Today's Canals : Trent and Mersey, Staffs and Worcs
Today was generally sunny with plenty of blue sky and fluffy clouds. Despite a breeze at sometimes usefully cooling, it was definitely a 'warm' day. By the middle of the day, a protective hat was deemed appropriate.
We set off really quite early after Mike had walked the short distance to Tesco for the weekend newspaper.
Just after the edge of the town we came to a sharp bend at what is known as Brindley's Bank - a sign recalls a piece of grisly history.
Immediately after the bend is an aqueduct over the River Trent.
A couple of bridges later we came across a traffic jam. Both of these boats had decided to use the winding hole immediately after the bridge - we had to wait whilst they sorted themselves out.
It is not easy to get a clear view of Wolseley Bridge, over a line of moored boats and through the trees. The bridge was named after the nearby Wolseley Hall which was home to the family from the Norman Conquest until it was eventually demolished, after a disastrous fire, in the middle of the 20th century.
More fortunate has been Shugborough Hall, close to Great Haywood Junction. The first view is the Tower of the Winds, one of several decorative structures around the main house.
Although the estate is much older, earlier buildings were demolished in 1693 to make way for grand Georgian Mansion. Later the house belonged to Lord Anson, famous for circumnavigating the globe and capturing one of the largest prizes by an English sea captain. A descendant became the first Earl of Lichfield but he led such an extravagant lifestyle that he almost bankrupted the estate. Death duties led to the house being handed to the national Trust by the fourth earl although the fifth earl, Lord Patrick Lichfield, gained the concession that he could live in an apartment.
The estate now belongs to the national trust although the house itself is managed by the county council and is a popular visitor attraction. What we could see, and hear, was the start of the Shugborough Country Show, taking place this weekend.
At Haywood Lock we had assistance in opening gates from two quite small helpers - much to the delight of both sets of grand parents!
At Haywood Junction we turned left on the Staffs and Worcs canal. Just before we had been disappointed that there was nobody around to serve us diesel and gas from a supply boat moored at a farm and so we looked for some at the boatyard. Although there was a sign the wharf was full of hire boats being turned around and we could not get anywhere near the pump.
Tixall Farm is a long, splendid structure - at one time even larger and now a Grade II listed building. It was built around the turn of the start of the 19th century as a model farm although sold for development (ie conversion to residential use) in 1980's.
We soon entered Tixall Wide where the canal opens out for a while almost into a lake. The imposing gatehouse looks across the fields to the water. The main hall was demolished in 1927 - it was for a couple weeks one of the places at which Mary Queen of Scots was held captive. The gatehouse now belongs to the Landmark Trust and used for holiday lets.
The locks are well spaced out on this section but are almost twice the depth of those on the Trent and Mersey for the past couple of days.
After Tixall Lock, we crossed over the River Sow on yet another sturdy aqueduct.
Just before Baswich we passed the place where an arm once joined the main line, linking with the centre of Stafford which today is a little distance from the canal.
South of the town we spotted a sign outside Stafford Boat Club Marina claiming that they sold both diesel and gas. We could not easily see where the service point was so pulled into the entrance whilst Christine went to investigate. she eventually found someone on one of the boats and concluded that whilst they might stock these supplies they do not really expect to sell them! Fortunately we are not into an emergency situation yet.
At Acton Trussell we almost thought we were going the wrong way when we first glimpsed this chap at a distance. It looks as if the village has been having a scarecrow competition as we saw several.
Acton Hall is an expensive looking hotel and not much seems to have been spared for the wedding we could see in progress.
Just before we reached Penkridge a Vulcan Bomber flew overhead. The Sentinel, Stoke's local newspaper, reported earlier today, "Vulcan bomber farewell tour to pass over Staffordshire and Cheshire:
Families will get a chance to see the last remaining Vulcan Bomber in flight today as it passes over Staffordshire and Cheshire on its farewell tour.
The former RAF bomber, registered as XH558, is flying over every site in the UK that houses a complete Vulcan, Victor and Valiant.
It forms part of the "Salute to the V-Force" farewell tour, after which XH558 will retire.
The iconic plane is expected to fly over Staffordshire as it makes its way from the Woodford Aerodrome in Cheshire to RAF Cosford in Shropshire."
A knock on the cabin side heralded an enquiry from a passer-by whether we had a fuel leak as he spotted some on the surface of the water just behind our boat. Since the daily check on fuel level over the past three days was quite normal, we were rather surprised. So, Mike took a look under the engine cover and indeed did discover that fuel was leaking from the filter into one of the bays. However, this bay does not normally get emptied by the bilge pump, which only empties the space under the stern tube which normally drips much of the time.
Christine was dispatched into town to see if we could purchase some nappies - said to be the best emergency aid in this situation.
She returned with two packs but the quantity now seemed too great for them to cope so we will have to try and summon more expert assistance.
15.2 miles - 7 locks
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