation shafts but instead the REALLY NOISY fans sucking air through from the other end. There was an appreciable headwind and I got quite cold. We negotiated the low bit without banging the sides and emerged unscathed at the other end. We then moored up just before the junction with the Macc and went and found Tesco for some provisions. I'm wanting to replace the kindling sticks that we found on board and have used to light the fire but as it's summer nowhere has any, only barbeque charcoal! I'll keep trying.
We then set off down Heartbreak Hill. We started off just behind another NB but they stopped for water at Red Bull so we overtook them. However most locks were against us, even all the twinned ones. We did meet one boat coming up but it didn't seem to help as we still came across two empty chambers most times. It was the only oncoming boat we saw, it was all very quiet. But it wasn't raining so things weren't all bad and we made good time. We are now moored below Thurlwood and not yet in earshot of the M6. Tomorrow we plan to get to Wheelock and give WD a bit of a spruce up. We've booked a valet at Elton Moss on Saturday, does anyone have experience of how good the valets are?
We've got a good freeview reception so will be able to have our own election party (or maybe we'll have an early night!).
Friday 7th May
Short blog tonight. It's late and we need to be up early in the morning.
We had mushrooms on toast for breakfast then set off continuing down Heartbreak Hill. It was very quiet. We only met one boat coming the other way all day. We washed the non towpath side of WD in one of the twinned locks, getting overtaken by another NB whilst doing so. I like these twin locks although most of them have been against us. We stopped to finish the contents of the fridge with two locks to go then carried on and got onto the water point at Wheelock. We hadn't filled up since Stone and we'd used quite a bit so took a while to fill. This was interspersed with washing the towpath side of WD and polishing the brass work. So we were a couple of hours there but there were no others requiring water and even if there were there is another tap here. We then moved off and moored a bit further on, upsetting a father swan on the way by passing his nest of sygnets. He was very aggressive biting at the stern fender. When we stopped the engine the bilge pump was continuously running. It seems we got a bit too much gunge down there and the pump, although running isn't pumping. I couldn't get it to stop even by turning off the main battery isolators so a call to disturb Paul at ten past 6 on a Friday evening had to be made. He told us that we weren't going to sink and that if we lifted up the pump by the hose it would stop which it did. I left it out of the depths of the bilge and he is going to look at it tomorrow.
We then went out the the Turkish / Mediterranean restaurant next to the water point. Although it is Turkish / Mediterranean we had tagliatelle and pizza with a bottle of Pino Grigio! But it was very nice and they undercharged us by a fiver so we left a good tip and left. Back to the boat to continue packing, boo!
We've enjoyed the fortnight, its so much better than a week. However our next trip isn't till DECEMBER! Even more boos!
