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.