Thursday 10th July
Autherley to Brewood
James went to get some last minute things from Morrisons,
and, halfway to the bridge, realised that he was still wearing his slippers!
Having then put his shoes on, he was still not having a great morning, because
he was soon having a conversation with the self-checkout machine:
He scanned the first item.
“Please place the item in the bag”
He tried to open the plastic bag and failed.
“Please place the item in the bag”
Still struggling to open the bag.
“Please place the item in the bag”
“Yes alright, alright! I’m going as fast as I can”
“Assistance is coming”
Finally getting the bag open, he triumphantly placed the
item in the bag.
“Please remove the item from the bag”
“You must be joking”
“Please remove the item from the bag”
“ I guess you’re not!”
A 14 year old with a card came along and swiped it across
the screen and said “Carry on!”
“Can you get me a
zimmer frame? I think I’m too old to reach the door without one” No he didn’t
really say that but he felt like it.
Sanity was restored a little later when we saw a beautiful
kingfisher catching the sun as it flew past.
The Oxford Canal and the Trent and Mersey are contour
canals, which avoid the hills as much as possible, and therefore twist and turn
a fair bit. The Shropshire Union is what is known as a “cut and fill” canal,
which tends to go much straighter, cutting through the hills, and using the
spoil to build huge embankments.
There are some very narrow sections along here, cut through
rock, so we had to keep our eyes open for oncoming boats. At one point we went under Avenue Bridge,
which is ornate, with balustrades. This was built when the canal cut through
the drive to Chillington Hall, owned by the Giffard family since the 12th
century.
Narrow section
Avenue Bridge
Brewood moorings
We moored in Brewood, where the canal is also in a
cutting. In the evening we walked ¾
mile to the cricket club, which Brewood Acoustic Music Club uses as their venue
every Thursday. Tonight was a singer’s night (i.e. no guest artist). We sang A
Long Way Down and Well Well Well. Everybody had two songs only, as there were a
lot of people taking part, many of whom were very talented. We were given a
lift back to the boat.
Chris doing a sound
check
We were greeted by the sight of a dead mouse on the carpet.
The joys of cat ownership. But who owns who?
0 locks, 5 miles, 1 mouse, 1hr40
Friday 11th July
Brewood to High Offley
On the visitor moorings we had spotted BCF boat Parentis,
which we had last seen in Birmingham at Hawne Basin and the Black Country
Festival last year. We went to introduce ourselves to Jon and Maggie, as we had
only seen them in passing last time. Parentis went first, and we
followed.
Jon and Maggie on Parentis
We soon crossed the A5 on an ornate aqueduct, where cars and
lorries were rushing along while we gently passed overhead.
A5 aqueduct
We stopped to use the facilities in Wheaton Aston, just
after an isolated lock, and then we visited the famous garage to get some fuel.
At 71.9p per litre it must be one of the cheapest places on the system. Hazel
also nipped out to buy some milk.
Wheaton Aston Lock
Later we saw another kingfisher, and also a cormorant.
Cowley Cutting was very dramatic, which high rock walls on
both sides. There was a boat coming
through Cowley Tunnel, so we tucked in to the side among bushes to let them
pass. Before we had a chance to pull out
again, another boat appeared in the tunnel. In the end four boats passed while
we were in the undergrowth. So who’s in a hurry anyway?
Waiting in the bushes
Cowley Tunnel
There were lots of moored boats, making progress slow. Among
them we spotted BCF boat Lyla B. No
one on board.
We wanted to get halfway to Market Drayton, so we didn’t
stop at either Gnosall or Norbury Junction.
Pronunciation needs advice around here. Brewood is pronounced “Brood”,
and Gnosall is pronounced “knows all”.
Norbury Junction
We passed under High Bridge, with its telegraph pole built
in, and we took the compulsory photo.
High Bridge
We ended up at High Offley, where we moored behind Parentis.
Later we took some cake and had tea on their boat.
We went for a drink at the Anchor pub, which is like a
private house with a bar in one of the front two rooms. They served Rosie’s Pig cider. We sat in the garden, and Jon and Maggie
joined us. A very pleasant end to the day.
The anchor at High
Offley
1 lock, 13 miles, 4hr50
Saturday 12th July
High Offley to Market Drayton
Parentis left early (as they usually seem to do). We followed about an hour later.
There don’t seem to be any marinas on this part of the
canal, but there are lots of boats moored on farmland, and it means that
navigation is slow along here.
Lots of moored boats
We were soon high above the countryside on the Shebdon
Embankment, where they had a breach five years ago, when we were due to come
this way last. We had to return from Chester via the Trent and Mersey
instead. This time we think we spotted
where some remedial work had been done, but it was hard to tell.
At the end of the embankment there is an old Cadbury’s
factory where goods were shipped to and from Bournville by narrowboat. This was
soon followed by Woodseaves Cutting, with a very high bridge, called High
Bridge. There must be a history to the names of some of these places.
Cadbury’s factory
Woodseaves Cutting
High Bridge
Tyrley Top Lock
Tyrley Locks was good – boats going both ways. We met a lady
who saw our Christian logos and said “Are you coming to St Mary’s tomorrow?” “Yes”, we said, as we had already checked
out the churches and decided to go to that one.
As we came down through lock 3 we saw that lock 4 was
against us, even though a boat had come up through it. There was no boat in sight at lock 4, so we came
out of 3, not sure why 4 had been emptied.
Then we saw a boat coming up in 5.
He had obviously set 4 as well. He was on his own, and it turned out to
be Brian and his dog Ghost on Kyle. We were moored with them at the
Pershore River Festival last year. He
explained that because of rocks below the water it was impossible to moor up
between the two locks, so you have to set them and steer down the middle from
one to the other. When we came to use
the locks, we found a notice, attached to the lock beam, to say exactly that.
Rocky walls at Turley
Locks
Coming out of the locks, we came
across a BCF boat, Cockney Sparra 2, with David and Susan Allen, moored
a little way before the Market Drayton Visitor moorings. We had seen them last
year on the Staffs and Worcs.
Typical Shropshire
Union milepost
At Market Drayton moorings there was one space left, two
boats in front of Parentis.
Hazel went shopping, returning by bus. James went for a stroll to see who was
there. No one else we knew. Last time
there were lots of rabbits on the playing field. This time not one.
5 locks, 9 miles, 3hr50
Sunday 13th July
Market Drayton
We walked to St Mary’s church where we received an excellent
welcome. There was a music group with
keyboard, and two other instruments that we couldn’t see behind the music
stands. They could have done with more volume. Everyone was asking if we knew
Malcolm and Stephanie Grey-Smart. We
also met the mother of the lady on the locks, but the lady herself was not
there.
St Mary’s, Market
Drayton
Before the service
Timber framed
buildings in Market Drayton
We had lunch at Red Lion – can’t cook roast potatoes,
otherwise good. It is a micro brewery (Joule’s)
We bought a new iron in Argos, and some provisions in Lidl,
before going back to the boat for zzzzzzzzz.
This seems to be becoming a pattern.
In the evening we went to the Methodist Church for @7, with
modern worship songs plus a challenging talk from Mark Williamson. This is a
churches together event every two months. We met a couple (Paul and Grace
Bishop) who had been part of BCF when they had a boat called The Rose of
Sharon. They have now sold the boat and bought a house. They gave us a lift back.
Market Drayton
Methodist
Nibbles on board. No
boating today
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