Penkridge to Gnosall

Thu 31st May  Penkridge to Moat House Bridge

The air was damp this morning, so although it wasn’t really raining, everything seemed to gradually get wet.  Heavier rain was forecast for later, so we set off from Penkridge anyway, hoping to find somewhere away from the M6 to sit out the rain.

Initially our route took us very close to the M6 at both Otherton and Rodbaston Locks

Leaving Otherton Lock

Rodbaston Lock

James spotted a cinnabar moth. The red and black moths lay eggs on yellow ragwort, and the caterpillars are yellow and black striped. Ragwort is poisonous to many animals, and so are the caterpillars. They used to be really common, but in recent years we have only seen a few each year.

Cinnabar Moth

Campion

We arrived at the top lock at Gailey, with its round tower, where a boat was going up in front of us, under the A5 bridge.  When we reached the top, we needed to empty cassettes.  There were boats doing all sorts of things, such as trying to lock down, turning in the winding hole, or attempting to use the facilities. The only space available was the lock bollards, so we briefly tied to those while we used the facilities.

Gailey Top Lock

Unusual Toilet Sign

We set off once more and were soon going through Calf Heath, where there is a large chemical works, with pipe bridges crossing the canal.  There is a warning sign advising boats to keep going.

Chemical works warning notice

Chemical works at Calf heath

If a bridge has a name, it is called that for a reason, usually related to the place it leads to, or the farm it connects to. We wondered who Long Moll was, and why she had a bridge named after her.

Who was Long Moll?

At Hatherton Junction, the Hatherton Canal branches off, not navigable at present, but there is a campaign for restoration.  This will eventually link to the Wyrley and Essington Canal, north of Birmingham, and then another link will connect through to the Coventry Canal near Lichfield. We continued on past under a bridge with a faded sign indicating the way to Autherley Junction and the Shroppie.

Hatherton Junction

Hatherton Canal

The route to Autherley

We stopped a mile later on when we thought we were far enough away from noisy roads like the A5 and M6. We were expecting rain, but it was warm and sunny, so we put the chairs out on the bank, hoping for an hour or two of rest before the downpour and thunderstorm.  In the end the rain never came. We think it passed not far to the south.

Remote mooring near Moat House Bridge

Alert Cat

Waiting for the rain to come

 6 locks, 6 miles

Fri 1st Jun  Moat House Bridge to Brewood

It was misty this morning, but still no rain as we set off early (7.20am), going further south down the Staffs and Worcs Canal. We soon passed Ramble On, the people we met in Penkridge. They weren’t up yet.

Ramble On

We passed under the M54 and would do so again later in the day on the Shroppie.  Soon after this bridge there is a narrow section with passing places. Thankfully we met no oncoming boats here.

Under the M54

Narrow Section

This was now the outskirts of Wolverhampton, and there was a line of huge poplar trees before we arrived at Autherley Junction.  This is where the Staffs and Worcs continues down to Stourport, and the Shropshire Union Canal (affectionately known as the Shroppie) starts its journey north to Nantwich and Chester.

Huge poplars

Autherley Junction

Signpost to Chester

There is a silly lock with a fall of about two inches here, designed to ensure that boats stopped and paid their tolls. There is also a toll house.

Autherley Junction Stop Lock

Toll House

We moored just before bridge 2, and walked along a footpath to Morrisons, hoping for breakfast at their cafe, plus some shopping. We found that they don’t have a cafe, but we were directed just round the corner, where we found a modern church, with a cafe attached.  We had a very reasonable full English in pleasant surroundings.

Church Cafe

After nearly two hours, feeling replete and supplied, we set off once more going north up the Shroppie.

Rabbit on towpath

Shroppie milepost

We went under the M54 for the second time, and moored about a mile further north, where there was a wide grassy area, mooring rings, and good views.  We had the place to ourselves.

M54 Bridge

Empty mooring just before Brewood

Later a few more boats joined us, and a boat went past with two birds of prey on the roof. We don’t see that very often.  On narrowboats we have seen loads of dogs and cats of course, occasional birds in cages, ferrets, tortoises, a marmoset monkey and once two chickens in a hencoop in a dinghy being towed behind.

Birds of prey on the roof

Then we at last had some heavy rain. We had almost forgotten what it looks like, so here is a reminder.

Heavy rain

1 lock, 8 miles

Sat 2nd Jun  Brewood to Gnosall

There were half a dozen boats moored with us as we got up this morning. We left at around 10am, and as we did so, another boat left from a mooring three boats in front of us. They didn’t hold us up so it didn’t matter.

The first sight of note was the ornately ballustraded Avenue Bridge, which leads to the historic Chillington Hall, home of the Giffard family. Sadly it is too far from the canal to visit.

Avenue Bridge

We saw Brewood Church as we passed, but we had not planned a stop in this village.  We continued on, crossing the A5 on an aqueduct.

Brewood

Stretton Aqueduct over the A5

We caught up with a hire boat, and they were going very slowly and cautiously.  The other boat we were following had evidently overtaken them already.  They pulled over to let us pass.

At Wheaton Aston Lock, there was a lock queue of four boats, and we discovered that the boat in front was Solace. We saw them first at Fradley. They are Peter and Chris, and they said they were going to the Anchor at High Offley.  We were planning to stop in Gnosall, a little earlier.

The hire boaters behind us were keen to learn all they could about the lock, as it was their first.  They managed it OK, as by then we filling up with water at the facilities below the lock.  We then filled our fuel tank at the garage just beyond the bridge. At 68.9p it was cheaper than anywhere else on the system, and even cheaper than our last visit in 2014.

Wheaton Aston Lock

Fuel from the garage

The Shroppie is very straight, and as a result it cuts through hills in steep sided cuttings with lush trees, and rides across valleys on high embankments.

Beautiful trees

On an embankment

Hi Onn Wharf

Just before Gnosall comes Cowley Tunnel, cut out of rock.  It is amazing to think that this was achieved before the days of mechanisation.  Navvies, Pickaxes and horse-drawn carts were the main resources available

Cowley Tunnel

Looking back

We moored after Bridge 34 as it was less of a cutting and the towpath was drier. We went to explore the village as we have not stopped here before.  We checked out the Boat Inn, and found a few small shops, and a Co-op where we used their cash machine and bought a few bits.  We took a different route back and found the Methodist Church where we plan to visit tomorrow. We also discovered that we had been to the Navigation Inn once before, by car, on the way back to Weybridge from Maesbury.

There were some noisy rooks in the trees near the boat, and they kept chivvying Hugo.

Moored in Gnosall

1 lock, 10 miles

Next:  A visit to the Methodist Church, plus Sunday lunch at the Boat Inn. We are heading for Nantwich next weekend, via Market Drayton and Audlem.