Alrewas

Today's Canal : Trent and Mersey

We drove up yesterday afternoon. It was well after 2 o'clock before we could get away and also had to drop off items at a couple of places along the way - the clear-up after Christine's Dementia Action Day last Saturday (which went very well with nearly 200 people taking part).

As a result it was after 7 before we arrived at Mercia Marina. Although this is a very pleasant marina and makes good use of the landscaping of the original lakes on ths site, it does have some practical shortcomings - at least for casual visitors like ourselves. The immediate problem was that everything had to be carried a couple of hundred metres from the nearest car park, down some steps and out along the pontoon. A bit further than when we used this marina last. However, after 14 trips to and fro we were done and the meal did not take very long as most of the components were bought from home already prepared - meatballs, tomato sauce and pasta with vegetables.

Looked better in last night's sunset!

This morning we were ready to leave around 9.30 as usual but there were several things we wanted to do first. Christine enquired at the office and, yes, they would prefer us to leave the car in the main area rather than inside the locked compound. At least this means that she could redeem the deposit on the zapper. By the way, the above photo does not really do justice to the layout of Mercia Marina and the cooling towers of the former Willington Power station are not as dominating as they seem!!

We also wanted a few items from Midland Chandlers so Mike took the boat across to their visitor mooring whilst Christine shifted the car. Most of the day was overcast although rather warm. as a result, photos with sky in them are a bit unexciting! By the end of the day we had some bright sunshine.

Eventually we were away but it was only a short distance before we paused again, at Willington where we could pick up a paper from the village Co-Op. The nearer general store had, much to its surprise, run out!

From there it is quite a long pound, right through to the middle of Burton. (Actually, the canal runs parallel to the old road through the main shopping town centre and railway line, about half a mile away)
Mike set himself a challenge to photograph as many wildflowers as he could see - by the time, dear reader, you get to follow this blog we will have wroked out whether any of them are useable!

Horninglow Basin

Although there were no locks for some distance, this is still a wide beam canal and the bridges are the clue. The gauge changes at the first lock in Burton. Horninglow Basin is the last turning point.

The first narrow lock - and our first lock today - is Dallow lane Lock, buried underneath a road bridge, which looks a little in need of repair.

The nearby information board had a lot of interesting facts about Burton. As well as being famous for its brewing (the air is permanently tinged with the typical yeasty smell) it is also the source of other surprising things. We knew about Marmite (we believe it was originally a by-product of brewing but now doubt is made specially today) but also Branston Pickle and, at one time, fairground rides such as helter skelters, walls of death and carousels.

All we really saw were new housing estates - or some that have begun to date rather. A sign on a pipe bridge invited us to visit the Bass Museum of Brewing, claiming to be the biggest attraction in Burton - are there any others?

We paused for lunch above the first lock before continuing in the afternoon on towards our day's destination of Alrewas.

We are definitely now on a narrow canal as the bridge below Tatenhill Lock clearly demonstrates. At first sight it can look a bit intimidating to aim for such a narrow bridge but since it is the same width as the lock, steerers have to learn to judge such distances unless they are to add to the number of bricks knocked out of some bridges!

Above the lock we soon passed alongside a MarleyEternit tile factory with a huge selection laid out in the storage area.

The canal today was much busier than we had seen on our earlier trips this year. The greater part seemed to be the HireACanalBoat craft out from Sawley Bridge just before the start of the Trent and Mersey. These boats are distinctive in not having any window or door in the front of the boat. Although there is a small sitting area - where we often see crew enjoying the sunshine - it is not easily accessed and no quick dash back inside if need be!

The narrow bridges look even more of a challenge when they are also turnover bridges where the towpath changes sides. As a result, the bridges did not need room for the towpath underneath the bridge.

Just below Barton Turn Lock is a most impressive Wharf House - although it seems now to be divided into at least three separate dwellings. If you fancy it, one is currently up for sale although you do have to cope with the permanent noise from the A38 which runs alongside the canal here for some distance.

The coping stones on the bridge at Wychnor Lock were once protected from the effects of horse towing ropes but it would probably do more damage to the rope today!

We were now approaching the level crossing with the River Trent and the water was especially clear - although the photo shows the reflection of the clouds as well as the underwater reeds!

The navigation only uses a couple of hundred metres or so of the river before rising up through Alrewas Lock. we were a bit concerned when we saw all the spaces on the first mooring location already occupied but were relieved when we found plenty of space just after the next bridge, well into the village itself. Hopefully this will mean we can find a paper in the morning.

And what about all those flowers? Well . . . most of the photos were a total disaster as framing and focusing whilst still steering the boat is wishful thinking but seeing as how we took rather a lot, we did not want to waste them entirely. So that you can easily skip them, they are in the next blog on their own!

13.0 miles - 6 Locks