Thursday 11 September 2014

Busy Night Shift

Wednesday- We didn't move today, we had a bit of a lie-in, once we emerged into a fine warm day FL was pushed across the cut to Delta, a static fuel boat and enterprise of the son of the owners of the adjoining smallholding, the son wasn't around today, he was working on another farm but mum was more than happy to man the pump.

Pushed back across the canal and moored, Sue set to with the washing machine after helping me wash the boat. I then spent the rest of the day (in between bouts of inactivity) polishing the port side, sanding the port top rubbing strake and giving it a coat of Hammerite.


Thursday- Pulled pins at 09:00 destination Sandon, the weather is the same as the last few days .. perfect. Under bridge 69 is an honesty box £1 for six free-range eggs from the adjacent farm. The river Trent runs along to the left of the canal all the way to our destination eight miles north. The canal is very quiet until we pass Haywood Junction with the Staffs & Worcester canal, a skipper of a moored boat tells us 15 boats have passed him in the last hour.

We meet up with the end of the flotilla at Hoo Mill lock, we are 6th in the queue to descend, we emerge the other side 75 minutes later. A slow tick-over speed bimble to the next lock finds the queue gone and we have Weston Lock to ourselves.

New housing along the canal announces the pretty village of Weston on Trent, the village-like TV's Emmerdale has the Woolpack pub at its centre by the village green. A mile further and the decorative Salt Bridge spans the canal, it's western buttress pointing the way to the small village of Salt.

We have moored just above Sandon lock, from here we will walk over the bridge to a booked meal in the Dog & Doublet. The last time we came here was with Ray & Diane we didn't book and we didn't get a table.

The Dog & Doublet rang 16:00, their card machine has packed up so could we please bring cash. We have £40 in 1p, 2p and 5p's on board we will take that.

Night shift has been busy


Haywood Junction







Salt Bridge

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