When we got back from the Dutch barge trip, we returned to our boat at Swanley Bridge Marina. On Saturday, Angela & Michael came to see us. They live at Cheadle Hulme, and so we were about as near to them as we were ever going to be on this trip. We spent a pleasant day together, and had lunch at The Dusty Miller at Wrenbury.
The plan was that we would leave the marina on Sunday, but the wind was so strong and it was so very cold that we stayed on our mooring for another day. But Monday was just as bad....so we stayed another day. The problem was getting the boat off the mooring, we had to back out and as soon as the back of the boat got out in to the wind it would be whipped round and we would be sent off in the wrong direction.
(Pass your cursor over the pictures to see the description.)
Tuesday, 20th March
Tuesday was still no better, and so we decided that we had to go, we could wait for ever. So we bid a fond farewell to Beryl and Trevor, wishing them good luck in their new life. We none of us wanted to part. Beryl and I got on so well, it's been great to have another woman to talk to! Then we started on the reversing! And, yes, the wind took us as soon as we started to move, and we were blown all the way sideways down to the far end of the marina, exactly where we didn't want to be! However, master mariner Trevor reversed us all the way back, with our stern in to the wind, turned us round and off we went, out of the marina and on to the canal.
We moored up just about three hundred yards from the marina! The wind was far less strong here than at the marina, but the marina is a new one and has no trees or windbreaks and I think that made it worse. We needed a job to be done on the boat, and marinas don't allow workmen to come on to their property to do jobs. The reason given for this is 'we aren't insured for outsiders to work here', but cynics such as myself believe that it is because the marina owners want boaters to use their engineers, and also want to make some money out of it. If someone wants to work on a marina, they have to pay for the privilege of going on to it. Mark came and did the work, and then we were free to set off south at last.
Wednesday, 21st March The First Day of Spring
We went down through the four locks of the Hurleston Flight to the junction with the Shropshire Union and turned right for Nantwich. We moored up near the aqueduct and walked in to town to shop. In the evening more friends came to see us. Yes, we have got a lot, haven't we? It's very nice! These friends are called Barbara and Mac, we met them on the Thames at Eynsham, and had a drink together. They were/are teachers, and so we had a lot in common. We went to a lovely pub called The Pheasant, but I can't remember where it was! It was dark when we went. The food was excellent, and what value--two courses for ten pounds.
Thursday, 22nd March
The morning was very misty, just like October. When I was a child, my father used to call misty mornings 'Mop Morning'. A fair came to Warwick every October, and it was always called 'The Mop'. This name comes from the original purpose of the fair, it was a hiring fair, where servants/farm wo
rkers, etc. would go to look for a new job. They held the tools of their trade in their hand--for example, a mop. A digression, which I fear I've mentioned before..but maybe you've forgotten!
We set off and soon arrived at the two Hack Green locks. We went through the first lock, but BW men were at the second lock, and asked us to wait.
There was a problem with the paddle. It was interesting to see how they did the work. They used the stop planks and dropped them in above the lock to halt the flow. Then a BW man went down in to the lock and discovered the paddle was broken.
So whilst one man went to get a new one from the depot, and we were allowed to go through whilst they waited. When they took out the top plank the next one bounced up and so on. I had often wondered how they got the planks out.
We went on to Audlem and Alan was moored at the bottom of the flight. We met him when we were all moored at Llangollen over winter. We went up the Audlem Flight of fifteen locks, and then the five locks of the Adderley flight. We moored at the top of the Adderley Flight, and it was so peaceful. We'd had a long day, and we were pleased with our progress. We did nine niles and twenty-two locks.
Friday, 23rd March
We saw a lot of wildlife today. A buzzard flew overhead, we saw a kingfisher, primroses, a squirrel and heard a woodpecker. Perfick! Spring has sprung!
Four boats came by before 7.00 this morning, and woke me up. Trev was already up, and he set off at 7.45 with me still in bed! There weren't any locks between Adderley and Market Drayton, and so I knew I didn't have to hurry.
After Market Drayton, we went through the Tyrley flight of five locks, and that was the last lock for miles. We made really good progress again today, the weather was wonderful. We continued on to Wheaton Aston and filled up with diesel, the cheapest on the cut--39.9p per litre. I wonder how much longer we shall be able to buy it at that price. The favourable price at which boaters can buy red diesel is due to end in November 2008, and we shall have to pay the price it is at the garage pumps. That will more than double what we pay for diesel--currently about £70 per month.
In the evening we went to eat at the Hartley Arms at Wheaton Aston, and had a lovely meal.
Saturday, 24th March We went on through the Wheaton Aston lock, and did the three miles to Brewood, where we moored up in the gloomy cutting! It's not the nicest place to moor, but Brewood is a lovely village, and we like shopping there. At lunchtime Trev's cousin Ann and her husband Graham and picked us up and took us to their house for a meal.
Sunday, 25th March We went down to Autherley Junction today and turned left on to the Staffs & Worcs Canal. I used the engine power to do the ironing and hoovering as we went along and then steered through the locks that lead to Penkridge. We moored up in Penkridge and Ann & Graham came for a meal.
Monday, 26th March
We shopped in Penkridge and then set off for Tixall Wide, one of our favourite moorings. It was a lovely trip, beautiful countryside, a buzzard wheeling overhead, wall to wall sunshine. We pulled in to Tixall Wide and saw our first Great Crested Grebe of the year. We had quite a job getting in to moor, the Wide is wide and the wind was blowing hard. We struggled for quite a while, and provided entertainment for a couple on a boat just ahead who sat there watching us struggle, but made no offer of help.
This is a really lovely place to be and we shall be here for a couple of nights, so come back again next week for the next instalment!
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