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One of the seemingly many meetings
we have with boats at bridge holes - I had to let this one through
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With abysmal weather
forecast for Monday we decided to move on Sunday. The aim was to get beyond Great Haywood to a
short stretch of Armco out in the open countryside. We
didn’t set out until 11.30 by which time all the other boats moored with us,
except the ccers, had long since left on their travels.
I have to admit that I
felt quite cold when I took Buddy out for his first walk and so we decided to
keep the stove on tick over all day. Not
only that, I put on a thermal top as I knew I’d be standing on the back of the
boat without moving for most of the day; it must be psychological, but I felt
it was colder than many winter days. I
suspect it’s because you expect it to be cold in the winter but not at the end
of April.
We were soon going through
Armitage (home of Armitage Shanks) and passing the stockpiles of porcelain
toilets. I have refrained from including
a picture of them this time as I think it probably only interests Aileen and
she has seen them many times herself as well as pictures from each time we’ve
gone past (sorry Aileen 😊).
Just outside Armitage we
passed Celtic Kiwi with Roger and Heather on board having a coffee break:
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A little further on was
the old tunnel whose roof has been removed.
It is only wide enough for one boat and as there is a bend at one end
you cannot see if a boat is coming the other way. It’s fine if you have crew because they can
go ahead and check, but the last couple of times I came through I was on my
own. That meant mooring up, running down
the towpath, checking there was nothing coming and then running back to get
through as quickly as possible 😊
Today was fine as Karen was off the boat with Buddy and went ahead to phone me when it was OK to go.
Today was fine as Karen was off the boat with Buddy and went ahead to phone me when it was OK to go.
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The narrows
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Another shot of the
narrows with Buddy walking ahead
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We were soon approaching
Rugeley with its four distinctive cooling towers that can be seen for miles
around. There are quite a few bridges on
the way into town and, although there were few boats on the move, we seemed to
meet one at every bridge, so someone has to give way.
We moored at the visitor
moorings in Rugeley and had lunch before popping into the Tesco by the canal
for a few provisions.
Karen had walked the five
miles to Rugeley and was able to get some good pictures of the mileposts I
mentioned yesterday. Although we have
travelled the 93 ½ mile length of the Trent & Mersey several times and
therefore probably seen all the mileposts there are some we still haven’t taken
pictures of. Also, many of the existing
pictures are blurry and need replacing.
The canal was opened in
1777, but the mileposts weren’t installed until 1819 and they were cast by the
Rougeley & Dixon foundry in Stone (half way along the canal), hence the ‘R
& D Stone 1819’ plate on the originals that remain:
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| These posts will be 200 years old next year! |
To celebrate the canal’s
bi-centenary in 1977 the Trent & Mersey Canal Society (T&MCS) arranged
for new mileposts to be installed where the originals had gone missing.
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A replacement milepost
with the inscription ‘T&MCS 1977’
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Each replacement milepost was
sponsored by private benefactors or local companies or both. Plates can be found at the bottom of the
posts with inscriptions about the sponsorship.
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The inscription from the
post above reading, ‘This milepost was donated and unveiled by Owen and Bob Hall
for the joys of boating’. Further plates
can be seen with the mileposts on our ‘Mile markers’ tab.
Soon after leaving Rugeley
the canal goes over the River Trent and for most of the journey up to
Stoke-on-Trent the river runs alongside the canal. The trees growing between the canal and
river provide shady and damp conditions which are ideal for wild garlic. Consequently, cruising at this time of year
means you are often accompanied by the wonderful smell of wild garlic. It is especially rife up at the far end of
the canal between Anderton and Preston Brook.
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Cruising over the River
Trent
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We were soon going past
Shuckburgh Hall at Great Haywood. This
is a popular spot for boaters and there were a dozen or so boats moored up
already but we wanted to carry on for a couple of miles or so before stopping
for the day.
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Approaching Haywood lock
with its quaint stone bridge
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From Haywood onwards, the
River Trent is gentle and makes ideal spots for children (and adults 😉)
to go paddling. Even Buddy has been
known to go in on very hot days to cool his feet.
There are also many boats
moored above the lock as it is Great Haywood junction. This is where the Staffordshire &
Worcestershire canal heads all the way down to the River Avon at Worcester.
STOP PRESS: Alf has pointed out that it's the River Severn at Worcester, not the River Avon - sorry for the typo!
STOP PRESS: Alf has pointed out that it's the River Severn at Worcester, not the River Avon - sorry for the typo!
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Pretty towpath bridge at
the junction
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The last lock of the day
was Hoo Mill lock complete with its own stanking plank shelter and milepost. All the stanking plank shelters on the Trent
& Mersey that we have seen are open and have shallow sloping corrugated
roofs.
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We moored at a place
called Ingestre which is a strange looking word but pronounced Ingister. We were going to moor further on but this
spot is quiet enough and we were on our own.
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Moored at the pleasantly
named Pasturefields bridge at Ingestre
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We travelled 11 miles
through three locks on Sunday and didn’t get rained on all day 😊
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Where we’ve been since Karen
stopped working a week ago
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