Monday 3rd
October 2016
Audlem top
lock to Market Drayton
4.5 miles, 5
locks
After all
the events of yesterday we hoped for a quiet uncomplicated day today and
thankfully that proved to be the case.
Once again the weather was glorious with plenty of sun and blue skies.
The decision has been made to go home via Wolverhampton and Birmingham so we can call into Crafted Boats (formerly JL Pinders & Sons) to pick up the replacement window that we have asked them to order for us. From the junction at Aldersley it will be 71 locks rather than 54, but only 38 miles instead of 53. This next part will be done slowly as we do not want to be in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Today we
just had the flight of 5 locks at Adderley to do which did not present any
problems. We did decide that the
moorings at the bottom of the flight are much nicer than those at the top of
Audlem.
This
canal is a delight with far reaching views.
Once we were moored at Market Drayton we
walked the half a mile into town to find Asda. Looking at the map I think there is another
supermarket, but we did not discover what or where it is. We had a mooch in a couple of charity shops
and a few CD’s made their way home with us.
Neither of us had ever been here before and both felt it was a useful
stop, but we did not find a lot to make us want to stay for too long. Market Drayton is the home of gingerbread (or
so our guide tells us) – I did find some locally produced, but they only came
as rather large gingerbread men or animal figures, so I am afraid we have not
tried it for ourselves.
The town is
famed for its half-timbered houses which mostly date from a fire which swept
through the town in 1651. It would also
appear to be the home town of Clive of India.
They say that Wednesday is the day to visit as the market is very much
part of the heritage of this town.
I was particularly taken by the excellent signposts to the town centre and then back to the canal. For those of us who are navigationally challenged they are very much appreciated.
Tuesday 4th
October 2016
Market
Drayton to Shebdon Wharf
7.75 miles,
locks
Unbelievably
we still have blue skies and sunshine!
First jobs this morning were for me to go back to Asda for the paper and
a couple of bits whilst Chris moved the boat under the bridge to the water
point to fill up and empty as required.
On my return Monty and I walked ahead the one mile to the bottom of
Tyrley Locks – once again a flight of five and our only locks of the day. As I approached I could see a boat in the
distance coming towards me, so as the lock was full I opened the gate for them
to enter. I knew we were likely to cross
paths today and what better place to do so than at a lock when you have at
least a short time to chat! Yes it was
Tom and Jan on nb Waiouru.
It was a
short meeting, but it was good to see you both again. I will watch the blog to see if you are
anywhere near us over the winter.
We appear on their blog HERE. Tom questioned when we last met and yes it was the K&A last year, but I think we were both going East. I think we leaped frogged each other quite a lot - if you look HERE we are both at The Cunning Man, Burghfield and were trapped there for two nights due to very heavy rain.
The rest of
the locks went very smoothly with boats coming down in two more and the other
two were empty, so a very easy passage with minimal winding and gate pushing
and pulling.
At the top
of the locks is Tyrley Wharf with this really elegant grade II listed
property.
And a
disclaimer notice long before today’s litigious society and our H&S
culture.
There is an
opportunity to stock up with some goodies, but sadly the baskets were empty
today
This part of
the Shropshire Union is a series of cuttings with tall elegant bridges
And
embankments
Plus our
first view of The Wrekin
For the most
part the towpath is okay, but both of our guide books warn about the path
through Woodeaves Cutting and I am glad I heeded the warning and kept Monty on
board!
We had
thought of stopping at bridge 47 past Park Heath Wharf, however the moorings
were rather exposed and as the wind was quite strong we moved on another mile
past Knighton Wharf to moor at Shebdon Wharf.
As I typed this at 5pm the sun was still shining in a wonderfully blue
sky. We have, however, lit the fire
again as there is a definite nip in the air.
Knighton was
formerly a factory owned by Cadbury to process milk from the local farms. The churns were collected by boat from wooden
landing stages at each farm along the canal.
Cocoa and sugar crumb were brought by boat to Knighton to be blended
with the milk to make the raw chocolate.
This in turn was transported by boat back to Bourneville to be made into
the finished product. Today it is owned
by Premier Foods and I believe it now mostly produces powdered milk and even
Birds Custard.
Wednesday 5th
October 2016
Shebdon
Wharf to Gnosall
6.25 miles,
0 locks
Dare I say
it, but the sun was still shining this morning.
With a short journey ahead of us we had a leisurely start getting a few
domestics done before we headed off. The
plan was for Monty and I to head off leading the way so we could walk the first
couple of miles. Chris gave us a head
start, but we did not allow for lines of moored craft. With no sign of him we carried on and ended
up walking the three and a half miles to Norbury Junction where we found a
bench in the sun to wait for 20 minutes until he caught us up!!
It is still
a pleasant canal and although the going is muddy in places it was easy enough
to walk. You could be a million miles
away from civilisation as there are very few people and only the birds and the
wind whistling through the trees to accompany you.
The moorings
at The Anchor, bridge 42 looked rather nice, so maybe next time.
The pub
itself looks intriguing – according to one of our guides it is open lunch and
evening from March to October only and the only food on offer is sandwiches, so
you do wonder how it keeps going when it is so far from anywhere.
As we walked through the tree lined cuttings there were plenty of opportunities to climb to the top and 'shout' at squirrels that may or may not have been in the trees!
For the most part the path was quite good
And then at Grubb Street I came across what must be one of the most photographed telegraph pole in the country, if not the whole world. The A519 goes across the top of this bridge - the cutting is 80 foot deep. The small telegraph pole is the sole survivor from the line that used to go along the Shroppie.
Due to the position of the sun I thought I might get a better shot from the other side, but the angle is wrong making an abandoned canoe the main feature of the picture!
Some 1.25 hours after leaving Monty arrived at Norbury Junction some 3.25 miles from when we started out. This used to be the junction with the Newport Canal going to Shrewsbury, but was abandoned in 1944. Of the original 17 locks the only one remaining is now a dry dock at the end of the arm.
It is a delightful place to sit in the sun and watch the world goes by whilst waiting for Chris to catch up with us.
After using the services at Norbury Junction, Chris headed across the canal to visit the chandlery, closely supervised to ensure he went the right way!
Just a few more miles and we stopped at Gnosall, firstly before bridge 35
but we soon moved through passed this rather jolly garden
We just popped up to the convenience store that is close to the canal for a paper to find a very handy map the other side of bridge 34. We may go and explore further in the morning.
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