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Canal 2004

In 2002 we purchased a week on a Narrow boat in April, a lifetime of one weeks holiday.The boat is Shakespeare Classic called Ophelia and is moored at Barton Turn Marina, Burton under Needwood.

We were looking forward to our canal boat holiday, and this year decided to tackle the Shropshire Union Canal. My father was born in Norbury, and we hoped to get that far before turning round and retracing our trip back to the marina. The only disappointment was our boat was in dry dock for repairs so we had another boat this year, called Romeo. I wasn't so impressed with this boat it was heavy to steer, and the loos were to high my little legs dangled when I used them.

We were able to pick the boat up about 2.30 on the day which meant we could get a fair distance before stopping for the night. We reached Fradley Junction just as it was getting dark, I had unpacked everything in between doing the locks and pulled up almost where we had stopped the last night the year before. We ate on board the first night, I had bought some instant mash this year and onion gravy, which was perfect with sausages and peas. I had also brought some of our frying pans the ones on the boats are not non stick and are big I have some smaller ones which are ideal for us and are non stick.

Day one

After breakfast we set of to Great Hayward where we will turn on to the Staffs and Worcs canal. We stopped at Rugley to visit Safeways and got some more instant mash and a few things we had forgotten to bring, mainly drinks. We had purchased some boat hooks from the marina shop so we wouldn't have to use the stakes. It was Saturday and the weather was dry and warm. We turned into the Staffs and Worcs canal where the Anglo Welsh boat yard is and on through a very small aqueduct and a swivel bridge which was in our favour.

During the afternoon the weather started to turn against us, just as well we had brought our waterproofs it got steadily worse so we pulled over and moored at the visitors mooring by the Radford bridge and decided to stay there for the night. Just up the road from the bridge is a good pub called the Radford Bank very nice meals mainly steaks they were cooked beautifully. We hurried back to the boat in the pouring rain, it waited till we had finished eating and then it chucked it down. There were some young lads fishing just a little way up from where we had moored, they had large umbrellas and a small tent they were overnight fishing, I don't know how many they caught but by the time we left the next morning they had gone home.

Day two

The morning the sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky, we will almost get to Autherley Junction if the rain holds of. I have ten locks to do today, and several places I would like to visit. We set of about 10 o'clock towards Penkridge where we will stop for water and lunch. The Staffs and Worcs Canal has lots of herons I have never seen so many along the canal side, the country side is very rural and some of the scenes are very picturesque even the villages.

We stopped for lunch at Penkridge and had a wonder up the local village street, got some fresh salad and milk. It is very peaceful here its a shame to move on but we must. After a long lunch stop we headed on towards, our next overnight stop which I planned would be near Coven.

We stopped for a cuppa at Gailey Wharf, I wanted to have a look around the Roundhouse Canal Shop. It being Sunday it was shut so only manage to look through the windows, defiantly worth a visit on the way back. We pressed on as the next leg of the trip was the chemical works and we didn't want to stop till we got past them. The chemical works is very eery it had a quietness about it and a strange smell, I noticed there was none of wildlife we have become accustomed to seeing. There are pipes crossing the canal at various points. We got through there very quickly, no other boats to pass.

No sooner had we reached Calf Heath then the weather changed the wind and rain, turning the bend by the Hatherton Junction the wind caught the boat and we had to negotiate a lot of moored boats the wind wanted us to go one way and we wanted to go the other. We did get through it the boat is very heavy on the steering so Edward had a lot of work to do to keep it on the straight and narrow. We made it to Coven where we found a sheltered spot to moor up. We had a nice Sunday roast at the Fox and Hound which is a canal side pub, there was a delegation of antiques sellers on the next table and we enjoyed listening to their tales of the weekends sales.

Day three

Today we were finally going to get onto the Shropshire Canal, The lock at Autherley Junction is only six inches. It is said that the it was built that way to protect the two water companies precious water supplies. Once we had crossed the Midland and Staffordshire border the scenery was very rural in between there is cuttings the canal has been built right through the hills, self planted trees are growing along the top and down the sides. It is very eery in some places almost satanic. One stretch of the canal has been built through a large area of sandstone and is just about wide enough for two narrow boats to pass providing one stops I hung on to the thick vine on the side of the embankment while a boat passed us there are passing points but only big enough for one boat, I must say I enjoyed that encounter its amazing how total strangers can work as a team neither boat got a mark on it from that passing. Once out of there we headed onto Brewood and stopped for lunch at the visitor moorings we had a great view of the bridges so elegant. The only thing we didn't do was take a picture of them. We set off towards Norbury passing through Wheaton Aston. We got as far as Gnosall Heath and decided to stop over night there, we ate at The Boat very nice but was hurried along as it was domino night and they needed the tables, never the less it was a very nice meal. We had a nice stroll back to the boat, the rain which had been on and off all day had stopped for now, which made our stroll more enjoyable.

Day four

We have got into the habit of late starts now making time for breakfast, and one more coffee before casting off. We are heading into Norbury today we will be turning there and heading back to base. The Shelmore Embankment is so tidy after all the tree lined embankments and the views across open farmland are a sight worth seeing, it is strange to be so high up and looking down and I am sure it is dead straight. After going along it one way and stopping for water and to dispose of our rubbish at Norbury it was fun going along it again. We stopped for lunch Brewood as the weather was changing we decided to press on and make Coven again for the night. There was a hold up at Autherley Junction a bit of wood was blocking the lock gate it took a few minutes to free it and then two boats decided to line up to go onto the Shroppie not leaving any room for us to move out it took them twenty minutes to reverse and give us room. We made it through to Coven a bit later then we intended but in plenty of time for a wash and a glass or two of wine before going for dinner at the Fox and Hounds again. We had a nice meal and sat watching TV in the evening, a nice way to end the day.

Day five

We set off early today as we wanted to get to Great Haywood to stop overnight which would then give us a full day to get back to Barton Turn for our last night. The weather was bright till we got to Calf Heath and the heavens opened again, it was so bad we managed to stop on the side of the canal without tying up the rain and wind kept us on the side, it lasted about half an hour in which time we had a cuppa and watched the rain from inside the boat. Just as soon as it started it stopped and the sun came out so we got underway again. We got through the chemical works stretch quickly its strange how both ways we haven't passed another boat. We stopped briefly at the Roundhouse Canal shop it is amazing the things you can buy there I got some gifts for friends and family the food was home made. Well next stop was Penkridge for lunch I like this place it is so nice one day in the future we must stop overnight there, after lunch we set off and steadily made our way to Great Haywood we arrived later then we would have liked and there were very few mooring spaces left we found one just past the junction the lock was within walking distance handy for the next morning. We had a good walk up to the Pub that night the Lock House Restaurant was closed but we found a pub that was open and served food it was a nice meal we were the only people in the restaurant everyone else opted for bar food we were staving so decided on a large meal. We got back to the boat in time for the rain to start again.

Day six

The next morning after breakfast I wonder up to set the lock for us a boat was being pulled into the lock as its propeller had been broken by a log in the canal. They were going to moor up where we had been so they could get to the Anglo welsh yard to fix it. They were warning everyone they pasted as the log could not be seen till you were on it, I went up front with the boat hook to make sure we wouldn't get caught on it, Somebody had been doing a lot of tree clearing along this bit of the canal it looked very messy it seems a lot of people were doing what I was doing and from the amount of wet wood on the side I think most of it had been pulled out once pass Little Haywood it was safe to take my place at the back of the boat, the weather for some reason was very spring like no rain dry and sunny. We stopped at Rugeley for lunch and a walk to Safeways. We didn't stop for long as we wanted to be back at Barton in time to a nice spot in the marina. We went through Armitage where the canal is behind the toilet makers and there are thousands of toilets ready for shipping in the yard. Most unusual they must make all the toilets for the world, the towpath is very clean and tidy there. The Trent and Mersey really do look after their towpaths we stopped at Alrewas for a while topped up with water and had a look around before the last leg of our holiday. We got back to the marina at 5.30 found a place to moor and did some packing before heading off to find somewhere to eat we tried the pub where we had been before but it was the chefs night off so after trying a few places we went back to the boat and had the last of the sausages and instant mash before we finished our packing ready for an early start in the morning.

Another holiday is over even though it was wet, windy and cold we had a good time and making plans which way we would go next year.