Saturday 28th September 2019 in Branston, Burton-on-Trent.
The early morning sky was beautiful.
We decided to have breakfast at "The Dragon" before we set off, partly because M wanted to have their haddock and spinach on a brioche bun with poached eggs again. She said that No.26 at Aston should do something similar and took a photograph to show them.
R had his usual light breakfast, which was also very good. "The Dragon" will definitely get a good review on Trip Advisor!
As we set off, we were quite surprised to see four guys working hard in a canoe - perhaps they were training for a dragon race. They were certainly taking it vey seriously!
On the outskirts of Burton-on-Trent, we arrived at "Dallow Lock". It's unusual in that it's situated right under a big bridge. All the locks from the River Trent to here are wide locks but, from now on, all the locks are narrow. The last narrow lock that we did was at Foxton on 29th June - so three months ago!
M said that she was really happy to be back doing narrow locks again. They feel so comfortingly familiar!
On the walls under the bridge next to the lock was a very attractive mural celebrating the history of Burton. It was covered with perspex to protect it and to stop vandals from covering it with spray paint. Monks in the 13th century discovered that the well water in Burton had a high gypsum content and made excellent beer. The industry grew and grew until, in the last century, there were 31 breweries in the town producing 3 million barrels of ale annually. Now, only Marstons and Bass still survive.
The next lock is Branston lock, named after the nearby town where the pickle was invented. The lock is out in the country and the light effect was magical.
Just after the lock, we moored up for the night just as the rain started.
Today: 7 miles, 2 locks and 2.8 hours (plus 3.5 hours for power).
Trip: 415 miles, 157 locks and 205.7 hours
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