Adderley bottom Lock

Rain was forecast for this morning and they weren't wrong, so waking to rain no rush to get up. Thankfully the rain ended earlier than forecast so we were away at 11 am.
Leaving the moorings there are patches of dead grass on the towing path about every 20 Mts. I suspect the local angling club have been using weed killer of the fishing pegs.

The Rooks have been very hard at work in the tree tops on the off side, another good reason not to moor under trees.

Then it was into the cutting, there are signs of lots of fresh landslips, this must be another headache for CRT.

As usual the towing path is closed and again as usual people are ignoring the closure signs .

As we arrived at the top of the Tyrley Locks a boat was just coming out of the top lock with the news that others were following, so no locks to turn and a couple to leave the gates open. At lock two there is a picknick table also a litter bin and a small tin for cigarette ends. I don’t know who put them there or who looks after them .

For as long as I can remember this chap has been just down below the locks on the offside. Someone must love him as he always looks grand.

The moorings in Market Drayton were packed so we moored in the “No Mooring” area for a trip to Lidl. If anyone can explain the rational behind these restrictions I would love to know. If I arrive at 3pm today I can’t moor but if I arrive at 4pm. I can stay until 10am. Thursday. There is a small notice saying no mooring 10am to 4pm.

I don’t know if all the long term moorings on the Offside are CRT or private, all the pontoons have been overhauled and electricity laid on, but 75% are sitting empty.

Market Drayton is one of the few towns that welcomes boaters with a couple of nicely panted notices each end of the town.

We were going to moor above the Adderley locks but when I tried to get in not even our wheelbarrow wheel fenders would keep us off the shelf, so we had to follow a hire boat down the flight turning all the locks. Once down the flight we moored up immediately at a little after 5-30pm.

Today’s Journey 7¼ miles with 10 locks in 3½ hours

Goldstone

Last night we met up with old boating friends o eat at The Junction pub. It had turned so cool when we got back to the we lit the Dickinson.
Today was unusual for us as we didn’t set off until gone 1pm. The reason for this was that we had a chicken to kook in the slow cooker so its better to do it while the engine running than draining the batteries.
We slowly made our way past all the moored boats to the junction and then as many boats again the other side.
One of the highlights of this canal is this bridge with an old telegraph pole in it.

We called in and had coffee with Anne and Oli on their moorings at Shebdon before continuing north, hence our slow progress today, even so we spent a lot of time on tick over passed all the moored boats. We passed this boat with a rather unusual paint job.

A short way before The Wharf Tavern at Goldstone there is now a Glamping site with these pods.

Through the bridge and on the edge of the pub garden is a swan’s nest that looks as if its built on lawn clippings .

Today’s Journey

 

8 miles with no locks in 4 hours.

Norbury Junction

As we didn’t plan to go far today it was a late start so that the engine was running while the bread was baking. We have an electric bread make and it draws about 20 amps at 24 volts while in the baking stage. This fisherman gave a lovely silhouette photo fishing in the bridge hole.

It was a lovely sunny morning but along this stretch of canal we didn’t get to see much of it.

I don’t remember this old warehouse looking so smart when we have passed this way before , set at the back of the winding hole at High Onn Wharf.

We met several day boat out and all behaving in a very respectable way. It wasn’t long before we were approaching Cowley Tunnel, I am not sure if I have ever photo'd the approach from this direction, as you can see its a solid piece of rock. The rock is not very thick and the tunnel only 80 yards long, but it was obviously easier to bore a tunnel than blast out a cutting. The rock is so stable that the tunnel is completely unlined.

Back in the daylight and we were coming into Gnosall, please don’t ask me to pronounce it. This is a town that is proud of its canal and spends a lot of time keeping the area nice.

Moored in town was a fellow Cutweb Internet Boat Club member, we had never met before but she know we were coming and flagged us down, the result half an hour or more chatting on the towing path. Eventually we parted company and continued toward Norbury Junction, I always think of Wallace and Gromet with the smart gnome when I write that name.
We passed something you don’t see every day on the canals, this canal might be quite wide and straight but I wouldn’t fancy tacking this into the wind or shooting the bridges.

At Norbury Junction the first visitor mooring we came to was free so we slipped in there, it was then solid up through the bridge and to the long term moorings the far side. There are a few spaces now as some people have moved on, I expect they were having lunch at the pub.

Today’s Journey

6¼ miles with no locks in3 hours

Wheaton Aston

There were several boats moving around before 8 this morning and then a lull until after 9 we set off a little after 10 by which time the sun was quite warm but a cool breeze. We made our way towards Brewood passing this elegant bridge.

Just past this we spotted a couple on the towing path and stopped for a few words, it was Ivor, the ex IWA Chairman. This old Springer is still moored on the Countrywide Cruisers moorings, I wonder if it will ever move, mind you the one to the stern of it looks sunk. It doesn’t look like Countrywide Cruisers have many of their boats out but we have seen one on the move.

If you are in the area and fancy an exciting night out its all on offer at the local Chalet Park.

On to the A5 Aqueduct that could really do with a paint job and the canal side railings repairing, the centre bar is missing for part of the length and the  far end is strapped to a wooden post with the plastic fencing.

Just beyond here is Industry Narrowboats a yard that specialises in traditional boat repairs and maintenance. They have a rather forlorn wooden boat sitting in their yard waiting for someone to love it.

At bridge 18 I had to wait for a boat who had just come up the locks, in the mean time another boater had turned the lock not seeing us coming. The poor chap was mortified that he had turned the lock in our face and couldn’t stop apologising both to Diana at the lock and me as we passed. I noticed there is an awful lot of water going down the bywash at this lock from somewhere, you could feel the flow on the canal. Once through the lock we stopped at the services and then moved on to Turners to top up with diesel.Well its compulsory isn’t it.

This week we have seen one or two imitation, life size human skeletons, we have also seen a few animal skulls with horns or antlers, but today we saw the two combined.

We didn’t go much further before stopping for the night just north of Wheaton Aston North Aqueduct just before bridge 21. Since we have been here we have had a rather heave shower of rain.

Today’s Journey

6 miles with 1 lock in 3 hours

Brewood

Bit of a late get away this morning with the temperature around 9°C This had been a lovely quiet mooring.
The bridges are numbered slightly different around this part of the world, not the usual oval number plate or oblong name you see elsewhere

There is a youth organisation along this stretch and we could hear the youngsters in the woods, at the canal side a couple of instructors were making canoes up into joined pairs.

I have asked many people what use to be here, it looks like steel upstands right on the edge of the towing path that have been cut off at some point.

They are located at the nearest point to the railway track which is literally just behind the hedge.

We had just entered the narrows at Autherley when we spotted a boat coming the other way, so we drew back to give him a clear passage. A Heron sitting on a branch at water level was completely unperturbed by us.

At Autherley Junction we turned right onto the Shropshire Union Canal and immediately came up against the only lock of the day, a stop lock with a fall of about 6”. CRT have recently repaired the bottom gate beam using planks of wood laminated together, I don’t know if they are glued or screwed together to make the required thickness.

On this canal the mileposts carry a third location

Norbury Junction which would have been an important location, also note they don’t give the distance to the end of the canal, Chester, but the major canal town of Nantwich. We carried on for another half hour or so to moor at the 48hr visitor moorings about a mile and three quarters before Brewood. As the crow fly’s its probably about 3 miles from last nights moorings.

Today’s Journey 8.25 miles with 1 lock in 3¼ hours

Latherford

We set off a few minutes before ten after a boat came down the lock, even so by the time we got to Filance Lock another boat coming down well crewed with 4 chaps on board.  By the time we were locking up another hire boat arrived, maybe today would be easier going. As we passed this sad sight opposite Otherton Boat Haven .

Boggs lock looks as if it could be the next one to suffer a beam failure, its really bad where the paddle gear is mounted.

Gailey Lock was fully maned with 4 Volockies, there is no sign that the little shop at the tower is likely to reopen any time. Just above Gailey it looks as if there will soon be a new bridge across the canal

I am not sure what is happening at the Chemical works, I understand that the mooring/stopping restrictions are to be lifted, they have already removed the pipe bridges and works bridge and contractors are laying a race track, sorry I meant surfaced towing path between bridges 77 and 78A, after that you are back in the mud. The work is over running slightly and the path is closed.

We continued on, passing this interestingly painted unit, I can’t quite make up my mind about it. Our original plan was to eat at the Anchor tonight, thankfully I mentioned it to one of the Volockies and he  said its closed for refurbishment, so we made our way passed Hatherton and started looking for a spot to moor for the night.

Today’s Journey

 

6 miles with 6 locks in 3¼ hours

Penkridge

Last night we had a fisherman set up camp just ahead of us and another a short way behind, they were there all night and the temperature dropped to about 3°C and they didn’t get a bit all night. I think every one who comes onto Tixall Wide takes this photograph.

A slow chug the length of Tixall Wide, passed all the moored boats including this wooden beauty.

At Tixall lock a boater had just started filling the lock as we arrived and then a second arrived behind him, as the first was single handing we soon had him on his way and we were on the way up.
The weather was strange, we were in sunshine most of the time but surrounded by very dark clouds. I can’t think of another turnover bridge on this canal, I will keep my eyes open.

The pub at Baswich has changed its name to The Radford Bank Inn and is a Stonehouse restaurant. One of the houses along there looks to have enlarged his frontage a bit.

Deptmore lock was full and this was the pattern for the rest of the day with no one coming the other way. Goslings have been about in plenty today. I had only seen 2 up until today.

The cows were doing well with plenty of calves in the field with their mothers.

The farmer along here has tried over the years to stop the erosion of his field with hardcore etc. on this section he looks to have done his best to compact the offside bank to stop his field washing away.

Park Gate Lock like the others was full, what I didn’t notice was the offside top paddle was not down, and a chap from the boat yard dropped. We worked through the lock closing up behind us and stopped a short way up so that I could visit Park Gate Leisure  but unfortunately they didn’t have what I wanted, but as I reached the lock the top gate was now open and the boatyard were moving a trip boat in backwards for a MCA inspection.  
We carried on to Penkridge where there was a boat about to leave the lock, the first and last of the day. Once through the lock  we dumped rubbish and filled with water, I cant remember the last time I saw one

of these on a waterpoint. Once that was all done we moored just before bridge 85 and walked to TFM Store to get some hose. They sell everything  from beer to Morris Oil which looked a reasonable price.

Today’s Journey

 

10 miles with 6 locks in 5 hours