Moored at Etruria, Stoke on Trent

Another very pleasant day's cruise.We left our mooring at 9:35 and ascended the 4 Meaford locks without any real difficulty.  The 3rd lock about which we were warned yesterday was a bit slow due a blockage in one of the culverts used to fill the lock.  Then past the Wedgwood pottery, through Trentham Lock and into Stoke on Trent. 

Entering Stoke Top Lock

A simple Mason's mark

and something more ornate

The journey into Stoke doesnt provide the most attractive stretch of canal on the system so we didnt linger. After an hour or so we were ascending the 5 deep Stoke locks in the centre of the city which lift the canal by 50ft to its highest point of around 500ft above sea level. It is possible to see a few mason's marks carved into the stone blocks in the lock walls. Each mason used his own personal mark.  So they may just mean "I made this" or perhaps they identified the work for piecework payments.

By 14:15 we had reached the top at Etruria where the Caldon Canal joins the Trent&Mersey and moored just on the Caldon for the night.

Into Stone and out again

Long Meadow Bridge south of Stone

Moored in Stone waiting for Yard Lock

A warmer and sunnier day than yesterday.  We set off at 9:30 and after ascending Aston Lock reached the moorings below Stone bottom lock at 11:00.  We moored here for a couple of hours to shop at the local supermarket, this being our last chance for a few days.

After lunch on the boat we set off again at 13:00, going up through the 4 locks in the town to reach Meaford Locks at 14:30.  One boater had told us that these locks would be closed at some time for a week because of a leaky gate, so we wanted to check the situation before going through. It looks like the repairs are in fact scheduled for the winter maintenance season , so no worry about us getting trapped on our way home in a 10 days time.

Today's journey: 4.36M, 5 locks.

Oil change

After breakfast we moved Densie up through Great Hayward Lock to the AngloWelsh boatyard where we had booked an engine service. This takes an hour or two and consisted this time of a change of both the engine and gearbox oil.  The former is required every 250 hours running, whilst the later is once a year or so.

Denise driving Densie onto Sandon Lock

We left the boatyard at 11am and continued north on the Trent&Mersey Canal to Hoo Mill Lock where we were fourth in a queue waiting to go through.  Then onto Weston Lock , through the village of Weston where I had 5 sightings of kingfishers, and the 9ft 11in Sandon Lock.  We moored soon afterwards at 15:15 at the little village of Burston.

Out again - taking Densie to the paintshop

After a very busy Summer moving house we are out on Densie again.  We have booked her into Trent Valley Marine at Aston Marina near Stone, Staffordshire to be repainted top to bottom.  There is a fortnight free before she is due there so we we have the opportunity for a short and gentle cruise before the winter.

Waiting at Colwich Lock

Moored near Great Hayward

We left our moorings at Kings Bromley at 10am for the last time after being based there for the past 9 years.  A short spell of rain didnt delay us and travelling north west up the Trent & Mersey we reached Rugeley at lunch time.  After eating and shopping we continued on our way through Colwich Lock to the pleasant moorings in the countryside near Great Harwood  with views towards Shugborough Hall.

Didnt move today

As the weather forecast was wet for today we didnt move at all.  I even lit the fire.  As promised it rained overnight and was fairly wet in the morning.  However the heavy afternoon rain just didnt happen, so we could have got back to our marina.  It wouldnt have helped though as we will need a pump out and the marina facilities are closed on Mondays.

Back home tomorrow!

On our way home

I wanted to put some pictures here but blogger.com is broken yet again!

Tomorrow the forecast is for heavy rain all day and we dont travel in heavy rain.  So we pushed ahead today so that we can still reach home on Tuesday.  After leaving our mooring just before 9am we had a straightforward journey back south on the Trent & Mersey.  We had no major hold-ups though the canal was fairly busy.  At 5 of the 6 locks there was no need to close the lock gates on leaving as there were boats waiting to ascend.

Several of the boats we met were hirers on their first full day.  One sad group had moored their boat and were waiting for the boatyard to pick them up - they had given up because they couldn't manage to steer the boat.  The guy explaied that we had 30 years experiencing of driving a car but the boat really was something quite different!

After 5 hours 45 minutes on the move we moored out in the countryside just before Rugeley.

Stone

Densie (at the end) moored in Stone

Our new alternator proved its worth as despite the short journey yesterday the batteries were still showing a reasonably high voltage in the morning.  After breakfast we made the 45 minute cruise into Stone where, as we had hoped, there was plenty of space in the normally busy moorings. People leaving had left and new arrivals, apart from us, hadnt yet turned up. We turned the boat around and moored up for the day.

Then a walk into town to visit the supermarket where we stocked up for the next 3 days.  After a quiet afternoon we will be going out for an Indian this evening to celebrate my birtday.