Caldon Canal

I was up early this morning 06:30, happy as a Lark, made the tea , delivered said tea to Sue in bed, that's when it went wrong. Sue handed me a card ... whats this for ... "Happy anniversary darling"...Ooooops.





Set off from our mooring in Barlaston in cool breezy conditions, through the first lock of the day(Trentham Lock), past the unattractive Wedgewood factory opened in 1940.

Mr Heron fishing in the reeds.

Stone mason's often left their mark on the lock wall.

First duckling of 2014 we have seen

When we reached Stoke bottom lock the gates are already open, strange that doesn't usually happen. Here we met the self proclaimed " Rob the Lock" an unemployed young man who instead of sitting at home got a bike from the tip and with windlass in hand cycles from lock to lock preparing the way for us boaters.. commendable. He did the same for us at nine locks altogether.

Bottle kilns remember the past amid the contemporary architecture on the Trent and Mersey

The man himself Jimmy Brindley at the start of the Caldon canal

We turned off the Trent and Mersey and onto the Caldon Canal at Etruria Junction and used the service point.The Etruria Industrial Museum is just above the water point but was shut today. The canal swings through industrial and residential landscapes clinging to the side of a hill. The canal here is strewn with flotsam and the usual rubbish that urban sprawl can bring but we haven't seen it this bad before. The canal banks are unkempt and vegetation encroaches making the narrow canal even more challenging, a couple of the tighter turns need some reverse to help the bow get round.

Instructions on how to use staircase locks on Caldon canal

Rob the lock and Sue
He kindly helped us through the Caldon staircase lock and Planet Lock and then we said goodbye, we watched him cycling away happy with a few coins jingling in his pocket.

More  cold Bottle Kilns on the Caldon Canal

Moored at Milton just above the A53 on map below.

PS .. I did get to a shop and buy a card before we set off.. and I will take my girl of 27 years for a celebratory fizzy water in The Miners Arms or The Foxley. :)

Barlaston

We set of from our Stone mooring at 10am under grey skies up through the locks past Canal Cruising company where we had the welding work done last week, and past the winding 'ole which we turned around in with our visitors at the weekend, now we are cruising through new ground. The sun was peeking out from behind wooly clouds as we climbed out of the valley by way of the 4 Meaford  (pronounced Method by locals) locks.

Once past Meaford we pass the site of an old busy boatyard, no evidence of the boatyard exits other than the gate to the fabulous home that has been built on it's foot print. Beside this are a row of cottages that the boatyard workforce occupied, I wonder back in the day if they were as desirable as they are now.

Meaford top lock was leaking badly

Smart home with private moorings with lockgate garden feature

Impressive entrance gate to the house.

Cottages originally for boatyard workers

We have now moored just above bridge 103 at Barlaston and would you believe it theres a canal side pub The Plume of Feathers, we will have to pop in to say hello... it would be rude not to.

We are on the move.

We disconnected the umbilical cord that attaches FL to the grid, stowed the Beer Hunter back on the roof, a couple of bags of coal in the cratch and set off out of the marina.

Two Jays waved us off with a salute from Joan.

A sharp turn to starboard out of the marina and the bow is pointing " Oop North". It's only a 200yd run to the first lock where Ray & Diane were kindly waiting to lock us through.

Duane

Exiting the lock Diane took control of the tiller to '"show me how it should be done" then leapt off FL like a gazelle at the next bridge 'ole.

Until we meet again.

We didn't move far, just into Stone, Sue wanted to shop in town and post a Mum's day card, we will stay here overnight.. it started to rain anyway.

We bought one of those Nutri-bullet thingies that blitz's veg, fruit and nuts into a drink. I tried a veggie concoction but that ended up in the canal, I then whizzed up a fruit blend of strawberries, raspberries, pear, blueberries, blackberries and banana which was much better, we had that with our pasty lunch.

Thank You

One of the things we both looked forward to when starting on this journey was meeting new people and making new friends and we haven't been disappointed.






We would like to say a big thank you to all our new friends... Paul, Elaine, Ray, Diane, Dot, Gordon, Roly, Bev, Jim, Joan, Elly and Mick  for making our first wintering so enjoyably memorable. Your generosity, humour and friendship has meant a great deal, we intend to keep in touch and hope to meet up again in the future.... Thank You.

We're off (nearly).

Today was going to be our set off day for the season but it's piddling down now and is expected to be persistent for the rest of the day. No point in getting soaked so we will delay our departure.

Below is a map of the navigable canals we can cruise on. At the moment we are just below Stoke-on -Trent on the Trent & Mersey canal.

Our loose plan is to head north to the Peak Forest canal or northwest to Wales and the Llangollan canal, we will probably do both during the next two months but plans could change, in any case, we will turn right out of the marina.


Last years canals

Grand Union
South Oxford
Thames
South Oxford
North Oxford
Ashby
Coventry
Birmingham & Fazley
Trent & Mersey

Windy day.

Sunday was a blustery day with rain, hail and sunshine, we left our mooring between Star Lock and Yard Lock to reach the winding hole above Limekiln Lock. The accident prone Glyn managing not to get fingers trapped or fall into the canal while helping Sue and Christine with the locks.

(Glyn did manage on one occasion when helping with the ropes on a cruiser we owned on the Thames to fall into and submerge himself, the lock keeper fished him out with a pole!)

Once turned with the bow pointing back to Aston we returned through the 5 locks back to the marina. Things went a bit pear shaped as we turned into the marina entrance the wind pinned us to the side which snapped a fender hook, the fender dropped into the canal and its rope wrapped itself tight around the prop. Took me nearly an hour with various knives including the carving knife from the kitchen to get all the rope cut away. That done we tried to get into our pontoon berth but again the wind was just too strong and sent us crabbing down the basin, we found an empty double berth and shot into it at full revs. Sue had a stew cooking in the Epping so we had that with a glass of wine  while we waited for the wind to abate then we made our way back to our berth  with the aid of Pauls weight on the centre rope we moored up easily.

A night in Stone.

Glyn and Christine drove up the M6 for a visit. After waiting for a heavy shower to pass we exited the marina and made our way through two locks to moor by Stone town.

Sue educated the new crew on lock use.

We had a stroll through the town to the Titanic pub for a glass of ale and to Olives restaurant for a nice meal. A nightcap in the Swan on the way back to FL rounded of the evening nicely.

Sitting at the hard core table.

Dinner in Olives

The Angel of the North and Hadrians Wall

We were invited to join Dot and Gordon who were house sitting at an old farmhouse near Haltwhistle in Northumberland. Also there were hard core boaters Ray, Diane, Elaine and Paul, we jumped at the chance to visit somewhere new and with such good company.

Farm house

Views from front of house

Sue and I arrived Wednesday evening, Dot cooked us all a fabulous fish pie for tea, afterwards we played trivial pursuit in a battle of the sex's which the lady's won by the smallest of margins. 

Thursday we all had a trip to Whitley Bay on a cold and windy day

Whitley Bay

Despite the cold the floral display is coming along

Warming up in a Whitley Bay cafe.

On the way back to the farm we stopped of at the 200 ton Angel of the North  for photos.

Dot and Ray posing as Angels

Ray steadying Sue during her pose.

Hadrian's Wall runs close to the farm so we walked up to see it on our return from Newcastle.

The wall was 4 metres tall when built but much of it has been recycled over the century's

Modern day legionnaires inspect the wall

The Scots were kept to this side of the wall

In the evening we had a banquet from the local Indian takeaway...... The chaps volunteered to collect it.

Waiting for our order to be readied 

Friday morning after saying our goodbyes we headed south down the M6, we stopped at Kendall in the lake district to have a look around and a cuppa in Neros. After hearing via the radio that there was a 12 mile tailback further south on the M6, we set the Sat Nag to keep us off the M6 and came back the scenic route, apart from the bit that took us through the centre of Manchester.

Auf wiedersehen pet

There's not much in life that is more heart wrenching as saying goodbye to a faithful pet... Ray & Diane  had to say goodbye to Banjo after a short illness.

Banjo was a placid gentle little fellow who will be missed by all who knew him, either around the canal system, here in the marina or his wet nose nudge on a knee from under a pub table.

Bye Banjo

Sinking on the K&A

Inexperienced  hirers out to enjoy the Kennet & Avon canal came to grief in a lock when their boat caught on a cill (story here).  This could of been tragic, I wonder if any  hire company's actually take new hirer's through their first lock to show them the dangers the unwary face. I know companies that use models or a video in a classroom to show how to use the lock gear safely, but how much does a group of excited holidaymakers actually take in, they would  be better prepared if they were taught at a real lock situation. I remember our first lock (read here) , we were helped by the experienced crew of NB Cider and Rose and very grateful we were to them. Perhaps CaRT should encourage volunteer lock keepers to help at the nearest lock up the line from hire fleets.


We are now back on our berth in Aston Marina, Fl will stay here while we have a two day jolly in Northumberland and then receive weekend visitors.

Grinding and Welding

Today we took Festina Lente up the Trent & Mersey canal to Canal Cruising Company so Peter could have a look at the couple of jobs we needed doing, the swan neck needs straightening and a gas locker hinge repair.

First lock of 2014 

Under Stone main Road

Into Star lock

Moored outside CCC waiting while they manoeuvre a few boats to get us near the dock.

Peter had a quick look  decided both gas locker hinges required replacing and got one of his guys straight on the job.

Grinding & welding

New hinges.

Heat applied to straighten the swan neck.

We are both very pleased with service we received from CCC, the job was done and dusted in two hours ... fantastic ... we had 5 months worth of excuses and promises from Aston marina.

Royal Exchange.

While we were in Stone it was into the Royal Exchange for the Monday afternoon boaters gathering, the Titanic brewery put a voucher on my loyalty card for a free pint, how nice. It was very thin on the ground, only the two of us, the gang have all disbanded Roly and Bev have sailed off to help friends move a boat, Dot and Gordon are house sitting in Northumberland, Paul, Elaine, Ray and Diane have left to join them. We will joining up with them all for a couple of days from Wednesday.

Busy week

The marina is slowly coming to life with owners visiting their boats to start preparations for the coming cruising season.


Tuesday- Spent the morning under cold grey sky's putting another topcoat on to the bow. After lunch the sun came out so we walked along the drying towpath to Morrison's in Stone for some essentials, now we are carless, it's down to shank's pony and a rucksack, we had to pop into the Swan for a glass of Old Priory on the way back to FL.

This will have to be redone.

Wednesday and Thursday, more rubbing down of the port gunnel then applying a non slip finish, I am not happy with the end result. The product I used is a premix of black and sand, the sand element has not gone on evenly. It will work as a non slip surface but the castles in it may become trip hazard. I will have to rub it down and start again. 

Polished the cabin sides using an electric orbital polisher, I enlisted the services of Sue to keep the plugs and sockets of the various attached cables from falling into the water. Late afternoon Roly wandered down from NB 'Klara' with bottles of ale for the hard working crews of FL and Two Jays, what a top bloke.

Starboard gunnel prepared for a topcoat

Friday started foggy but it was OK to put undercoat over the primer, I will hopefully get a topcoat on Saturday.

Lunch was had at the Golden Orient buffet, eat as much as you like for a set price in the company of Ray, Diane, Bev and Roly. Just before our belts broke Ray drove us to Midland Chandlers for the buying of boaty bits. From here we went straight to the early doors assembly at the Royal Exchange to meet up with Paul, Barry and Carol.

Before getting stuck into a pint of Plumage I walked down to Canal Cruising Company to discuss some work requirements on FL that I have been asking Aston Marina to do for me since September last year, we have had a whole lot of excuses/promises from them but no action, so I wouldn't recommend Aston Marina as a place to get work done on your boat, although it has many other advantages. We take FL to CCC on Monday so will see what happens.

Tom's Bell

 While we were at home last week we found this (forgotten about) bell that Sue's late father Tom presented to us around 25 years ago. He knew our aspiration of owning a narrow boat one day and said the bell would be the first piece of equipment towards it. Here we are on the boat and the bell has pride and place....God bless Tom.

Tom's Bell

Weekend social

Friday- got back to the boat about 1400 hrs, unzipping the cratch cover  we found a pressie delivered in our absence, Stroopwafles from Elly and Mick brought back from their recent European trip...thank you so much. Parisian Star have left the marina on the final months of their narrowboat journey, we wish them well and  hope to thank them in person somewhere on the cut before they return home to Aussieland.

We had a stroll to the Titanic with Roly in the afternoon to meet up with Ray and Diane. We discovered a new ale, half of Plum Porter mixed with half of Steerage (Plumage). A stop at the chippy and the Three Crowns was enjoyed on the journey home.

Saturday - We got the bus into Stafford with Ray and Diane  and met up with Dot and Gordon who have their boat out on the hard standing at Stafford boat club while they gets its bum wiped and painted. After purchasing supplies at the farmers market, pork and black pudding pie for us,bottles of blackbeer wine for Dot and Diane, we found ourselves in the local Weatherspoons (The Picture House). Weatherspoons always appear to use interesting buildings and the old cinema is impressive.We had lunch and settled in to watch both the six-nation rugby games.

Sunday and I'm in my sixtieth year where did all that time go, I feel forty years younger until I look in the mirror or try to get up from a kneeling position. That bald pate and aching joints soon tell me which end of life's scale I belong to.  Thanks for all for the cards texts emails pressies and best wishes that I have received. 

The Sun was out with real warmth to its radiating heat. I went for an early morning stroll past the lock and into Aston village and then  spent the rest of the day painting the stern and the bow before watching a rampant England put Wales to the sword.

Monday- The brushes and paint are out again today, the gas locker lid now has a top coat on the undercoat I applied to it last year.The well attended Monday afternoon boaters tea party was on the Bistro veranda in the sunshine. For the first time only flasks of tea and coffee were evident among the cakes flat breads and biscuits.