Day 82 - disappointment at Etruria.

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3 locks, 386 in total.







We headed back in the rain to Etruria, junction of the Caldon and Trent & Mersey, stopping once to visit the Emma Bridgewater pottery, which either didn't have the full range or else had stopped making some items, although there were mugs galore. The canal was very winding and the wind gusting from many directions - not ideal conditions. We were both concentrating so hard at one point, watching the narrow bridge on a sharp bend when suddenly we saw the staircase lock ahead of us - we'd already passed the lock moorings by that time so John had to hold the boat by the lock gates whilst the lock slowly filled - oops.



I wanted to visit the Etruria Industrial Museum on its large, well landscaped site but it seems that the whole thing is closed except on 'steaming weekends', a reference to steam power rather than the weather. What a disappointment and wasted opportunity for all concerned; I struggle with the concept of a museum with such limited opening hours.







So, what to do on a wet afternoon, having had long-standing plans ruined? Ooh, I know - laundrette for me, Tesco for John. Hattie however is enjoying the landscaped grounds of the closed museum – an open space rather than a linear towpath.

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