Hopwas Woods

Tonight we are moored up close by Hopwas Woods looking out over the valley of the River Tame. Today the weather was an improvement over yesterday's with good periods of sunshine. The wind was fresh and waiting at locks required a bit more effort.

Autumn Colours at Woodend Lock, Trent & Mersey Canal

We left our mooring near Rugley and had a quiet journey through the town. We didn't meet another boat moving until we reached the narrows just after the "toilet" factory (Armitage Shanks). We caught up with two other boats just short of Woodend Lock. The boat immediately in front of us was powered by a Lister JP2 and we managed to have an in depth discussion of propeller design whilst waiting for the lock because their boat appeared to be "over-propped" despite just having a new prop fitted as specified by Crowther. At Shed House Lock we met Sue and Vic on No Problem coming up the flight and on leaving the sane lock we met Maffi  - three bloggers at one lock at the same time!

NB Dove at Fradley

Fradley Junction in Autumn Sunshine

We turned off the T&M at Fradley Junction and headed down the Coventry Canal (and the bit of the Birmingham & Fazeley which it incorporates) but paused at Streethay Wharf to buy some engine oil. In setting sunlight we made it to just before Hopwas Wood. A good days autumn boating.

Asparagus Crop near Hademore 

Wind Turbine and Setting Sun, near Hopwas

Homeward Bound

After a period at home, which has been quite challenging, we are moving Albert back to base in Yardley Gobion. Our period in Aston Marina has been very worthwhile and enjoyable but it is time to get Albert back to near our home for the winter.

A genuine T&M milepost

We got Aston late yesterday by train and taxi and it rained all night - very autumnal. This morning it was misty and wet. We picked up diesel and headed south. There was not much boating traffic until we got beyond Weston.

Having moored up for a late lunch on visitor moorings near Ingestre, a Steve Hudson boat arrived in front of us. It turned out to be our next door neighbour's brother and sister-in-law who we had been altered to look out for. No sooner than we had started a conversation with them than NB William from High House Marina, who is very familiar to us, passed by! Waterways can be a good sociable network.

The weather improved as we got closer to Great Haywood and the autumn colours began to brighten the day.

Autumn Colours at Hoo Mill Lock

At Hoo Mill lock we had a small incident when Albert got firmly stuck on an underwater obstacle right by the newly refurbished lock moorings. No amount of pushing, shoving and polling would move her. I have no idea what the obstacle was but judging by the boats behaviour it was not very long (the bows pivoted easily) and not very wide (the boat rocked), but it was firm! After around 15 mins the water levels in the pound rose sufficiently for Albert to just get off. We will probably never know what it was.

We continued south along the Trent & Mersey until we finally called it a day just south of Wolesley Bridge. I had trouble locating satellites for Freesat tonight because the App on my phone was playing up. Tried a new one but it strangely gave two results for the same satellite - the map was more to the south than the compass heading and both were wrong! These wonderful aids to modern life are still not reliable - particularly in rural areas.

Tomorrow morning we head for Fradley Junction and beyond.

Trentham Gardens and Great Haywood: A Family Weekend

Last weekend we spent time with part of our family around Stone. Our grandson Hugh, and his  parents Andy & Emily, came north to Stone and we had a weekend visiting local attractions and boating. Hugh has been on Albert before but is now he is of an age (3 years) where he can begin to really appreciate it and we could actually cruise.

Boating with Grandad

 On Saturday afternoon we visited Trentham Gardens. With the fine weather  the gardens and  boutique shops near the entrance were busy. A steady stream of fans carrying chairs and tables were making their way towards the concert area where a Red Hot Chilli Peppers & Foo Fighters tribute bands were due to play. By coincidence the "real" Foo Fighters were appearing on the same night back home in Milton Keynes Bowl.

Carriage Riding at Trentham

We thought the planting in the Italian Garden was very imaginative, particularly the use of grasses and the Fairy statues were stunning. 

Trentham Gardens Fairies

We took a horse carriage around the gardens. It was drawn by Paddy who Hugh found fascinating. He loved it when Paddy suddenly stopped to have a wee halfway along a path. I think little boys can relate to it!

The Slide - it requires a climb up a wall!

Hugh inspecting flowers

Planting with grasses

We finished the day with an early dinner at the Bistro at Aston Marina. Hugh was on his best behaviour so we didn't upset the other diners. The meal was up to their usual high standard. Emily and Andy shared a chateaubriand steak.

Travelling South near Aston

Sunday found us taking our familiar trip south from Aston to Great Haywood. The weather was fine and sunny and we had fun. Hugh, equipped with his life-jacket, joined in helping at the locks and travelled for a while on the cabin slide - a traditional location in the days of commercial carrying.

Negotiating Sandon Lock

There were queues at some of the locks but this gave Hugh the opportunity to explore (under supervision).

Hugh and Victoria

Emily steering near Hoo Mill Lock - waiting for the lock

We moored in the early afternoon just beyond the junction at Great Haywood and took a stroll into Shugborough Estate to have tea in the National Trust tea rooms. The weather was sunny and relatively warm, despite the northerly winds, and Hugh enjoyed scooting around the garden paths investigating the "hidden doors" that lead to secret places - it was the last day of this summer event.

Hugh scooting at Shugborough

Shugborough Hall

River Sow and swans

That night Maggie and I stayed on board Albert and the rest of the family returned home. Monday saw us reversing back to the junction, winding and then returning North to Aston. The weather was warm and sunny and the journey was delightful. A steady stream of boats was coming south but going in our direction we only came across one boat. We moored up for a leisurely lunch at Burston finally reaching Aston in the late afternoon. It was a memorable weekend.

Cattle standing on a bridge waiting for the gate to open

Unspoilt by Progress: Update

Today the October edition of Waterways World landed on my mat and, as usual, I immediately dipped into it. My attention was drawn to an item about the epic trip taken twenty years ago by two narrowboats (motor and butty) across The Channel and along the European waterways to the Black Sea. The WW article is an interview of Nick Sanders who took the journey and had the boats built.

I remember the trip being well reported at the time and marvelling at the feat. The boats were named after the Banks's Brewery slogan - Unspoilt by Progress (I and II). This along with their slogan "From the Black Country to the Black Sea" stuck firmly in my mind. I think I recall seeing both boats in the late 90s in the Birmingham area. The new article explains that the motor is still owned by Nick Sanders and is obviously at a marina in the Midlands, but recently that I discovered where the butty is located.

Passing through Stone over the last couple of years, I noticed that the butty owned by boat painter Tina Paramore, and usually moored at Roger Fuller's yard, is named Star but it was Unspoilt by Progress II. This information is proudly displayed on the forecabin but I don't suppose many passing will realise that this well cared for butty has travelled through a war zone and survived a sinking in the River Danube.

Butty Star: Formerly Unspoilt by Progress II at Stone

Wolesley Bridge and Ingestre

Yesterday we left Tixall Wide in the morning and reversed onto the water point at Great Haywood Junction. Sounds simple, of course, but it was "fun". It was even more "fun" when the hotel boat pair, Duke & Duchess, negotiated the turn into the Staffs & Worcester as another boat exited the junction to turn south. Lots of opportunities for gongoozling entertainment.

After watering, we moored up and visited the Shugborough Hall again, this time to see the Patrick Litchfield Nudes exhibition. It isn't a large exhibition but it was well worth the visit if only to see the iconic portrait of Marsha Hunt. There are some startling and wonderfully composed images from the sixties and the complete 1993 Unipart Calender.

Waiting at Colwich Lock

We moved off south after lunch and joined a queue of boats that had formed at Great Haywood Lock. There were around five, most of them from the Lymm Cruising Club on the Bridgewater Canal. At the Colwich, the next lock south, the queue was only three boats. Eventually we moored up for the night at Wolseley Bridge and had dinner in the Wolseley Arms.

This morning saw us travelling south towards Rugeley to turn in the winding hole near Bridge 68, shades of last year. The weather was better than yesterday with no rain.There was only a short queue for Colwich Lock and no queues at the other locks going north. We stopped for a late lunch, and the day, near Shirleywich where there is a 48 h mooring complete with interpretation board and bench.

Albert and T&M Interpretation Board

Late in the afternoon we took a stroll up the lane to Ingestre. Well worth the visit, this little village, the former seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury, boasts an amazing stables complex, a large hall which is now a residential arts centre and the only Christopher Wren Church outside London.

Ingestre Stables

Ingerstre Hall

St Mary the Virgin, Ingestre

The church is quite amazing having been restored in 2004. It has Burne-Jones stain glass made in the William Morris factory and is full of monuments to the Chetwynd-Talbot family who owned the estate until 1960.

Magnificent Burne-Jones stain glass

Interior of Ingestre Parish Church

The wood interior is in Flanders Oak and the restored plaster work is very intricate.

Dead tree near Ingestre

The valley of the Trent is wide and flat along here and the river meanders. Just south of us is a stretch called the swans neck - very picturesque. Tomorrow we head for Aston and then home.

Shugborough and our Significant Day

So we are moored up on Tixall Wide, and therefore we must visit the Shugborough Estate, but why is today significant? Forty five years ago today we were married in Solihull Parish Church. 

A day of just relaxing and enjoying ourselves was called for. As Maggie put it "today we are doing retirement".

Our Anniversary Selfie

We visited the Shugborough Estate. Although the house and farm were closed, it being a Tuesday, we enjoyed the gardens, the tea room (for lunch), and the National Trust Shop. This was followed by a stroll around Great Haywood visiting Haywood Cliffs  and a visit to the Lockhouse Tea Rooms for afternoon tea.

A mighty Spanish chestnut

Fresh new yellow growth on the Yew trees contrasting with the lavender

A bee forages on lavender

Rare breeds on the island

Cornflowers with marigolds

Chinese Pavilion

Haywood Cliffs and Caves

A lovely day! 

Tixall

We left Aston Marina on Sunday afternoon and went but a short distance south to Burston for the night. The weather was warm and sunny.

Today, Monday, we continued on our slow journey south (otherwise known as pootling) and stopped at our favourite mooring spot at Tixwall Wide. Although it started sunny it poured down as we got to Weston lock (not forecast!) and rained for about an hour.

Mooring at Tixall Wide

Our neighbours lined up to greet us

In the afternoon we visited the Canal Farm Shop and then walked through the village and along the "off side" of the canal through the woods that lie between the canal and the railway. The woods are mature and a mixture of oak, redwood, beech, and alder. Owned by the National Trust, there are a lot of fallen trees, on which we discovered a lot of splendid fungi.

Great Haywood junction from across the fields

Shugborough Estate from across the Trent & Mersey

Tree based fungi at Great Haywood

Tonight it blew up and the water on The Wide was distinctly choppy.

A windy sunset on Tixall Wide