A stunning morning first thing, with clear skies, sunshine, and not a breath of wind. The Wide looked beautiful. We set off at about 8.45, and when we got to the aqueduct over the Trent, Adrian jumped off to go up to the junction and take a bag of rubbish to the bin. It meant he was able to signal to me from the junction bridge that there was a boat coming from the north.
Once they were past, I pulled out of the Staffs and Worcs and turned right to head south on the Trent and Mersey.
The boat in front obviously got to Haywood Lock before us, and as Adrian had walked down he filled the lock for the single-handed lady on board. Once she was down it was our turn, and while we were dropping down a day boat arrived above the lock and then another boat behind them. The boat ahead stopped before Colwich Lock, and as we approached a boat arrived to come up. I still reckon this is one of the prettiest locks anywhere.
Below the lock, we met numerous boats coming the other way. Our route took us back over the Trent.
On the outskirts of Rugeley, the houses are high on a hill, and some of the owners have done a lot to make their back gardens accessible.
The house with all the mannequins in the garden has had a Halloween makeover.
We moored up in the middle of Rugeley, just past the bridge by Tesco. We went to Tesco so Adrian could switch mobile provider, in protest at O2 increasing their charges by more than they said they would (and consequently giving customers the option to cancel without penalty). After lunch, we went back to Tesco for a decent size shop, and we also popped over to Morrison’s for the pharmacy. This afternoon, it’s rained on and off, and there have been quite a few boats past.
6 miles, 2 locks. (66 miles, 43 locks)
No comments:
Post a Comment