Burston by boat before the big blow

Ok, so I'll never write headlines for the Sun - thankfully.

The weather forecast is more of a best guess at the moment. After it was wrong yesterday, today was supposed to be showers early afternoon, which has turned into heavy rain after 7pm and 75mph winds in the night.

My planning via CanalPlanAC was to get to Burston today. Based on the weather forecast last night we left early and got the best of the days weather with blue skies on the lovely stretch between the pig farm and great Haywood and beyond. Thos who boat in this area will know Colwich lock can get queues as it is a very long pound between it and Woodend with a marina and a few long term moorers plus leisure spots. I recall we were in a 6-7 boat queue last time we came this way. Today  - we had it all to ourselves !

Before that we had a sublime cruise from our overnight mooring.

The pig farm moorings

The Taft - Boaters Christian fellowship with their boat Maid of Oak for sale   

Stunning cruising 

The mooring below Haywood lock were almost empty. We had half a plan to stop and take on water but a boater was across both berths so we plodded on to Hoo Mill lock.

The last few times we have come this way we have turned here. There were quite a few Anglo Welsh boats out.

We got recognised (well Percy did ) by this boater, Mr Jarrett. He had a good chat with Rachel, he told her he used to own Russell Newbury and he had lived on his boat for 24 year and said he planned to die on it.... literally a die hard boater, it was good to meet you sorry we did not get your first name. 

Rachel chatting at more locks  !

I always feel sorry for Weston boat services  - in our shared boat years when we came past his house and wharf they were in the middle of the country...

..... now they are surrounded by new housing

This one is for my niece..... Laura-Jo

Another memory. We came this way and met my youngest son Callum who drove over to see us in my car using my fuel bringing my cheque book to write three cheques out for his uni accommodation and we paid for his meal. £100,000 per child I am advised

It gets a bit twisty out of Weston 

It got quite windy - force three based on the flags - read here and I'll reference it later 

This is the lock cottage at Sandon - I enquired about it just after it was sold by BW, pleased we did not get it as the road is a real race track 

Sandon lock is a deep lock  not quite 10 foot 

The met office have given out an amber alert for wind in the small hours of Wednesday. My plan was to moor opposite the cottages after upper Burston bridge but there are trees there so we stopped short of the bridge hopefully using the cover of the large hedge overnight.

We were planning to eat at the Greyhound inn tonight, but the rain was set to arrive 6 ish so we showered and changed and got there at 2.20  - they still served us a nice meal despite closing for food at 2.30  - we have used this pub before and will again - a week tomorrow if all goes well when we (I) make the return trip .

I clocked a man with two greyhounds in the bar and after ordering food went over an introduced myself to Ralph who is a boater and who had blogged in the past. We had a good chat, he met up with Mandy my neighbour at Hunts lock when she came this way earlier in the year. It was good to finally meet up and have a chat.

So the rain is hammering down hard now and we have just had our cheese and biscuits with  a small amount of wine.... lets see how bad the night is!!