Monday 3 October 2011

Back at Branston, on Trent and Mersey canal

Since our last blog we have meandered down to Sawley Marina and back. The weather has been so good we have taken our time and enjoyed it!

The River Trent was an absolute millpond, and so we didn't wrestle with dog to try to get the life jacket on him. We moored opposite Sawley marina for 24 hours and enjoyed the entertainment of passing boaters in the hot sun. We took a very pleasant early morning walk alongside the Trent down to the junction where the Erewash Canal joins the river, a path that is adjacent to a golf club nearly all the way. Surprisingly, there are signed footpaths pointing across the greens.

We are now on our way back towards Fradley Junction, in no hurry, and as we had enjoyed Shardlow previously, stopped there again overnight. The Heritage Centre there was unfortunately closed, so didn't get our business, but the Malt Shovel did! Saw the Shardlow croc lurking under a jetty . Honest!

The 74 acre Mercia Marina site at Willington, was worth a stroll around, a most attractive location, created with conservation in mind, and includes a well stocked grocery shop, Midland Chandlers, plus plans for a bistro and 18 luxury lodges. Very courteous management team too. We will definitely give this place consideration for moorings. 

Just around the corner from the marina we stopped again at Willington village. Very close to the railway this time unfortunately, so thundering rail stock through the night meant briken sleep, broken again by fighting cats at 6am!

Now we are back at Branston, moored alongside a very neatly mowed towpath. The autumn sun is out again, but very strong breeze, so strong the dogs ears are horizontal!

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Swarkstone Lock to above Shardlow Lock, Trent and Mersey Canal

Another perfect day. Now we are using double width locks, and these need a lot more muscle, to deal with the heavier paddles and gates. Shame we haven't been able to time things right, and share with another boat.

A lovely trip along to Shardlow, with just a handful of moving boats. More cyclists and dog walkers! In fact, the very flat farmland, the cloudless blue sky, the warm sun, reminded us of boating in France.

We ambled down below Shardlow Lock to The New Inn and tested the Theakston's. Many interesting canal wharf buildings here from the time when Shardlow was a busy inland port. Some of the buildings are now attractive residential pads, but many are sadly dilapidated and about to fall down . Beyond Shardlow are flood gates reminding us that the Trent cause damage to the surrounding areas. Tomorrow we venture out onto the river.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Alrewas to above Swarkstone Lock, Trent and Mersey Canal

Much better start to the week, lovely sunshine, and the promise of hot, hot, hot, by the end of the week. We moved onto a short stretch of the river Trent, just above Alrewas, which had a tricky bridge arch to negotiate. Glad the level was low, so no real current this time.

Last evening, we moored in a village named Branston, reputedly where the spicy pickle originated. We walked around the  Branston  Water park, but kept the dog on a short lead, and away from the water, as there were warnings about blue-green algae, and you could certainly see the bloom on the surface. 

We boated through Burton on Trent today, very pleasant in the autumn sunshine, passing the Coors and Marstons breweries. Disappointed there was no evidence in the air of brewing!

Just look at the September skies - a perfect day for boating and we managed to moor along side the village green at Willington, which just happened to be a pub garden too! Very popular place in the sun, including The Sweet Boat, with a vast range of old fashioned sweets in jars, for sale. All that stock to display and then store on board.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Back in Alrewas, Trent and Mersey Canal

Hello - we are back afloat again having picked up the boat a few days ago. All in order and exactly as we left it - pretty amazing, since we had inadvertently left a complete set of boat keys on the boat roof, that were precisely where we left them!!!!

Since last Tuesday was so abysmal, we decided to use the car and visit the National Memorial Arboretum. This place has been on our list for a while, and although a gloomy damp day, we did not find the place at all depressing. In fact it was a really restful and very pleasantly and thoughtfully laid out area, with many trees and shrubs and very tasteful memorials placed by hundreds of organisations. The white stone walls of the main memorial, is very striking, especially  the gap in the wall deliberately positioned so that the sunlight falls through at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, each November. This is a place we will return to I am sure.

We also met our friends Steve and Jill visiting from Brisbane, Aus, and so we went back up the Trent and Mersey to Weston upon Trent, as we recalled The Saracens Head was a good meeting place. This couple made history, when Steve, a crew chef on our hotel boats followed Jill one of our passengers back to Oz, and they got married! A good day.

Sunday 4 September 2011

Hi folks - we have found a temporary mooring for a couple of weeks, so we are going off air whilst we deal with junk mail and see if the grass needs cutting at home ...............................................be back soon!

Sunday 28 August to Thur 1 September 2011

From Cross Green, Staffs and Worcestershire Canal to Alrewas, Trent and Mersey Canal

Since our last blog we have returned to Great Hayward Junction, and Shugborough Hall of course, and then moved on down the Trent and Mersey beyond Fradley and on to Alrewas. The lock house at Tixall has a sign over the door measuring the lock distances either way in miles and furlongs.

We have endured some chilly days though there was some hot air over Shugborough Hall on Tuesday evening when a hot air balloon took off but had difficulty in gaining height.

We found a really quiet mooring above Fradley as you can see.

Good job we did, as it was pandemonium down at the junction when we got there today. Boats arriving from 3 directions, a queue for the water point, diesel being dispensed from a floating boat, a lot of entertainment for the customers using the Swan pub canal side. What a pity the cuts have resulted in the BW Information Centre at Fradley being closed.
We did spot this information box made and donated by HMP Featherstone. Is this the sign of things to come?

              

We are now moored in the charming village of Alrewas. Our guide book referred to a quaint and quirky canal side pub named The Old Boat, but alas this no longer exists, but The Crown proved a good substitute in the  warm autumn sun, with most acceptable London Pride.Tomorrow we will investigate just how tricky it might be to visit the National Memorial, Arboretum with dog in tow, and crossing the busy A38..

Saturday 27 August 2011

From Upper Lock at Bratch to below Gailey Lock, Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

We were woken early yesterday by a boat gently passing by at 6.30am, this is not unusual, as many boaters prefer to get moving, and moor up in the early afternoon. We needed to get going by 8.30 , to return to Wightwick so that we would be in good time for the Manor opening at 11am.

Our return was not in vain, and we lucky to be booked in for the 11.30 tour, and what a real treat the house tour was. Our charming lady guide showed us through the stunning Mander mansion, which is crammed with Morris fabrics and wallpapers, many pre Raphaelite paintings, and tiles and ceramics by William de Morgan. Theodore Mander and his wife Flora had a very modern outlook when they commissioned the interior of  their home, unfortunately neither lived long enough to enjoy. The great hall/reception room was most impressive with a huge ingle nook fireplace and minstrel gallery, with Morris fabrics lining the walls. Our guide explained that the missing panel of Morris fabrics was due to an infestation of woolly bear insects, and the Trust was having to expend several thousand pounds to treat each panel, by removing and arranging for specialist 'freezing' to deal with the problem. The 90 minute tour came to an end far too soon, and we both agreed it could have gone on longer, it was just fascinating. We would recommend a visit and house tour to all.

So, after lunch, and a swift shopping trip to NISA at Compton, we continued on our way towards Autherley Junction and beyond, to moor again at Cross Green. We have noticed that over the last couple of days, someone has spent a lot of time creating faces on many of the tree stumps and sign posts along the way.

Today, Sunday, we have continued along the Staffs and Worcester canal, passing another Vagabond, also, Caernarvon, the butty of a retired hotel boat AND Nell Gwynn, a boat we borrowed about 25 years ago, based in Skipton, which brought back memories of a dead duck we discovered on the boat roof one morning, - we could only presume had been attacked by a fox.