Etruria

 

Last night we ate in Mojo’s  which is quite close to Star Lock and it was very good, with a good menu selection plus specials. We both felt well stuffed when we wandered back to the boat. This morning we were away at ten, just to the water point below the lock, of course while we were there a boat came passed and we followed them all the way to Etruria. We met lots of boats but very few in the right places. While we were filling with water I walked up and took a couple of photos of the old butty stern.

I hope it is going to brought back to its former glory as it looks as if there is some work starting with the sacks of old materials on site.

Approaching Yard Lock there is a wooden statue of Christina Collins, its good to see they have cleared the ground around her a bit, but its not a patch on

 

how it use to be as can be seen in the photo on this web site about Stone  http://alittlebitofstone.com/2012/04/23/murder-features-in-new-exhibition/ Above the lock most of the Ginger boats were in port still, we have seen one or two out and about. This is one of the oldest boat yards still run by the same family in the country.

The next lock up, Newcastle Lock is interesting as not only is the lock approached under a bridge there is also a separate tunnel under the road for the horse to use. You can see the ware marks in the timber from where the towing lines rubbed as the horse walked through the tunnel with the boat still approaching the bridge.

After tis we started to meet a few boats at lock, but this can slow you down as well as help you on your way, I even had time to refill the stern greaser sitting in Meaford bottom lock waiting for the boat to drop down the next one. At Meaford top lock there was a hire boat sitting on the lock moorings but the hirer set the top lock ready for us so we didn’t need the moorings, it turned out he had unshipped his rudder. I can make a good guess how that happened at a lock.
We had planed to stop at Trentham just past the winding hole, but as the weather was nice we decided to push on to Etruria for the night. For years the off side houses had posters up saying save our green spaces,  a bit rich as there houses were built on part of that green space. Anyway their campaign failed, the green space has been covered with back fill to a depth of about a meter and houses are now being built on it.

T  the section of canal into Stoke on Trent is surprisingly fast so must be quite deep. We passed a boat “Uncle Mort” on its moorings, this use to belong to a friend of our and looks as if its just enjoyed a good polish.
At Twyford Lock some college students have created what looks to be a wildlife haven and raised flower beds, maybe I will look closer on the way back.

This is the view back from Johnsons Lock, you can see the cotton wool seed heads landing and floating on the water.

The boater we were following was using the Etruria services and kindly walked through and drew the bottom paddles of the top lock for us. We are now moored beside the towpath a short way above the lock, we will have to turn round in the morning as we are going up the Leek canal, we would have turned in at the junction tonight but all the moorings along there are full.

Today’s Journey

9¾ miles, 14 lock in 6 hours