More Cheese Grommit?

Friday 17th May 2019 at Handsacre.
The four of us had promised ourselves the "Big Breakfast" in the cafeteria at Great Haywood, so at 9:00am on the dot, Mel, Peter and Robin charged the doors as they opened!

We chose a window table from where we could see the two boats moored opposite.

The Big Breakfast lived up to our expectations!

Much restored, we set off south together again, past the picture-postcard junction with the Staffs & Worcs Canal, and headed on down the Trent & Mersey. Hard to believe that HS2 is scheduled to fly right over the farm shop and cafeteria! Madness.
Colwich lock is another of our favourites. There is often a herd of cows and calves watching us from the bridge, but not today, only a Virgin train passing as we moored up to set the lock.

We had to wait until Mel and Peter had gone through the lock. That is Mel on the bank with Penny and Inca, their two delighful Visla dogs.

It was lovely cruising along this section as the sun came out and gave a lift to all the colours.

Lunch was on the aqueduct at Brindley Basin. Mel was suffering from a surfeit of cheese left over from a party last weekend and so pleaded with us to help her by having lunch on board "Inkling" each day and gradually eating through a mountain of cheese. We were easily persuaded!

Rugeley is not the most awe inspiring place to moor up, despite being an historic market town, so we sailed on through the town and then through the very narrow Armitage "tunnel". It originally was a tunnel but the roof became unstable and was removed, so now it is just a very narrow stretch of canal cut through sandstone. It's one-way traffic, so you have to watch out for oncoming boats.

M walked the towpath for a while after this. It was astonishing how quickly we left Rugeley behind and were back into beautiful rural countryside.
Three years ago, we moored at this location and M got up at 4:00am to hear the dawn chorus, so this is a well loved mooring. M was good enough to record the dawn chorus that day so that R could hear it when he eventually got up!

This time we moored up both boats and it was M's turn to cook supper and we sat up enjoying good food, excellent wine and convivial company.
We all slept well after another lovely day and nobody even thought of getting up at 4:00am!
Today: 9 miles, 2 locks and 3.7 hours.
Trip: 17 miles, 5 locks and 7.0 hours.