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Tuesday 4 September 2018

Heading homeward.

Slept like a (well behaved) baby last night as it was very quiet. Even the trains didn't wake me up. We set off after only a couple of boats had past us this morning.

We were soon at Huddlesford Junction where it just struck me how dependent we are on electricity as maybe indicated in the photo, but a solar flare could well stop it all in it's tracks!

I have never noticed many of these simple miles tones on the canal and I'm not sure whether they were placed by the Birmingham and Fazeley or the Coventry Canal Company? I am also not really sure where they are indicating distance from? The 21/2 miles refers to Fradley Junction alright, but the 5 miles doesn't correlate to either Ogley Junction at Huddlesford which is only a couple of miles away. The next junction is Fazeley Junction which is about 8 miles away. Hopwas is about five and a half miles away but why post the distance to there? 

The Swan was getting a spruce up as we took the turn to head north up the Trent and Mersey. There was a boat in Junction Lock, but just closing the bottom gates.

We thought that a boat must becoming down at middle lock as somebody was dropping the lock. However it seems that the volunteers here at Fradley have been issued with different life jackets than else where as they don't have the orange coloured ones that help you pick them out from a distance. We were also helped up Shadehouse Lock, so Fradley was left behind very quickly.

There are some lovely stretches of tow path on this length. No bike highways and with copses and fields, with occasional seats to take the weight, it is a walker friendly path. We were a little delayed at Woodend Lock but again were soon on our way again.

The shed at the Phoenix Yard was up for sale in march this year for the princely sum of offers around  £750,000 for conversion to a 3/4 bed house with moorings for three boats. The business must be moving out.

Through the bridge is Kings Bromley Wharf. I love the pebble dashed chimney. Apparently there was a creamery set up here in 1884 by local people in response to the depression in agriculture after the Free Trade Act. They had to concentrate on products that could not be supplied from far afield so decided to club together and by milk to trade and use in the creamery. It was called the Trent Valley Dairy and Produce Co. Ltd and started with 60 shares at £5 each. They also dealt in eggs and cattle. The business kept in private hands until 1930's when it became part of United Dairies. 

I love the fact that the Armitage Shanks factory is built on a curve. I wonder how difficult this makes fitting machinery etc. There were some loos in the yard, but not too many. Maybe this is a sign of the depression, or just that everything is 'just in time' these days.

Just after the factory is a tight bend round the Church at bridge 60. And this was the first and only heron we had seen for two days, but before that there had been one every couple of hundred yards. Why is there less food here, or do they prefer the Trent that is not very far away at all.

We caught up the boat that had left had left Woodend Lock ahead of us just as we approached the Armitage Tunnel 'narrows' so were able to follow them through. They moored up just before the water point and we just topped off and carried onwards.

Rugeley was, as usual, pretty full but we just carried onwards. Helen enjoyed the gardens as we passed. People seem to really go to town with them these days. If they had done it the year before they will have been able to really enjoy it this summer.

Here we are once again crossing the River Trent on an Aqueduct and with a boat just approaching, good timing or what?

It must have been a high tide, or heavy flood on the Trent to get so high and dry. Doesn't look too long before it will be lifted in the water.

It started to drizzle and slowly got to be light rain after Colwich Lock. I like the setting of the lock cottage, with the 'facilities' at the bottom of the garden and the bridge at the bottom of the lock. It is a shame about the railway line so close.

We just carried on until the moorings before the Haywood Lock over looking the Shugborough fields and just got inside and warmed up.

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