Jasper's in Penkridge.

 Saturday 30th September 2023 at Acton Trussell.

The last day of September and a beautiful sunrise.

Quite a few locks to do today but this is one of our favourites. Rodbaston Lock, in the foreground, is a pretty lock but is right next to the M6, just yards away. The truck in the background is doing 60mph down the motorway. We always look out for this lock when we are driving north on the M6 as you can see it clearly as you whizz past; M always says she just can't get her head round the two different lifestyles - the gentle narrowboating one at 3mph and the "rush and tear" one of the motorways.

At the lock, we came to the aid of an American couple who were having problems opening the bottom gates. They were so pleased to see us, as they said they had been waiting twenty minutes for a helping hand to come along!  The lady hadn't understood how the paddles worked and so hadn't been able to open the bottom gates! They were part of a flotilla of four boats doing the Four Counties Ring. All four couples had done boating together in America, mainly on big rivers like the Mississippi, and decided to come to England to try our "slightly smaller" canals (bit of a difference!). They loved the fact that they could do the locks themselves without needing staff to do it for them. As we continued, we met the other three boats in the flotilla and they all seemed to be enjoying the experience.

This was a very upmarket tree house complete with spiral staircase. A child's dream and possibly a parent's nightmare?

At Penkridge, we moored up so that M could walk in to town for a "few bits". This is Jasper's, an incredibly popular bakery. It s a real experience to shop there!  The queue outside snaked down the pavement; M was number sixteen.  Then when she finally gained entrance, she found there were at least ten customers packed inside the tiny shop. Business is so brisk that the counter, which was only about eight feet long, was staffed by six servers, all working flat out. M bought lemon cake, flapjacks, muffins and a pastie. When she went to pay she was alarmed to find that they don't take cards! She just managed to scrape up enough cash, including her precious "trolley pound coin" to pay. Afterwards, at the Co-op, she had to ask for "cash back", as did the lady in front of her, who had also been to Jasper's and had been cleaned out of cash too!

As we left Penkridge, we were greeted by this very enthusiastic character who waved to us chreerfully  as we passed.

Just past Acton Trussell, we moored up for the night.

Today:6 miles, 9 locks and 3.8 hours.

Trip: 303 miles, 132 locks and 161.7 hours.

Gailey, the Round House and a Day Off.

 Thursday 28th and Friday 29th September 2023 at Gailey.

On Thursday morning, we waved goodbye to Jenni, Will, Ed and Rufford as they headed back towards Norbury Junction. It has been truly lovely to spend time with them.

We stayed on at the junction for a while, catching up with our friends Peter and Annie, who run the Napton's hire base at the junction and from whom we rented our very first narrowboat nb "Emma" 13 years ago.

Opposite the junction is a large park with a magnifient willow tree, this is one our many routes to Morrison's as M had decided she needs a few more bits! R doesn't grumble, as he knows he gets well fed as a result!

Back at MM, we set off towards Gailey. For about a mile the canal here is very narrow, only just wide enough for one boat to pass through. It's very daunting for any novice hirers who have just set off from Napton's back at Autherley; they must have their fingers crossed that they don't meet a boat coming the other way!

The reason this stretch is so narrow is that it's cut through a solid rock section and it was only made this wide because cutting through the rock was so difficult and time-consuming.

Further up we came across a large group of children in canoes. As we passed, they all shouted in unison "Aye Aye Cap'n" when prompted by their instructors. It looked like they were having great fun.

It must have been school nature day as we then came across this large group of children with their teachers who all waved enthusiastically as we passed.

Soon after, we arrived on the outskirts of Gailey and moored up in the exact spot where we spent our first ever night on n.b "Emma" 13 years ago. It was here where we woke up that first morning on the canals to see the mist rising from the water and were hooked from that moment on.  This time, however, we were moored under oak trees and acorns rained down on us all night.

We awoke to a clear morning. While our first morning on Emma  had been misty and magical, the view this morning was just as beautiful in the sunshine.

After breakfast, we moved up to Gailey lock and its famous Round House. We have visited it many times and met the lady and her daughter who run the shop and live in the tower above. The shop had been closed when we came this way last year. so we were pleased to see that the shop was open and still run by the daughter, Karen. Sadly her elderly mother, Eileen, died last year. Karen was so very pleased to see us and remembered us. She was quite emotional and said that the shop had been closed for three years due to Covid and her mother's illness but now she was very happy that it was open again. We promised to come by and see her again next year.

Just below Gailey lock we moored up again as we have both got a bit of a head cold and were not feeling brilliant, so we decided to take a day off and spent much of the day sleeping. The weather was glorious and M dried a machine load of washing on the line.

Just after 7:00pm the full moon rose over the horizon. A beautiful sight.

Two Days: 9 miles, 1 lock and 1.1 hours.

Trip: 297 miles, 123 locks and 157.9 hours.

Wightwick Manor

 Wednesday 27th September 2023 at Autherley Junction

Wightwick Manor is just a few hundred yards from our mooring so, at 10:00am, the five of us set off to visit the house. The Mander family made its fortune producing and selling varnishes and paints all round the world.

 

In 1878, the family bought the Wightwick Manor estate complete with a late 16th century house, which is now the shop.

Mrs Mander took one look at the house and decided that it was far too small and dark inside!  So Mr Mander had a new manor house built next to it in the mediaeval style.

This photograph was taken from the internet as the house is currently covered in scaffolding due to a three year restoration and preservation project. The original house is the three bays on the left; just six years later the size of the house was doubled as the Mander family rose in society and needed to entertain. The first room that you enter is the ladies' lounge from the original house, it is a delightful room full of light. It even has a secret window from where Mrs Mander could look out for unwanted visitors! It even has a hidden staircase so that she could escape upstairs to avoid any unwanted guest.

 Much of the house was decorated by William Morris and attracted many of the Pre-Raphaelite "brotherhood" of the day. The Manders collected and acquired many Pre-Raphaelite paintings, one of which is an original Millais; apparently he was a regular visitor to the house. The new extension featured a massive great hall in the mediaeval style complete with a minstrels' gallery.

Having taken our fill of exquisite paintings and beautifully furnished rooms (and bacon butties in the tearoom!), we returned to the boats. On the way, we passed a large ivy bush that was covered in bees and Red Admiral butterflies.

We set off back to Autherley Junction with the two boats, once more passing the junction with the Wolverhampton flight on the way.

The two boats moored up together just outside Autherley Junction for the night.

Tomorrow, Jenni, Will, Ed and Rufford will head north back up the Shropshire Union Canal while we, on MM, will continue on up the Staffs & Worcs towards Great Haywood.

Today: 4 miles, 2 locks and 1.5 hours.

Trip: 288 miles, 122 locks and 153.9 hours.

On To Wightwick Manor.

 Tuesday 26th September 2023 at Wightwick Manor.

Our original plan for the week was to take the two boats to Wightwick Manor, a beautiful Arts & Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite house near Wolverhampton. Despite the delays over the weekend, we decided to do a fairly long day and go to Wightwick Manor anyway. MM set off first because M wanted to do some shopping in Autherley.

On the way we passed over the narrow A5 or Watling Street Aqueduct.

We always enjoy looking down on the very straight Roman road below. Not too much traffic today.

This is a canal of contrasts, it is either on an embankment overlooking the countryside or in a deep cutting with trees making an arch above our heads. The trees above are always beautiful in the dappled sunshine.

This is a very ornate bridge that carries a wide avenue towards Chillington Hall, the home of the Giffard family since the 12th century. Ornate bridges like this were often a requirement on the part of wealthy landowners in return for allowing the canal to cross their large estates.

Just short of Autherley Junction, we moored up to go to Morrisons for a "few bits". On the way we passed this public gym equipment in an otherwise uninspiring park on the edge of a housing development. Clearly not much used. Perhaps it would have seen better use in the middle of the development rather than tucked away almost out of sight in a corner. Otherwise, a great idea.

We stopped off at Autherley Junction to see our friends Peter and Annie but sadly it was their day off, We'll try again tomorrow on the way back!.

At the junction, we went through the stop lock and turned south on to the Staffs & Worcs Canal.

Just to the south is Aldersley Junction where the Birmingham Canal climbs through the 21 Wolverhampton Locks. We have been to the top of the locks, and to the bottom, and we have walked much of the locks but never actually done the flight on MM; the last time we tried, the locks were closed for repair for months. One day, perhaps!

At Wightwick Manor, we turned both boats between the two Wightwick locks and moored up for the night. Tomorrow we'll visit the house, just a short walk away.  We joined Jenni on Rufford before dinner for a lovely glass of red wine and some fruit cake!

Today: 11 miles, 4 locks and 4.5 hours.

Trip: 284 miles, 120 locks and 152.4 hours.

Deja Vu Through Gnosall.

 Monday 25th September 2023 in Wheaton Aston.

Our reward for yesterday's trials and tribulations was breakfast together in the excellent Norbury Café this morning.

The café is charming, awash (!) with boating memorabilia and a well stocked little grocery shop behind.

On the shelf above the menu board is a range of Measham ware, highly prized by the old boating community.  M thinks it's hideous!!!

 

MM was moored through the bridge, so R had to back her through the bridge before turning round in the confines of Norbury Junction basin.

Norbury used to be a proper "Junction" as a canal to Shrewsbury once joined the Shropshire Union Canal here. Sadly, all that is left now is a short arm that is used for boat moorings. In its heyday it must have been a very attractive route.

Having got MM facing in the right direction, we set off again towards the south with Rufford following on behind.

Not very long after we had that "Deja Vu" feeling as we re-entered Gnosall past the water point where we moored on Saturday. All credit to whomever had planted lovely little flower beds round each of the two water points.

We contiued on to Wheaton Aston where we found a nice sunny mooring below the lock so that M could put the washing out to dry.

 Today: 8 miles, 0 locks and 3.1 hours.

Trip: 273 miles, 116 locks and 147.9 hours.

Rufford's Flooded Engine Room

 Sunday 24th September 2023 Back in Norbury.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear but sadly the night had not passed without incident. 

 Strange noises emanating from Rufford's heating system woke Jenni, Will and Ed up in the night. On investigating in the engine room they found some four inches of water flooding the engine room. The bilge pump had not come on automatically as it should have done, so Will switched it on manually and drained most of the water. Unfortunately, the water had been so deep that it had also flooded into the compartment under the engine, which does not have a pump as it should never get wet. Jenni called the Ownershare people who manage the boat while R and M went in to the Gnosall Co-op for the usual  "few bits". Not much traffic, as you can see!

Back at the boats, R got into Rufford's engine room and started bailing water out of the bilge and from under the engine. As this meant standing in the black greasy bilge water, he took his shoes and socks off. Despite scrubbing his greasy feet afterwards, M suggested that R wear socks to bed in the night to protect the sheets from any residual black grease! He was a good boy and dutifully went to bed in his socks!

As the source of the water, some 10 gallons, could not be ascertained, it was decided to return to Norbury, where an engineer could be consulted. In order to go back to Norbury, we had to head south for two miles to find a place to turn around. So, the two boats headed south through Gnosall's Cowley Tunnel.

At the winding hole, we turned both boats, Jenni first, and we waved to each other as we passed by.

"Deja vu" as we came back into Gnosall. We definitely had that "been here before feeling"!

Finally, we arrived back in Norbury where the marina owner assured us the the boat was fine and the water had probably come in from the front well deck. Unusually, Rufford has no drain directly from the well deck, so any water in the front well deck flows in a long pipe to the engine room bilges. Either someone had left a hose running at the front or had got the well deck flooded in a lock.

 We agreed to stay the night in Norbury and meet together for breakfast in the café in the morning.

Today: 7 miles, 0 locks and 3.1 hours.

Trip: 265 miles, 116 locks and 144.8 hours.

Meeting up with Rufford.

 Saturday 23rd September 2023 in Gnosall.

A bright start to the morning as we set off down to Norbury Junction to meet up with Jenni, Will and Ed on their share boat nb "Rufford" which they have for the next week.

From the canal embankment there is a clear view of the Wrekin in the distance standing high above the surrounding plain.

This is the historic "Knighton" site that used to be one of Cadbury's main facilities for making chocolate crumb; all the ingredients and finished product were carried by canal boats. The wharf is now unused, looking quite derelict in fact, and the factory behind now makes Bird's Custard!

Grub Street Cutting's famous "double" bridge with its long since redundant telegraph pole is an iconic image. It looks so bizarre!

Soon after midday we arrived at Norbury, moored up and went to the excellent cafe for coffee (R) and a plate of chips (M). The junction is very picturesque; once the former Shrewsbury Canal joined here on the right of the photo.

Rufford is based here and Jenni, Will and Ed were due to pick her up this afternoon. As Will has had a slight accident, they were pleased and relieved that we will be travelling with them and can help out if necessary.

They arrived mid-afternoon and we helped to unload the car and to load the boat with all the necessities of life for a week. It's astonishing how much "stuff" you need to bring on a shared boat, as all your personal items have to be taken off at the end of allocated time; for example, this includes all bedding and towels.

We agreed to head south and as we left Norbury together, we passed our friend Angela on her boat that moors here.

Gnosall is not far down the canal and we arrived after only an hour or so. We know Gnosall well and are very fond of the town.

We moored up MM temporarily to fill up with water and then moved to moor up for the night behind Rufford; she is just visible through the bridge hole.

It was great to see Jenni, Will and Ed again and catch up with them. We look forward very much to spending the next few days together.

Today: 10 miles 0 locks and 3.7 hours.

Trip: 258 miles, 116 locks and 141.7 hours.