A muddy walk to Sunday lunch.

The solitude of our mooring was briefly shattered yesterday evening by the arrival of a boat that was obviously past its best!

However, the smoke had cleared by this morning when we made an early start at 6.30am again as we were about early.

Our first lock, at Gailey, is a very photographed one with the old Round House, originally a toll office, sitting neatly at its side.  Behind the lock the road bridge carries the old Roman road of Watling Street across the canal. 

Apart from a hire boat coming round a corner towards us on the wrong side which luckily we avoided although they ended up getting stuck in the reeds.  When we got to “Pendeford Rockin”, the 1/2 mile long narrows just before you get to Autherley Junction, Doug walked ahead to make sure nothing was coming the other way.

After the narrows, on the way to Autherley Junction, there’s a line of mature poplar trees almost a mile long.  Their height is amazing.

‘Chance’ in the stop lock at Autherley Junction.  The lock, which takes us down just 6 inches onto the Shropshire Union Canal.  The “Shroppie” is fed by Wolverhampton’s sewage outfall (suitably treated!) which provides the canal with a significant flow as it winds its way north-westwards

We moored up at the very pleasant moorings south of Brewood, just before bridge 8, where we have far reaching views over the Staffordshire countryside.  We managed to get some boat cleaning done before the rain started.  We walked almost 2 miles along the towpath into Brewood (pronounced Brood) where we were to meet friends for Sunday lunch.

In a few places the towpath is always very muddy and, although we successfully got through most of them, the last bit was too much so we took off our footwear, paddled through the mud and then washed our feet in the canal the other side. Job done.

We met friends Rhiann and Ian and there family at the Bridge Inn, but the new owners are having the kitchens refurbished.  So we found an even better pub in the village –The Three Stirrups, where we had a marvellous and very reasonably priced Sunday Lunch (£11.95 for 3 courses).

Blaine, Rhiann, Doug, Natasha, Curtis and Ian tucking in to Sunday lunch at the Three Stirrups.  We had a lovely time with you all guys and it was so nice of you to make time to see us.  See you all again soon we hope.

After a few hours together in the pub, we walked across the fields and through the woods back to Chance, for a cosy evening whilst its drizzling outside.

Gailey does it.

After our visit to Shugborough Hall yesterday we went back to our mooring at Tixall Wide and had a BBQ.  We found we had a few neighbours when we got back so we didn’t feel quite so lonely!

Luckily the wind was just perfect to blow the smoke into our boat and nobody else’s!  We enjoyed our BBQ with a spectacular thunder storm doing its thing over Cannock Chase and it was kind enough to wait until we’d finished eating and packed things away.  After that the storm paid us a visit - heavens opened on us and we were treated to a wonderful display of lightning for 1/2 hour right over our heads.

Not to do things by halves, nature finished her evenings’ entertainment with the best sunset we think we’ve ever seen.  The sky was scarlet with a perfect reflection in the mirror-calm water of the Wide.  What a treat!

This morning was another early start and we enjoyed a peaceful cruise with the canal to ourselves.

This is the wonderful cross-over bridge at Milford, where the towpath changes from one side of the canal to the other.

Deptmore Lock is no narrower than any of the others but James managed to get this photo at the same time as he shoe-horned ‘Chance’  in through the bottom gates.

Further along the canal, we always love traveling through Acton Trussell – partly because of its great name and partly because virtually every property is perfectly cared for.

Lawns like billiard tables……..

……. and gardens which could win competitions.

Not many narrow boats around today but we passed this family having great fun, having just pulled their beautiful rowing boat through the lock and then climbing aboard for the next leg.

Our next excitement was going under the M6…….

…….it’s very low for a motorway bridge!

Then we got a free “wax and wash” in Longford Lock before stopping briefly in Penkridge for some lunch and to visit their Saturday Market.  Strangely, we had a hiatus at Filance Lock at Penkridge with a wait of 40 minutes as boats (from nowhere) queued to get up and down. After that they all seemed to disappear again!

Motoring on from Penkridge we decided to moor up for the night at Gailey.  This is us with Gailey Lock and the Roundhouse in the distance.  The weather’s been good today and we’re now spending a quiet afternoon doing “not very much”.

Shugborough sojourn.

Yesterday’s journey didn’t start until midday and, by that time, there were quite a few people around as we left Fradley Junction.

We went back through the lock which we reversed down the day before and collected three more passengers on the way – a charming little boy was interested in us taking on water a few minutes earlier, and he and his grandparents were at the lock when we arrived there, so we offered them a ride up through the next lock.  They didn’t need to be asked twice!

About an hour after Fradley we were at the centre of the lavatory universe as we passed the giant factory of Armitage Shanks (at Armitage strangely) with its giant machinery thumping and grinding away inside this very ugly building.

Just round the bend we had a prettier sight – Spode Cottage which is now a pub.

A few yards further on and we negotiate “Plum Pudding” tunnel.  Once bored through solid rock subsidence, caused by coal mining, meant it had to be opened up and lined with concrete.  The original rock can still be seen inside this very narrow obstacle where one way traffic is essential.

The power station dominates the skyline at Rugeley where Doug quickly nipped off to get shopping at Morrisons.

We decided to call it a day at 4 o’ clock and plumped for a “soft” mooring about a mile outside Rugeley.  ‘Chance’ settled into the reeds like a little coot on her nest.

Wonderful views from our mooring spot…….

…….. even the neighbours came over for a drink.
This morning was an early start at 7:00 and, after yesterdays heat, today promised to be somewhat cooler.  Travelling during the early part of the day is very relaxing.

Smiles from the man steering the boat as Cannock Chase begins to show it’s brooding mass in the background.

Colwich Lock (no 21) lies in an attractive setting next to the village of Little Haywood.

Old notices attached to the wall of the old lock cottage remind us of how simple life was a hundred or so years ago.  Fancy these days, the  Channel Tunnel displaying a notice saying that it’s insufficient to take something of “extraordinary” size!

A lovely setting at Colwich Lock.

At 9:30 am we moored up at Tixall Wide where, as with Fradley the other day, we had the choice of where we wanted to stop.  Just as we roped up an unusual craft came past. The plaque on the side said it was converted in the 1930’s.  

The very elaborate Elizabethan gatehouse of Tixall Hall looks across the water at us.  The Hall, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in 1586, was demolished a long while ago but it must have been a fabulous building if this is its gatehouse.   

This is us this morning (almost) on our own in this beautiful spot just outside the village of Great Haywood.

After some maintenance work on the boat (carpet cleaning, battery water top up, stern gland adjustment, baking and so on) we made a visit to Shugborough Hall, the family home of the Ansons (Lord Litchfield’s home until his death in 2005).  On the way past Anglo Welsh hire centre we couldn’t believe how many boast they still had in.  This is peak season and most of the fleet should be out.

Now that Patrick Litchfield’s apartments are now open, and the very interesting displays of his work are on show, the house is certainly worth a visit.  The £15 entrance fee is a bit steep, especially when you’re then charged another £7 odd to go round the servants quarters and museum. (as we are National Trust members we got in free after 1 pm)

Nostalgia outside the front portico.

Fantastic gardens.

Larking about in the Doric Temple!……..

…….. and resting in The Ruin.

It’s not a particularly beautiful house on the outside (our opinion)

One of the finest pack horse bridges in existence leads you across the River Trent from Shugborough to the village of Great Haywood.  The river just here was one of Oscar’s favourite paddling spots.

Having enjoyed the display of Patrick Litchfield’s photographic portraits of the rich and famous, James had a go at it himself!
Tonight we are going to enjoy a BBQ with a glass of wine in the lovely surroundings at Tixall Wide.

Fun and Friends at Fradley Junction

We slipped away from Whittington yesterday in a light drizzle……..

…… and, after we passed Whittington Rest Gnome, the precipitation became heavier and persisted all the way to Fradley Junction.  This meant that James had a special quiet time at the tiller under an umbrella for 2 hours and Doug did whatever he normally does inside ‘Chance’ on days like this. 

When we arrived at Fradley Junction Doug came into his own and set lock 17 for us to get down to the moorings below.

As we needed to be pointing in the direction of Great Hayward when we leave Fradley, James reversed into the lock (very skilfully and very luckily) without touching the sides, much to the complete disinterest of the two volunteer lock keepers on duty!  Photo shows ‘Chance’ going the ‘wrong’ way through the lock but you’d never know.

Backing out of the lock the normally very busy moorings at this time of year at Fradley gave us a pretty good choice of places to rest our fenders.

In the afternoon, friends Chris and Les from nb ‘Eleventh Heaven’ drove over to see us.  An,otherwise wet, afternoon was enjoyed by us all over a bit of light refreshment before Emma and Nick arrived on nb ‘Marpessa 2’.  Evidently our meeting with them yesterday didn’t put them off our company too much and the six of us went to The Swan for a meal together.

The ‘two gigglers’ – Doug and Les.

Our two newest water-based friends Emma and Nick (she’s definitely Emma and not the Duchess of Cambridge!)

Chris, Doug, Les, Emma, Nick and James looking happy but hungry.  ‘Murk’ the lab. was with us but he seems to have blended in nicely with background. (a bit of him in the bottom right)

We all retired to ‘Chance’ for coffee and liqueurs and to continue our noisy babble until the early hours of the morning.  

A great evening again and a very good meal at the Mucky Duck as usual.