At the end of October we left Penkridge and travelled north towards Stafford,
blessed by some of the most beautiful blue sky,
however we had had quite a lot of rain and the river Penk was taking full advantage of its flood plain at Radford Bank
Currently the Staffs and Worcester canal skirts south east of Stafford, and there’s no real incentive to leave a rather pretty stretch to walk the mile and a half into the town centre.
However this is due to change,
We’ve been watching progress on this building site since our first cruise on Firecrest in 2017. The Stafford Riverway Link is an exciting regeneration project, restoring a water route into the town centre that was originally built in 1814 to carry coal and lime. Although commercial trade tailed off, it remained popular with pleasure boaters until 1920s, and the channel was filled in in 1930. I haven’t been able to find a forecast completion date, but I am hopeful it will be within our boating lifetime as the new link will be incorporating a small basin and navigable channels through the rivers Penk and Sow.
The breakthrough entrance from the mainline will be around here.
And this is the planned route. I hope there will be some mooring options.
the Stafford Riverway Link project website is an interesting and easy read for more information. However our cruising for now took us onward, through some very pretty autumnal colour.
And through the Tixhall Wides
Interestingly the Tixhall Gatehouse is a Landmark Trust holiday let and it can be yours (and 7 other guests) for as little as £807 a night.
And under the inappropriately named Swivel bridge
To a mooring back on the Trent and Mersey Canal
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