At the end of November we, packed up and waved goodbye to Firecrest. Headed home to the security of firm foundations that bricks and mortar provide. We relished spending time visiting friends and family, pavements that weren’t muddy, cupboards that didnt need checking for mildew, and a dishwasher, yet every time the sun shone, (which admittedly hasn’t been very often) a sense of restlessness and the muttered refrain, “its a good day to cruise” could be heard. Being home is indeed a mixed blessing, I value the space and security more than Eric. I have more friends that I like to meet up with for girly giggles, cake and coffee. Eric enjoys being able to pick up his DIY tools from their convenient shelf in the garage without having to unpack storage boxes to find the right one on the boat. But we miss the peaceful simplicity of life afloat. Admittedly Eric is still running his own design business, so during the winter months he has plenty to keep him occupied, whereas I miss the opportunities to be outside exploring, and simply soaking up the ambience of the canals. We have just under 2 weeks left of marina life. Eric is now back on board making Firecrest shipshape and I am taking final advantage of being able to use our car to travel further afield visiting family. 3 months, a whole quarter of a year, doesn’t half fly past quickly these days. I’m not going to promise how often I’ll post our progress but hopefully this year won’t be as fraught with closures as 2025. We are looking forward to moving again in just a few weeks.
Keeping occupied in the club house But you can’t ignore a loose screwJust some of the people and places we have enjoyed over winter
What a year. We normally cruise between 600 to 700 miles a year. I don’t think we’ll make 200 this year. After scraping the bottom over the summer, and CRT advising us to find a safe place and stay put, we joined the queue to get through Glascote locks so we wouldn’t be trapped without facilities, we settled down at Fazeley Junction for August and Septemer. We ended up there until the Grand Union, Oxford and Coventry canals reopened on October 10th.
With Glascote locks only being open between 10am and 2pm long queues formed each day. We were number 10 to go through and I suspect there were another 10 boats behind us
Yet we still didn’t know where to go, because the grand reopening notice was accompanied with a caveat……it might only be for 2 weeks to allow boaters to return to their marinas before the planned winter closures begin. And despite some heavy rain in parts of the country, the resevoirs feeding the Coventry and the Grand Union were still chronically short of water.
This chart is taken from CRT’s website, showing the water levels in the resevoirs supplying the canals. As you can see there’s still a significant shortfall
Usually during the late summer we start to talk about where we will be for Christmas. The winter maintenance plans have been published and we have time to cruise leisurely towards a region which will provided us with what we need -that’s enough distance to both cruise and moor whilst maintaining the 14 day mooring rule, and with easy access to services if we were to get frozen in. We’d tentatively talked about Milton Keynes for this winter. However, we’re cautious cruisers; we’ve opted for an easy lifestyle that doesn’t revolve around deadlines and restrictions, or for that matter cruising for long days in the rain just to reach a destination. The path towards Bedfordshire was not going to be plain sailing. The number of emergency closures and planned restrictions this year has sucked the joy out of cruising. It’s been hard work and frustrating.
This is a screen shot of the closed sections of the canals taken at the end of August. We are slap bang in the middle
Not knowing if or when or where we would be able to cruise helped us make the decision to put Firecrest into a marina from December. So for the next few weeks we are mooching around south Staffordshire bidding our time until all those cruising uncertainties no longer concern us. Ironically, this week CRT published another notice saying they wouldn’t be reinstating the closures on the Coventry and Grand Union, so we could potentially, with more room to roam, have remained on the cut over winter. But with the decision made – and the deposit paid, we are now enjoying one month of gentle meandering.
Somewhere around Armitage
All that said, it wasn’t an awful summer. We made the best of what we had. And really, choosing to moor at Fazeley Junction for the duration of Lockdown 25 was a good move. Eric went out at 9am every day to measure the water levels.
We would expect the water to be lapping the water mark on the black boarding
And in true Eric style, he produced a graph showing the daily changes in water levels from the day we moored up on 21st August till restrictions being lifted on 10th October. We left on the 11th. With the Coventry canal closures actually starting on the 26th and the Fradley closures between 2nd September to17th September.
This is our records of the speed with which the water dropped and rose once the fradley locks were closed. And although levels are cruisable they are still on the low side.
It was scary and unnerving. Our biggest fear was that with the boat resting on the bottom, it would tilt over making it horrible to live on board. And for us in particular, there wouldnt be sufficient water in the skin tanks to cool the generator, meaning we couldn’t keep the batteries topped up. We were able to avoid this by pushing the boat away from the shallow edge, but being on a boat that doesnt bob and rock just doesnt feel right. Others werent quite so lucky and several boats were having to use their planks to get on and off their boats or had just abandoned them altogether.
Eric was trying to shift debris on the bottom to gain us a precious inch. He didn’t succeed
Unwelcome as it was, as far as Fazeley goes it’s an almost perfect mooring to be stuck at. We were in full sun so the solar panels were able to do their best, and Kat and Teddy on the fuel boat made it down to top up the tank one last time before they also got stuck.
We are eternally grateful to the fortitude of fuel boat crews, yes we might provide their livelihood, but they provide our boats lifeblood in diesel
We overlooked Peel Wharf and enjoyed getting to know some of the local residents as well as the stranded boaters. We were within walking distance of a choice of shops, buses and train services. It was close enough to the water point to barrel roll a few days worth of cups of tea
Not such a bad view – for either of us
We even photo bombed a drone shot of a house that was being put on the market.
Who wouldn’t want to buy a house with a boat like ours moored outside
And of course guess what happened the day the drought restrictions actually started. Biblical rain that even Noah would have run from.
Drought… what drought
Once CRT had made the very overdue decision to also close the locks at Fradley junction the water levels started to rise almost as dramatically as they had fallen. But all the boaters were in agreement, we did not want navigation reopening until CRT could guarantee the levels wouldn’t fall again, leaving us stranded in a place without facilities. In fact we were so sceptical that the resevoirs would fill up, we started planning our Christmas party incase the restrictions weren’t lifted this year. Despite there being plenty to keep us amused around Fazeley and Tamworth, by October the canal water levels were more or less cruisable, mooring up might have been difficult in some places and going through bridgeholes is always a risky business because they naturally silt up and are shallower than the main cruising channel. And as soon as CRT lifted the restrictions on the Coventry canal we knew we would have to start complying with the 14 day maximum mooring rule again. Our itchy feet got the better of us- or rather, as one of my less delicate family members said, it was our itchy bottom that made us move. We made it all the way to Hopwas for our first night away.
Mysterious canals
And then we meandered along to wind just beyond Rugeley
Brindley bank winding hole, north Rugeley
Right now we’re now mooching around this area throughout November making the most of some gorgeous autumnal weather, and trying not to groan when it rains, because believe me, as continual cruisers we need the rain and we need it to rain heavily every night from now until spring if we stand any chance of filling up those resevoirs. Im going on record now to say we suspect there will be similar water level restrictions imposed next summer. In the mean time let’s enjoy autumn
….. we were asked when we finally got the bus into Lichfield. No we hadn’t, but our interest was piqued. What could be so special that a stranger on a bus asks us that. We would find this table in Lichfield Cathedral, so off we set to find out what all the fuss is about. And I have to say I am now quite happy to ask you the same question because the table is quite magnificent.
The table is known as The Table for the Nation, and came about through the discovery of a truly impressive piece of Bog Oak. Its creation was overseen by The Fenland Black Oak Project team
The table in Lichfield Cathedral
5000 years ago there was an oak forest in the Norfolk Fens. But unlike today’s oak trees, that grow to roughly 20m tall, these oak trees were giants, and grew to 50m tall. ( Firecrest is 18.3m long).
At the time this particular tree fell, the rising sea levels on the East Anglian lowlands were creating stagnant anaerobic lagoons. The lack of organic life and soluble iron deposits all helped to preserve the wood and turn it black. Over millenia it became buried in the peaty bogs, until in 2012, during routine cultivation it was exposed. Fenland farmers are well aware of how rare and valuable Bog Oak is so they had the presence of mind to call in the experts. And so the Jubilee Oak (named in honour of the late Queen’s diamond jubilee ) began a new journey.
What was particularly amazing about this piece of oak is it’s length, 13.2m long. It was undamaged, it was straight and there was no insect or fungal damage. It is incredibly rare, probably unique and a plan was made to preserve it for the nation.
The story of the of how this piece of wood became The Table for the Nation, is told so well on their website that I am not going to attempt to reproduce it. It’s a short easy read and I strongly recommend you take a look.
In 2022, after 10 years of skilled craftsmanship, borrowing a mobile sawmill from Canada, developing new innovative techniques, and a lot of love and care, this magnificent table was unveiled in Ely Cathedral
The craftsmen managed to keep the 13m length, and echoing the period when the acorn became an oak, they incorporated a bronze understructure and a wheeled folding mechanism that allowed the table to be moved by just two people.
The size of the table means it requires an equally impressive sized venue, and if you have such space you can apply to host the table. Useful for family dinner parties
The table is currently on display in Lichfield Cathedral for 10 months. One of the lovely things about this table is that the public are at liberty to touch and stroke it unlike many precious artifacts, although one of the guides nearly had a heart attack when I little boy bored of her explanations decided to race his toy tractor along it. Lichfield Cathedral itself is a beautiful building.
Both inside and out
And just for good measure, here’s Firecrest’s table
As the reports kept flooding in with dire warnings about water shortages, hosepipe bans and the summer of ’76, we cruised on with uncertainty. Our plan had been to cruise down the Coventry canal towards Rugby, probably taking in detours onto the Ashby and into Coventry, before deciding whether to go down the Grand Union aiming to overwinter around Leighton Buzzard, or whether to head up the Soar through Leicester and back onto the T&M for the winter months. We’d always planned for a meandering slow summer but this is boat life, we hadn’t anticipated quite such a slow stroll.
Fradley Junction onto the Coventry Canal
At the beginning of July, we left the Trent and Mersey Canal and turned onto the Coventry canal. We’d been invited to the Friday social at the Lichfield Cruising club, so that’s where we made our first stop.
Moored opposite the Lichfield Cruising Club
Sue made us very welcome, but guess what, it rained so the BBQ was eaten inside. We were keen to explore Lichfield, but its about 2.5 miles walk in from the club at Huddlesford Junction. With no nearby bus route, we cruised on towards Whittington and it’s bus stop, but we we found it was too shallow to get in close to the bank. Ok we didnt try very hard not realising this could become the norm. On another mile and we found ourselves a beautiful mooring just beyond the village, with some nice trees to shade us from the next heatwave.
Hadmore Farm Bridge
At this point, I was quite happy not cruising because during July there are 2 major sporting events that will have me breaking my “no daytime tv” rule. Wimbledon and the TdF. No not Tour de France, but the Tour de Fleece, an online spinning extravaganza, where yarnies like me get their spinning wheels out and aim to complete various challenges of spinning skills, whilst spinning every day during the official TdF. It’s all a bit of fun on social media, but there’s nothing I like better than getting my wheel out onto the towpath and spinning in the fresh air. Or better still getting my little electric wheel out to spin whilst we are cruising
A bit of self indulgence, spinning whilst we cruise
We stayed put for a few days, watching the entertainment – competative boating- who was going to win the race to get through the bridge, and who was going to come off worst…. us…. the green boat reversed into us when he realised 3 boats dont fit.
Its not rocket science, two of you need to give way
Unfortunately it was still quite a walk to the bus stop from Hadmore farm bridge, which meant we still hadn’t been able to get into Lichfield easily. But the little Co-op in Willington kept our fridge full until we moved onto Hopwas.
A little more self indulgence at Hopwas
A perfect mooring for towpath spinning, it has to be flat and wide enough to allow the walkers and their inquisitive dogs to pass by, or stand and chat, and with some shade. Of course spinning outside means I don’t get to watch the cycling on TV at the same time, but if I’m honest I’m not really a cycling addict. The downside of Hopwas is that it doesn’t have a village shop, but it does have a good bus service into both Lichfield and Tamworth that we took advantage of.
Lichfield Cathedral- worth exploring
By now, mid July, the email alerts from CRT really were starting to pour in about closed locks and restrictions, including the Atherstone flight which was our planned route. Eric had a lot of work on(- why does contract work always happen in the summer instead of the winter when there’s nothing better to do) and I had my spinning, so we decided that even though we were still allowed to cruise, the writing was on the wall, worse was to come, so we would do our bit to help conserve our valuable water resource and not do any more locks until the situation improved. We’d heard good things about the mooring on the Birmingham and Fazeley canal near the Kingsbury water park, so that’s where we headed next. What a view.
Alrewas has a real community atmosphere. And had it not been for enduring the second heatwave we would have taken advantage of joining in a few more communal activities. We’d enjoyed the Open Gardens on Saturday and Sunday. We quite fancied trying our hands at bowling on Monday but gave that a miss, especially as our friends on NB Peru cruised past and were able to stop for a glass of something cold. But the local walking group that meets on Tuesday mornings promised to be finished in time for a pub lunch so off we set to meet the group. I’d emailed the leader in advance so they were expecting us. What the website didn’t tell us is that the group is subdivided – the striders and the strollers, thankfully the striders had sensibly set off early to beat the heat so we weren’t faced with the embarrassment of wimping out of doing the full 6 miles. The group had decided to show us, the newbies their pride and joy, the National Memorial Arboretum, roughly a 3 mile round trip and with the advantage of lots of shady trees. We walked and talked and shared stories. And as promised finished off with lunch at the Crown. which I’m happy to say, was a very good lunch.
I decided to go back to the Arboretum the day after for some personal contemplation. It’s a large site that is constantly evolving with new memorials being added all the time.
I did wonder what the stick man was commemorating, but he was there to add appeal for the youngsters, as he tries to find his family hiding in amonst the trees. I’m sure the kiddies love it but I thought there was enough awe and wonder in many of the military memorials to keep everyone interested
49 th west riding division
Not all the memorials are regimental. Many acknowledge civilian and political efforts to create peace,
But many are so poignant that they stop you in your tracks when you think about the tragedy of war. And what it makes leaders do to their own people.
I stood a while at this garden Memorial, not because it was the most impactful, but because Eric’s family, served in the GPO during WWII
The GPO memorial
And this Memorial made me smile, as I never imagined I’d be crossing the Suez canal
The Suez Canal memorial
Were those Egyptian pyramids across the water, oh no, it was more gravel extraction that is happening all around this area. And once this pit is exhausted I believe the lake will become part of the NMA site.
Alrewas gravel pits
There were many many more sculptures, plaques and gardens on site, recognising selfless acts of service or suffering not aligned with the armed forces. I’d say this is a place everyone should visit at least once, it packs a punch where youre least expecting it, and it made a lasting impression on us. Back in 2018 I wrote 3 blog posts about the NMA which has a bit more information. but for today I shall leave you with this image.
Burton upon Trent is the home of Marmite and was, at its heyday, the home of beer brewing in England. Sadly for us because Eric loves a pint of Hobgoblin as much as I love the dark sticky stuff, Burton’s manufacturing industries have shrunk to almost none existence in the town, leaving it with a rather run down neglected feel. That said the mooring is excellent, with a newly laid and well used towpath.
14 day mooring opposite the park
Breweries dominate the sky
A common sight around Burton, the old and the new side by side
And there’s never an advertising opportunity missed
Marstons is the oldest brewery still in Burton
Brewing was the predominant industry in Burton, the high mineral content of the local water created a good flavour and when it was discovered that hops were a natural preservative, Burton became a leading brewer of India Pale Ale, so named because it was exported for the British troops in serving in India. Of course the canals also contributed to this commercial success because the beer could be transported easily to the sea ports. Even the canal took advantage of the local industry when the extremely hard wearing Staffordshire Blue bricks were used to line the locks and build bridges.
The Burton Boat Company owned warehouses on the river, known as Bond End. They tried to persuade James Brindley to amend the planned route of the Grand Trunk Canal to include these warehouses but for whatever reason- probably money, it didnt happen. So the short Bond End canal terminated at what is now Shobnall marina. Companies were forced to unload their goods at the Shobnall Bar and reload them onto the Grand Trunk boats. After much political wrangling and shenanigans, the railways took over as the preferred transport system and the Bond End canal fell into neglect but the mid 1800’s. Eventually it was only the basin that was left and in 1973 Jannel Cruisers took ownership and created Shobnall marina as we know it today. We filled our diesel tank for 81p/l and booked ourselves in for 3 nights mooring so we could leave Firecrest safely whilst we went off visiting family. There is a detailed history page on their website, it’s worth a read, even if you only look at the photos of how it was to how it is now.
Bit of a tight squeeze getting in, but the fuel price is worth it
Whilst I was looking at Burtons history I discovered that the name Marmite is taken from a French term. A marmite is a large earthenware covered cooking pot, just like the one you see on the Marmite label. Of course I should say other savoury spreads are available …. but they’re nowhere near as delicious. Do you think I could become an “influencer”?
Another week of gentle cruising- although I should say one day’s cruise and a week of watching the world go by. Before the heatwave hit us the weather was a bit iffy. We’d moored up in Alrewas under a rainbow.
Looking towards Bagnall Lock at Alrewas, the river navigation board is on green, good to go
Not only do rainbows require rain, so do rivers, and if CRT get lucky, they get a lot of rain, but at Alrewas that means the short quarter mile section where the river Trent and the canal merge, it’s prone to fast flow and unsafe navigation. We didn’t want to hang around and wait for that to happen, so we donned our life jackets
And set off through Alrewas Lock past the “Quarter Mile Bridge” which the Trent flows under
Leaving Alrewas Lock to cross the River Trent
and across the canal where the water suddenly becomes clear enough to see the bottom- or you could if there wasn’t a garden of green down there
Makes a change from the usual muddy water
and out the other side around the floating barrier that prevents narrowboats getting swept the wrong way over the weir.
Turning left, not right….
At this point I want to recall an incident we witnessed the day before at Alrewas Lock, as a reminder of the need to take Lock safety seriously. A boat had entered the lock to come up the canal. The crew had wound up to let the water in, and were walking across the top lock gate ready to open it. but there was a big splash, they had fallen off the lock gate into the canal. Not because they were being careless but because the boat had shot forward and hit the lock gate with such force that it shuddered and knocked the lady off. We rushed to help but there were enough people around that we weren’t needed and the lady was hauled out with only her pride injured. If the lock had still been filling she could have been sucked under never to be seen again. What we then found out was that the driver of the boat had left the helm and climbed off the boat because their dog was misbehaving on the bank, so there was no one actually controlling the boat, and the lady who had been knocked in was actually from the previous boat who had stopped to help. We all know accidents happen, but could this have been prevented if there had been someone at the helm? who knows. This time everyone lived to tell the tale and learn some lessons, – control your dogs, don’t bash into the lock gates and hold on tight when you cross a lock gate. Anyway, back to our own story. Although the Trent isn’t a mile wide at this point, we think the bridge gets it’s name because it runs parallel to the canal spanning the flood plain for a Quarter Mile, between the Lock and just beyond the weir.
Swiped from Google maps
After the river section, we passed through Wychnor lock. The canal is quite busy at the moment and there was a crew waiting to come up in the next boat. They were already in position and offered to work the lock for us, hence a rare opportunity for me to post a photo of Firecrest leaving a lock
can we really squeeze through that gap
It’s about 5 miles down to Branston from Alrewas, and it feels like half of it is running parallel to the A38, its tedious and noisy, but we make it to one of the pretty locks, Tattenhall Lock
Tattenhall Lock
And find ourselves a pleasant mooring at the Branston water park
Branston Water Park
Just in time for another rainbow, whilst we were here, Adam and Adrian cruised past on Briar Rose, just enough time for a quick hello- must make it longer next time
And yes, Branston is the home of…..
Other pickles are available
Although it’s no longer made here.
And with it being a water park, no shortage of youngsters enjoying themselves
We’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by all our to-ing and froing and exciting adventures over the past two or three months. Our next fixed commitment is to visit the dentist in Kendal in the second half of June. With Firecrest still being super shiny, we aren’t ready to leave our beloved boat unoccupied on the cut so we’ve booked a few nights into Shobnal Marina, at Burton. As its only 21 miles away and we’ve almost 21 days to get there, we are in meandering mode.
Through Colwich lock with its beautiful cottage, I wonder what it would be like to live in a cottage lock side,
Colwich Lock, south of Great Haywood
Over the Brindly Bank Aqueduct
the Brindley Bank Aqueduct
Which crosses over the River Trent, which is now quite a significant River and in need of some wide flood plains
The River Trent
. And around the corner at Brindly Bank Corner. This particular spot is also infamously known as the Bloody Steps, (obscured by trees on the right.) after the dead body of Christina Collins was hauled up them. In 1839, Christina was a young woman travelling as a passenger to London. At Stone she made a complaint at the canal company offices that the crew were harassing her, but she continued her journey. By the next day she had been raped, murdered and thrown overboard. Two of the crew were found guilty and executed, a third was deported. The legend was used by Colin Dexter for one of the Inspector Morse stories.
Brindley Bank Corner
I always look forward to this next little stretch because the owners of narrowboat Dancing Sheep, have a family of mannequins inhabiting their garden. Each time we see them, they are up to something different. This time they were campaigning to Fund British Waterways, a national campaign to highlight the urgent need for funding to keep this precious resource maintained, safe and accessible. https://waterways.org.uk/waterways/sites/fund-britains-waterways-overview There is a link to the petition on the website
We had a night in Rugeley as there is a very convenient Tesco, canal side, we also took a bus ride into Lichfield for a bit of a wander, it’s a lovely city and I’m sure we’ll do it again. After Rugeley comes Armitage, which, thanks to the Staffordshire clay pits, was known for making clay pipes. In the 1850’s the small pottery had moved on to making sanitary ware. In 1867, the congregational minister Rev Edward Johns bought the business which went on to become Armitage Shanks. Athough the company is now based in Dubai, toilets are still made here. Sadly like many factories backing onto the canal, it’s not a particularly pretty site.
But the canal is lovely here, under its canopy of big trees
Unless of course you are wanting some sunshine on your new solar panels
Through the Armitage tunnel…. which is missing its top half. This is where I get off and walk ahead with my red and green stop go boards
There’s some lovely old woods around here, sadly some were sacrificed for the building of HS2, which has been abandoned. Much as I hated the destruction of the landscape for its route, and to some extent I questioned its necessity. I was not for abandoning it. Too much had been spent and we’ll never get back those ancient trees or hide the scar its left.
the rhododendron avenue survives though
And onto Fradley junction with its flight of 5 locks and helpful volunteers
Back in the day, (1500 years ago give or take) the area we are cruising in now, was in the Kingdom of Mercia, the post Roman, Anglo Saxon region, not the rather trendy Marina south of Derby.
Wiki’s identification of Mercia
It’s a bit hard to pin down the specifics as literacy didn’t seem to take priority over Kingdom building. And to be honest, I still can’t make sense of who owned what or when. But if you look on Google maps there’s a purple historical landmark pin where we are moored. Well, well, well, as soon as the rain had stopped I needed to go and investigate. Right next to the canal is where you will find St Rufin’s Well.
St Rufin’s Well
Alas, it’s not all that remarkable at first sight,
But it still has water in it
And there was a nice circular route around the buttercup meadow, through the hamlet of Burston that would get me back to Firecrest.
Burston pond
Next to the village pond was an info board that told me a bit about St Rufin’s Well and the little chapel tucked away behind the cottages.
Rufin and his older brother Wulfad were the sons of the Pagan King Wulfhere. They had the “good fortune” to meet a prominent monk called Chad who converted them to Christianity. It is believed they were baptised here, in this well. However their father the king was furious and ordered them to be killed, an action he immediately regretted. He went on to meet with Chad and was also converted to Christianity. Chad went on to become the Bishop of Mercia, and both he, Rufin and Wulfad were all canonized for their martyrdom. This all happened in the 7th century and there are many legends and storys about what went on at this time. The power struggles between the Christians and the pagans led to many more slaughters. St Rufin’s Well was also known as the Druids well. Whilst I was out researching a bit of history, Eric was communicating with his porthole spirit. Just like Aladin polishing his lamp, Eric was polishing his brass when his genie appeared.
Double trouble
This is obviously a spiritual place, there are many churches and memorials dedicated to Rufin, Wulfad and Chad, and there is a recognised pilgrimage walk between Lichfield and Chester cathedrals.
After an action packed 10 days moored in Stone, which saw us sticking on the solar panels, witnessing a near disaster at Meaford Locks, and taking advantage of us still having our car to explore a little further afield, we were ready move on. I drove the car back to our daughter’s- who had lent it to us back in January for all our toing and froing and utilised my brand new rail card to catch the train back to the boat. Was normality about to be restored? at least the water levels seemed to be OK. Or so we thought. There are 4 locks in Stone. As we passed through the first, we noticed the replacement beam was not made of the traditional oak but a plank laminate. Questions were raised about its durability, but at least for now it didn’t look like it was going to collapse.
Unusual replacement lock beam
We passed through Star lock, where, at the Star Inn, James Brindley and his investors met to plan the construction of the Grand Trunk Canal, now the Trent and Mersey Canal. We had gone in earlier to pay homage, where we discovered that, not only was the Star Inn famous for its canal building patrons, it also has an entry in the Guinness book of records for having the most floor levels of a public house. 13 – which is due to subsidence- which doesnt sound healthy for a canal. (Or for anyone having had one too many)
The Star Inn
We knew the water levels were still low, but as Eric tried to drive the boat out of the lock, we all heard a horrible crunching. Were we caught on the bottom? Not knowing quite what was underneath of us, I closed the gates and let a few inches of water back into the lock, sufficient to refloat us. And then enlisted some passers by to lend me their muscle power to re open the gates for us to escape. We think there must have been a stone that was just proud enough to catch us, cause after a moments panic, we were OK. The lock needed dredging, and although I did report our incident, CRT are running in crisis management mode and there’s no time or money for preventative action. After a quick stop at the M&S water point, which ironically was fast flowing and easy, we were on our way. The next mile down to Aston Lock was hard work, we needed to keep in the middle of the channel otherwise we were scraping the bottom. Passing boats was a struggle but the word coming up was that the levels were improving.
Below Aston Lock, 45.9 miles to Shardlow, 46.1 to Preston Brook
Due to intense conversation with the upcoming boater – comparing notes about water levels of course, I forgot to take a photo of the mile marker. Aston Lock is the half way point on the T&M. 46 miles to both Preston Brook and Shardlow. We were travelling on just another half hour because the storm clouds were gathering and we’d had enough excitement for one day. Even the sheep were heading for home
Yes that looks a good mooring
Upper Burston Bridge
And we made it just in time to tie up before the heavens opened.
