Norbury Junction Sunday 18 September 2016

Last nights moorings were great, not a noise all night, that’s the sort of moorings I like. Yesterday when we moored up there was a racing pigeon sitting on the roof of the boat in front, this morning he was still there.As you can see from Avenue Bridge the weather was again, just grand. This bridge on the top has a very wide splay with the balustrade making two outward crescents. 

On the long term moorings at Countrywide Cruisers is this pretty little Narrowboat, I would say its about 4 foot beam and the steerer’s shelter is standard size to give an idea of scale.

Stretton Aqueduct was next on the list, loads of cars going right to left but nothing left to right, a big wave brought lots of hoots. Just passed the aqueduct on the left is a boatyard, I can’t remember who owns it but it has lots of old boats in various states of repair in the yard and their own crane with trestles to stand boats on, so you can get under the base plate. Last time we were this way they were shot blasting, not many yards do that.

We stopped in Wheaton Aston to fill with water, I would have filled with diesel at 51.9 p/lt but Turners were close, as it had just turned 12-30 we decided to fill our tums as well, with 2 carverys  at £7-95 each at the Hartley Arms, just over the bridge.

The canal north of Wheaton Aston is in quite long straight sections as can be seen looking back from bridge 21.

Through a couple of bridges and we were into a fishing match, I tried to count them but its like counting sheep, one about every 70 feet, I made it 64 of them in all in three length from Bridge 23 to bridge 26. I must say they were a cheerful bunch on the whole, just a couple who had fish fall off their hooks as they lifted to let me pass.

Cowley Tunnel is only 80 yards long but hewn out of solid rock. The south face is quite shear and covered with creepers, 

the north face has much less growth on it.

We passed through Gnosall, I am not sure but I think the G is silent as in gnome. Its very well served with both visitor moorings and pubs and looks a good stop over if you want to go out to eat, but not for us tonight, we carried on and near the end of the moorings a cruised pulled out behind us, I knew he would make much better speed down the cut than us so I pulled over and waved him past. We plodded on to join the end of the boats moored at Norbury Junction at about 4pm. In the morning I will pootel over and fill with diesel.

Today’s Journey  12½ miles, 1 lock in 5 hours