Froghall to Consall Forge

Overnight rain had been forecast, but not much actually fell, which meant that the river had remained at a steady level, so we weren’t going to be stuck. As we’d managed to come this far we did have to have a look round.

First port of call was Kingsley and Froghall Station, the furthest south you can go on the Churnet Valley Railway. Masses of communication wires hung above a platform. Mick said that originally the wires would have been bare with no insulation, but that is no longer allowed. To the rear of the station stood two GPO temporary emergency exchanges which the railway must use for it’s communication system. Along side them stood a K6 phone box, painted in a slightly garish red.

Today there was a private charter train running, we’d been able to hear it from Oleanna, but it didn’t come into the station whilst we were there. Tomorrow is the last day of planned trains on the line before the Christmas Santa trains in December. We might just treat ourselves with a return as we received our first full months rent from the house in over six months yesterday! After a good look round we then walked back towards the canal.

Below where we’d moored yesterday used to be a wire works, much of the buildings have long been demolished, but the sight has recently been taken over by the MOD. New looking crinkly sheds have gone up to store surplus military stuff. One of the doors was open and we could see racks of things filling the warehouse. But on the floor was the pointed cone of a missile! Was this armed? Or just an empty case? We didn’t hang around, a quick photo and we were off.

We walked round the tunnel to Froghall Basin. The top of the Uttoxeter branch heads down through a lock to a small basin where the branch now stops. This was restored in 2005 creating several 7 day moorings for low boats. Last time we were here there were a couple of boats moored up, but today the basin was empty.

This is the end of the canal where limestone and quick lime were loaded onto boats. Large Victorian lime kilns still stand where limestone was baked to create quick lime. It has a similar feeling to Bugsworth Basin, all the noise from industry long gone still faintly echoing around the high valley sides, now drowned out by bird song. Most people today were here to sample the fruit scones at Hetty’s Cafe, what seemed like a popular place for lunch.

There had been no moving boats this morning and we hoped that the space opposite the Black Lion would still be free when we got back to Consall Forge. We retraced our route back along the narrows with the odd glimpse of autumnal sunshine peeking through the clouds. Two women asked the way to the pub, they had been up in the woods and turned the wrong way when they got back to the canal!

At Flint Mill Lock we came across the first boat of the day, a hire boat. They had timed their arrival very well with our exit. We were now back onto the river. At this end there seems to be no warning if the river is high, no red and green board visible. Maybe the first you would know of it would be fighting your way up stream to the low bridge. Luckily today we knew we had another inch from yesterday, but lining the boat up to go through takes a bit of doing. Once through we quickly nabbed the mooring before anyone else came by. That was us settled for the rest of the day. Shortly afterwards a Stone Hire boat came past, the chap at the helm giving a full running commentary on the narrow bridge. They were too long to join us on the remainder of the mooring so carried on down the cut.

We’d promised ourselves a meal at the Black Lion, so not to be disappointed this evening we walked over to book a table. Phones, internet and TV don’t work here. This was a shame as somehow an afternoon half managed to make it’s way into our hands. So we watch the world go by sat on a bench outside. The Stone hire boat came back and took forever to line itself up with the bridge, a good 20 minutes! Then the private charter train came past too! I managed to get a photo with both the engine and Oleanna, but I’m hoping for a better one tomorrow.

The hire boat had pulled in at the water point to fill up, they then moved backwards to free the tap up. Spikes were being hammered in and a loud conversation was going on. ‘Are you at 90 degrees?’ ‘Yes, are you?’ They were fastidiously tying up with their ropes at 90 degrees, we didn’t have the heart to tell them that this wasn’t such a good idea. Much better to tie up with your lines either as innies or outies, this means that your boat is less likely to move around when someone passes. Doing a combination of both innies and outies gives you spring lines which hold you tighter. But 90 degrees  means there is a  whole 45 degrees you can go both forwards and backwards bumping the side as you go. As little traffic was likely we left them to it.

This evening we headed to our reserved table in the pub, joining the crews from the hire boats. Ribeye Steaks were on the specials board which turned out to be very nice indeed, cooked just to our liking. The chips were the best we’ve had in an age. Even though our plates had been straining we both decided to have a pudding. This was a mistake, not that it wasn’t nice, but the portions of treacle sponge were vast. I had to give up two thirds through as my sides were beginning to strain and I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to breath soon! A very good meal and good beer too, very glad we managed to have a meal here.

1 lock, 2 miles about (no internet to check), 1 station, 2 cabinets, 36 wires, 1 private train, 1 passenger, 2 hire boats, 48 hour mooring ours, 2 many risks and routes for Tilly, 2 spoil sports! 3 halves, 3 pints, 2 steaks, 2 much pudding, 90 degrees, 1 wifi code for the pub, 1 cockerel, 0 map today, 0 internet.

Cheddelton to Froghall Winding Hole

Tilly had a much better night and so did we. Thank you for your concern Joa. She must have been feeling a lot better by morning as we had to put up with a LOT of ‘Open Sesame’ shouts at the back doors. Well I hadn’t finished off that tasty morsel outside and that human food just wasn’t up to scratch with pink food! We gave her a few biscuits at a time through the day which all went, the real chicken now being left. Fortunately all stayed down, so she is on the mend. Never had a cat be quite so sick before.

With the river levels dropping back into the normal range we decided to head to the end of the Caldon. Chances are that it might rise again so Mick headed up to the One Stop shop to see if they had any fresh veg on their depleted shelves. He timed his visit well with a delivery, but had to persuade the shop assistant into letting him buy the one cabbage that hadn’t been counted yet! So if we now get stuck at the far end we’ll be hunting for interesting things to make with cabbage.

The two boats Alex had been travelling with winded and headed back up the canal, but as we left there was no sign of her, Tench locked up. Sure our paths will cross again soon.

As we reached the top of the Cheddleton Locks it started to rain, but thankfully it soon dried up. We could hear the whistles of engines again, but as far as we could tell there were no planned excursions on the tracks today. Maybe someone had hired a train privately as there was quite a bit of steam coming from an engine as we passed the station.

Shortly after Woods Lock we came across an unmoored boat. On Friday when we’d passed it’s bow line was in the water, stern on the rear counter and it was clinging on by it’s centre line, swaying outwards with the movement of passing boats. It waited for us to pass before it drifted out into the channel, today we had to do something about it, if we could. I held onto Oleanna as Mick went with the boat hook to pull it back in. On the end of it’s centre line was a spike with a ring (these rings are purely so that you don’t loose your spike if it’s pulled out by passing boats). This was handy as we didn’t want to be donating one of ours. Once Mick had pulled it back to the towpath he then tried to push the spike into the ground. This normally would necessitate hitting it with a mallet, but the earth being so soft it pushed in just like a hot knife through butter. With no spike on the bow line and nowhere near with firm ground this was all we could do. Suspect it won’t stay moored for long!

At Oak Meadow Ford Lock I walked up to check the level. It was in the green! Only by a couple of inches, but it still meant we could go. I set the lock and down Oleanna went onto the River Churnet winding it’s way through trees, then more trees, then even more. The railway line comes close at times but no trains came past. As we approached Consall Forge we pulled up and filled the water tank. The pressure here was phenomenal and we were ready to go in next to no time.

The pull towards the weir wasn’t that great today which is just as well as you have to turn just in front of it to get onto the cut.

Here, empty, was the mooring that we’d been hoping for at the weekend. Opposite the Black Lion pub with the railway running in between, what a place it would have been to train watch.

Just as we were about to sit down for some lunch a train whistle could be heard. We got that ‘needed’ train. Backing up the line with several coaches, whistling to clear the foot crossing. This just confirmed that this would have been a great mooring. It’s return journey coincided with us finishing our lunch, so we walked up to the pub crossing, the engine was now in front of the carriages. I’d really have liked to have been able to get a photo with both Oleanna and the engine in shot (my next virtual postcard to Finesse), but that would have meant being on the other side of the tracks, I was too late for this.

Mick quickly realised that it would be a good thing to remove the top of our chimney before we carried on. The first bridge today, I suspect, was lower than Bridge 9 had been (due to the river being a bit high). We managed to get under with no bumping it, if the water was any higher then it could have caused us a problem.

The cut takes you along side the station at Consall, where the platform is canter levered out over the top of your boat.

At Flint Mill Lock we caught up with a boat. As Mick brought Oleanna out of the lock we made note of whether she’d fit through Froghall tunnel. This tunnel is very low and very few modern boats are low enough. I’ve heard somewhere that it’s something to do with old boats cabin sides being made with imperial sized cabin tops and modern ones metric and those few centimetres makes all the difference. We knew we’d not be able to go through, but if we removed the horns, cratch board and chimney, back to just a bare Oleanna she would fit! Mick however would be bent double.

The next section is very narrow, tree lined and if the sun had been out stunning. We were glad that the boat ahead was aware that we were following. They had got to the end, winded and had just started to return when we met them. Luckily there was space for one of us to wait. We winded and moored up. After all the pretty trees and valley here is quite a let down. But after the tunnel, not far around the next bend the scenery gets better again, we’ll walk that way tomorrow.

CHASC met and it was decided that Tilly should remain indoors whilst we’re here. We’d not be able to reach her should she get into trouble on the other side of the high fence and she is still recovering, so better safe than sorry.

5 locks, 5.35 miles, 1 cabbage to be counted, 1 green board, 1 rightish onto the river, 1 left in front of the weir, 1 needed train fulfilled, 1 full water tank, 1 wind, 1 not so pretty mooring, 1 improving cat, 68950343452729 trees, 0 climbed!!!! 2 boaters in need of a cat silencer and a new set of curtains!

Cheddleton

WARNING This post contains Train Porn.

Only suitable for those over 50 who possess an anorak.

Our second mate started to not feel too good last night. The cabin floor, currently desperate for a wash, got spot cleaned whilst we tried to watch an episode of Grand Designs. She did her best to join up the clean spots over night, which meant we didn’t get the best nights sleep. Food and water were taken away with the hope that this would improve things for her. By morning she was a little bit more perky, but quite happy to sleep in front of the stove.

We passed away much of the morning with a cooked breakfast (Morrisons Turkey with caramelised onion sausages can be recommended). Once we felt that the cabin floor was safe we left Tilly to have a  couple of peaceful hours sleep on her own whilst we walked down the canal to look at TRAINS!

Cheddleton Station was buzzing. People on each platform awaiting the next train to arrive. Waiting to hop on board, take photos (some serious lenses out there), just enjoy the sights and smells. For £25 each you could have a day rover, hopping on and off at the stations and changing trains. It would have been nice to do the journey, but we could think of better ways to spend £50. Instead we had a good look around the station, platforms, engine shed and sidings.

One train came from the north necessitating the level crossing to be closed. A bell rang in the Crossing Keepers hut, the Keeper would then close the four metal gates closing the road, he’d then pick up a dirty yellow flag which as the train came into view he held above his head (presumably meaning that the crossing was in their favour) the train then tooted in response and came in to stop at the platform. Here the Engine was uncoupled, shunted backwards onto a siding and then replaced with ‘Sophie’ a Class 33 diesel that pulled the carriages southwards to Consall Forge and Froghall.

A book stall was on one platform, strangely enough only selling train books! On the station side there was a waiting room filled with people trying to keep warm out of the chilly breeze, sadly no roaring fire in the grate, just a small electric heater on the wall. More books in the ticket office which seemed to be manned by a duck! A small wooden shed housed the obligatory tea rooms which was packed.

Past the platforms was the engine shed, which had had a spring clean for the weekend. Another diesel stood inside painted a multitude of colours, obviously the next major restoration project. Large machines stood at one side with giant spanners and drill bits on show. You could feel the ingrained grease, swarf and dirt without touching anything. Model railway engines and rolling stock were on sale just across the way from a mountain of Train Porn.

Out the back were more engines waiting their turn for some serious TLC. Springs, couplings and general stuff lay around. Here one engine was waiting to join with a tank engine to ‘double head’ the next train south.

Churnet Valley Railway are currently trying to raise £50,000 in six months to be able to buy Cheddleton Station and platform from the Council. You can fill out forms, write cheques to donate to the fund. But we feel that they missed a trick this weekend. We wanted to go and have a look, but had no intention of buying a ticket for the train journeys. Instead we’d have very happily bought a platform ticket for say £1 which would have got us up close and given us access to the engine shed and all that we got to see for free. I’m sure that over the three days they had over a thousand people just turn up to watch the trains at the stations.

Back at Oleanna Tilly had been resting, but still wasn’t quite right. Despite her instruction manual having said ‘Never, ever, ever, ever feed your cat human food’ medical websites differed. She’d gone nearly 24hrs without anything and was a bit perkier. So I fished  out some chicken pieces from the stock I’d made yesterday and cooked a bit of white rice. Once cool I gave her a teaspoon of it. All the chicken went along with a bit of the rice. We then waited to see what happened. It seemed to be staying down so a little bit more was added to her bowl in the evening, unfortunately we got to see this again just after we’d gone to bed!

We’ll see how she is in the morning and whether professional advice will be needed.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 poorly cat, 43% of  floor now spotless, 2 hours of peace and quiet, 2 steam engines, 1 diesel, 2 double heading, 1 Morrisons driver, 1 pair safety goggles, 2 many anoraks, 56cm long lenses, 1 mountain of porn, 2 windy to move boats, 1 hat completed, 0.5 scarf crocheted, 10 grams rice, 1st taste of chicken, real chicken! 1 still not right Tilly.

Cheddleton Flint Mill

With rain and wind we weren’t planning on taking the boat anywhere today. Instead Mick climbed aboard the No16 bus which took him back to Hanley to see if a water pump had been delivered, whilst I climbed the hill leading up into the village. For once I was to be the paper girl, Mick normally beats me to the job, well that’s my excuse anyway!

There are a few shops in Cheddleton, the village lying much further up the hill than I’d expected it to be, but it was good exercise. Bargain Booze only had the local paper so I carried on further to the One Stop shop which had a full selection. I’d also been hoping to find a Post Office which yesterday I’d found on Google maps, but today when checking for it’s location it now said that it was Permanently Closed. That was quick! So I won’t be getting my next order of wool delivered here.

Signs enticing you up a side road to Cheddleton Old School Tea Rooms and the Black Lion nearly swayed me but I managed to resist. Next to a hair dressers sat a green MG, having seen better days but in far better nick than the convertible Triumph next to it. The roof was all rotted through and with large rusty patches it just seemed to be managing to hold itself together.

Tilly went out and spent much of the rest of the day wading through the boggy bits down the bank and getting really rather wet. She’d return every now and then to tell us all about it and to insist on receiving a few treats for coming home on her own accord.

Mick returned from Hanley, not requiring any treats!  Originally when  I’d contacted Finesse about the broken pump I’d forgotten to mention that post being sent to a Post Restante address needed to be sent by Royal Mail or Parcel Force otherwise it might be returned by the receiving Post Office. Presumably the Post Office receives no financial incentive in receiving parcels form other delivery firms. I’d remembered this and emailed Chris/Kev as soon as I could, nothing worse than having a parcel returned. The order was already in Midland Chandlers system, so we’d see what happened. Luckily for us the receiving Post Office was run by kind soles. The parcel had caused a bit of a stir when it had arrived addressed to The Post Office. No mention of Mick’s name or Post Restante! With no bar code to scan they had opened up the box and seen on the advice note Mick’s name and the fact that it was a Post Restante delivery. So when Mick arrived asking for his parcel, he was asked what was inside, water pump, here you go. They don’t normally accept such things!

I wonder how many parcels Midland Chandlers sends out to boaters with no fixed home address. Surly they must send things to Post Restante addresses every now and then, you would think they would know about such things. But then again, it’s most probably just in a warehouse that the order gets printed off, picked, packed and the label just stuck on the box and put in the next pile for the courier. Next to no human interaction with what is on the label normally required.

But we had our new pump! The thought of looking at steam engines in the pouring rain didn’t seem all that attractive, so I got on with more bags and Mick got on with replacing the pump.

Once removed from it’s fixings you could see that the main body of the original pump had a large crack in it. We’d only removed the panel covering it once before and that was to see if insulation was needed around the central heating pipes. By the way the bit of foam mat we put between the yellow water tank and the pipes has been doing the trick, we’ve not had any aroma since. Once the new pump was plumbed in we gave it a trial go to check for any leeks. What a difference, it is so quiet compared to the old one which sounded like it was straining, retching it’s guts up as it pumped. Maybe the original pump had something wrong with it before it was installed?

One boat came past having come up the river today, it was now in the green. But as the day progressed so did the force of the wind. We were glad we’d stayed put, hopefully tomorrow we’ll get to see some trains close to.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 buses, £4 potteries return, 1 Old Git free ticket, 1 paper, 2 pints milk, 1 new quiet pump, 1 smelly old cracked pump, 1 empty wee tank, 6 exploration trips, 18 treats, 1 cat with deja vu, 20 meatballs, 0.5 of a bag, 0.5 of a hat.

Cheddleton Mill to Cheddleton Mill

With Storm Brian on his way we thought it best to fill the water tank today and find a suitable mooring for the next few days. The Caldon Canal only has two water points, one behind at Park Lane, Endon Bank and the other on the River Churnet section at Consall Forge ahead of us.  Looking at Gauge Map for the river levels suggested that we’d had lots of rain yesterday, we kind of knew this already, but the level looked like it was dropping. As we had breakfast two boats came past heading towards the river, they obviously thought it worth a try. A while later a boat came past the other way and chatted to Alex on Tench, he thought that the river would now be in flood. Which way to go?

After a hello chat with Alex, who wasn’t going to bother carrying on to the river as time wouldn’t allow her to get stuck for a couple of days, we decided to go and see for ourselves. Tilly wasn’t impressed as she’d much rather have been out in the rain than us, but we needed water. First we passed the winding hole, the next would be just above the lock down onto the river so we were committed now to at least three locks and a couple of miles.

Gradually the rain eased as we worked our way down. Every now and then we could hear the Toot Toot of a steam engine. Churnet Valley Railway are having a 25th Anniversary Gala weekend with trains running from Cheddleton Station to Froghall so when the station came into view on our port side it was busy up there with engines in full steam. We’d really hoped to have been able to moor near to Consall Forge where the station platforms overhang the canal, but if the levels were suitable we’d be heading straight through to get off the river.

Down the penultimate lock and we could see NB Tilly Mint and friend who’d gone by this morning, they had winded and were moored up. One chap stuck his head out and said that the river had been on red when they got to the lock. We had to carry on anyway to be able to turn, so we’d see what the situation was like when we got there.

I remembered that the board was in an awkward position so walked over the bridge and eventually found it. Sure enough it was in the red, but we were certain that the green started only an inch further down. If levels were dropping then it might be in the green  after we had lunch. So tied up on the lock landing we waited for an hour. Sadly the level hadn’t dropped, maybe it had even gone up a bit! We couldn’t wait any longer, if we wanted water we needed to retrace our steps and climb another three locks. With the gala on at the railway we wanted to return to Cheddleton too, so we had some shallow miles to cover.

Just as we were winding another boat appeared behind us, windlasses already in hand. If they were sensible they wouldn’t carry on, tight bends on a fast flowing river followed by a weir and a low bridge, not a good idea.

Our journey back to Cheddleton was slow but that gave us more opportunity to watch the trains in steam on the other side of the valley. Back under the aqueduct at Hazelhurst, this time I had my camera already in hand for the two Kingfishers, but of course they were nowhere to be seen! Once up the flight of three locks to the junction we carried straight on towards Park Lane. With enough water in the tank I had a shower as we went along. Of course there isn’t a handy winding hole at the services, you have to carry on another mile to Endon Basin to turn.

Facing the other way we pulled in and filled the tank, time was getting on. Should we carry on or pull up before the locks? With winds forecast for tomorrow afternoon and hopefully a gulper pump to pick up in the morning we really wanted to be back where we’d started the day, buses would be much easier from there. So with not much day light left we pushed off at 6pm with our nav lights on. I browned some chicken, made a sauce and popped it into my cast iron casserole and into the oven where it should be cooked to perfection by the time we got moored up.

We passed one boat as we approached the top of the locks, he’d just come up, but this didn’t mean that they were all full sadly. Each one needed topping up. There was enough light to see what you were doing and I was glad that we knew the locks with their steps under the arc of the lock beams. Mick turned the tunnel light on, my goodness it is bright! It illuminated my way down to the next lock where I wound up paddles as Mick lifted one on the lock above. By the time I turned to walk back the bow of Oleanna had dropped sufficiently into the lock chamber so that I didn’t get blinded.

No space outside The Hollybush for the night, the 24hr moorings here seem to be at least 72hrs! I got the stove going and then sat at the bow, watching as Mick lit up bridge holes a bit more with his torch. Sat at the pointy end I could see bats skimming the surface of the canal, twisting and turning catching insects as they went. One did an arc around our bow and headed back the way it had come. Then a low swoop of an Owl just in front of us. He stopped and watched us go by before hooting for a mate. We don’t often move at night, in fact this might only be the second time we’ve done it, but it was magical.

We pulled up on the first rings at Cheddleton. Sorted ourselves out and the chicken was ready and waiting for us. Not quite back to where we’d started the day, but almost. At least we have a full tank of water to keep us going whilst the weather does what it’s going to, just a long way to get it. It turns out the river was rising again when we were at the lock. Hopefully it’ll go down again for us to get to Froghall after the weekend.

12 locks, 6 down, 6 up, 11.52 miles, 2 end up 90m away, 0 good TV reception, 0 green, 2 much red, 0 kingfishers, 0 time for me! 1 shower on the go, 1 full water tank, 4 joints of chicken ready and waiting, 8th bag completed, 1 Sontag on order.

Wood Top Bridge to Cheddleton Mill

As we languished in bed this morning we could hear the chug chug chug of an engine. Peering out from our bedroom porthole the bow of an old work boat came past, sheets down and then the familiar FMC livery, it was Tench with Alex at the helm. Sadly we weren’t able to get out to say hello in time. But as we are all heading towards a dead end then our paths will cross again.

Before setting off we wanted to empty our yellow water tank, so Mick set everything up outside whilst I gave the toilet a clean and got ready to flick the switch to turn the pump on. ‘Ready!’ came from outside, so I flicked the switch. All as normal for about 20/30 seconds. But then the pumping noise stopped and a kind of clicking noise started. This was switched off almost as soon as it started! What the….

With the panelling removed Mick flicked the switch again and out from the side of the Whale pump was a section that was flipping outwards. Video attached. Very odd and definitely not what it was meant to be doing. Computer turned on and an email sent to Finesse with the video, they agreed that it was very odd and that a new pump would be sent out to us, the second in a week.

Thank goodness we’d had a second outlet installed to be able to manually empty the tank, otherwise I’d have to be finding secluded bits of hedgerow for the next few days! At first Mick tried a small hand held pump attached to a length of hose. But just below gunnel height there is something that restricts the width of pipe you can get down, so this wasn’t going to work. We decided to look again at it after we’d moved.

By now it was raining, but determined to get down onto the river section and visit The Black Lion we both put full waterproofs on and pushed off. Only a couple of twists and turns brought us to the moorings at Cheddleton where there was space just behind Tench. By now it was heaving it down and we wanted to say hello to Alex, so pulled in behind. I walked down to see if there were any moorings below the next two locks, but there was nothing. With the rain forecast to stay with us for the full day we decided to stay put and see how the river reacts. By the pub at Consall Forge there is a weir which if the current is strong would be a bit hairy, also there is a low bridge to get under, which if the level is up we might not manage. So better to wait and see what happens.

Back at Oleanna Mick had got the hand pump out that he uses to empty the gear box oil from the engine. This has a finer tube that fitted down into our yellow water tank. Quite a bit of pumping was required but it did the job and some of the hedgerow got a treat. Thank goodness I’d no longer have to keep my legs crossed.

The rest of the day we pottered around Oleanna.

I decided to get the mats I’d bought fitted on the steps to help protect the oak from wet feet, there isn’t always the luxury of time to take shoes off to pass through the boat whilst cruising.

The front steps were easy, one mat just needed to be cut in half as it fitted perfectly across the steps. The rear half treads took a little bit more time, but not much. I cut a paper template using a page from Towpath Talk (the boaters fire lighting paper). The depth of tread was just about the same as half that of the mat, then cutting the width and curved corner to fit. Hey presto! Our steps now have some protection, better than just newspapers on them. Hopefully the rubber backing will mean that they don’t move too much, but can easily be taken outside to be cleaned.

0 locks, 0.39 miles, 1 fullish yellow water tank, 1 sideways flicking pump, 2nd hand pump, 1 emptyish yellow water tank, 2nd pump on it’s way, 6 tread mats cut, 8th rag bag nearly complete, 5 whole hours of rainy muddy exploration, 1.5 hours to clean up, 1 stove keeping us too toasty, 1 river rising, 0 sightings of Alex, 1 evening watching recorded programmes.

Leek to Wood Top Bridge 40

Time to move on, after a trip to Morrisons to do the shopping I avoided yesterday. As we pushed off we were the last of the boats that had taken refuge here to leave, already having been replaced by another three boats.

As we came out of the tunnel we could see a hire boat that was stuck. One chap was pushing with all his mite on the pole and the other chap giving it full throttle, which was counter acting anything the pole was doing. Mick suggested that they should try to get off by going backwards, not just a bit but a long way, so we held beck to give them space. But they were stuck, so with one of their ropes wrapped round a dolly we tried to tow them off backwards. This needed some reverse from them before they were afloat again. We hung around to make sure that they were okay before we carried on.

A lot of leaves had come down in the storm, so the colours of the trees were a bit disappointing, maybe we’re just a little bit early too. We meandered our way back to Hazelhurst Junction slowly. At Bridge 1 I hopped off and went to set the first lock down towards Froghall. Here the two branches of the canal lie almost next to each other, so Mick held back until he could see that I was about to open the top gate. Then he swung Oleanna round the 180 degree turn to the right, under the smart bridge and into the lock.

With the three Hazelhurst locks close together I walked down to the next chamber to start filling it as Mick lifted a paddle to empty the one Oleanna was in and step back on board for me to return to open and close the gates. This meant that we were filling the next chamber with the water from the last one, with little if any water going round the bywash.

Now we were low enough to go right under the other branch that we’d just come off. From here we now started to go right even though we’d taken the left at the junction. Just as we were approaching the aqueduct, I’d just picked my camera up to take photos of it, when on the off side I could see the electric blue of a Kingfisher. It took too long to turn my camera on as Mick pointed out that there was not just one but two of them. The second one so close to us that I hadn’t originally seen it due to the cabin side. Three maybe four foot away at most! Just there!! And my camera was still turning itself on as they darted away. I’ve made a note of where they were sitting so that my camera will be powered up and ready should they be there when we return.

There were a couple of boats moored outside The Hollybush so we carried on to find a suitable mooring for the night as we didn’t really want to go down the next two locks today. Now surrounded by trees, we found a stretch where on one side we’d get some day light. Tilly could be heard inside counting the trees as we tried to pull in, but the bottom was too near to the top. A short distance further on we got into the side with ease and Tilly was allowed out to climb the trees she’d been shouting at through the bathroom window.

Today the temperature had dropped, we could see our breath at times and gloves will need digging out very soon. Very odd to think that just a few days ago we were in t-shirts. The forecast for the next few days suggests rain and high winds again at the weekend. So we hope to find a suitable mooring off the coming river section and away from big trees, however there may be no internet near Froghall.

3 locks, 4.06 miles, 1 wind, 1 tunnel, 1 pulling off, 1 over, 1 under, 180 degrees, 2 just SO close, 0 photos to prove it! 97 miles, 1 stove with 2 jackets baking, 23 trees shouted at, 19 climbed, 4 dry paws today.

Leek

The wind had died down enough last night for us to be able to sleep well, maybe our sleep was also assisted by the extra glass of wine! But this morning it was still quite blustery, so we were glad we had no plans to move on.

We both hopped onto the No 18 bus which took us back to Hanley. The countryside round here is ever so hilly, as soon as the bus levelled out it then had to go up or down again. This did make for very good views as we travelled along the A53. I jumped off shortly before Hanley and left Mick to carry on to the bus station.

My mission was to see if my wool order had arrived at Norwood Post Office. I’d had an email saying that it had been dispatched yesterday morning, so I was hopeful. It turned out to be the easiest Post Restante delivery ever, 3 minutes walk from the bus stop, the lady turned round and handed me my parcel. Brilliant!

I then walked up another hill to then go down the other side and into Hanley on the hunt for some small moisture traps and some more crystals for the ones we’ve already got. For those who don’t live on a boat, they are prone to condensation. When the temperature drops again we are likely to wake up to condensation on the windows each morning just from us breathing over night. LPG gas gives off moisture as you cook adding to the damp air. So closed cupboards tend to be prone to damp, especially those a distance away from the warming stove. I’ve already deployed a couple of moisture traps in cupboards at the bow, but wanted some that I can put in our clothes cupboards and under the bed. Under our mattress the bed base has circular holes cut for ventilation. Between our large drawers in this space is a gap which can only be reached by putting your hand through one of the holes. Our long damp traps wouldn’t work in this space as turning them to remove them would empty the water back in there, defeating having them in the first place.

A search round all the likely shops came up with nothing, but in Poundland you could buy two for £1! I got four as they may not be reusable, although if I can find more crystals we should be able to refill them.

Mick in the meantime had changed buses at Hanley, the No 4 which would take him to Tim Tylers yard for our second parcel. This second bus took an eternity due to road works , but in the end he got there and picked up the awaiting new water pump. Three narrowboats were in various stages of construction in the workshop, no photos sorry. He then caught the next bus back to Hanley only pausing to get a bite to eat on the way.

I decided to stay on my returning bus and have a bit of a look around Leek. Originally a market town, holding a cattle market for hundreds of years. After the Industrial Revolution the town turned to the textile industry, much like Macclesfield with silk. Some of the mills still stand and the obvious wealth that silk brought is seen with large half timbered buildings. Down some of the side streets I spied the familiar windows at the tops of the houses where garret rooms would be filled with a weaving looms making the most of the natural light. One for sale has an attractive basement with curved ceilings. Whoever wrote the blurb thinks they might win the next Booker prize!

The town is now filled with charity shops and numerous enticing pubs. A large market square still has weekly stalls and the Butter Market has stands several times a week. Wilko came up trumps with a couple of mats for me to cut down for our steps into the boat. Now loaded up and one more hill to descend I headed back to Oleanna a further visit into Leek may be on the cards.

Mick arrived back soon after Tilly had headed off into the sideways trees, she wouldn’t get blown into the canal today. The new pump is a Jabsco which luckily fitted where the original Sureflo had been. After they were swapped over some blue roll was left underneath so that we could check for leaks. The original pump will stay with us until we know what Finesse want to do with it.

Shortly before Tillys allotted time outside had expired she returned meowing at the back door. A quick check for friends and she was allowed in, only to discover that she was very wet! I was stood watching the Canadians swim by and then there was this sudden gust of wind right up my bum! It made me jump! For the next hour whilst she washed herself dry she insisted on sitting anywhere where there wasn’t a towel.

0 locks, 0 miles, 5 buses, 2 parcels, 7 balls of wool, 1 wedgwood blue a lilac colour, 1 water pump, 4 damp traps, 1 exciting hardware shop, 2 mats, 1 chicken, 20p of root ginger, 1 wet tail, 3 muddy soaked legs, 1 very tired cat, 1 calmer cooler day.

Leek Canal Terminus

Having watched the weather forecasts over the last couple of days get worse Mick decided to not risk getting a bus over to Tim Tylers today, there was a chance that by the time he was on his way back that the buses might have been grounded due to the wind. We also wanted to be around should anything happen, not that we’d have been able to do much with a bread knife!

As the wind blustered around us we pottered the morning away, a couple more boats arrived, winded and then found themselves moorings one behind us the other at the front. Mick made sure that things that couldn’t be tied down were removed from the roof and brought into the pram cover. We even wondered whether it would be best to take down and remove the pram cover and frame, but decided to make sure it was fully closed with all poppers firmly done up.

Gradually the morning turned red. Smoke and dust had been whipped up by Hurricane Ophelia and was having an effect on the sun. All very eerie and other worldly, just as it would be before an eclipse. But today it went on for far longer, hours.

Tilly had been allowed out first thing but probably because of the wind she came back after a short while. Huffy Fuffy blowing up your bum! No good that!! So we then had to spend the rest of the day with her shouting at the doors to be let out, by now the wind was getting stronger and we didn’t want her to be blown away, but you try explaining that to a cat who obviously had unfinished business to attend to.

I walked up to Morrisons for a few bits and thought that the wind wasn’t so bad, I’ve certainly known it worse in Scarborough. A couple of hire boats had appeared and winded (most probably helped by the wind direction today) and then disappeared heading straight back into the wind. We wondered how many boats had taken refuge on the other side of the tunnel, so went for a walk. Much to our surprise there were no boats there. The sun had now returned to it’s normal colour and the skies were blue, so we decided to walk along the hill to do a circle back to the boat.

From above the tunnel there were great views across the valleys and all those trees. Our route brought us to the road into Leek, from there we followed the feeder channel back to the end of the canal. Quite windy, but nothing extreme. We settled down for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We found that the volume on the TV gradually had to be turned up, then running the engine helped to block out the now howling gale outside. Suspect nobody would have noticed should we have left it running past 8pm. Mick every now and then went into the pram cover with a torch to check that all was okay. The plank and poles vibrated on their rack for much of the evening despite being tied down. Thank goodness we’d found a good silted up bit of canal to sit out the storm in. Not quite into the side and on a soft bottom Oleanna sat quite happily, not able to bump the armco and no fenders were needed. All we got was the occasional rocking as the cabin side tilted in the gusts.

It was around midnight before it started to calm down outside, we’d decided to wait to go to bed as neither of us would have been able to sleep, which gave us the excuse of another glass of wine!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 red sun, 1 eerie day, 6 apples, 5 bananas, 4 toilet rolls, 1 bum needing protection, 1 shouting cat, 1 ghost train, 1 diddy feeder, 2 portions Lasagne, 3 glasses each, 7th bag completed, 6/7 hours of major wind.