Etruria

Got underway at 08:30 from our Milton mooring. It was looking a bit iffy weather wise, by the time we reached the first lock it was raining quite heavily. Through the staircase lock the Etruria Industrial Museum was open for tourists, so we made a stop and visited. The museum is centred on the Jesse Shirley's Bone and Flint Mill site and incorporates a visitors centre,Forge, Warehouse and Check Office by the Trent and Mersey Summit Lock.

Kiln

Recycled boiler used to warm a swimming pool.

The mill is powered by the canal but in this case steam and not waterwheel, an 1820's Boulton and Watt beam engine produces the power to turn the mills cogs, steam is raised by a rare hand stoked Cornish boiler

Beam of engine

Piston rod

Grinding room

Porcelain (bone china) is 50% crushed bone, perhaps we could get loved ones made into table ware.. you can get diamonds made from loved ones ashes after all, Sue would make a nice teapot.(Sue called me a cheeky so and so when she proof read this ...I should of said potty)

Good old Fred was opening something instead of knocking it down!

The gauging dock office where boats had their cargo gauged, and check office where skippers paid the toll.

We used the services at Etruria (named after an Italian area famed for pottery making) before moving back on to the Trent and Mersey and mooring at Festival Park for the night outside the Toby carvery. We popped into the Black Prince boat hire to buy a map of our next part of the journey. Plan is to head north on the Macclesfield canal to reach the Peak Forest canal. Then to the Llangollen canal via the Bridgewater canal. Of course we have to get ourselves through the three thousand yard Harecastle tunnel first.

Maggot's & cloudy ale

Set off before 09:00 which is early for us. Cool overcast and dry conditions all the way this morning. Contractors were doing a splendid job of towpath repairs on the approach to the Stockton Brook flight of four locks, cyclist's will be pleased.

Towpath improvements

Holding the barge in while FL passes.

Sue met a man wearing an IOM bandanna

Stockton Brook top lock

The converted stable building next to Stockton top lock is up for sale, yours for £395,000 .

Sue blagged a few maggots from fishermen on the way, I have never met anyone so happy to receive a few maggot's, she will be getting her fishing rod out for the first time this year.

Stockton Brook old pumping station 

The sun has come out as we moor up at Milton for our overnight stop . Went into the village for some protein from the local butchers, had an early doors ale in the Foxley and Millrace. Doombar ale in the Foxley was good Hobgoblin ale in the Millrace was cloudy and shi#e.

Denford to Endon 3 locks 2 miles

Set of from our Denford mooring about 10:00, sky's are light grey, no wind so ideal conditions to to get through the tight spots. We were helped though Hazelhurst middle lock by C&RT personnel who were doing repairs.

We stopped at Park Lane Wharf to take on water and dump the rubbish, while the tank was filling I had a shower. (having a shower mid cruise allows the engine to heat the water for the evening/following morning).

We have moored for the night above Bridge 28 at Endon, only a short walk into the village from here to get a few provisions from the local store. Phone Wifi and Tv signal's are all good at this spot.

Flint Mill Museum

The wind was getting up as we left our mooring, through the two locks that took us back to the now open Flint Mill Museum. Joe, part of a husband & wife volunteer team, showed us around the old millers cottage, the daughter of the last miller to live here had her 98th birthday last week and she lives in the cottage next door with her husband who is 100 years old, they have been married for 75 years!.

The flint was unloaded from boats onto small trucks and wheeled on tracks and lifted through these trap doors to start the process

 It was fascinating to look at the workings of the mill, Joe opened the sluice to start the water wheel turning and the internal cogs spinning, I was struck by how noiseless the 18th century machinery is  without actually milling anything. The flint for milling was transported to the site from the south coast beaches of England and parts of Ireland.

One of the two mills at the museum started out life as a flour mill 800 years ago before being converted to flint milling in the 18th century.

The Hollybush was our port of call for tea, proper steak & ale pie for me and hunters chicken for Sue.

Tuesday Froghall Basin

As there is are no signals here and I needed to speak to my daughter I was trudging out of the valley at 07:30 this morning, after what seemed like a 5 mile hike I was high enough to get a phone signal. 

We pulled the pins and set off towards Froghall the sun was trying it's hardest to get through the thin cloud cover. The canal gets very narrow in parts and is not helped by the Consall Forge Railway station dangling over the water. 

I like to find out why bridges have been given their name one bridge we passed is called Cherryeye bridge after the red bloodshot eyes of the flint workers who used to use it.

The wooden hut structure is not a drop through dunny, it's the station waiting room.

I love this picture Sue took of an old semaphore signal 

The canal gets very narrow in parts, we squeezed through long sections with only inches to spare, we were glad there wasn't any other traffic to negotiate. At Flint Mill lock there is a gauge as you exit the lock to advise if the boat will fit through the Froghall tunnel.

We wont fit under the tunnel.

Coming to a narrow section

 Arriving at Froghall is a bit frustrating, the small portal stopping any further progress, a walk over the top of the tunnel brings you to Froghall Basin a serene oasis with immaculate pontoons. I shouldn't think many boats are shallow enough to make it to the basin but those that do are rewarded with a remote secure place to stay.

Froghall Basin

One of the six lime kilns.

 There are better places to moor on the Caldon than just before the tunnel so we made use of the winding hole and started our return journey to the Trent & Mersey. The sun was out in full so we shed our fleeces for t-shirts. We had a long chat in a lock with a couple from Antwerp who were really interested in our life style.

Early hay cut.

Sue walking between locks.

 We have moored for the night opposite the Boat Inn we were going to have our tea there but they don't do meals on a Tuesday evening so we made do with meatballs and pasta from the onboard provisions.

One interesting note ..... we have been travelling for a week and we have never been more than 20 minutes away from our starting point by road.

Monday at Churnet valley railway

Cast of from our mooring at 09:45 under high cloudy skies, we get glimpses of the boats high above us on the Leek Arm to port. Under New Springs Bridge (38) Grange Bridge (39) the rusty iron of railway tracks follow parallel to the canal for a while, as we take a sharp turn to starboard the tracks are replaced by the bimbling River Churnet down to Cheddleton Locks.

A daffodil  guard of honour

We moored  just before the first lock to have a look around the Flint Mill Museum, unfortunately closed so we just wandered around the buildings, waterwheels and industrial equipment outside. Perhaps try on the return trip.

Flint Mill

Sue locked us through the two locks preparing the second while FL and me descended the first, all the practise she gets is paying dividends.

Half mile further on we made a second stop to look at the Churnet Valley Railway and Cheddleton station, again it is out of season but we were able to walk around the old buildings and rolling stock. On the opposite bank there is a smart pub The Boat, where we have lunch and a glass of Burtons Ale, food and beer were excellent.

River Churnet

Sue enjoying a ham baguette

Setting off once more the canal now cuts through a very attractive landscape. After Oakmeadow Lock the canal merges with the River Churnet to meander through high banks thick with leafless trees that sweep down to the water's edge. We moor for the night at Consall Forge we have no signal for phone PC or TV but it does have it's advantages as well as the quietness and views there is The Black Lion which must be one of the most isolated pubs in England. We went to the pub in the evening and the landlord and locals at the bar are all very friendly. We both had the Smothering Monk ale to drink, here we were told about the transgressors at the water point in the photo. When we left we got a cheery goodnight from all in the bar.

I just love this bridge.

Lime Kilns

We are the second boat back in this picture. The first boat is on a water point and hasn't moved for a couple of weeks ( it has a C&RT notice attached to the bow rope).

The Black Lion

Two pubs visited today does that constitute a pub crawl as narrow boaters are associated with the derogatory term ditch crawlers.

View from Kitchen window today.