Sat 8th August Stone to Burston
We had one remaining lock to negotiate in Stone, next to the Star pub, which was here 200 years before the canal was built. There must have been a few rowdy evenings here when the navvies received their pay packets!
Star Lock
As we connected to the water point below the lock, we discovered that there was a new M&S Foodstore that we knew nothing about.
Water point
M & S
We had one more
lock at Aston, after which we turned into the marina for fuel. Excellent price
at 62p per litre.
Loosestrife
A busy road and a railway run alongside the canal so we stopped at Lower Burston, furthest from the noise. However, after a while, a man on another boat started listening to a radio, turned up loud. It wasn’t music – it was a story being read. We decided to move round the corner.
There we were treated to clouds of thistledown, and lots of Canada geese.
Unusual sky
Moored at Burston
Sunset
2 locks, 4
miles. Dep 0915 arr 1210 including 45 mins on water point and 20 mins fuel
Sun 9th August Burston to Weston
We were woken by the birds this morning – Canada geese!
Geese
Our own church had no service this morning, so we followed a service from St Peter’s, Aylesbury, on YouTube. The service was well presented, led by Pete and Ali Wheeler, based on Psalm 121. The Lord is bigger than any mountain we might face.
We departed a little later, and soon arrived at Sandon Lock. Two boats arrived behind us, so we had a lock queue.
Sandon Lock
The railway and road were very close once again, until we arrived at Weston-upon-Trent, where we took the last remaining mooring space. We had not stopped here before, so we went to explore the village, including having lunch at the Saracen’s Head.
The cottages
Moored in Weston-upon-Trent
1 lock, 3 miles.
Dep 1210 arr 1315
Mon 10th August Weston to Taft Bridge
There are two Weston villages by the Trent and Mersey – Weston-upon-Trent here in Staffordshire, and Weston-on-Trent in Derbyshire. It could confuse the unwary.
We arrived at Weston
Lock just as a boat was leaving, so we went straight in. Two boats arrived behind
us. There was no queue at Hoo Mill Lock,
where, at other times we have to wait a while.
Cinnabar caterpillars at Weston Lock
We needed to
empty cassettes and rubbish at Great Haywood, but there was a boat on water
point and they had been there for four days. We had to hang around. We rafted
up eventually so that we could empty our cassettes down the horrible hole they
call an elsan facility.
Great Haywood Junction
Below Haywood Lock there were CRT staff putting out “mooring reserved for floating market” signs on the LOCK BOLLARDS!!! At Colwich Lock there was no queue for a change. We discovered that the people on the boat in front were there when we got stranded on the Ribble in 2007.
Colwich Lock
We met Dilly
Dally with her new owners a little further along. We found a mooring space at
Wolsey Bridge, and hung out the washing to dry.
Zzz
Wolesley Bridge mooring
We moved on to visit
Peter and Julie at the Taft, at a distance, in their garden. We tied up on
their mooring but it was very silted up and we had to use a plank.
Peter and Julie
We moved on to
beyond Taft Bridge, where there was a space among lots of other boats. Noisy
trains. Noisy people behind. Noisy dog opposite. It was extremely humid. There
were large clouds and thunder storms had been forecast but they missed us. We
desperately needed the rain. Oppressively warm night.
Big clouds
Busy moorings
Evening calm
4 locks, 6
miles. Dep 0925, arr 1705, incl 0.15
services, 2.10 at Wolsey Bridge, 1.40 Taft
Tue 11th
August Taft Bridge to
Kings Bromley
Moored at Taft Bridge
No rain in the
night despite a forecast with flood warnings. There were lots of boats moving
so we let them get away. The noisy dog barked at every one.
Noisy dog
We left at 1030,
heading for Rugeley. We crossed the Trent on an aqueduct.
Trent Aqueduct
We stopped for
shopping just before Bridge 66. James went to Aldi, the market, the fruit and
veg shop and Morrisons, and Hazel went to Tesco. It was sunny and hot where we
were moored, so we moved on to find a shady place. This took us through the
Armitage Tunnel, and past the Armitage Shanks factory.
Rugeley towers
Hawkesyard Hall
Armitage Tunnel
Bridge 60
Armitage Shanks
We had to travel as far as Bridge 55 before we found a
shady mooring that wasn’t close to the trains.
There were three other boats here, one with three dogs, which caused
problems for speeding cyclists. James found an elephant hawk moth caterpillar
nearby.
Moored near bridge 55
0 locks, 7 miles. Dep 1030, arr 1115 Rugeley. Dep 1315, arr 1515 Br 55.
Wed 12th August Kings Bromley to Fradley Junction
Another oppressively warm night, with lightning and thunder but no rain.
As we were about to depart, Ferrous came past. Edwin had lent his boat to his brother Andrew and his wife Jane. We followed them through the Fradley locks. We also met Amethyst with David and Sue Botham. “Hello!” “Bye.”
Amethyst
Ferrous
Fradley Locks
When we had moored up we were chasing shade, sitting out under a tree to start with, and then moving into the bows later, and finally crashing out in the saloon with a fan going. It was HOT!!!
When we woke up, we discovered that our friends Barbara and
Malcolm on Ampere had moored up next to us, bow to bow. James got out his guitar and he and Barbara
had a music session.
Barbara and James on Ampere
Two ladies on a cruiser came to ask to see us in the morning. It seems they are in some difficulty having just bought a boat from a scammer. We are not sure how we can help, but we’ll hear their story. They thought we were Waterways Chaplains.
We had a Canal Ministries Zoom meeting, followed by another warm night.
3 locks, 2 miles, 1 swing bridge. Dep 1025, arr 1200.
Next:
starting south down the Coventry Canal
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.