The End of Another Wonderful Season!

Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September 2024 back at Aston Marina.

We both decided that it would be nice to go home on Saturday, so we set off for Stone early.

Over the last few years we have watched this old warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent being transformed into a hospitality venue with a very large apartment block in what had been a railway yard behind. It now seems to be almost complete and appropriately named the "Goods Yard". Pleasing to see, as Stoke is very much in need of this kind of restoration.

Trentham lock is the last lock before Meaford and Stone. We had forgotten how beautiful and rural it is, yet so close to Stoke-on-Trent.

Finally, we arrived at the outskirts of Stone, having been delayed for half an hour by a queue at Meaford Top lock; the problem was caused by a broken paddle, meaning only one paddle was working so it was very slow to fill.

In Stone, the old Joules Brewery building is being redeveloped at last. Again, it was encouraging to see this, as it is a very handsome old building and had been allowed to fall into disrepair.

The development includes the new "Crown Wharf Theatre" that is about to hold its first performance in November and looks fantastic.

 

We moored up MM near M&S and, as it is the last night of our summer cruise, we treated ourselves to dinner at our favourite "Pasta di Piazza" restaurant in Stone. Our waiter was a delight and, as always, the food was excellent. Two large glasses of red wine completed our happiness!

On Saturday morning, we needed to do some shopping for home in M&S and so started with breakfast -only to be joined very unexpectedly by Mel and Peter who were out walking their dogs. It was lovely to see them and the best way to start our last morning.

After we completed our shopping, we moved on to our final lock of the season, Lock 26, just outside Aston Marina.

There was a boat coming up through the lock and we were delighted to see that it was nb "Capricorn", a very famous former working narrowboat.

Capricorn was built in 1935 by Harland & Woolff and, during the Second World War was one of the training boats for the "Idle Women", skippered by Daphne French and described in Margaret Cornish's book titled "Troubled Waters".

 In 1964, Capricorn was sold off by British Waterways, shortened to 49ft and converted to a pleasure craft; however, it still retains its original engine. We wondered what Daphne French would have made of her now. We feel sure she would have been astonished yet very proud. This was Capricorn in her working days.

So, finally, we cruised back into Aston Marina, as ever with a mix of emotions on the last day. It has been an incredible summer, shorter than normal and our progress was delayed by broken locks no less than three times, but it was full of fun and our month with Shelley and Harley on "Lazy Bee" has to be the highlight, topped off by our second visit to Liverpool.

As we will be back near to MM and Aston for two weeks at the start of October, we didn't do all the usual things that we do to get MM ready for the winter; we will do all that in October. Instead, we just jumped into the car and drove home.

Two Days: 10 miles, 12 locks and 5.9 hours.

Trip: 295 miles, 150 locks and 150.1 hours

Since Launch: 5,833 miles, 3,511 locks and 3,794.9 hours.

Trapped in Harecastle Tunnel.

 Thursday 19th September 2024 in Stoke-on-Trent.

The weather is beautiful at the moment; we are enjoying a lovely Indian Summer with sunshine and clear blue skies. Long may it last!

We set off through the last lock before the Harecastle Tunnel. As we went through the lock, M fell into conversation with a couple out walking with their young grandson, Max, and she offered them a lift to the mouth of the tunnel. Gandma and Max accepted while Grandad decided to walk. They used to have their own narrowboat and were delighted that Max would experience what all the other granchildren had in the past.

On the way, we passed this strange contraption. The chaps were doing a survey of the underside of the railway bridge and moved aside to let us pass.

At the entrance to the tunnel, we dropped Max and his Grandma off. It looks like Max was a bit overawed by the whole thing!

Normally there is a queue of boats here but today MM was the only boat waiting to go through the tunnel and, after taking our particulars, the tunnel keeper waved us on into the tunnel.

The tunnel used to have a towpath on the right but it was taken away to give more clearance, particularly where the roof gets quite low in the middle. The view below is looking back to the entrance.

A little over 1.5 miles and 40 minutes later, we arrived at the south portal. When boats are in the tunnel, this portal is closed off with two doors and powerful fans blow air through the tunnel. Normally, the doors open when you are about 100 metres away but today we ended up having to stop as the doors remained firmly closed! We had visions of being trapped inside for ever! Finally the fans were switched off and the doors opened so that we could get out. Phew!

The tunnel keepers were most apologetic but said that they had been distracted by a rabbit in the canal! Pathetic excuse!

Westport Lake is beautiful and we have moored here many times. Usually it is the luck of the draw if there is space to moor but today there was only one boat moored up and we could have had our choice. Sadly, we need to keep going.

After our adventures in the tunnel,we decided that we deserved a break and a bit of lunch, so we moored up outside Middleport Pottery.

The showroom is full of beautiful, if quite expensive, pottery all of which is made on site.

Middleport is one of the few local potteries that still make pottery in Stoke-on-Trent; it dates back to the 1850s.

They use original Victorian techniques and you can do a fascinating tour that gets you really close to the people actually making the china. Most of the china is decorated using paper transfers like this.

Finally, our reward: coffee for R and excellent leek and potato soup for M.

By the exit to our mooring there was a table with this old game that told the story of how a piece is made and all the things that can go wrong.

Outside the pottery was this old working boat built in 1946 that used to work this part of the canal bringing in raw materials from Cornwall and taking finished goods to Liverpool for export.

Etruria has three locks and the first is very deep. One has to rethink everything because since the Bridgewater we have been going through 35 rising locks and now we have to start going downhill.

Just beyond the three Etruria locks is a housing estate built on an old pottery. There are still two bottle kilns beside the canal and we have often moored here before, so this is our mooring tonight. Sadly, every time we moor here, the buddlieas growing out of the kilns get more profuse.

Today: 6 miles, 4 locks and 3.3 hours.

Trip: 285 miles, 138 locks and 144.2 hours.

A Hearty Breakfast before a Long Day.

 Wednesday 18th September 2024 In Kidsgrove.

The day started with breakfast at the Malkin's Bank Golf Club, which was as good as we remembered from last year. Unusally, we both had the "Full English", which set us up for a long day's cruising ahead. It was a little too cool to sit outside for our breakfast but we had an excellent view out over the course.

Right next to Lock 61 was this large banner that we had completely missed last night - we must have been very tired!

Most of the locks on this section, known to the old boat people in the past as "Heartbreak Hill", are paired locks, which increases the chances of finding a lock in your favour. The locks tend to be quite close together, so M was walking ahead to set the next lock to save time. It was a beautiful autumn day.

Sadly, for a number of the paired locks, one of the pair was out of commission temporarily or, as in this case, permanently.

On the way, we passed under the M6, which could be heard for a few miles on either side. It must be so hard for people living close by to have that unrelenting roar day and night from passing traffic. M remarked that she would far rather be doing 3mph on the canal than 70mph on the motorway.

This row of cottages next to Lock 53 at Thurlwood is always so well kept. A lovely quiet rural location.

M always loves to see these footpaths going off into the distance; she says they call you to follow them. This one was particularly enticing, as it went off towards Mow Cop on top of the hill in the far distance.

 After a long day and eighteen locks, we finally arrived at Kidsgrove just a short hop from the entrance to the Harecastle Tunnel. Tomorrow, we will visit the local Tesco and then tackle the tunnel.

Today: 6 miles, 18 locks and 4.9 hours.

Trip:279 miles, 134 locks and 142.9 hours.

A Supermoon and Nocturnal Steam Boat

 Tuesday 17th September 2024 near Malkin's Bank

The forecast promised sun all day and, for once, it got it right! The day started with a bit of mist but the sun quickly burnt through to give a nice start to the day.

We started early to get through the four locks at Middlewich. Normally there are C&RT volunteers on duty at these locks but they were only just arriving as we were going through the last lock. Sluggards!

The area just south of Middlewich is now overgrown with trees but you can clearly see where there were industrial wharves all along on the eastern side. Almost all of the original buildings have been flattened leaving vast brownfield sites.

There is still one large plant in operation. Like almost all the industry that once lined the canal along here it was, and still is, all based upon salt.

We have fond memories of this little cottage by Lock 66. When we were passing a couple of years ago the owner was just moving in and trying to work out how to get a very large wardrobe through the rather small front door. Did he succeed or not? Well, we didn't see an abandoned wardrobe in the front garden!

Last year we stopped at the Malkin's Bank Golf Club for breakfast and had written in the guidebook that it was at Lock 64. However, when we reached Lock 64, there was no sign of it so we kept going and finally moored up after Lock 60, still without seeing it. R walked back and found that it was actually right alongside Lock 61 - so we shall go there for breakfast in the morning. - and correct the entry in our book! Overnight there was a full "supermoon" and R took this rather unusual photograph of our mooring. There was also a partial eclipse of the moon but sadly the clouds had obscured the moon by the time that it took place.

Very unusually, later that night we were awoken by a boat passing at about 10:00pm. Even more unusually, it was a steam boat and they tooted their steam whistle very loudly as they passed before cruising on into the lock and away into the distance, still tooting at every boat they passed!

Today: 7 miles, 15 locks and 5.3 hours.

Trip: 273 miles, 116 locks and 138.0 hours.

C&RT Reducing Rubbish Faciities.

 Sunday 15th and Monday 16th September 2024 at Middlewich.

We have only limited time to get back to MM's winter mooring at Aston Marina, so we really need to keep moving. However, today the forecast was dire and, for once, unfortunately, reality matched the forecast! Looking at the weather radar, there was a line of heavy rain storms running straight over us. We are the little blue dot in the middle! Apparently the rest of the country south of us was enjoying a beautiful sunny day!

Despite the weather, we decided we should at least get through the Dutton Tunnel at Preston Brook. While we were in the tunnel was the only time that we were not getting soaked!

A very traditional old narrowboat followed us into the tunnel; you can see his headlight in the photo. When we came out the other end of the tunnel, there was no sign of the following boat and we were concerned that they might have had a problem. Just as R was about to walk back to the tunnel they finally appeared but it had taken them more than half an hour to do what normally takes 20 minutes. Anyway, it seems that they were fine. We didn't see them again after that and assumed they had put in to a small boatyard dealing with old boats just after the tunnel exit.

Not long after, we moored up at the site of the Dutton Breach and spent the rest of the day with the heating turned up trying to dry out everything, including ourselves. Waterproof jackets dripdrying in the shower tray!

On Monday morning, having put on our still damp boating shoes, we made an early start to get to the Saltisford Tunnel by 9:30. The forecast was for sun but there was quite thick mist, which did not clear until well after midday.

Near the entrance to the tunnel, there is a tree stump that has been carved into a series of animals, namely a fox, a duck and a kingfisher. Beautifully done! They had all been very nicely painted too.

M decided to walk over the tunnel as she had not walked over this one before. She said that it was a bit of a steep slog to the summit but a very pleasant walk, with views down to the River Weaver on one side.

At Anderton, we stopped for water and to dump our rubbish. Would you believe it - as we arrived we found the C&RT man in the process of completely demolishing the rubbish facility! It appears that the local authority has placed restrictions on the local tip so local residents have been using the C&RT facility to dump all their waste. The C&RT man was not at all positive about the C&RT or its reaction to the problem! This is where the rubbish facility had been only fifteen minutes before ....

Further on, we passed the huge TATA salt works, which are undergoing a major expansion.

The new section included a number of these cooling towers with massive fans to blow cooling air through huge radiators.

At "Big Lock", we teamed up with a Canal Club boat. This is the first proper lock since Poolstock in Wigan over 40 miles away and it is the last wide lock on our way back to Aston.

We moored up next to the childrens' playground and walked into Morrisons for a few more bits.

Two Days: 20 miles, 2 locks and 7.8 hours.

Trip: 266 miles, 101 locks and 132.7 hours.