Making Memories.

 I have been away a couple of days. The first was due to some problems with Blogger I think as I didn't seem to be able to connect with it at all. The next day we were busy with our BSS survey and then I had an evening dash home to pick up the car. We are now at home and that is the end of this cruise, but for the sake of completeness here is our last day.

The days are drawing in and when I got up to make the tea there was the last of the mist on the water looking back to Great Haywood Junction. This was actually Sunday so it was the calm before the hurly burly of a busy Sunday with people everywhere, and boats galore jostling for position.

Looking in the other direction, towards the lock it seems other folk were getting up to make the tea as the fires were being prodded back into life and the sun was starting to warm up the steel hulls too.

Sunday I was busy getting everything ready for the survey and doing lots of other jobs done that I had been putting off. I got the new button put on the stern but forgot to take a photo to convince Marilyn of my handiwork. When the crowds had gone and stillness fell again to the junction we went off for a walk into the gloaming. The Essex Bridge over the River  Trent was all ours. It was built in the late 1500's for the Earl of Essex who lived in Chartley Castle nearby. It originally had 40 arches but only 14 are left. Even so it is the longest pack horse bridge surviving in England and so is Grade I and a Scheduled Monument.

Shugborough Hall loomed over the surrounding fields that were being cropped by quiet cattle in the last of the light.

The Octaganol Temple of the Winds in the grounds of Shugborough was built in 1795 and closely resembles the temple of the same name in Athens. Originally the upper floor was designed as a banqueting room. Later in its life it became a place for the 1st Earl to entertain his gambling mates and the downstairs was used as a dairy. There is also a round stair tower tacked on the side and I love the little portico that apparently closely resembles the Greek Temple. 

Thankfully not much wind tonight so we could hear the geese as they flew to their roost and the tearing up of the grass by the cattle, and a lovely sunset to accompany our evening ramble.

Monday morning was taken up with Steven Heywood going through our boat for the BSS survey. All good other than we needed to bring back our old fire extinguishers. We had lunch before heading off and obviously were at the first lock of the day pretty soon. And the rain started too.

This is known as Shugborough Carrigae Bridge and was built for the family from the Hall to be driven to church directly. There was another crossing the River Trent too. This was built by the Anson family and later than the completion of the canal and iron was used in the ornate bridge.

It wasn't long until we reached Colwich Lock, and this was to be the last of this years campaign, although we may pop out and about for short trips. It is very photogenic from this direction, even on a gloomy and drizzly October day. As always seem to be the case there was a boat ahead of us, and two below.

This carving makes good use of an old tree. The woodpecker can be see through the hole from the other direction. I wonder how long it will last.

Previous to this bridge at Wolseley there was a nine arch bridge of stone that seems to have been badly damaged and the arches repaired using timber. It was an important bridge as it carried the London to Holyhead turnpike road. That one was replaced by this one that was designed by Sir John Rennie and was opened around 1800, with only three arches.

It is a shame to be going home just now as I think next week the colours in the trees will be wonderful. They aren't bad now even. All those leaves that end up in the water and eventually need to be take out again. It is no wonder the old canal companies kept trees well back from the water.

No need to stop for water at Spode House so we just plodded on. The journey took us almost twice as long as I had thought as there seems to be a boat moored around every corner, as well as the 'official' moorings. We met nobody at the oldest 'tunnel' on the Trent and Mersey, Armitage Tunnel. The narrows did form a tunnel, although not along the whole of the length of the narrows. It looks like there is still a short tunnel, and perhaps it is, but it is just a road bridge. (Thought!!! when does a bridge become a tunnel?). The tunnel proper had sunk a bit due to local mining so was too low and in about 1970 the top was taken off to open it out.

We continued on in the intermittent drizzle and Helen was very reluctant to go down inside as it was our last hour or so on a long trip this year. We have taken a mooring at Kings Bromley and arrived there around 1700. we had been told to we could moor up on the fuel pontoon until morning.

That evening I had a taxi into Lichfield and caught the train in to New Street and then out to Doncaster and change for Hull. I arrived home at about 00:45. I was out the house by 06:15 and back at the boat for 08:30 ready to move the boat to our final position and prepare the boat for being left and packing up the car, not forgetting Macy the cat. It is always a sobering time when we leave the boat, but we will be back at the minimum for a bit of peace and quiet at the marina and hopefully given a little fine weather and and a free window, a few days away too.

It has been a funny old year all round, but we have had some lovely boating and some real memories made. With the pandemic we haven't been in many pubs this year so I wont be writing about Beers, Boats and Boozers over winter like last year, but I have had some ideas about what theme to have for my winter musings. Thanks for reading so far and I hope you will check us out to see what is on the blog until we can boat again.

Here;s hoping we all stay safe and well.