It was wet, wet, wet ...
at 6:50 on Friday (9th August) in Etruria ...
but it was drying up at little as we left our mooring by The Toby Carvery at 07:10.
George dropped me off at the road bridge to walk down and set the first of five Stoke Locks that will drop us down by 50'. This lock was once a 'Gauging Lock' used to assess each boat's load and apply a toll fee.
Situated around the top lock is the Etruria Industrial Museum and Jessie Shirley's Bone and Flint Mill ... click on the link to see the mill in steam in September 2013 when we visited from our narrowboat Rock 'n' Roll.
Once WaL is in and through the lock and I've closed the tail gates, I walk on down the towpath ...
Too much foliage here to properly see working boats Kepple and Lindsay, a Yarwood's Admiral Class boat built in 1960
Twyford Lock 38, the third of the flight ... from where I can see over the canal bridge onto New Shelton Road in Cliff Vale ...
Cliffe Vale Pottery built by Thomas Twyford in 1879 ... a new 'model' factory where the first single piece flushing toilets and other innovative sanitary products were manufactured for over 100 years.
Cockshutts lock 37, takes boaters down and under the railway line and if you look to the right ...
you'll see the horse tunnel ...
dark and damp, but here George will be able to tie WaL to the railing to close the tail gates while I walk on ahead ...
to Stoke Bottom Lock which is close to Stoke Station and Stoke Town Hall where over fifty years ago in the Jury Room ...
George and I held our wedding reception.
There are four lock-free miles now so I'm back on What a Lark ...
travelling though areas I know well from my 'single' days. Boothen (top left) was the end where Stoke City fans would watch home matches and the 'new' Britannia Stadium (bottom right) is just a few streets away from where I was brought up on the Hollybush Estate but not much of it looks the same as it did back then!
Going under Stoke's waste incinerator
and travelling along the canal area of Sideway
(pronounced Sid-away)
9:30 and we're entering Trentham
where piling is being fixed to the canal edge
near Hemheath Bridge no. 106
We pass through some very pleasant areas ...
and George drops me off at bridge 105 to operate Trentham Lock which my Nicholson's Guide informs me that I need an anti-vandal key, but the area has improved since then and the key wasn't required. I signalled to George to hover whilst this boat came through before our turn and I reboard WaL.
Through Barlaston now and passing the pub with Neil Morrissey
Parapet repairs at Bridge 102
Half an hour later we arrive at the Meaford (pronounced as in 'met' and not as in 'meat') flight of four locks taking us down by 32'5" and where we meet a queue both coming up the locks and behind us going down ...
A very welcome splash of colour adopted and attended by the 1st Oulton Brownies
45 minutes later we're at Stoke Bottom Lock 31 ... another flight under our belts.
Entering Stone ... where we see lots of working boats ...
Trout, a Yarwoods Fish Class boat built in 1936
and lots more but I can only identify Ilford a butty (unpowered boat) built in 1912 and Tewsbury but I have no information on this one.
Will I have trouble passing the swan family?
No ... just some beady-eyed looks thank goodness!
Soon through Lime Kiln and Newcastle Road Locks, the top two of the Stone flight of four locks ...
where we stop for water ...
and George visits the chandlery for a few items, none of which they had ...
while I walk on passing Joules Brewery ...
you can read the brewery's story
Lots of work going on here ... Crown Wharf Development ...
on land that 50 years ago was utilised by Stone Canal Cruisers (or as I prefer to call it 'the ginger boats'). British Waterways asked Canal Cruisers to vacate Crown Wharf in 1961 as an agreement had been made to sell the land to Joules Brewery ... it took those 50 years for the plans to come to fruition!
Half past one and I'm waiting for George to arrive at Yard lock ...
and ten minutes later at lock 27 Star Lock, the bottom one of the flight ...
You may be able to see the rain drops falling onto the canal here and as soon as George was into the lock we grabbed the waterproofs ... except that I discovered that my pac-a-mac was only showerproof ... by the time I'd seen WaL through and closed the very awkward, heavy tail gates I was absolutely drenched in the short but very sharp downpour and had to change my clothes as George continued on our journey.
Nearly an hour later I emerged from the cabin wearing one of Lisa's waterproof jackets to set lock 26 at Aston
The rain continued off an on for the next hour or so ...
and even as it chucked it down there was sun shining into the catch at the bow!
The Trent and Mersey ...
meanders this way and that ...
through the countryside of Burston until ...
we reach Aston Lock at half past three ...
the last one today!
There was a bit of a surprise as we left the lock where a strong outfall of water pushed against the side of What a Lark!
Three quarters of an hour later we arrive at our destination of Weston.
Unfortunately there were no mooring spaces long enough for the 70-footer so George had to reverse back, past the line of moored boats, back through the bridge ...
round the corner ...
and at 15:45 we'd tied up for the night albeit bow on a spring stuck out into the canal!
It had been a long, long day ... 9 hours in total and we were well tired!
We started this adventure on the canals of the Midlands with Lisa and David here at Weston's Saracens Head with Louise and John and we thought that it was very fitting to return here on our penultimate night on narrowboat What a Lark for another excellent meal at that same pub. We certainly slept well that night!
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