WHAT’S THAT FOLLOWING US ???

 

Willeymoor Lock Tavern in the sun

After my very successful weigh in we decided to give the pubs in Whitchurch a try. First was the Black Bear, not a great deal of choice on for me, but the Captain tried a fruit and nut mild, not great so only a half. Then we walked down to the White Bear, hidden down a little alley, we had great hopes but were sorely disappointed, not even a bitter on here, but a very helpful landlady who suggested we try the Wheatsheaf, still not great, but Rev James on here, a palatable bitter so a pint, it was very much a locals pub and quite lively. Then we gave up and headed back to the Crafty Dragon for the last pint.

Friday was a busy day, we managed to achieve the holy grail in boating terms, a full water tank, an empty toilet tank and we got rid of our rubbish, all at the top of the Grindley Brook locks. After this amazing feat, I pottered off to help at the locks, 3 boats were coming up, they all had plenty of crew but I still helped out were I could. We were the 2^nd of 3 boats going down, the 1^st a hire boat with a large group of American fella’s on who seemed to know what they were doing. I chatted to one of them, he was interested in the history of the canal, but in true US style wasn’t very aware of things outside the USA, didn’t even know where or what Blackpool was.

We followed the hire boat for quite some time before they moored before Willeymoor Lock and headed to the pub, the Willeymoor Tavern for a pint. The Captain chatted with them (after they got their pints) and discovered there was a stout on. With this information we decided to moor and give it a try, it was early for us as the pub closed for a couple of hours at 3pm. So we sat taking in the afternoon sun with a couple of pints. The stout was Belhaven Black Scottish stout. Belhaven is Scotlands oldest working brewery, and part of the Greene King group. It wasn’t to my taste, but I was quite happy with San Miguel.

https://www.willeymoorlock.co.uk/

https://www.belhaven.co.uk/our-brewery

The American contingency decided to move on after a couple of pints, and made a bit of a pigs ear getting into the lock, I won’t say it was because of the beer, but we do have an unwritten rule if we have had a drink, we don’t do locks. So much can go wrong.

The weather this trip has not been the best, but in the main the rain has held off. We were not so lucky next day, our plan was to get to Baddiley Locks, a journey of 6miles 2 locks and 3 lift bridges. Well as we approached the final bridge of the day at Wrenbury the heavens opened, and of course suddenly there was no were suitable to moor, so we had to keep going. We eventually moored up near our destination looking like drowned rats.

Unsure of how far we wanted to go next day, we decided to get to the top of the Hurleston locks, these take us off the Llangollen and back onto the Shropshire Union and then see how we felt.

At the 5 locks before Hurleston we met boats coming in both directions which was great and made for easy passage through. As we had made good time we decided to keep going. There are 4 locks close together at Hurleston, unfortunately all 4 boats there (including us) were going down, so it took a little longer.

We turned back onto the Middlewich branch of the Shroppy after the Captain successfully got us past the Barbridge Inn without me suggesting we stop for a pint, and moored up in the MONW.

A short hop to Aqueduct marina for fuel next day. The Captain doesn’t like to let the level drop to far just in case we develop the dreaded diesel bug. We use red diesel which is available from most marinas, wharf, working boats and in one case a garage by the side of the canal, but it’s always best to check the price first as it can vary greatly. For those of you who don’t know, red diesel is used by haulage firms and farms, and does not have the same amount of tax added as normal diesel. It usually works out about 47p cheaper a litre, but we have to declare what we use for propulsion, and what is used for domestic, ie creating electricity to charge our batteries, the split is usually 60/40 but its up to the boater to decide.

Another night in the MONW

On the way to Middlewich next day we spotted a cormorant swimming in the canal. Now we tend to see these on rivers but not so much canals. They are not the most attractive of birds with their drab black plumage and evil looking beak (think vulture). But having seen one close up I discovered, that the markings on their back and wings are iridescent and looked like fish scales. Well, this cormorant followed us for some time, diving down down and then reappearing close to the back of the boat, we decided it was because he was hoping that we would stir up the bottom of the canal and disturb the fish so he could catch his dinner, this proved to be true as on his 3^rd dive he came up with a silvery fish which he soon gulped down.

Cormorant

We moored above Wardle lock and decided to head back to the Kings Lock pub. The Captain had been very impressed with their choice of beer but was to be disappointed on this occasion, all they had on were hoppy pale beers. He tried one, only a half, but couldn’t finish it so gave it me. We didn’t stay but walked to the White Bear on the main street in Middlewich and faired a lot better in here, with Dunham Massey Milk Stout, so a couple in there.

https://www.thewhitebearmiddlewich.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/dunhammasseybrewing/?locale=en_GB

Next day we came of the Wardle/Shroppy canal and on to the Trent and Mersey once again, but we didn’t go far, only 4 locks, and we moored up near the Big Lock, this is the first of the double locks (will take 2 boats side by side).

There is a pub at the big lock called The Big Lock (original I know), and we decided to give it a go. It was a nice afternoon so we sat on the veranda over-looking the lock. They had sold out of cask ales due to the Middlewich Folk and Boat festival which had been on at the weekend, so the Captain made do with John Smiths.

https://biglockmiddlewich.co.uk/

A family of swans caught our eye as they walked past the lock, Dad first followed in a neat row by 5 signets and Mum bringing up the rear. Reminded me of a Victorian schoolmaster taking his pupil between classes.

Ok kids, one at a time

We have decided to take the Anderton boat lift down on to the river Weaver for a few days, a slight change of plan because the Captain needs to go to the bank, and there is a branch still open in Northwich (surprisingly), we can moor on the pontoons there (hopefully) and walk into the town. 

Anderton Boat Lift

25 miles, 26 locks, 4 bridges and 4 canals

THE MONTY AND BEYOND.

Me

As I have already said, you have to book the Montgomery canal, and it is only open between 9am and 12pm. So the Captain booked for us to be on there from Saturday to Tuesday, this would give us enough time to do the whole length without rushing.

The canal was the quietest we have seen it when we travelled to the beginning of the Monty, only saw one boat all day. We were soon moored up at the Frankton locks, which mark the entrance to the canal.

Tree Creeper

I saw a new bird for me as well, a Tree Creeper, we also spotted a beautifully coloured Jay, but we are yet to see a kingfisher this year. I didn’t mention earlier that Llangollen seemed to be the home of the mandarin ducks, although we only saw mothers and chicks, no males. These are pretty little ducks and the ducklings were no exception.

A Jay

There was 1 other boat waiting to go down the locks, and as with us being late risers they got off first. Frankton locks are a set of 4 narrow locks, the first 2 being a staircase then a small gap between the next 2. The Captain booked us in with the lockee and we were told 2 boats were coming up, but that we could do the staircase locks first and pass them in the pounds. It all went to plan and we were soon on our way.

Like the Llangollen, the Monty is a pretty rural canal without many villages, and certainly no towns along the way. It was opened in 1797, and its purpose to was to transport lime from the quarries, and lime kilns in Wales, for agricultural use. It ran for 33miles, but at the moment only 8miles is navigable at the Llangollen end, although volunteers are working hard to connect the rest of it to the main line (more about that later).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Canal

Our original plan for the day was to get as far as the Queens Head at Oswestry and go for a pint, and on our way we met groups of canoeists and paddle boarders. When we reached the Queens Head the Captain convinced me that we needed to go a little further to the Navigation Inn. As long as I got a pint, that was fine by me.

But it was not to be as the Navigation keeps, in my opinion rather strange hours for a canal side pub, and it was closed when we got there. I wasn’t a happy bunny, but the Captain promised me we would return to the Queens Head next day. Compromise reached.

When chatting to the lockee at Frankton, the Captain discovered that you can actually get a little further than he first thought to Crickheath basin, and that the volunteers would be there all weekend working on reinstating the canal. So we thought it would be a great idea to head there and see how they were getting on.

The canal is narrow and shallow in places, but we luckily didn’t meet many other boats so it was a gentle cruise through some breath taking scenery.

We winded and moored in the basin, then took a walk up to were we could see people working on the canal, at this point they seemed to be rebuilding a side of the canal, a little further on the canal was starting to look more like a canal, although not in water yet. We could see people sat in the main channel and nothing seemed to be happening, then a little dump truck filled with blocks appeared. These blocks were being used to hold the liners down on the bottom and side of the canal, and to get them to the guys laying them was a simple but ingenious method, they had a slanting trough with a pallet table at the bottom, and the blocks were simply slid down the trough to the waiting guys below. We stood and watched fascinated for a while before being joined by a volunteer, who explained how it all worked, how many liners were used and about the different types and their purpose. In olden days the bottom and sides of the canal were filled with clay which was then ’puddled’ (squashed down) using, if they could get them a herd of cattle, this made the canal water tight.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddling_(civil_engineering)

Laying the blocks

We chatted with the lady for a while before heading back and heading off for the pub.

We moored outside the canoe place, no canoeist were out and about today, and headed off. The Captain didn’t have a lot of choice, but made do with Station bitter. There was an extensive menu, including Sunday roasts, and the food that came out looked and smelt lovely, but I had tea all organised back home.

https://www.the-queens-head-oswestry.co.uk/

Our time on the Monty was coming to an end, and we moored for the night at the bottom of the locks. We found the bins and put water in before settling down for a quiet night, as we knew the next day would be quite hectic, as we needed to shop at Ellesmere before getting closer to Whitchurch for Thursday. We needed to be there as I wish to attend a Slimming World meeting to keep my membership current, not sure if I was really looking forward to being weighed though, been drinking lots more beer, but on the upside I have been getting lots more exercise.

A boat had just come down the locks as we set off, but first the Captain spotted something in the water, a tiny newt swimming at the back of the boat, its was only 3” long and seemed to be feeding off the algae on our hull. What a great spot.

We had 2 lockees to help us up the locks and we were soon on our way.

Ellesmere was busy with boats, and we followed a hire boat down the arm, with NB Silver Moon bringing up the rear. We nipped into the first space we spotted, whilst the hire boat winded and managed to fit in behind us.

After shopping and lunch we set off once again, and at last we spotted our first kingfisher, it sat on a branch just above the canal, before shooting off, its neon blue rump bright in the sunshine. Yippee and one happy Captain.

Kingfisher

You would have laughed to see us as we tried to moor, we desperately needed the internet, but the signal was all over the place, so we pulled the boat backwards and forwards trying to find the best spot. Eventually we gave up and went on the next moorings only to find we had a great signal there.

The final push to Whitchurch only included 3 lift bridges, at the first another boater had raised it and allowed 3 boats through, but had to lower it before we got there due to a car waiting to cross. At the next we caught up with NB Marquess, and her crew was off winding it up and through we went I returned the favour at the final bridge, and we parted company when we turned down the Whitchurch arm (which was very busy) and they continued on.

I am happy to say my weigh in at SW was a success, and I lost 5 ½ lbs in 6 weeks.

31 miles, 14 locks, 5 lift bridges and 1 tunnel. 2 canals.

THE LOVELY LLANGOLLEN, PART TWO

 

The Captain on the Pontcysyllte Aquedict

This is a really beautiful canal, but very busy with mainly hire boats which can be interesting at times. It is also almost lock free which makes for a quiet time for me.

On leaving the Whitchurch arm we only had a number of lift bridges to contend with, and luckily for us we met a boat going our way just as we set off, this meant we could share the bridges. The bridges are operated by using your windless, and turning and turning and turning until the bridge is full up, and then the boat can cruise through. 50 turns I counted on the one I did, it’s very good for the muscles in your arms, and that’s about all they are good for.

We didn’t do the whole 12 miles to Ellesmere in one day and spent a peaceful night in the MONW.

Ellesmere, like Whitchurch, is down a short arm and we were hopeful of finding moorings somewhere on the arm, but to start with it wasn’t looking to promising, there was a bit of git gapping (leaving silly gaps between moored boats) going on, and we did say that if there was nothing further down, we would simply ask the boats taking up too much room to move up to allow us to fit in. This wasn’t necessary, as right at the end of the arm (and next to Tesco) was a space just the right size for Avalon Two. The Captain expertly winded the boat (turned it around), and we were soon moored up.

We have been to Ellesmere before but couldn’t remember much about the town or the pubs, I checked back on my blog (yes I do have them going back that far) to see we tried the Red Lion, The White Hart and The Market, with not much to recommend any of them, but hey ho it was 8yrs ago and things may have changed. We walked round the town first, it is a sleepy quiet place with a few shops, takeaways and restaurants. There was a newish pub in town The Vaults, and it sounded like just the place for us, unfortunately it didn’t live up to the reviews we had read, quirky enough but the beer selection left a lot to be desired, well for us anyway. Only cask beer was a bitter and I had Angelo Poretti lager, it wasn’t the best pint, so we decided to try the White Hart and had a much better experience. The Captain was very happy with Phoenix Worcestershire porter by The Hop Shed, and I found a great pint of Staropramen. It was a lovely friendly locals pub and we had a great time.

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHartEllesmere/?locale=en_GB

https://thehopshed.co.uk/

After a lie in the next day, and a quick shop in Tesco, we set off back down the arm and turned right heading for Trevor.

Before mooring up we passed the junction of the Montgomery Canal, this is 32½ miles long with 25 locks of which only about 8miles is navigable from the Llangollen end. We might do it on our return as we haven’t done it before.

Next day and just 2 locks to do, so I jumped ship and walked the mile or so to the first lock and helped 2 hire boats up before Avalon Two. It was nice to chat with the crew for the hire boats. At the 2^nd lock there was an issue with something behind the off side gate, it wouldn’t open fully. The Captain got his trusty pole and had a bit of a poke round but couldn’t really find anything. Then when in the lock he had another go and pulled a piece of wood out from behind the gate, and this seemed to solve the problem.

The canal starts to get very narrow in places from here on, and after mooring up we had a number of boats scrape down the side of us, it cant be helped most of the time and is part of boating.

 

The Narrow Cut

The canal is very interesting from this point, and next day we had 2 tunnels and 2 big aqueducts, all one way working. Chirk aqueduct first, swiftly followed by Chirk tunnel (459yrds long). Then a short tunnel only 191yrds long, the Whitehouse tunnel. Followed by a wonder of the waterways, the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. 18 stone arches carries the cast iron trough across the valley for 336yrds. The trough is 12ft wide with a towpath and railing on one side and a sheer drop on the other, its definitely not for some one who is afraid of heights.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontcysyllte_Aqueduct

We moored for the night at Trevor, although the number of moorings wasn’t great, as the hire boat company seemed to have taken over the one we used last time we were here. The Captain executed a near perfect turn before mooring up, showing a hire boat how it was done.

We went to the pub, The Telford Inn for tea, and the Captain treated me to a very nice steak pie and chips ,it was really delicious.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Telford-Inn-Trevor-Llangollen-Canal-100039970462218/

The final part of the journey into Llangollen involves 2 narrow sections, only wide enough for one boat. At the start of these I walked forward with my walkie talkie to let the Captain know it was clear, and to stop any boat coming in the opposite direction from setting off. We were following a hire boat full of Americans from Boston, who were lovely, but didn’t have much of a clue. All fun and games.

At the end of the navigable part of the Llangollen is a very nice basin with pontoons, electrical hook up, water and bins. But you do have to pay for them, £13 a night (£6 last time we were here). As we moored up I spotted NB Intrigue and Isadora, but no sign of their crews.

Last time we were here we walked up to Horseshoe Falls but didn’t see much of the town itself, so after a spot of lunch we headed out. We found St Collens church and had a look round inside, although there has been a church on the site since the 6C, the present one is Victorian, only the tower is older being 18C. The church is lovely inside and the ceiling is beautifully carved. There is a memorial to the Ladies on Llangollen, Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, who lived as a married couple near the town in the late 1700’s and are buried in the churchyard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Collen's_Church,_Llangollen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_of_Llangollen

We also found a great little tavern and wine bar called Liberty for a couple of pints, and the Captain was very happy with a pint of Lost Abbey, a coffee stout by Big Hand Brewery of Wrexham, and it was happy hour, 20% off what could be better.

https://www.facebook.com/libertytavernllangollen/

https://www.facebook.com/BigHandBrewing/?locale=en_GB

On returning to the boat we managed to catch up with Pam, Darrell, Kim and Neil, and stood talking for sometime at the back of the boats. Being liveaboards we all had our slippers on as someone pointed out.

The trip out of Llangollen next day was uneventful, well that was until we moored up, and it seemed like every man and his dog went by us, one hire boat was so fast they could have been towing a water skier (they got yelled at). Then as I looked up from Candy Crush another boat rammed the front of us, I really don’t know how he managed it, but there was no acknowledgment or apology from the Captain of NB Sceptre.

We have decided to go up the Monty, so that will be fore next time.

42 miles, 2 locks, 5 lift bridge, 2 tunnels (twice) and 2 aqueducts (twice)

THE LOVELY LLANGOLLEN.

 

A Beautiful Sunset

I know I said we were on the Shropshire Union canal, well we were, but on the Middlewich branch which is only 9 miles long, with 2 locks before you reach Barbridge Junction and the main arm of the Shroppy.

At the junction you can turn right towards Chester or left towards Birmingham. We turned left but didn’t get very far at all, as we decided to moor outside The Old Barbridge Inn for the night, and of course we had to nip in and pay our dues and demands, well just have a drink actually. Unfortunately the Captain was disappointed, for although they had 6 cask ales on, not one was a dark and he had to make do with a palatable bitter.

Next day, and only a couple of miles on and we turned on to the Llangollen canal for our trip into deepest darkest Wales.

The name Llangollen canal was only coined in the 1980’s, but historically it was part of the Ellesmere canal and the Llangollen feeder, which became part of the Shroppy canal in 1846. It is 46miles long and a narrow canal, with 21 locks, 9 moveable bridges, 3 tunnels, 5 small aqueducts and 2 major aqueducts, the most famous being the Pontcysyllte. It was used to transport iron and coal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llangollen_Canal

At the start of the Llangollen are the 4 locks of the Hurleston flight, and I was very happy to see Lockees in attendance. But when the heavens opened (again) 2 of them disappeared, but they soon reappeared in their wet weather gear.

As the clouds were looking menacing, as we cleared the locks we decided to cut our losses and moor up for the night.

The next day was one of the most enjoyable I have had up to now on this trip. We were heading for Wrenbury and had 5 locks in front of us, but every man and his dog seemed to be heading our way, and at each lock we were in a queue. This meant I could get off help out and chat. And I did a lot of chatting and helping. I also found time to make scones between locks. I mainly chatted to the Captains and crews of NB Intrigue and NB Isadora, that’s Kim and Neil, and Pam and Darrell. They were travelling together but we managed to insert our boat between them. They were from Leighton Buzzard and out for about 3months. We had a great time, and I gifted them some of my scones (have to watch the Captains waistline somehow). Although we hadn’t planned to get all the way to Wrenbury, we soon found ourselves there and moored up near the pub, The Dusty Miller.

On our last visit to Wrenbury in 2016, there was another pub called The Cotton Arms, but as with so many others this has now closed, such a shame, the food in there was excellent. We did nip to the Dusty Miller for a pint, but again there were no darks on tap, they did have Old Tom in bottles (small bottles). Again the last time we were here Old Tom was actually on tap, but at £6 a pint it was very expensive and the Captain had to make do with a half. He resisted and had a lager for the first round, but then succumbed and had Old Tom for his second drink, at 8.5% avb you don’t need many.

https://www.robinsonsbrewery.com/our-beers/old-tom/

The Llangollen is very rural and very pretty, with lovely views. The locks are not to hard, only 4 the next day. More boats were moving, mainly hire boats ,which can make life interesting depending on how experienced their crews are, but in the main the ones we met were doing very well, with a little advise from me and other boaters. At most of the locks we managed to meet boats coming the other way, which always makes life easier and helps with water conservations.

We moored up just before Grindley Brook, this is a flight of 3 single locks and a staircase of 3 with lockees on to help. As we sat having lunch the heavens opened again, and I was very pleased we had stopped when we did.

Boats passed without any problem, until one hire boat passed at full speed making us rock and roll, I stood up and shouted, only to be met by a blank stare from the bloke (wont call him a gentleman) steering. The Captain had to go out and check our ropes. The rule is to pass moored boats on tick over, but some don’t know and some don’t care.

I very much enjoyed the locks at Grindley Brook, but as we pulled out to start our journey the hire boat moored in front of us decided to set off to, then changed his mind, it was all a bit confusing. We got through the first 3 locks without any problems and were lucky enough to meet boats coming the other way. At the bottom of the staircase locks I went off to find the lockees in charge, so as to let them know we and the 2 hire boats behind us wished to come up. We had to wait, as they were just letting 3 boats down, and of course I stayed to help. It was great fun and the lockee was very friendly as we worked each boat through the locks. The Captain was being helpful all on his own with a single hander, who was heading down the locks, and he emptied the bins for me.

Eventually it was our turn and we were soon up and on our way, the lockee thanked me profusely for all my help which was lovely. and sang my praises to the Captain.

We didn’t get to far as we needed water and a pump out, and then onto the Whitchurch arm for shopping at Aldi. We hadn’t been down this short arm before, and the Captain made an excellent job of negotiating the sharp bend that led to the moorings.

They are very good moorings and only a short walk from Aldi. We also decided to take the 20min walk into the town for a pint or 2 of course.

The walk was lovely, through a country park were we spotted another woodpecker, and then through Jubilee park and into the town. The Captain had done his homework and knew there was a little micropub called the Crafty Dragon, and we soon found it. It is owned by Magic Dragon brewery, and had a great selection of their own ales and others. I tried Snowden Lager which was lovely, whilst the Captain had Gwyn a Du Stout from Monty, and Obsidian Stout by Magic Dragon, and we chatted to some of the locals. We then went to the Old Town Hall Vaults, a Joules brewery tap house for a pint of Slumbering Monk.

The Old Town Hall Vaults and me

https://magicdragonbrewing.com/

https://www.joulesbrewery.co.uk/our-taphouses/old-town-hall-vaults/

Will definitely go back to Whitchurch at some point.

Our next port of call is Ellesmere.

Church Minshull to Whitchurch 19½ miles and 21 locks, 1 canal.

LONG TUNNELS AND SHORT CANALS.

 

 The Holy Inadequate

Barlaston and another pub of course. We only spent one night in Stone, and after a quick shop at Morrisons, we set off and did the 5 locks to Barlaston. They didn’t seem to take us long, and after the last lock I was surprised to see it was only 12.45pm. It felt a lot later.

The pub is called the Plume of Feathers and is owned by the one and only Neil Morrissey, of Men Behaving Badly, and for those of you old enough to remember Boon. We have been in before but never spotted him, he does like to come and help out from time to time in the kitchen, or so I am told. We decided to eat in the pub, as there were things on the menu that we both fancied, I tried a Greek dish called Bifteki, garlic and herb ground lamb patties, stuffed with Feta cheese, char grilled, tzatziki and salad, whilst the Captain plumped for the MFC, or Morrissey fried chicken burger. Well our meals came and looked delicious, however there was something missing from mine, the tzatziki, which for those of you who don’t know is a yogurt and cucumber dip. I pointed this out and was bought a pot of something that definitely wasn’t tzatziki, it was black for a start. I caught someone’s attention and it was replaced by the right thing. After checking the menu I decided I had been given a tapenade. Oh well, they got it right in the end. The meal was lovely thought, and I would recommend giving the Plume a try is you’re passing by. https://plumeoffeathersbarlaston.co.uk/

Sunday, and the weather was beautiful. We set off in good spirits to tackle the 5 locks which would take us into Stoke on Trent. It was a good day, and we were in a convoy of 4 boats with nothing coming the other way. The boat in front of us was a single hander, so I gave him all the help I could, and the boat behind us had 3 people on board, so they helped me out were they could. It made for a very pleasant time, and there was plenty of chatting going on.

Old Bottle Kilns in Stoke

It didn’t seem long before we were moored up and off we went to the pub once again (3 days on the trot), naughty I know, but we couldn’t miss The Holy Inadequate, another one of our favourite pubs. They have their own brewery, and the Captain was very happy with their Milk Stout, followed by a 7% abv Ruby Mild called Hairy Sue’s.

https://www.facebook.com/inadequatebrewery67/?locale=en_GB

Next day and we headed off early to make it to the Harecastle tunnel, at 2600m long it’s one on the longest tunnels on the network. It also gets very low and narrow in places. It is one way working which is controlled by tunnel keepers at each end. As long as you turn up before 12 you don’t have to book, and we managed to get there about 10am just as a group of boats were starting their passage through, so we, after a safety briefing, tagged in behind them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harecastle_Tunnel

Entrance to the Harecastle Tunnel

It was a very crash bang wallop journey in places. We managed to catch the corner of the top box on a low part of the roof, and it was pushed about a foot back from its usual position. The Captain was worried that it had also damaged the solar panel that sits on top of the top box. But there was nothing we could do. Once out of the tunnel, sighing a breathe of relief, we stopped after the first lock and whilst I nipped to Lidl, very handy right next to the canal, the Captain checked the good ship Avalon Two for any major damage, but we got away with just a few scraps and bangs and the solar panel and top box were fine. He also did his good deed for the day, helping a boater with a problem with his gear selector cable, he could only get it in reverse, the Captain identified the problem, and by the time I got back from Lidl it was fixed and the boater was overflowing with gratitude.

The locks on this stretch are single side by side locks, and we were following another boat down them, eventually we caught up with the other boat and used the 2^nd lock rather than waiting for the one they were in. I helped out were I could and had a chat with the Captain and crew, they seemed some how familiar, and after the last lock when I was back on the boat, I mentioned to the Captain that they reminded me of a vlogger he watched, whose vlog was called ‘Boating on a Budget’ or the tight Yorkshire man. When we moored up in front of them it turned out I was right, and that’s just who they were Pete Bell and Dawn

https://www.facebook.com/wingingitboatingonabudget/

The Captain went off for a chat while I prepared lunch.

It was a lovely place to moor and we were soon joined by other boats.

Next day and 10 locks for me to do. There were quite a few other boats moving in both directions, some crew were helpful some were not. I got shouted at for opening the paddles to fast, fair enough its not my boat but a ¼ of a turn at a time is too slow. There is slow and then there is slow.

Between locks I managed to spot my first Woodpecker of the year, but we are still to see a kingfisher.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker

It rained the next day and we didn’t get up until lunch time. I took the opportunity to bake and cooked a Weetabix cake from a slimming world recipe. It will do for the Captains elevenses.

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/weetabix-cake

With an improvement in the weather we headed off for Wheelock, and another 10 locks for me to do. Again the locks were a mixture of single and side by side locks, which made for an interesting day with plenty of other boats moving in both directions.

There is a pub at Wheelock The Cheshire Cheese, I didn’t remember it having a great selection of beers, but we had to give it a try, and were very pleasantly surprised with 5 cask ales including Penny’s Porter from Derby Brewing Company. So one very happy Captain.

Next morning before setting off we met up with Pete and Dawn again, and had a very long and enjoyable chat with them before heading off to do the 4 locks to Middlewich, and another pub, the Kings Lock, which is right on the lock. Again not a pub we know but again we weren’t disappointed with the selection of beers, the Captain enjoyed a couple of pints of Northern Lights porter from Brightside brewery.

At Middlewich we turned left and onto the Shropshire Union canal, but first we had to negotiate the Wardle canal which at only 154ft or 47m, is the shortest canal on the system and its one lock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardle_Canal

A quiet night in the MONW followed, and we started our cruise on the Shroppy in earnest next day.

Barlaston to Middlewich 25miles, 38locks and 3 canals.

CHANGEABLE WEATHER.

After the lovely weather of the previous week it was forecast to be cool with rain, and it didn’t disappoint.

Sunday, and after a night still on the Coventry canal, we turned left at Fradley junction and joined the Trent and Mersey. Ahead of us were 3 locks, and 2 very helpful and friendly lockee’s. They helped us through the first 2, and then I got my exercise for the day by walking to the 3^rd, about 1 mile away. When I got there a boat was just going up, and 1 was waiting to come down. Of course I had to help and have a chat. It was lovely to be back helping and chatting to other boaters. The boat coming down was a single hander, so I told him to stay on his boat and I locked him down and on his way. He was really thankful, and I enjoyed helping.

We spent the night in the MONW, and next morning headed for Rugeley. There is a Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi close to the canal, and I desperately need to shop.

I jumped ship yet again for my morning walk, during which I passed the Armitage Shanks factory, and saw loads of toilets all ready to find their forever homes. I waited for the boat at the Armitage tunnel. A rather strange tunnel, as it roof was removed in 1971 due to subsidence caused by the local coal mines. It is only 130yds long, but one way working, so I took the walkie talkie along so I could inform the Captain if there was a boat already in this strange tunnel. The side of the tunnel were obviously hewn out of the rock, and not brickwork like a lot of tunnels, it reminded me of being in a cave. After the tunnel I jumped back on board for the rest of the trip into Rugeley.

 We moored up, and after lunch we set off for Tesco (it was the nearest), and got most of everything I needed. We didn’t venture into the town on this occasion, but we know there is at least one decent real ale pub, The Vine. It has its own brewery and it was were I tried a very nice cucumber infused gin a few years ago. But we decided to have a quiet night.

https://www.facebook.com/thevineinnbrewery/?locale=en_GB

Tuesday, and we could hear the rain bouncing off the boat, so we were in no hurry to get up. When the rain eventually stopped we did rise and set off. I walked to Aldi (couldn’t get a few things from Tesco), and that was my exercise for the day. The rain held off and we did our one and only lock for the day, before mooring up at Little Heywood for the night. We didn’t try the 2 pubs in the village, I am being very good aren’t I.

Next day and I got some real exercise, I managed to walk 2miles (ish) and do 3 locks. The locks on this stretch are single locks, and I like them because most of them have a little bridge over the bottom gates, this saves a lot of toing and froing to open and close the bottom double gates, and the top paddles are on towpath sides, bonus. Well that’s all but Haywood lock, this one doesn’t have a bridge, and the off side path is very narrow, so you really have to watch your feet.

We dropped our rubbish off at Great Haywood Junction, and I was pleased to see the bin compound was very tidy.

At the next lock we caught up with an old work boat called Dane, it belongs to Middleport Pottery Museum in Stoke. It had been away to have its wooden bottom corked and blacked, and volunteers were taking it back to the museum. Now I know a bit about Middleport, as Denby pottery who I used to work for, owned them when I worked there, and I met the union reps from there on many occasions.

Another name for Middleport is Burleigh (named after the 2 founders, Burgess and Leigh since 1889) and the pots they make is known as Burleigh Ware. It is a working pottery as well as a museum, and the pots are very popular with Japanese and Korean collectors, its a bit chintzy for my taste, but the way they apply the pattern is fascinating. You can moor outside and its well worth a visit.

Burleigh Tea Set

https://www.burleigh.co.uk/pages/visit-middleport-pottery

We moored up just past Weston upon Trent, and had a visit from a very cheeky swan, who kept sticking his head in through the side hatch looking for something to eat. A ryvita cracker and some lettuce wasn’t enough to fill him, but I had nothing else, so he was out of luck.

The weather took a turn for the worst next day, we needed to be in Stone for a pump out at the weekend, well Friday as the Captain found out when he phoned the boatyard. So we set off with plans to moor at the bottom of Stone locks near M&S, however the rain came early and changed our plans, and we moored up after the second lock about 1mile from the start of Stone. Why oh why does it always start to rain when I am doing a lock!!!!!

Anyway, to pass the time the Captain went off to change the engine oil and all the filters, and I made kimchi with red cabbage. I have been trying a number of new recipes which work with my diet, and most have been successful, my favourite (at the moment) is a Moroccan chickpea and tomato soup, using Ras El Hanut spices. I sometimes add lamb to it to make more of a stew.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-tomato-chickpea-soup-couscous

The weather was better next day, and I got loads of exercise walking to the 3 locks at Stone. After the 2^nd lock we pulled into the boatyard for our pump out. This is always fun and games due to the way boats at the boatyard can be moored at times, and today was no exception. The Captain had to walk down a very narrow gunnel to pull our boat in, only to be told it wasn’t in quite in the right place and he had to pull it back again. Never mind, these things are sent to try us, well him.

We moored up above the 3^rd lock for the night, we have moored here before and its a lovely quiet mooring, handy for the town centre and pubs of course.

We walked into the town mid afternoon, and after a mooch round the shops we headed to the pub, first the Swan, a proper real ale pub with a great choice of beers. The Captain chose Raven Stout from White Rose Brewery and was very happy with it. We only had the one in there before heading to the Crown Wharf, this is a lovely big pub right on the side of the canal, and belongs to Joules Brewery. The Captain was happy with Slumbering Monk, and we managed to get a table sat outside in the sun. We talked about eating there, but neither of us fancied anything on the menu, there was nothing wrong with what was on offer, but we just couldn’t decide. When I went in for our 2^nd pint they had just put some slices of giant sausage roll on the bar, so I took a couple back, it was very nice, so the Captain fetched a couple more, so I suppose in away we did eat out.

We always enjoy visiting Stone, and there are more pubs worth a visit that we didn’t try on this occasion.

Next stop Barlaston and then Stoke.

Fradley to Stone 22½ miles, 12 locks and 1 canal.

GENTLE DAYS.

Pegasus our tiller pin

The weather has definitely improved over the last couple of days and this makes cruising so much nicer. Blue skies with wispy clouds, birds singing and the gentle chugging of the engine make days like these special.

When I last blogged we were moored in Polesworth for the night, we didn’t venture out to the pub, which is strange for us I know, but I really don’t want to undo all the great work I have done over the winter in losing 2stone 10lbs in weight, and beer is my biggest enemy. Also Polesworth hasn’t got the greatest pubs, well it didn’t have last time we visited.

We were going to stop in Fazeley and go to the chippy, then Captain suggested instead we could stop at Tamworth, walk in, take a look round the town, have a couple of pints and maybe pick up some chips on the way back. There is also a Coop close to the canal (just before Glascote Locks at bridge 73 Anchor Bridge) and we needed milk and a few bits. This sounded a great idea to me and that's what we did.

As we left the boat a group of late teen boys were gathered round the steps to the road. I felt uneasy but decided to chat with them to see if my feelings were unfounded, and they were. They were friendly and polite and interested in the life we lead. Sometimes you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

https://www.visittamworth.co.uk/tamworth-town-centre-old-town

Tamworth is an old town with a castle and a beautiful church dedicated to St Editha. There is a lot of regeneration work going on, and it will be interesting to see how it improves the town centre.

There are also a few good real ale pubs to try, firstly The Tamworth Tap, which belongs to Tamworth brewery. A couple of choices for the Captain in here and he plumped for the Breakfast Stout by Arbor, and I tried the Tanworth lager, both very quaffable. The tap is a very quirky place but the seating is a little uncomfortable.

http://www.tamworthbrewing.co.uk/

The Tamworth Tap

Then on to the Kings Ditch, a proper tiny micropub, were to Captain was very happy with Naughty & Nice a chocolate stout from Vocation. No draft lager in here so I tried Satellite by Green Duck an American Pale Ale. Both good.

https://www.kingsditch.co.uk/

We headed back on the bus and gave the chippy a miss. I will have to get my kebab fix another time.

After this outing we decided to moor in the middle of nowhere for a few nights, before hitting Fradley Junction and the Swan, or Dirty Duck as it is affectionately known.

We filled with water at Fazeley and on our cruise to our first mooring we came across something quite unusual, a bat hunting in the middle of the day. It was swooping down to the water, obviously gathering the midges that inhabit the canal for a feast. We very often see bats performing their acrobatics round the boat as darkness falls, but have never seen one in the day. A first for both of us.

After a bit of a lie in, as the Captain wasn’t feeling great with a sore throat and the sniffles, we decided to do just 4 miles to Huddlesford, and then the final 4 miles to Fradley the next day.

I jumped ship as we set off, as I have decided that I need more exercise, and walked about a mile before jumping back on board at a convenient bridge hole. I’ve started doing this each day now when we set off.

The best sighting was a Buzzard with its rounded tale, and then lo and behold a Red Kite with its distinctive forked tale. Red Kites are an amazing conservation story, driven to near extinction in the UK with only a handful of breeding pairs to be found in Wales by the 20^th century. They have been slowly reintroduced using birds from Spain and Sweden. By 2016 it was estimated by the RSPB that there were around 4,400 breeding pairs now in the UK. A real success story.

Red kite

We found a lovely mooring spot and settled down for the night. I don’t know how, but we managed to miss the Northern Lights display which everyone else seemed to see that night.

The Captain was a little better next morning, and we set off in good time for Fradley Junction.

It was wash day, so as soon as I was aboard I disappeared below to sort it out. I was nearly done when the Captain shouted to say we had reached Fradley and I was needed to help moor up. We found a spot between 2 boats just before the little bridge at the end of the Coventry. It was slightly to short, but there was room for the other boats to move up a bit to let us in. I was just about to ask one of them to move when the boater in front announced he was just going, so no need to disturb the boat behind. We were soon in and enjoying our lunch.

The Swan, Fradley Junction

We decided to go out for tea and a pint at the Swan. Its been a while since we have eaten here and I was really looking forward to it. We sat outside in the sunshine and perused the menu. I was quite taken with the crab salad. Things went downhill however. When we went inside to find a table and place our order, most, if not all tables had reserved signs on them, although the times they were reserved for were a couple of hours away. I tried to ask one of the staff were we could sit and got a rude short answer, just to choose anywhere. The Captain wasn’t happy with her attitude, but I just put it down to her being busy. My salad came, and I can’t complain at the amount of crab, but the salad was a joke and really just lettuce, no tomato, cucumber or onion. I wasn’t happy and mentioned it to the same member of staff, her reply was short and very rude, basically its what you get, no form of apology, and then whilst I was still trying to talk to her she walked away. A loud ‘excuse me’ from me stopped her dead, but it didn’t improve her attitude, or my salad. I really spoiled the meal for me. I did complain to the manager before we left. But my meal was still ruined.

I mentioned it to a couple of people next day, and apparently a lot of others have had a similar experience. The beer and food were good, but they really need to address this member of staffs attitude.

In our first week cruising we have done 36 miles and 13 locks on 2 canals, for although the Coventry canal runs from, yes Coventry to Fradley Junction, part of it is also called the Birmingham and Fazeley canal. This is the explanation given on Wikipedia

‘The 5.5 mile stretch which extends northward beyond Fazeley Junction to Whittington, was built by the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Company, with the remainder of the route to Fradley Junction being built by the Trent and Mersey canal. Both sections used the route authorised by the Coventry Canal’s Act of Parliament, but although the Coventry Canal subsequently bought back the northern section from the Trent and Mersey canal, the southern section remained in the ownership of the Birmingham and Fazeley canal. However it is often regarded as being part of the Coventry canal.’