Gates a delight
With the luck of all but a badly leaking lock in our favour, and the rain to hasten our progress, with did the five locks through Stoke in record time, but forced to shelter under the bridge after the last one, for a much needed second breakfast for sustenance. The bottom two gates of this last lock were a delight to handle—just a push with a hand and they swing beautifully. I don't know if this was sheer luck on the part of the installers or at last someone who knew how to balance a lock gate. But it was just right for a change.
Another of our favourite stopping places is the long straight by Stoke football ground, where there is plenty of depth along the towpath side, though you have to be careful of the speeding cyclists it being so straight with a good surface.
Here's where we had found 'something entirely different' as the saying goes, the picture showing a building that seems to go on for ever, but though we thought ready for occupation in May of last year, it seems it has no takers as it is still obviously empty. Complete with acres of access roads and parking spaces it must have cost the hell of a packet
Taking over important towpath
Into Stone again, with the intention of filling with water at the tap below Lock 29 it being a rather quick filler, but alas we were prevented by someone taking possession of the towpath by littering it with objects as can be seen in the picture. I gather to stop anyone not only mooring to take on water but stopping more than one boat waiting for the lock by not allowing enough space. You can see the lock mooring rings at each end of the picture. Of course I don't know who is responsible but to my mind is reprehensible to take possession of such an important length of towpath. Definitely something for Cart to investigate.
"Wait for us!" Is the obvious cry of the two signets having missed the 'boat' in this delightful picture of the other four travelling the easy way.
For once there was actually space at the short stay shopping moorings at Stone, so managed a 'fill-up' at the easy to reach Morrison's. As this mooring is next to a car park, I thought it an idea for the local council to take over the moorings and perhaps issue boat parking tickets as well as those for cars! At just 50p an hour it would not be too expensive, and though it would most likely upset many, those like us—who could then get a short handy shopping mooring more often—would most certainly not object.
Sensible
This is obviously grass cutting time, where again though I would have thought the hedges had enough vegetation for the wildlife, it is policy to leave that near the waters edge uncut, but here it had been sensibly decided to leave spaces for mooring with the vegetation cut completely, and having used such a mooring both ways, it was appreciated.
And so to the fuel boat just above Rugeley, and a fill-up at just 55p a litre. We always carry a couple of spare containers of the stuff, and it would have saved us some cash by filling here instead of the exorbitant 98p a litre at Sawley—and that not even the top price—but I gather the price is decreed by Cart it being a BWML marina, so what can you expect?
Sunk boat
Another early start along the Trent valley this morning (Saturday) and we had the waterway to ourselves even through Rugeley, then came across the very sorry sight of a boat sunk at the moorings just before Bromley Marina, our being told it had sunk during the night on its way to a boatyard for repair. Passing very slowly indeed so as not to worsen its situation, we espied a River Canal Rescue van on the bridge, so I guess it will be a quick re-floating. Though it does seem a little beyond repair at first glance.
It was a meeting with our Keith Gudgin again who had now moved on to Shadehouse Lock at Fradley helping with the passage through, together with a volunteer lockie on duty, with the rather perplexing sign on the bridge rails pointing downwards. Surely, thought I, even a brand-new boater would know where the entrance to the lock was. But then all was revealed, as it was a sign to the other volunteer lockie on Junction Lock telling her which way we were travelling—straight down rather than turning off on to the Coventry Canal. Better than smoke signals I guess.