The day began with much more blue sky than cloud but gradually things became greyer but, despite some very dark looking clouds it stayed dry and pleasantly warm all day.
We were a little slow off the mark, even though we had planned to get away by nine, as Mike was experiencing problems with the new Windows 8.1 and the Bluetooth GPS. Eventually he prodded it into action but is still not sure about the reasons which continued through the day to do things differently from the old Vista system! In any event, it was 9.45 before we were able to leave our overnight mooring just about lock 23. We had had to let a couple of boats pass us as it is impolite to set off right in front of an on-coming boat.
morning was not marked with anything special - we continued northwards and found that there was a little more traffic than on the Staffs and Worcs but only on a couple of occasions did we have to queue for a lock.
We saw several splendid houses, from the map a number of them are quite well established. Across the Trent plain this is Weston Hall - sorry about the wires but no view escaped them!
Salt Bridge is especially ornate and remarkably bulky. We have to assume that as with others it was constructed to appease the local landowner.
Several times we could just see the top of Pitt's Column but never more than in this photo - taken across the railway line and also a road which each take, along here, the same route as the canal navigators plotted. The column was erected in 1806 by the owner of the nearby Sandon hall in honour of the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger. It is said to be modelled on Trajan's Column in Rome.
Along much of this stretch the off side of the canal has no hedge and animals come down to the water's edge. In this field we spotted this splendid animal. All the animals, unlike other fields where they were lying down, were noticeably lively. Perhaps this other beast had something to do with it!
Some of the bridges along here once had different numbers - the older ones carved into the stonework. In this case today's number 85 replaces the older 90.
This time the building is Burston Hall.
Bridge 88 is listed as Iron Bridge - close up it does look as if an original brick and stone bridge was subsequently re-modelled with the iron deck.
As we approached Weston Marina, just below Weston Lock, a shared ownership boat came out in front of us. It did seem to have some difficulty in making the turn. This, combined with a very slow boat already going up the lock, precipitated quite a queue and when it was our turn another four were already on the lock landing.
We were aiming to get to Stone by late lunch time as we planned to go shopping, not that we needed a lot but it is as well to stock up when one can. However, it was getting rather late so we pulled in to moor just a few minutes before Stone - we were not all that confident of finding a suitable mooring and, as we discovered an hour later when we set off again, we were right to be cautious. Almost immediately there was a long line of moored boats right up to the first of the Stone locks.
However, just above the lock there is a short off side stretch beside a car park which is now 24 hour limited mooring. We seem to recall that it was once marked for shopping only. In any event, it was just right for us as the shops are just a couple of minutes away.
We stocked up as planned - Mike was rewarded for his patience yesterday by the sight of a specialist sweet shop! (In Penkridge he was not allowed to walk into town for this experience!) Still, we now have just a few treats.
The town centre was rather quiet - although the Co-Op supermarket was able to meet our main needs we were a bit disappointed not to find a 'proper' butcher shop. We would rather have liked to find a good quality pork pie for lunch over the next few days.
The next lock was the first we ever did - just over 48 years ago, but we have probably said that before in blogs when passing this way! The boat we hired was from Canal Cruising, one of the longest surviving pioneers of the leisure use of canals which at the time we began had lost almost all of their freight trade which, even ten years previously, was still in evidence in some places.
Interesting coincidence also: the chap waiting to come down the lock after we had come up, was out for the first time since his childhood. His father once ran Norbury Junction boatyard where we hired one of their distinctive boats on a couple of occasions a long time ago.
We stopped briefly to use the sani station below the next lock, but as the lock also had to be emptied, we did not take much longer than usual going through. We have not had any entries for our unusual boats gallery of late but this one just above the lock deserves to be included. Unlike most entries, it is far from ugly although it does have five different cabin heights along its length.
We never cease to be amazed, and on this occasion amused, by what people put on the sides of their boats. Some of the names are unpleasantly crude but the thought of being a 'Canal Idler' (especially for the last 44 years!) did appeal.
After the four locks in Stone there is not long before the Meaford flight which we wanted to leave for the morning. At first it looked as if we would be in some difficulty as we crawled passed lots of moored boats, some taking up two spaces, but after bridge 96A there was plenty of room.
14.2 Miles - 7 locks
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