A Paint Restorer that Really Works!

 Monday 2nd June 2025 at Kings Orchard Marina.

 A beautiful morning dawned. Wood End Lock is one of our favourites but it is now blighted by nearby HS2 works. We had hoped that the cancellation of the northern section of HS2 would mean that the blight would go away but sadly that is not the case as the line will still go through here to join up with the main line further north. Such wanton destruction of beautiful countryside. 

 

 The line will cut through all this lovely ancient woodland.

 

 Fradley Junction was as "picture postcard" as ever and, after turning on to the Coventry Canal, we moored up for breakfast. 

 

 As a reward for our very early start, we walked back along the T&M to the "Laughing Duck Café". It is four years since we were here last and now they only do take-away food, although you can still sit outside to eat.  So we had breakfast sandwiches of the doorstep variety! Jolly good they were, too!

  

 R then worked off some of those calories by trying out the new "Finesse It! paint restorer on the name panel, washing down that side of the boat and then polishing the name panel.

 

The result exceeded all our expectations. The "Finesse It" together with the polish brought back the colour of the panel and the lustre and shine. It almost looked as it the panel had been repainted. The cream colour in the name panel was clearly deeper than the other untreated sections. Now to do the rest of the boat ....!

 We continued on to Kings Orchard and moored up outside the Marina.

  

 In the past, we have walked from here to the Trent Valley railway station on a footpath across a pretty potato field next to a small private airstrip and field of horses. All that has gone. Instead there is a wide, half excavated cutting for HS2.

Tomorrow, we will put MM into Kings Orchard Marina and go home for three days. To do that R has to take the train back to Stone to get the car and drive it back to King's Orchard. So, R set off to see if the footpath still exists across the HS2 works.

 

 Luckily, the path still exists, but now tightly hemmed in by tall fences with notices declaring that the land on the other side of the fence "...belongs to HS2, No Trespassng". On the other side of the half made cutting, on a hill overlooking the devastation, is a beautiful old traditional farm house and farm yard; sadly, with no land left to farm.

The following morning, all went to plan except for the fact that the heavens opened and R got thoroughly soaked on the one mile or so walk to the station!

We shall be back on Friday.

Today: 5 Miles, 3 Locks and 2.7 Hours.

Trip: 24 Miles, 8 Locks and 11.5 Hours.