5th Oct. '12

We're at Alrewas, and going to have another Indian meal tonight - the one the other night was excellent but I swore that we would stop and have another one here since this is where we were after my 'fall' last trip. The Dansak was to die for....

The journey today has been uneventful and full of shared memories of the places we've been past before. I went below to make a drink after getting through the first lock of the day just after Little Haywood and when I brought it back up, John greeted me by saying that 15seconds after I went down, he saw a kingfisher. I looked and looked but didn't see one. Then again he spotted one that I missed and although I searched the reeds it had flown into I didn't see it. Finally though I did spot one, fleeting it's true but still very special.

Fradley was as quiet as I'd ever seen it - I was filled with admiration for a young chap who was steering a long, old working boat in the junction at Fradley. He absolutely had it perfect and turned it without getting near knocking anything although space was tight. The older man on board at the bow told me he'd been doing it since he was 7 and was pretty good by now. Also very kind on the eyes ladies - no photo as it would have been a bit obvious, just believe me!

We did exactly 6 hours today, the same as yesterday and tomorrow we'll be home.

looking down from Middle Lock to Junction Lock - the boats you can see are all moored there permanently - the telling bit is that there are no boats in the middle of the pound - you can just see the old boat (with fit helmsman) coming out of the lock in the distance.

This is the view looking out through Pendlebury Rocking (I seem to be having some luck with pictures so will add a few backdated ones - not necessarily in order)

Not what you expect to see in a lock! this is Watling Street crossing the Staffs and Worcs canal and I'm obviously about to go down under the bridge - I just couldn't resist this!

This is also next to the lock by Watling Street - there's a small gift shop on the ground floor - didn't realise it was there until I was in the lock so I didn't go in to see what they sold.

You can just see the blue motorway sign - this is the M6 that runs parallel to the canal for a mile or so. I can't believe we've never seen a boat while we've been travelling along the road! Just goes to show how little we see of what's around us when we're driving - even in the motor home where you get to see a lot more because of being that much higher.

At the side of the lock there is a passage-way, where the horses would have been led to rejoin the canal on the other side of the lock. Have you noted how blue the skies are in these photos - it was 3rd and a lovely day although this was when I was doing my Margaret Rutherford impersonation and running a temperature so not really enjoying it as much as I could have.

Here's the M6 crossing the canal - I have a feeling that we might have noticed this on the southbound journey but never spotted it going north.

As a contrast to the previous picture, just after that motorway bridge we went under this one - so elegant I thought.

Another bridge that came as a bit of a surprise - it's rather like the snake bridges on the Macclesfield but not quite the same design.

This is the same bridge from the other side of the bridge - the surface would have been stepped like this so that the horses wouldn't slip while going up the slope.

We're up to yesterday (4th) now - this sign was over the door of the former lock-keepers cottage by the lock - note the precision - not just miles but furlongs as well!

This was the opposite side of the lock and John was investigating an old mile-stone - we saw none of these anywhere else along the canal.

Some canals have their bridges named, some have them numbered - the Staffs and Worcs has both! very impressive and they are ALL like this!

This is Tixall Wide - there are 2 possible explanations for this - one is that the landowner only agreed for the canal to go across his land if they dug it out to look like a lake and the other is that the builders made use of a pre-existing lake when digging the canal. Take your pick!

You can see Lady Arwen just mooring up on the right there - we haven't seen them today. It transpires that they shared locks with Norwyn and Sheila so we've been looking out for them to pass on best wishes. The canal community is surprisingly small considering how many of us there are!

Here's Great Haywood Junction - the boat on the left has pulled in for a pump-out and I think they are very brave - lots of hire boats come through here! This is the northern end of the Staffs and Worcs where it joins the Trent and Mersey - back on home ground for us.

 

Back to the Llangollen - here we are crossing the River Dee on the Aqueduct.

This is the slow boat in front of us entering the junction at Trevor - it's a very tight fit and for quite a stretch beyond it's very narrow - heaven knows what you do if something else is coming the other way as there's nowhere for pedestrians to go to look-out!

Llangollen hosts the National Eisteddfod and this is the entrance to it.

This seems to be the extent of my adding photos tonight, but I feel it was a success, especially compared to recent attempts. Hope you've enjoyed them!