Harnser's Travels: Stone (North end)

Monday, 8 July 2024

Stone (North end)

We set off just before ten expecting to find Great Haywood packed, we were wrong with very few boats moored between where we were and Haywood Lock. We arrived at the lock just as a boat was coming down and before we had finished locking up there were a couple behind us. There were lots of mooring spaces in Haywood and only one trading

boat. I very quick pit stop to dump rubbish, well I didn’t stop, just dropped Diana at the junction and picked her up at the bridge. Just past the bridge was a boat covered in flowers. They set off shortly after

we passed. They caught us up at Hoo Mill Lock where we had joined the queue with the boat ahead entering the lock, a single hander that we would follow into Stone. When the flower covered boat came into view I did wonder how they could see to steer.

In the course of the morning we met 17 boats coming towards us. We passed through one of my favourite bridges, Salt Bridge, I thought I would

take a photo from the back, no one photographs that side. The Kingfishers were quit active and we saw at least three, flitting along ahead of us or crossing behind us . I didn’t get a photo of any sitting Kingfishers but I did get a couple of shots of them flying.

At each lock the queue got a bit longer collimating at Sandon Lock which has the top ground paddle out and not everyone happy to draw the gate paddle more than a few clicks at a time.

This really slowed things down and spaced the boats out, by Aston lock we only had the single hander going up ahead and by the time we reached the lock there was a boat coming down. The moorings to the south of Stone were packed but we had already decided to go through the town. The single hander found a mooring by the carpark above Star lock and we could have squeezed in had we wanted to just above the lock. No queues at the next locks which is what we were hoping for. The scaffolding is going up on the old brewery, I wonder if the wall painting will