Blogs from Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 7

6 locks, 392 in total. Having been on less popular canals for a couple of weeks, we really enjoyed the interaction with other boaters at the locks today; we swapped stories of the Kennet & Avon with a boater who'd left there a few years ago, which reminded me that I hadn't mentioned that we've met 2 other boats and boaters from the K & A that we've known a few years – About Time at Marple and Gongoozler at Cheddleston, so we're all a long way from home this year. We left Stoke behind us comparatively quickly as we were never near the centre of the city. There were a few grotty sections but then a more rural setting. We're moored just before Barlaston, where the canal goes through the Wedgwood estate. They moved much ... read more

6 locks, 383 in total. Not much to mention today (ok – I can hear the collective sigh of relief). We decided to stick to moorings that we knew were good as we returned towards Stoke which meant a short day today. The fates conspired against us a little with many boats coming in the opposite direction, often involving manoeuvres in tight places. Also our entry to the last of the Stockton Brook locks was blocked by a huge section of reed bed, upside down in the canal. I've no idea how others had got past but it had now drifted so that navigation was impossible. For the good of all, it had to go. Moving it provided me with enough of a workout to last a month, after walking across a 6” wide length of ... read more

6 locks, 377 in total. A there-and-back day today, motoring to Cheddleton, turning round and motoring back to last night's mooring. I hope we don't have a repeat of last night's extremely heavy rain though – I was mopping up a flow of water underneath the stern door at 2 am. We had a lucky escape yesterday as one boat moored next to a wasp nest - quiet overnight but aggressive this morning. The Caldon Canal really is very pretty once you're away from Stoke and its environs – not the rugged scenery of the Peak Forest but undulating pastures, horses and cattle grazing, deciduous trees giving some areas a park-like feel. The canal is not very straight and there are numerous chicanes which I assume used to be bridge sites but there seemed to be ... read more

4 locks, 366 in total. We woke up to grey skies and the prospect of rain so decided to walk round Westport Lake before setting off. It was formed in the 19th century I believe when old coal workings subsided and has been updated more recently with a bias towards nature; the all-round path is ideal for prams, joggers, toddlers on bikes, etc. There is a visitor centre showing all the wild fowl that use the lake. We approached the old industrial area of Stoke-on Trent on the T & M canal; the canal was very wide here, almost certainly because of the amount of traffic there would have been in the Potteries heyday. All goods in and out would have been transported by boat. So many of the old potteries have gone, buildings either lying ... read more

0 locks, 247 in total. The Shropshire Union is a reasonably straight canal, very wide in places and almost impossibly narrow in others. We had an easy 2 ½ hour run to Breward (pronounced Brood) after a trip into Morrisons via towpath, bridge, footpath and paved walkway – not a car in sight. The views were good and there were several private mooring sections which is great for being nosey about other boats. There were also more than the average apparently unused and unloved boats, particularly here at Breward, which we don't understand. The boat opposite us this afternoon has large weeds growing in the gunwales! Breward is a thriving village, despite its relatively small size – 2 church primary schools, one middle school and a private girls school. Also a Co-op and the largest Spar ... read more