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.