Two become Five

Turning onto the Staffordshire & Worcestershire at Autherley Junction
Entering the last lock on the Shropshire Union
First mate waiting to open the gate

We left Norbury Junction last Monday and cruised to Wheaton Aston where Eric, Elsie and Ben caught up with us on Wednesday pm. From there this week we have cruised to the end of the Shropshire Union and turned left on to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal heading for Great Haywood Junction and the Trent & Mersey canal.

The weather this week has been a mixture of sun and showers, however today it has been glorious sunshine all day. Stopped for a little shop which just happened to have a pub next door, so had a pint as it was nearly lunch time. We didn't moor up untill 6.30 this evening, mostly due to the 10 locks we have descended today, the girls having walked a fair number of the pounds (the water between two locks is called a pound ) between them. We are moored out in the country near Wildwood and will stay here till Monday.

This week we have covered 30 miles and 12 locks.

London bound

We left Audlem on Monday morning, and finished the last 11 locks before lunch, after food we did the 5 at Adderley then cruised to Market Drayton. As we arrived I saw a sign for diesel so decided to fill up, 84.5 litres @ 64 ppl not bad. Stopped 2 days at MD, Left on Weds morn did the 5 Tyrley locks and went up to Goldstone Wharf stopped 2 days, left Fri am and had a hard day battling up to Norbury Junction against a very strong cross wind which tried it's best to park us on the bank but didn't succeed. We will stay here till Monday, this week we have done18 miles & 21 locks, we aren't rushing because we are waiting for NB Bendigedig to catch us up, they are leaving Sandbach today, so should be with us in a couple of weeks. See you next week

What a week

Sunday morning we woke to a landscape covered in snow, what a surprise, about an 1" had fallen overnight. Monday pm I took my first dip in the cut, well it was a sort of slide in feet first up to my waist. The girls had set the lock and opened the gate for me, I pushed the boat away from the bank and missed my footing and slid into the cut!!, by the time I got out, the boat had drifted over to the other side of the canal, Eric went and retrieved it for me. Half an hour later, a shower and clean set of clothes and we were on our way again. We stopped in Wrenbury for 2 days whilst Elsie went home to see their new grand daughter.

We arrived at Hurleston Locks on Thursday noon, the end of the Llangollen Canal and turned on to The Shropshire Union Canal, Elsie & Eric turned left to go to Sandbach for some work on the boat, we turned right and headed for Nantwich for 2 days and then on to Audlem, which is where we are tonight. Just returned from a meal at the Shropi Fly, not bad at all . The weather today has been horrendous sleet & hale most of the day. The last week we have covered 35 Miles and 25 locks.

We will meet up with the 2 E's in a couple of weeks, somewhere near the Trent & Mersey Canal, we will then go down the Coventry, and then the Oxford, on to the Grand Union and then make our way to London together which is the destination of our summer cruise. See you next week.

End of the Winter

We left Llangollen on Monday 31/03 in company with Eric, Elsie & Ben the dog on NB Bendigedig, and made our way down to Trevor for fuel, Eiddwen, Elsie & Ben taking the towpath for a couple of miles. The first night we stopped near Gledrid, the following morning the wind had picked up and by the time we arrived at New Marton Locks we had a very strong cross wind which made, holding, for entering, and leaving the locks really interesting. Because of the time taken at the locks we found a nice sheltered spot near Hindford and put the pins in early for the night. Weds we went on down to Ellesmere, watered and dumped the rubbish and then moored on the arm for two days. Whilst on deck Friday morning a voice said hello Alan, it was Marion & Richard on NB Cartref arriving from Trevor where they had been having some work done on the boat, they are planning to stay a couple of days here. The weather was sunny and warm until we were ready to leave this Sat morning, the temp has gone down with a bump, so we watered and set off for a spot in the country near Fenns Bank, which is where we are tonight.