One week, 50 miles and 4 canals

After spending a few more days iced in at Glascote I got underway again on Saturday and just had a short trip to get more coal, which turned out to be more sand than coal judging by the vast amount of orange ash it's generating.  As it was very chilly with patches of the canal still icy I moored up after just 4 miles outside the Tame Otter pub at Hopwas. It's part of a large chain and offers standard pub fare which I took advantage of.

I headed off on Sunday morning toward Fridley junction and was quite surprised how much ice was still on this section of canal as it had been clear when I left. The Coventry canal meets the Trent & Mersey at Fradley and I turned left and headed up through the two lock. The canal was solid ice above the locks so I called it a day and moored up once again.

The temperature stayed above freezing overnight and thank fully the ice had largely cleared with just a few patches left.  After several short trips I cruised 12 miles up to Great Hayward junction where the Stafford & Worcestershire canal heads off south west towards Wolverhampton and eventually joins the river Severn.

Cue arty photo of boat with snowdrops in the foreground.

In the morning I visited the local farm shop to stock up the larder but was disappointed to find it mainly stocked expensive jars of jam, honey and chutney.  Not what I was expecting.  So I headed down the Stafford & Worcestershire canal.  Shortly after the junction the canal opens into an unusually broad section called Tixall wide before reaching the beautiful Tixall lock.

After a good day covering 10 miles and 6 lock I moored up in Penkridge for a couple of days before moving off yesterday continuing down the canal to join the Shropshire Union canal at Autherley junction.  Shortly after Penkridge the canal passes though Gailey which has one of the most unusual lock keepers cottages in the form of a circular watchtower.

After making the turn at Autherley I joined the Shroppie which is a lovely canal meandering from Wolverhampton all the way to the Mersey at Ellesmere port. Much of the canal is in cuttings with a few sections too narrow for two boats to pass. Passing places are cut in at intervals.

I moored up at Brewood having read in the guide book that it was a delightful village with a shop, pub and visitors moorings. Unfortunately I realised that the visitors mooring were opposite a permanent mooring site where the locals felt it was OK to run engines well into the night,the guidance is not to run engines or generators between 8pm and 8am, and the shop had closed some years ago.  So much for the guide book.

Thus I set off this morning in light rain down to the smaller village of Wheaton Aston only 2 miles away which has quiet moorings and a handy shop.  Now safely moored up out of the rain.

The plan for the next week is to continue slowly up the Shroppie and then onto the Llangollen. However, as it is half term it's likely the hire boats will appear so I don't want to join the Llangollen until the lovely children are safely back in school.