Day 30 - Barton under Needwood to Willington

Set off mid-morning as it was raining but forecast to stop and went through Barton Lock in peaceful solitude.

Going down in Barton Lock

I'd seen nb Mercury going past while moored at Barton, so dropped in for a coffee with Mick and Sue Gavigan at Shobnall Marina, then bought a few things at the small but thoroughly stocked chandlery.  Including a special sponge, made in Germany which cleans glass in wood burners without the use of water.

Just after Shobnall, there were a group of young men by the canal in bathing gear and one swimming in the canal - I skirted round him extremely carefully and called to make sure he kept well clear of the prop.  It was a very warm day with people out walking, cycling and just sitting watching the boats.  

Dallow Lock

Willington was quite festive, with crowds of people sitting outside at the canalside pubs, eating and drinking.  I'd expected no space for mooring, but wound through the lines of boats and found space at the marina end of the village - and slept well in spite of the noisy railway line next door.

Day 29 - Handsacre to Barton under Needwood

After a full English, Pete left and I set off solo again for the home stretch back to Sawley - going down in the locks this way, so relatively easy compared to going up.  Rain was forecast, so I wanted to get through the river section at Alrewas which can be closed if the river level is high.  It didn't seem likely, but I didn't want to risk being held up this side of Alrewas.  By lunchtime I was at the services at Fradley Junction and had time for a quick sandwich.  There were CRT volunteers on four of the Fradley locks and since it was quiet, a kind volunteer walked ahead and worked the fifth lock for me so I could stay on the boat.

At Bagnall lock, just before Alrewas, I couldn't get the lower gates to stay closed and recruited two passing walkers to lean on the gates so that I could fill the lock - fortunately they were delighted to help.  At Alrewas lock itself, a woman in a moored boat rushed up with a windlass, offering to work the lock for me.  People really are very helpful and friendly on the waterways.

Through the river section and Cow Bridge with its narrow and tricky way through, then on to Barton and a mooring for the night just by the entrance to the marina.

Day 28 - Great Haywood to Handsacre

Pete and Ray

A great day with Ray, lovely sunshine but not too hot and at his request he steered and we crewed.  He says it's a treat to be at the tiller, because normally when he's on a boat he's training.  We did 10 miles, to Handsacre,  where Ray gave Pete a lift back to his car.

Day 27 - Stone to Great Haywood

A sunny day and a short day's boating, passing south through the pretty village of Weston upon Trent and mooring just after the entrance to Great Haywood Marina. Next to bridge 74 is Canalside, an excellent farm shop and cafe attached to the marina, selling a fantastic range of British cheeses, sausages and pies and the usual biscuits as well as their own range of preserves. We stocked up and Pete got a taxi to collect his car from Church Minshull, then we filled up with water and used the Elsan (by the way, not a very clean facility!) at the Anglo-Welsh boatyard.

We then moored and got an early night, as in the morning Pete was picking up our friend Ray Cullis of Trent Boathandling to spend a day's boating with us.

Day 26 - Trentham to Stone

Early morning - bridge near Wedgwood factory

Early morning - Blue Adeline

A day of extremely heavy rain, long queues and hours waiting to descend the two flights of locks at Meaford and Stone.  We found out why mid-morning; a 76-year old woman had unfortunately slipped while opening a lock gate at Stone and had fallen into the lock.  She'd been quickly pulled out by onlookers, but had needed urgent medical attention at the scene before being transferred to hospital.

Day 25 - Bosley to Trentham Lock via Harecastle Tunnel

Blue Adeline went through the first lock at Bosley, turned in the winding hole and returned down the lock saying goodbye to Jane and Mike.  We aimed to get through the 1.6 mile Harecastle Tunnel that afternoon and on southward towards Stoke on Trent.  By midday we were in the queue for the tunnel being briefed by the CRT supervisors on whether our roof box would need to be removed (no, luckily) and procedure and safety for travelling through: switch on internal lights; watch out for the lower middle section and don't crack your head (!); keep a good distance from the boat in front.

In the queue for the Harecastle Tunnel

It was fortunate that we were following another boat, because as in most canal tunnels there's absolutely no light inside the tunnel except the boat's headlight pointing at the tunnel roof, the light through the portholes and the handheld torch we had on the deck.  We took turns steering and followed the light from the boat ahead - it seemed a long way ahead - to keep us straight, this being difficult to gauge otherwise.  The lower middle section was also difficult to detect, but we kept checking with the torch and you certainly do need to keep your head down. After about 35 minutes, we could see the doors ahead and the light outside and hear the ventilator fans and were soon out (relief!).

South exit, Harecastle Tunnel - looks kinda innocuous…  The 3 chains in the doorway show the profile of the middle, lower section of the tunnel

Boatyard near Stoke

One of many pottery buildings on the canal - this is still operating...

… this isn't.. but still imposing

A bottle kiln - one of 47 still standing - in which pots were fired

Canalside mural

Bottle kilns at dusk

Art on a railway bridge

Day 24 - Congleton to Bosley

Morning shopping in Congleton and a light lunch at The Young Pretender a rather wonderful bar and cafe selling a huge range of beers and serving excellent food.  Then up to just below Bosley locks for the night and a farewell supper on Romajech before parting the following day.

Day 23 - Kidsgrove to Congleton

After a longish wait to fill up with water at Red Bull services and a so-so lunch at the nearby Red Bull Hotel we just managed to sneak through the final lock before turning onto the looping aqueduct back over the Trent and Mersey which leads to Manchester and the north via the Macclesfield Canal.  Two CRT workmen in a work barge told us that they were about to close the lock for essential repairs to the gates.

Blue Adeline at Red Bull services

Avoiding the work barge and making the tight right hand turn under the bridge into the Macclesfield turned out a bit tricky for Jan steering Blue Adeline and Pete had to jump off the bow and pull her round.  Then after a short and narrow section, another right hand turn and we were on the aqueduct itself, looking down on the canal beneath.  In a little while, the picturesque Hall Green stop lock with a rise of just 1'.

Mike on Romajech at Hall Green lock

Jane working the lock

The Macclesfield was one of the later canals to be built, completed in 1831 and just over 26 miles long linking the Trent and Mersey in the south to the Peak Forest Canal in the north.  The Macclesfield Canal Society have a comprehensive website giving the history including a fascinating contemporary account of the opening ceremony.

A feature of the canal are the elegant 'snake' bridges, built in stone and designed to allow horses to change towpath from one side to the other.

Snake bridge, showing towpath route for horse - up right hand side, over bridge and down left hand side without detaching rope

A few miles north of Hall Green is the arrestingly gothic Ramsdell Hall, just to the right of the canal - in fact the hall's railings run along the towpath seeming to enclose the canal within the hall's grounds.

The canal skirts the western edge of the Peak District and lower Pennines and appears to be travelling uphill, because the views all around are of hills, particularly Mow Cop and The Cloud.  The major rise of 118' isn't until the Bosley flight of 12 locks north of Congleton.  This is where we planned to separate, Romajech continuing north to Manchester and the Bridgewater Canal back to Church Minshull and Blue Adeline returning to Kidsgrove and through Harecastle Tunnel en route to Sawley. 

Day 22 - Hassall Green to Kidsgrove

It promised to be a hot and long day with 14 uphill locks ahead - and we were joined for the day by Mike's son James and 3 year old grandson William.  William, attired in buoyancy vest and captain's hat, wanted to be involved with every aspect of working the locks and his enthusiasm for the "BOAT!" helped everyone keep calm and carry on. We got into an efficient routine, with "Shannon Pit" (Jan and Pete) getting the locks ahead ready while Jane and James looked after the lower locks and supervised the young trainee and Mike steered Romajech.

We moored near Kidsgrove, just below the CRT services at the Red Bull flight of locks. Mike's special wok-fried sausage and egg supper, cooked and eaten by the towpath rounded off a successful and enjoyable day.

Day 21 - Middlewich to Hassall Green

At Middlewich, the canal meets up with the Trent & Mersey again and we turned right to go south towards Sandbach and Kidsgrove.  This section runs through areas where there were many salt mines and subsidence means that the canal bed has sunk and the banks have constantly had to be raised.  As a result, the canal is a lot deeper than normal.

At Wheelock there are CRT services and we passed several moored boats including a rather tatty cruiser with two men in the stern.  As we started up the Wheelock flight of 8 'paired' (that is, single locks set side by side) locks Blue Adeline went aground on the cill coming out of one lock. We'd never experience this before and were at a loss to know what to do, trying three of us at once on the bow to float her off but to no avail - she was stuck!

A passer-by went for help and the two men from the cruiser came and made various suggestions, but they'd obviously been imbibing during the day and couldn't think or talk straight. Fortunately, the owner of the lock side cottage appeared and sensibly advised that we must let water out of the lock above to refloat the boat.  However as he was directing us, the two drunks became incensed that he'd taken over their (to them) starring role in our rescue and started abusing him. At the same time, they were attempting to bring their cruiser up the second of the paired locks, but in such a shambolic fashion that they managed to wrench the aerial off its roof.  The situation became even more farcical when Mike remonstrated with them and they turned on him (but kept a safe distance, on the other side of the lock).  Much shouting and swearing across the lock followed, including threats to kill Mike, to which he simply said "Come on, then" as befitted an East Ender and someone who as a small boy had once been ticked off by Ronnie Kray for trying to 'protect' his car.  The drunks then immediately started to apologise and hopped around even more precariously as they tried to retrieve their boat from the lock.

Meanwhile, Blue Adeline was afloat at last and proceeding up the flight, followed by Romajech. At the top, we found a quiet spot and moored for the night, grateful for the chance to wind down after all the excitement.

Day 20 - Church Minshull to Middlewich

Set off mid-morning with the plan of travelling clockwise round the Four Counties Ring, as Blue Adeline was en route back to Sawley that way - and exploring the Macclesfield Canal together, as none of us had been there before.  Romajech might then continue up the Macclesfield into Manchester and back home via the Bridgewater Canal (often called Britain's first canal).

Stopped at Middlewich for the night and dinner at The White Bear (for Pete's birthday, again!).

Day 18 & 19 - Audlem to Church Minshull

The plan for the next stage of the Ring was for Jan to continue on the Shropshire Union and then northeast to Aqueduct Marina at Church Minshull to meet Pete and join our intrepid friends Jane and Mike of Romajech for a few days' boating together.  This first meant Jan going solo to Barbridge, the junction of the northwest bound Shropshire Union with its northeasterly Middlewich Branch.  From Barbridge, Jane would help crew Blue Adeline the two locks and few miles to Aqueduct Marina.

So, the first obstacle was getting out of the marina.  Overwater is known as 'the windy marina' (which marina isn't?) and Tuesday morning was moderately breezy with the wind direction at right angles to the exit. So the strategy was: back off the mooring pontoon,  turn smartly into the wind and steer until level with the exit, then do a wide turn aiming slightly to the right of the exit to allow for some drift.  A bit nail-biting, but it worked and no scrapes this time.

The excitement required an early cuppa and the perfect spot is on the right between bridges 83 and 84 where the Shropshire Union Canal Society have arranged mooring rings, picnic tables and neatly mown grass, with a lovely view of the countryside.  It was hot, so I sat under a tree and enjoyed coffee and an emergency biscuit.

Next were the two locks at Hack Green, site of a former secret nuclear bunker.  At the first lock I could see no-one about, so got the boat in and was just about to open the bottom paddles when a lugubrious face appeared over the wall.  "You've been ages in that lock, what are you doing?" he said, "I've been waiting below for you to come out".  This couldn't possibly have been true, but he was determined to be grumpy (he and the parrot both) and urged me back onto the boat so he could work the lock and "show me how it should be done".  Once one bottom gate was open - and he was far from lithe - he lept over the gap between the opened gate and the closed one, rather than walking round the lock.

Cruising through lovely countryside and in wonderful warm sunshine, arrived at Nantwich and tied up for the night on decent municipal moorings just before the aqueduct and walked into town to look round.

Moored in front was a couple with two dogs, a collie and a terrier, and a large brown cat.  All animals disembarked together in the morning and settled down on the towpath for a nap.  The cat, evidently a boater of many years' experience, regarded other dogs out for morning walks with complete nonchalance.  If one investigated a bit too closely, the cat simply puffed itself up and the dog swiftly retreated.

Onwards to Barbridge Junction, again with lovely scenery either side of the canal and passed at Hurleston the entrance to the Llangollen Canal with its imposing lock gates - and met Jane and Mike walking down the towpath to meet me.  We said hello over a canalside drink at The Olde Barbridge Inn and then Jane and I took Blue Adeline the few miles and two locks along the Middlewich Branch to Church Minshull.  After buying supplies at Nantwich - by car this time - Pete arrived in time for his birthday supper on Romajech.

Days 15, 16, 17 - Overwater Marina, Audlem

Audlem was congested even in late June, with queues of two or three boats waiting to go through locks and, in places, lines of moored boats on either side of the canal.  The brisk breeze gave opportunities to practise steering and a few anxious moments waiting for boats coming the other way while the wind threatened to blow us onto the moored boats.  A small cruiser narrowly escaped.

The wind blew up even more as we approached the sharp and narrow left turn into Overwater Marina.  Thank goodness for steel hulls - only a small graze this time.  The staff there took us under their wings and not only filled up with diesel but steered us onto a mooring with hookup, where we planned to stay a couple of nights to catch up with clothes washing and just have a breather.  Overwater turned out to be exceptionally well run and beautifully sited and the staff without exception were helpful, friendly and happy to share their knowledge.  It was full of flag irises in bloom, swallows and house martins and careful design of pontoons so it doesn't appear crowded.  There's also a nice cafe and an RNLI staffed launch, Audlem Lass, which takes passengers into Audlem on weekends and bank holidays for a small donation.

Blue Adeline at Overwater Marina

Denis left on Sunday morning to go back to work on Monday and Jan spent a couple of days doing chores.  The neighbouring couple had a large red and green parrot, which they'd inherited from a niece who'd emigrated, perhaps to escape the parrot.  He was grumpy because he wasn't allowed out of the cage, as he had a liking for gnawing the woodwork.  He also was a one person bird, the man explained, and that person at present was his wife who had the task of encouraging the parrot into its carrying basket.  If things didn't go well, she would wrap the reluctant animal in a blanket and hope for the best.  Meanwhile, her husband retreated to the back deck.

Day 14 - Market Drayton to Audlem

A day of locks - there are 5 at Adderley and then 15 more at Audlem and we planned to stop somewhere in the middle of the Audlem flight if we could find a mooring, then finish the flight the following day before staying at Overwater Marina for a couple of days.

At Adderley, there is a farm shop kiosk by the last lock selling bacon, sausages, black pudding and pork pies, all home made or cured and packed neatly into cold packs.  There were also apple pies, carrots, free range eggs and various jams and preserves, all priced and with an honesty box to put the money in. Boaters we met there said it was the best bacon and black pudding they'd ever had, so we stocked up.  It did turn out to be wonderfully tasty stuff.

Farm kiosk with honesty box, Adderley locks

11 locks into the Audlem flight, after the Adderley 5 locks we felt completely exhausted and found a spot to moor up by Audlem village (not for nothing are these flights collectively known as 'Heartbreak Hill').  The so-called 'Shroppie Shelf' is a concrete ledge projecting out from the bank in most places on the Shropshire Union even in some authorised mooring places and Blue Adeline must have a deeper draught than some, because it rubs her undersides in a nasty way when moored up and the go-kart tyres we'd brought just weren't wide enough to offer protection.  However, we moored up late enough for most boats to have passed and planned to be off tomorrow early to avoid too much damage.  

Both Adderley and Audlem locks are single narrow locks, which look deceptively straightforward but often have powerful bywashes.  Go slow out of the bottom gates and the bywash effect has longer to force the boat sideways; go faster and there's the risk of hitting the bank with a thwack or even going aground where the bywash has eroded the bank on the towpath side.  We did both.

Leaving a lock at Audlem

Audlem village is very attractive, close to the canal and including the famous pub the 'Shroppie Fly' which refers to the working boats which with 4 crew and the horse, used to work 24 hours up and down the canal carrying perishable goods (therefore needing to 'fly').

The Shroppie Fly

Next door is Audlem Mill Shop which sells an amazing variety of needlecraft supplies, kits and handmade goods plus an excellent range of canal related books.  There's also a pretty lock cottage.

Day 13 - Gnosall to Market Drayton

We got off early, planning to stop at Norbury Junction, where the branch from Newport used to meet the Shropshire Union, to fill up - water, diesel, breakfast - and throw out - rubbish, Elsan.  It turned out to be a disappointment, rather tawdry and disorganised so after a quick bite to eat at the cafe and a wait for the water point we went on.  The next section is particularly beautiful, through deep and densely wooded cuttings filled with dog roses, wild honeysuckle and the scent of elderflowers alternating with views over open countryside.

Dog roses and rolling countryside

The Kathleen Mary, with interesting cabin and gold-leaf figurehead!

At Newport Road Bridge is a former chocolate factory, alas no longer producing, but once sending chocolate via canal to Bournville.  Outside are moored two venerable working boats.

The old chocolate factory, with an ex-working boat

We saw a kingfisher sitting completely still on a branch, about 10' from the boat and level with the deck.  The next day, we saw another, also sitting perfectly still.  Normally they fly rapidly off as soon as anything approaches; they are obviously very used to boats here.

A few miles farther was the 1-mile long Woodseaves cutting, which the guide says is "very narrow, there is not always room to pass another craft".  The "not always" was alarming… what would happen if we met another craft at one of those places!  However, a couple who'd come through the other way assured us that we'd be able to see oncoming boats and there were regular passing places.  It IS definitely narrow, with the towpath on our left and the red rock face often coming right down to the water on our right.  It's also a lovely place, cool and green with bridges towering above.

It's narrow!  Woodseaves Cutting

We saw two boats coming the other way and with enough of a view, were able to find slightly wider places to stop while they passed.

Careful steering

Soon after leaving Woodseaves are the five locks at Tyrley, again cut into the rock and with fierce bywashes flowing into the small pounds between each lock.  At number 2, we saw a man winding something and assumed another boat was coming up but he turned out to be fishing for windlasses with a huge magnet on a string so he could sell them for £4 each.

Emerging from the last lock at Tyrley

Day 12 - Wheaton Aston to Gnosall

Lock keeping - the Wheaton Aston goose

Emerging from the short but impressive Cowley Tunnel

After mooring for the night at Gnosall, we heard a boat go past late in the evening and looking out saw narrowboat Wand'ring Bark towing The Jam Butty.  They're owned by a couple who make jams and pickles from the hedgerow fruits they find along the canal side and sell them at canal festivals, fairs and farm shops.

Day 11 - Autherley Junction to Wheaton Aston

The day started with drama, as Jan joined another crew to save 6 tiny ducklings from being crushed in the stop lock.  Then Blue Adeline started northwards on the 'Shroppie', which has an immediately evident character of its own - wider, straighter and generally grander than earlier canals, thanks to Thomas Telford who opened this section in 1830 to connect Liverpool and Birmingham.  The day was alternately chilly and sunny as has been the case for most of the journey.

Avenue Bridge no. 10, locally known as 'Fancy Bridge'

Nearly teatime for the Tilley girl

The attractive village of Brewood, pronounced 'brewed', was next, for a walk and lunch.  It has a deli with all kinds of interesting food, a couple of pubs, cafes and a proper hardware shop, selling a variety of items including a tiny brush for cleaning out teapot spouts which Jan bought (tea being a boaters' essential nutrient).

Hardware shop, Brewood

Brewood village centre

At Brewood Wharf, a short way north of the village Countrywide Cruisers have an Elsan point and other facilities so for payment of a small fee we were able at last to empty the cassettes

On a straight stretch, a solitary narrowboat was moored on the right, which we started to pass at our customary polite tickover speed.  A man appeared and yelled "Go aaaahn!  Open 'er up, rock the boat! I'm sick to death of socialist Guardian readers!".  Jan grinned and said "That's us" and he roared back "Teachers, are you teachers?"

A bit further on, the canal crosses the A5 Watling Street on a little aqueduct with curious pepperpot towers.

And passes through many cuttings with banks of enormous oaks and other trees, sometimes meeting overhead.

We planned to find a spot just before the village of Wheaton Aston to moor for the night.  Seeing a boat moored up we went in just ahead, but as we did the sound of a wobbly recorder and the pungent scent of patchouli filled the cut. Reeling from sudden flashbacks to loon pants, Indian thong sandals and Vashti Bunyan ballads we hurriedly moved a bit further on.

Day 10 - to Autherley Junction

Our last day on the Staffs and Worcs, before turning onto the Shropshire Union at Autherley Junction.  Walked into the village of Coven for coffee and a teacake at the cafe and shopping at the Co-op, then back on the boat and onto the final section to Autherley, marked on the guide as a "very narrow cutting" known as Pendeford Rockin - a bit like the rural roads in Scotland, except the passing places here are cut into the rock face.  Fortunately we didn't need to test the width, with no boats oncoming.

Pendeford Rockin

A sharp right turn under a bridge and into a 'stop lock' of only 6" fall with a tollkeeper's cottage, to slow up boats long enough so the canal company could collect their fee. This  took us onto the Shropshire Union and an overnight mooring at Napton Narrowboats - unfortunately no Elsan disposal (despite what the guide says) at the junction so we had to drink sparingly...it does get a bit edge of seat when both toilet cassettes are nearly full. Denis has decided it is finally time to fund installation of a pump-out loo… result!

Day 9 - Penkridge to Moat House Bridge No. 74

Continuing on the southwards section of the Four Counties Ring towards Wolverhampton, we set off from our overnight mooring outside Penkridge to tackle the two locks in Penkridge and four more in quick succession.  Some of the lock entrances are difficult to gauge, particularly if they have a powerful bywash, a channel diverting water around the lock to control water levels, coming in from the left. We worked out a solution: steer at a 45 degree angle to the lock entrance until the last minute, then smartly bring the tiller over to the left and straighten up to go into the lock.

Oh no, we can't look… stuck on the corner again

The bridges here can be tricky too, some angled in such a way to trap a 55' boat in the subsequent left-handed curve - Jan got caught once and had to reverse to get around the bend.  Another bridge was angled left and so low that Denis had to crouch down to avoid being hit on the head. All good practice, though!

Working a gate paddle

Brick Kiln Lock

Waiting to ascend Gailey Top Lock, another boat emerged from the lock gates and stopped under the bridge for what seemed like ages - then an anguished shriek was heard "Tony, I need you here and I need you now!".  The unfortunate Tony scuttled down the slope to join the boat, probably wishing he were miles away.

Gailey is pretty with its old canal buildings, including a spectacular tollkeeper's watchtower.

Day 8 - Weeping Cross to Penkridge

The village of Acton Trussell welcomes careful boaters

A mile or two further on, the canal runs under the M6 motorway

The approach to Longford lock, showing the narrow lock entrance on the left under the bridge and the steps up to the lock gate machinery alongside on the right

Day 7 - Little Haywood to Weeping Cross

Soon after setting off from Colwich Lock, we stopped again for a short walk to Great Haywood village and a look at Essex Bridge, the rather gothic and impressive footbridge over the River Sow to Shugborough Park.

Essex Bridge

Then, at last, we started on the Four Counties Ring properly, with a tight left-handed turn through the steeply cobbled bridge 109 onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal!

Bridge 109 - view from the north side

Denis - another tough day on the canals

This new canal almost immediately opened into an expanse of water called Tixall Wide - as the guide says "an amazing and delightful stretch of water, more resembling a lake than a canal" and known for its kingfishers.  To the south were views of the densely wooded Cannock Chase, altogether a magical place.  It was very windy and gusty, though and steering was difficult at times so we were pleased to find an overnight mooring at Stafford Boat Club, in the suburb of Stafford known as Weeping Cross.