The weather again, but Weston to above Park Gate lock

We have my beloved M6 for company tonight ( I ride the blood bikes in and out of Birmingham from Stoke... I always think of the canal when it goes over the canal just before Penkridge.) The lovely days of sunshine forecast I posted a few days ago were a bit of a joke as the rain woke me early this morning and I'm a heavy sleeper. It continued to rain until gone 11, as we'd stopped short of yesterdays destination Canal plan said 6 hours to where we are now so I didn't want to leave departure too late. So I donned waterproofs and headed out and within 5 minutes it had stopped, I'll take that. 

Rain, then sunshine then winds then wind and rain then sunshine - good Uk autumnal weather 

As I was untying the ropes the boat started moving giving indication we had a boat approaching and sure enough one came around the bend so I held knowing they'd have Weston Lock, just good canal etiquette. I helped them through and turned the lock.

At Hoo Mill lock we met Lurcher the trip boat from Great Haywood doing their Saturday £25 a head fish and chip trip... not bad value given the price of fish and chips today !  Incidentally Lurcher used to run trips from Froghall basin in fact last seen there when I was coming out of the basin with two friends in 2017 on my retirement cruise. 

Lurcher on her way loaded with people munching fish and chips ! 

Just spotted a boat approaching Hoo Mill so we left it ready for them 

Then a gentle cruise round to Great Haywood, spotting Chugabug the Youtuber on the waterpoint, Garry the skipper looked quite pensive and a little sad, I hope all is ok.  

Tixall wide was full of boats but that was not our destination. The canal from the Sow aqueduct to almost Radford road bridge is really slow, shallow and very narrow as C&RT have not dealt with the reeds coming across the canal  - it was not a nice cruise and with lots of leaves off the trees quite a few reverses to clear the week hatch as all boater know how much they can slow a boat.

Looking back at the junction, a clean turn was made but this one os an easy one to turn into  - Rachel checked ahead to ensure no boats coming 

Lovely cruising towards the Sow aqueduct 

Leaving Tixall lock 

Over the Sow 

Then it all closed in !!

The clouds giving their intention to gather and wet us 

Approaching Deptmore lock a couple came out of the boat club and immediately held for us which was nice especially as the lock was empty so they had to turn it after us. Bit of positive payback from the start of our day.

Above the lock through Acton Trussell the heavens opened and the wind was getting up from the west. Umbrella up and on we went.  

I always think of my lads at Shut Hill lock as we had a lovely night fishing below it on our share boat Sylph many years ago. Also I think of Bruce and Shelia as this was the last time I saw them as we left the lock and they approached it. We were off to get blacked at Norbury and they were coming back from being blacked at the same place. 

The sun saw us to tonights mooring 

 

The two locks done and pleasingly a space above Park Gate lock for the night  - it also seems the old Midland Chandlers place has an open chandlery in it now, if they are open in the morning I may pop in ! 

A good challenging 6 hour cruise, hopefully the rest of the three days will be five hours and after tomorrow very few locks, of course all being well !

Went to the pub... so Stone to Weston

I was up late last night photoing the Northern Lights or Midland lights as there were. Sad thing was where we moored they were over the new housing estate below Meaford lock. It was quite sad to see people sitting in front of great big Tv's while nature was putting on such a great show, their loss.

Slowish start then this morning and our 9.30 departure was 10.15. It was cold overnight so we'd kept the stove in. Ice on the boat and mist on the canal.

We met boats coming up all four Stone locks. Roger Fuller is launching a butty the traditional side ways way tomorrow and there was a couple of old working boats up by his yard and we passed three more on their way. Their crews never seem 'happy' the crew we passed I'll save the boat name on one lock could hardly look at us   - maybe it is a Tony Redshaw thing,  Roger Fuller waved as we passed. I'd like to see the launch but our progress is constrained by hospital appointments. 

One of the old boats waiting for the services lock 

We had our first lock queue at Star lock of the trip so far. The bottom gate paddles on the lock by Stone boats were ridiculously stiff,  it took all my strength to open them very very slowly ! We stopped on the free water point below Star lock and Rachel went off to find a post office while I filled up, soon another boat arrived then another so I didn't dribble in rather shut off and by then Rachel had returned but not food shopped so we motored past the winding hole moored up and went looking for pub grub. We decided someone else could cook and wash up so tried the Star but no chef today. Not a lot open so we went to the Joules pub where I've been before and were warmly welcomed and had two small meals beer and wine all very nice.

It was gone 2pm by the time we had got back to the boat so we motored on meeting more boats than we've seen in a while, its a popular stretch for sure. Our target was Ingestre where there are two nice mooring  but if they were taken we'd have to motor on. It was dropping cold so we pulled in just past the pub bridge in Weston, only one other boat here.

Salt bridge

There is a rear snag at the lower Stone watering point took two scoops out of out blacking before I put measures on place 

Our  overnight stops have therefore changes a bit but still about 5 hours a day for the next four days all being well.

Swept the roof and vacuumed inside and now tea not beer while blogging.  

Was a long one but our choice ! Macclesfield canal to Stone

We've been watching the weather and the latest forecast gave us ambition to try and be back on our moorings by Tuesday next week. 

Today our plan A was the bottom of the Macclesfield canal to Etruria. Plan B was Barleston but we introduced a plan C when we hit Plan B and motored on to above the Stone locks. 

Got up at 6.45 am and the engine was lubed and running for 7.45 am and we cast off at 8.15 am. A lovely autumnal morning.

The workers using the A50 for their commute 

The last section of the Macclesfield 

The turn onto the Trent and Mersey needed a bit of reverse to avoid the moored boats on the other side of the junction 

My thinking was not many stop on the North tunnel moorings, more tend to stop at the south tunnel entrance so my planning was for them to be set off just after 8 and be arriving at the north end 8.45... I was spot on as we arrived there at 8.45am  a boat in front of us waiting to go through the tunnel and the first of two boats coming out of the tunnel from their 8am passage. 

Oxtail soup coloured canal 

It is a bit of a tight turn !

So we only had a 20 minute wait and  safety briefing. Alarmingly the tunnel keeper told of a recent rescue of a lady who for some unexplained reason decided to walk down the gunnel to get to the front of the boat and fell in  - she was sooo lucky she wasn't crushed or drowned ! 

Suitably briefed we followed the lead boat who didn't half crash into the entrance ... not ideal for confidence ! It's not a place for the faint hearted or those prone to panic attacks or claustrophobia. Rachel stayed inside with the cat and I had the company of my 240v work light that made the passage a lot easier than the last time. We set off 9.05 and was out 9.45 so a forty minute passage not too bad. It was cold and in the middle quite wet and low. I'd put the titch pipe on the hinged adaptor but we just cleared the gauge as we went in. With the 240v light I was able to take some video for posterity plus a few photos ...

The video is worth a watch to get the full experience of the middle of the tunnel  - 640 feet below the Harecastle Hill and 1.66 miles long ! 

Out the other side and it was a pleasant run to Stoke helped by mince pie and coffee with a tot of whisky in it to celebrate ! 

Looks like a solo run for them 

The canal is such a contract with on one side all new logistics warehouses and manufacturing companies in big new square boxes on the other side lots of derelict old pottery building... so sad to see  

Middleport pottery is still going 

Soon it was  the big Stoke Locks. We held in the top lock but the bottom gates were so leaky Rachel was descending well by the time I came back from emptying the cassette.  We met two boats on the way which helped the passage. 

Stoke bottom lock 

Then it was a cruise out of Stoke towards Trentham lock. We had a boat pick us up as we approached and on working the lock with the lock lady she said they'd got stuck in the Etruria staircase lock last night for half an hour. She could not open the middle gate and her partner was on the boat steering one armed as he had a broken arm in plaster. She had to get help from the C&RT yard staff and a 'large' ( her words) male dog walker.

Why the canal is here  - Wedgewood - click the photo and you'll see Rachel is cruising past the Wedgewood factory. Josia Wedgewood wanted his ceramics to have a better mode of transport than horse and cart and James Brindley build the canal to connect the inland port of Shardlow to the Mersey. It  was designed in 1766!

It was such a nice afternoon when we hit Barlaston at 2.30 we decided to motor on down the Meaford flight which all needed turning but at 4pm we moored up just before bridge 96a.

The section to Meaford is always a joy to cruise 

The roof was a bit messy as you can see ... from the carbon out of the chimney not helped by the titch pipe in the tunnel. The rope had picked it up so my hands resembled a coal miners ! So on mooring I washed the centre line rope in a bucket and washed the roof and solar panel. 

Baked spuds and a crumble I made while Rachel was in the bath !! Eaten now and quite tired.