Festival of Water is over, back cruising again

 

Narrowboats moored at the Burton Festival of Water

We enjoyed our 5 days at the festival setting up, selling on the IWA stall and taking down, eating from a variety of fast food stalls, listening to folk music,  and drinking real ale and cider.  Hard work but overall much fun.  It was satisfying to see the large number of locals who seemed to be having a good time as well as the 70-80 narrowboats moored along the canal.

However all good tings come to an end and we set off at 8:25 on the next stage of our journey.  We are not sure exactly where we will be going but starting early will give us greater choice later.  The canal took us down Darrow Lock, the final narrow lock going NE on the Trent & Mersey.  All later locks on this canal will be double width.

On the Trent & Mersey beyond Mercia Marina

We stopped at Willington to fill up with waterr, our first chance to do so since last Thursday.  Then on to Mercia Marina soon before lunchtime where we had arranged for an engine service.  This took some time as the work was done thoroughly and produced a list of things for us to get checked in the next few months.

We left at 15:40 continuing for another 40 minutes to a mooring just before Stenson Lock.

3 hours 45 minutes 1 Lock7.16 miles