To Crick: Day 1

I was up at a reasonable time again today, because I wanted to do the job I’d been intending to do on Friday, re-doing the sealant in the shower.  Getting the old stuff off is a horrible job, but I’ve done it a few times now so have developed some techniques.  Even so, it took more than an hour of scraping and cutting.

After cleaning and drying the area, adding the new sealant is fairly straightforward, and this time I treated myself to a £3 smoothing tool when we bought the sealant, which was a revelation.  The finish is much neater than I’ve achieved before.

Meanwhile, Adrian was on his way back from his weekend in Weymouth, and was going to do a food shop for the next few days en route.  Once I’d finished the sealant, I took our washing pile up to the machines outside Morrison’s, and while it was washing walked up to Halford’s for the correct sort of fuse for the Eberspacher.  After the washing was in the dryer, Adrian arrived and we had tea in the cafe while we waited.  Then we took the car back to its parking place, and took the shopping and washing back to the boat.  Adrian unpacked the shopping while I replaced the fuse and put the Eberspacher control box back together and back on the wall of the cupboard.  Then we had lunch, and finally untied from the Festival Park moorings, where it feels like we’ve been for ages (5 nights in fact, which seems like a long time to us).  The top Stoke lock just needed topping up.

There was a boat waiting below, and they had a boat behind them whose crew topped up the second lock for us so we could go straight in.

Only the bottom lock was more than a few inches down, so we made quick work of the flight — getting from our mooring to the bottom in an hour.  As we came out of the bottom lock we could see two boats coming, so left the gates open.  We made a quick visit down the weedhatch, but there were only a few twigs wrapped round the prop, and then carried on out of Stoke, where the canal lines up with the incinerator chimney.

On the approach to Hem Heath is a big Barratt Homes development, which has a line of pylons striding through the middle of it.

As we got to Trentham Lock a boat was just leaving, so the timing was excellent.  We moored through the next bridge close to where we stopped a few weeks ago.  There are more boats here now, so we don’t have one of the spots with the best view of the trains.

We are heading to the Crick Show, which is on the late May bank holiday.  It’s about a ten day journey to get there,  it we’ll be taking more like 20.

5 miles, 6 locks.

Heading north: Day 9

There was a very heavy frost when we woke up this morning.  As we’d approached got the boat ready to go, a balloon drifted over.

At 8am we moved the short distance to the water point at the junction, and did the usual filling and washing machine combination.  About half an hour later, we set off for Hoo Mill Lock, which was due to re-open at 9.  As we approached, a boat was coming out.

They are rebuilding the by-wash at the lock — and a notice came through yesterday of a similar problem at the next lock, Weston, with the by-wash being blocked.  This meant the pound between the two was very short of water.  Progress was rather slow, because of the shallowness, and moored boats were grounded.  It was much better above Weston Lock.  Bridge 82 always gets its photo taken — this side anyway; the other side is much plainer.

Sandon Lock was empty waiting for us, and above Rowington, the share boat which Catherine and Nigel part own was waiting to come down.  We carried on to Aston Marina, where we went in for diesel at the very good price of 92.4p for domestic.  Then it was back out onto the cut and along to Aston Lock.  Above the lock was a Stone hire boat, pretty much across the canal, apparently unable to get into the lock.  Adrian went to lend a hand, firstly by pulling the bow round, and then telling the steerer which way to turn the tiller.  He didn’t, though, possibly because he was a bit hard of hearing, so eventually Adrian got on board, walked along the gunwales, and steered the boat into the lock.  It all took ages.

We had lunch on the move between Aston Lock and the bottom of the Stone flight, then headed up.  The pub where we had our post-Christmas family get together in January looked busy.

There was a slight delay getting to the third lock as one of the permanent moorers was reversing to the water point, and got a little bit aground.  We got there soon enough though.

Above that lock the water was very low again, but it was better above the top lock, which has a novel solution for a replacement balance beam — it appears to be made of scaffolding planks.  Roger Fuller’s yard is also in this pound.

The Meaford flight has also had problems the past couple of days.  A boat coming down told us CRT had been fixing a hole in the canal bed between the top two locks, but the pound was now full again.  The levels were down all through the flight though.

We carried on for an hour after the locks, and moored at Barlaston, not far from the Wedgwood visitor centre, in a very sunny and warm spot.

14 miles, 12 locks.  (108 miles, 54 locks)

Wending to Wales: Day 8

Tixall Wide really is a lovely mooring.  There was a nice sunset, when I woke in night I could head owls calling to each other, and this morning a hot air balloon drifted over.

We set off at 8am, retracing our steps to the junction where we turned north onto the Trent and Mersey and immediately stopped on the water point. There was already a boat there, but there are two taps.  We got a load of washing going while the tank filled.  The other boat moved off, to be replaced by another.  When we were ready to go, the other boat, a single-handed, rushed to leave ahead of us, shouting that it would be quicker that way.  Well, for him, yes.  At the first lock, Hoo Mill, we were third in the queue, and the chap came back to explain that he hadn’t been trying to get ahead of us at the locks, it was just that his boat had just been blacked and now went like the clappers even on tickover.  I tried not to let the disbelief show on my face, but I’m not sure I succeeded.  At each lock we seemed to be further back in the queue as more boats joined.  All the boats ahead seemed to be single handlers too.  At the second lock, Weston, it was ages before it was us next, but at least it’s a very pretty spot.

Bridge 82 is one that always gets its photo taken because of the brickwork.

It was getting very hot again, with sunshine and no clouds.  The landscape through the Trent Valley is typically English, and very pretty without being that remarkable.

Sandon Lock also took an age, but at least there was a boat to come down as we left.  I’m sure I’ve taken a photo of cows crossing Bridge 88 in the past, but today it was sheep.

Everything had taken much longer than planned, so we had lunch on the move between Sandon Lock and Aston.  Adrian had worked all the single locks, and I was going to do the flights.  When we got to Star Lock, the bottom one of the four in Stone, it was the first time we weren’t joining a queue.  It still needed turning though.  It’s right next to the Star Inn.

One time we came this way they were building the development of the Joules site above Yard Lock.  Today it looked very jolly, with umbrellas outside the cafe.

We completed the Stone Locks and went on to Meaford, where we were behind a very slow couple.  I helped by setting ahead where I could  and opening and closing gates for them.  The flight has one of the canal’s pretty turnover bridges, where the towpath changes sides.

At the top lock, the boat which will be the Canal Boat test boat in October was waiting to come down, so I could have a chat with the owners.  We carried on to Barlaston, picking a shady spot with a nice wide grass verge between us and the towpath, because we are planning to get the Cobb barbecue out this evening.  It’s taken much longer than it should to get here, but on such a lovely day you can’t really complain.

14 miles, 12 locks.  (109 miles, 54 locks)

Northern Exposure: Day 7

A much calmer day today, and there was bright sunshine when we woke up.  At 8am we moved the short distance to the water point, where we filled the tank and started a load of washing.  We were moving again at about half past, heading past the marina and onto Hoo Mill Lock, the first of the day.  That one was empty, but by the time we got to the next one we had another boat in front of us, so had to turn it and most of the rest.  Adrian worked the four individual locks up to Stone, then I took over for the Stone flight.  We’d had lunch on the approach to the flight; the bottom lock is next to the Star pub, where there was a strong smell of garlic bread.

There’s a lot of building going on at the Joules brewery site, with a community theatre and a pub going up.  The new building has been built to match the distinctive roof of the old one.

The boat in front of us had stopped for water below Newcastle Road lock, but we still had to turn it.  Above it, the school has a smart new building, and the kids seemed very excited when Adrian returned their waves.

The top lock had a couple of CRT volunteers greasing the paddles, so it was empty for us and they helped work us through.  It’s then just a mile to the Meaford flight of four more locks.  While we were in the second one up it started to rain, and it was quite heavy.  But at least the rain was gentle and vertical rather than hard and horizontal.

We moored a bit before Bridge 104 at Barlaston, as a rainbow appeared.

As the rain had stopped we walked up to the Wedgwood factory.  When we were here a good few years ago the whole place looked as if it was on its last legs, but now there’s a new museum, a shop, and upmarket tea rooms, and an outlet store.  There’s also a big new housing estate alongside.  The shop featured a sculpture made of plates and cups, which we think was probably supposed to be a bull in a china shop.

14 miles, 12 locks.  (109 miles, 54 locks)

Big Trip - Day 7

I'm glad I persevered and got the blog posted yesterday, because it meant we had visitors.  Carol and George from Rock'n'Roll knocked on the roof, and we ended up chatting for the rest of the evening and demolishing a couple of bottles of wine.  It was great to meet them at last, and hear of their plans.

This morning, we set off at 8am, and so did almost everyone else.  We were fourth in line for Haywood Lock, so it was 9am before we were up it.  Then we did something we've never done before:  go straight over at Great Haywood Junction.  Previously, we come from this direction and turned onto the Staffs and Worcs, come from the north and turned onto the Staffs and Worcs, and come from the Staffs and Worcs and turned north on the T&M.

We followed boats up the next few locks, all of which are out on their own.  The sunny warm day we'd been promised didn't appear to have materialised.  It was cloudy, windy, and chilly.  Bridge 82 is much photographed because of the brickwork;  but perhaps Bridge 88 was even more appealing today.

Below Aston Lock we passed Triskaideka and then Take Five.  Aston Lock marks the half way point of the Trent and Mersey.

We moored below the locks at Stone, and went into town.  We had Staffordshire oat cakes for lunch at a tea rooms, and went shopping.  We set off up the locks at around 2.30, and by now the sun was out.  We had to turn all four of the Stone locks.

We also had to turn the four Meaford locks.  While the Stone locks are pretty urban, these have a much more rural feel.

We tied up at Barlaston, just before Bridge 104, which is where the Wedgewood factory is.

14 miles, 13 locks.  (106 miles, 54 locks)