Out cruising again

October 2016. Off Cruising!

         Hello all, after a summer of Sue working hard for Jones the Boats, at Trevor, we are off, on our winter excursion 2016, and into 2017.
         We have 4 planned places to be, Stourbridge in October for the rally, Stoke Golding in November for our BSS (MOT), Birmingham in December, and February, for music concerts.
           Cruising started on October the 3rd.

           Off  we go, leaving The Fron !

                     Then leaving Wales.

   After trying out the newly refurbished Jack Mytton , and a night in Ellesmere to visit The White Hart, we arranged a meet up with great friends Richard , and Andrew at Grindley Brook.

                     A great night in The Horse and Jockey, with smiley faces, followed the next morning on Carpe Diem, for cracking bacon butties.

                    Further down the Welsh Canal we passed the working pair Mountbatten and Jellicoe, sadly no longer delivering coal and diesel. Best wishes to Jon, Hannah, and, baby Trixie.

                                                                                                                                                 

 

                     On the Shroppie, we passed this herd on the way to milking, well behaved.

                          As we passed The Secret Bunker this balloon appeared, they drifted off
towards Wales, perhaps heading for Llangollen?

                   The famous Anchor pub at High Offley, wrong hours when we passed, so my next pub of choice, was The Royal Oak at Church Eaton, still open now, but for how much longer?

                    The open weekend at The Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge, has a gathering of boats, stationary engines, vintage transport, and classic cars. It's our normal first port of call on our winter cruises.

                     Martin and Di's boat Uisce Beatha, they travel down each year from Leek.

                               
                                                   Traction Engine.

Steam Lorry.

                                       


Steam Roller

 

    

     The boats at the end furthest away from the Warehouse, there were about 80 this year.

                 Our friends Frank and Gillian on their boat Fragil. Is that an authorised RN salute?

     After the weekend, we went out into the country for a few days, so that Nemo could get off Beefur for longer than 5 minutes, without a dog or cyclist hurrying him back through the cat flap. We passed this magnificent shrouded tree on the outskirts of the town.

   At the bottom of the Stourton Locks we turned right and had a few days beside The Gothersley Roundhouse, and than met up again with Fragil, at what they call "the unit" ( mobile home) at a lovely spot right beside the canal, we then cruised together for a few days to Stourport.

    This heron stayed perfectly still as we passed him, and then caught a fish. I missed that photo.

                                                Another fisherman hiding in the trees.

     We were very lucky with the weather during October, and the trees really were colourful.

This photo was included to show that Land and Water are doing a good job dredging the Staffs and Worcs. canal.

   Here is Nemo, out patrolling the towpath, this is at the end of month 1 of the big diet. More or Less later.

   On our way to Stourport we passed through Kidderminster, below the church at the lock,  Sue and Gillian prepare to lower Frank ( loitering) down onto the next level.
   
I have started the blog again (Dave), in the hope that Sue will take it up again soon! So I'm just getting to grips with all the technicalities of writing a blog.

Hopefully our next Blog will not be so delayed.

Audlem

The weather forecasters predicted a 'very cold snap', so we hunkered down in Audlem for 5 days, thinking that Audlem was a good a place as any to be iced in.  Thankfully it didn't happen.  We were met by two volunteer lock keepers at Audlem, which was nice.  I think I read that you can now book the services of a volunteer lock keeper, if you so wish.  I'll check this out, and post the details.

Happy as pigs in .... mud!  (Top of Audlem flight)

Billy no mates in Audlem.

Turning at the bottom of Audlem & heading back up the flight.

Fierce by washes - this one is at Lock 12 

Careful!!!!

We actually met a boat coming down the flight, as we were going up, which was nice.  We saw them coming down, so left 5 gates open for them behind us (yes, we did check that there was no one coming behind us).  By the time we had done 5 locks, they had done one, and were on their way into the second.  They had closed the gates behind them, so I waved frantically at them, windlass in one hand, & wooly hat in the other.  They acknowledged that they had seen me, and waved back - but still closed the gates behind them!  We then waited in the exit of the next lock & I walked up to join them in 'their' lock.  I said I had seen them coming, and we had left top gates open for them, but oh - I see you have shut 'your' gates.  "Oh, I don't leave any gates open" & then went to shut the gates after her boat had exited - & ours was waiting to come in!  Duh!!!  "Excuse me - we're coming in".  "Oh yes, silly me".  We can't win - when you want someone to leave a couple of gates open as you will be crossing in a lock flight, they close them.  If you want them closed - some oik leaves them open.  I've said it before and I'll say it again "No canal etiquette!"

Scene this morning from the kitchen window - 

a heron and a cormorant, both after the same fish.

We stopped in the long pound between locks 2 and 3, awoke this morning expecting a white out.  According to forecasters (ah, those pesky forecasters) we should have had 5-7cm of snow.  Nothing, nada, not even a frost. Today it should have been snowing all day, so we decided not to move off.  It's now 3pm and we've had nothing.  Just a bit of drizzle at 11am.  Ah well, at least I got the blog up to date, although this will be published a day behind.

Oh, and after 5 days of no boats in Audlem, and only seeing one moving, when we crossed in the flight, a boat comes passed us at 7pm, in the dark and ice.  I assume they were boat movers judging by the speed the lock wheeler bloke ran (yes, ran) past us on to the next lock.  Good luck.

So we're now on our way back down the Shroppie towards Wolverhampton, and we're back to Midlands Today, and Shifali's weather forecast, which is more reliable than the North West Tonight ones we've been receiving.  (Still not the same without Derek - although I do follow him on Twitter, so do get the odd S'Mae).  We're slowly heading back to Birmingham, to meet up with Mum, and another concert in the Symphony Hall.  We hope that the Fiddle & Bone [CLICK] will be open by the time we get there.  

As stated above, we're heading south back down the Shroppie, through 'The Land Of No Internet Signal', so don't know when the next blog will be - I may be some time............

Sheltering from the storms

I don't know how well you'll be able to see this map, but hopefully it will make sense of the route we have taken over the last few weeks.

Not that brilliant - so (Mum) you'll have to get your map out!


From Great Haywood we retraced our route back down the Staffs & Worcester canal, through Penkridge, and took a right turn onto the Shroppie (the Shropshire Union Canal).  There were storms a'comin', so we stopped outside Brewood (pronounced Brood) at the 'three mile mark' - I don't know if there is a proper name for it, but that's what we call it, as it's 3 miles from Autherley Junction, the start of the Shroppie.  We figured that with the forecast high winds, we needed to take shelter for a couple of days, NOT under any trees!  We stayed there for 4 days, and only saw 2 boats during that time.  One was the coal boat 'Roach', and the second was Henry Hollingshead & Cetus.  We had a brief conversation as he passed, but I have no idea what we were talking about, as he's that broad with his Black Country accent mixed with Old Boater speak.  We were getting low on diesel, so broke cover & headed to Wheaton Aston where we filled up at 62.9p per litre - 30p per litre cheaper than the last place we bought it.

 Not long after we turned onto the Shroppie, we came across this fella - a teal.  Quite happy doing duck things.   The very next day, a car had been 'dumped' in the canal at this very spot.  Don't suppose it held up any boats though - there's no one moving at all around here.

While we're doing birdie pics, here's one of a buzzard, casually strolling across a field as we passed.

This is what greeted us when we arrived at the refuse disposal point at Wheaton Aston.......

After contacting CRT, with a picture of the mess, CRT advised us that the contractors had not been to empty the bins since before Christmas (this was on 6th Jan).  This seems to be a frequent event (judging by the what we've seen on our travels - and at home up Llangollen).   This necessitates CRT sending their men out to load up some of the rubbish bags into a CRT vehicle, and take it to the tip themselves.  A drain on CRT resources don't you think?  If the contractors aren't fulfilling their contract to collect rubbish - then get another contractor in who will stick to their promises & dispose of the rubbish!  It's not the fault of the local CRT Team - but they are the ones that have to clear up the mess.  Rant over (for now).

There was a boat moving at Wheaton Aston - the first one we had seen in a weeek.  They were coming down the lock, and we were going up.  Turns out they were from Wrexham!  What are the chances of that! Oh- and we passed NB Armadillo in Norbury, with just time to shout a quick Hello.

Back into Brewood, heading from Wheaton Aston (north to south)

Now, I've never seen this before - no one - not one boat, at Brewood moorings!

Although one boat did come past us while we were here.

The Indian in Brewood had had a make over, and an extension.  

It looks fantastic, and the food is as good as ever.  Sam the owner was very excited and proud of it!

After a couple of days in Brewood, we retreated to the safety of the 'three mile mark' again, and sat out the next storm.  Turned (again), and headed north, back up the Shroppie (are you keeping up?)

After the very high winds, we only saw one tree down across the canal.

Deer in a field between Knighton and Goldstone.  

Don't know if they were escapees, or if they were supposed to be there. 

 We took advantage of the 'lul' in the weather, and kept heading north, up the Shroppie.  We have a couple of weeks in which to hang around and do very little, so we thought we'd head for Audlem, as the weather forecast was again  looking very bleak, with a few days of ice looming, so if we were going to be frozen in anywhere, Audlem seemed a nice place in which to be stuck.

Work is continuing on Woodseaves cutting, but due to the constant land slippages there, I think this work in progress will continue for a long time!

So, we camped out in Audlem for 5 days - on the 5 day moorings of course.  Again, there were NO boats around here.  None at all moored between locks 11 & 12, nor down by the Shroppie Fly, and just two boats below lock 13.  Very unusual.  Where is everyone?

Plans go a bit wrong for New Year

With all the winter stoppages 'on hold' over the Christmas two weeks, we made the decision to go and see Paul (best man), and catch up with friends in Stone. We set off from Penkridge breaking ice as we went, it was quite thick in places, but the temperature was warming, so we figured that it could only get better.  We stopped at the services to do the necessary, but had to de-ice the water tap first.  While we were waiting, a boat came past us - horah!  Turns out they were heading to Stone and 'had to get there as they were booked in for blacking'  Fantastic!  We'll follow you then!  We followed them as far as Great Haywood, and decided to call it a day.  Even with the boat in front carving a path through the ice, it made for heavy going.  It's just as well they did keep going after Great Haywood, as the next day we were well and truly stuck in the ice.  I don't know if they did make it to Stone for blacking before they were iced in - but I doubt that they did.  

We had several attempts to move, but retreated back.  On the third day (New Years Eve) our luck was in (so we thought) when a boat came past us, heading for Stone, smashing his way through the ice.  So we took our chance and followed.  Unfortunately for us, he turned into the marina!  So we were left to smash our way through the ice towards Hoo Mill lock.  We didn't get very far, and came to a grinding halt, on a bend after only a few yards.  The bloke on the boat who had turned into the marina was also stuck, he just cleared the entrance to the marina, but the ice was too thick for him to get to his mooring.  We then turned in the entrance of the marina, and again retreated to our mooring spot in Great Haywood.  So, we never did get to Stone.  We had a pint early doors in the Clifford Arms, then turned round and retraced our route back to Penkridge.  It wasn't too bad though - we had a delicious game pie for dinner, with a bottle of Chateauneuf Du Pape.

Breaking ice in Penkridge

Keep to the unbroken bits!   Tixall.

We had studied the stoppages again a few days before, and decided not to head south onto the Oxford canal, and to stay north and west of Birmingham, so we could get into the city in early February as we've got tickets for the Transatlantic Sessions in the Symphony Hall.  So for the next couple of months, we will be mostly cruising the Shroppie, and the Staffs & Worcester.   First stop Wheaton Aston and Turner's for some cheap fuel!