Making the most of the good weather

High Bridge in the Grub Street Cutting - note the telegraph pole!

No Blog yesterday because we didnt do much really. Just pumped-out, filled up with water, shopped for 4 days groceries and stayed moored at Market Drayton as it rained most of the day.

Today is different. We awoke to sunshine and some light clouds. Denise put some sealant around the panels and windows in the wooden doors to stop rain seepage and the resultant discolouration of the wood.

When this was completed at 9:40 we set off. We quickly reached the very attractive Tyrley locks - a flight of 5 mainly in a wooded cutting. Our only problem there was that some of the by-washes, whereby water is diverted around each lock, were ferocious. As soon as the bow of the boat reaches such a by-wash it is pushed across in the flow turning the boat on one direction. This is reversed when the by-wash meets the rear of the boat. So one's careful aim towards the open lock is thrown off-course and the boat hits the lock entrance with an embarrassing bang.

After the Tyrley locks, the Shropshire Union is lock free for the remaining 24 miles. All hills and valleys are crossed by Telford's massive embankments and deep cuttings. We stopped for an hour for lunch out in the countryside and then moved on intending to moor at Norbury Junction, a well known canal location with plentiful moorings.

Unfortunately these plentiful moorings were all taken. Stopping outside the official moorings is difficult on the Shropshire Union because of a ledge a foot or two below the water level along the canal side. This creates a worrying grating sound as a moored boat moves in the wind, or as other boats pass. So we had to carry on an extra 2 miles to Gnossall, making the journey a total of 13 miles in 6.5 hours.

Angler in Woodseaves Cutting

Our speed down the canal was greatly restricted as we hit a major fishing competition. There were apparently 480 anglers sat along 4 miles of canal. The rods used are very long, stretching the width of the canal, presumably as the best fish are always furthest from the anglers. As we motored along slowly and steadily each angler in turn had to raise his rod high in the air to let us pass. We felt like guests of honour at a military parade.