We were awake fairly early, because it was a big day. Firstly, it was my 55th birthday so there were cards and presents over breakfast (including a harmonica, after I mentioned at the Country2Country festival earlier this month that I fancied learning it!). Then we set off in the car for Stoke, where we visited Tim Tyler’s workshop to see our new boat, Kingley Vale, in build.
There are lots more pictures over on the Kingley Vale blog.
After spending an hour or so there, we headed to the Middleport Pottery, where we like the cafe. We sat in the sunshine talking about our options for a base for the next few weeks. We’d intended to be at Victoria Pit, opposite Braidbar, but a big breach on the Macclesfield Canal probably means it’ll be closed for a while. We phoned a few marinas in the area of Cheshire we’d find most convenient, but none have spaces at the moment. We had an early lunch, of Staffordshire oatcakes with a portion of chips.
We then thought about Stoke as a possible base, and as we couldn’t find a phone number for Festival Park Marina, we thought we’d drive down there, as it’s only a few minutes away. We spoke to a chap there, found they had spaces, and liked the price. So we have booked in for an initial month from next month, and we’ll see what happens.
Next we made a quick visit to the huge Tesco for some things we forgot yesterday, and then got on the A50 and the M1 back to the boat. It was a lovely sunny warm afternoon, and only just 3pm, so we had already decided we’d be starting out on the trip that will never end. We attached some centre lines, did the engine checks, said goodbye to our neighbours, and pulled out of the marina for the final time. We’ve been here a long time, and it’s been a good base.
We headed north, carrying on for about an hour to a favourite spot at Grafton Regis. It might be a noisy choice though, as the sheep are making a real racket!
3 miles, 0 locks.
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