We got to Autherley junction without much drama and found a boat in front of us, in fact it's a boat that we've been in front of or behind for the last few days but they were up before us (probably most are) and beat us to it. Strangely after the first horrible scraping sounds from the first boat that went past yesterday, nothing else seemed to affect us.
John was told a boat was coming but by the time it arrived we could have got through at least twice! The lock is only 6" so it's not as if we'd be using much water!
After the junction it's a sharp left hand turn to go up the Staffs and Worcs and luckily there was nothing coming either way so it was easy. Shortly after the turn you come to something called the Pendeford Rockin' which is a magic name I think. What it actually is, is a length of very narrow canal with stone up the side. It's actually the same rock that we saw on the Shroppie because they are actually pretty close to each other just going in a slightly different direction. I took a photo of John bringing the boat through but the light was wrong and even I struggled to work out what it was meant to be. Paddy and I had got off the boat to run ahead and check for on-coming boats.
The view ahead of us at Gailey Wharf, always a bit of a busy place what with hire boats a winding hole a lock and water points all in about the same place. There's also a lovely Canal Shop in the round tower you can see, but I didn't have time to get in this time as I was busy trying to fend off the boat behind. It was about 2' long (ok it was a bit longer than that, but you get the idea) and the man holding the rope was making a big deal about it despite the fact that I was coping with a boat 3 times the length and probably the weight as well. He seemed to think it was OK to allow his boat to nudge up to mine to the point of pushing the stern out so I had to get on at the front and walk along the gunnels to get it into the lock. By the third lock I asked him to get back, politely, but the language I was using inside was very colourful. His wife was totally ineffectual and walked their Pomeranian up to do the locks with her on a short lead that she couldn't manage. She was also trying to open the gate by pushing it in the wrong direction. John said they must be hirers and told me to be patient. At one of the locks he discovered that it was their own boat by which time I was probably several shades of rage darker and the language I was thinking must have left a blue cloud above me. I'm really not a very nice person. I know I'm not. Sometimes I don't even care.
Anyway, enough of my shortcomings (there's not room to go through them all) this is the view from the lock! It's 8' 6" deep and goes under the road, but it has to be about the closest lock to a road that we've used.
We are now moored at Penkridge, The weather sounds as if it's going to be horrible tomorrow but then who could tell today would turn out the way it did.
On the craft front I've made a rabbits body and half a head today. The number of locks has an obvious effect on the amount of crochet I can do while we're travelling, as does the weather but I'd like to get the rabbit finished before we get back which will be some time next week we expect.
No comments:
Post a Comment