Wednesday April 11th, Bridge 69 to Great Haywood

After a lovely quiet night, we found ourselves with a nice short cruise this morning, which again dawned bright and sunny. We were soon enjoying a continuation of yesterday’s peaceful and relaxing journey along the Trent Valley.
 
Every time we have cruised past this section before, it has been difficult to pick out Bishton Hall, just a few yards back on the off side before Wolseley Bridge. However, either because the trees are not so far forward (surprising given the mini heatwave through March) or clearance of some trees and scrub, we had a good view today. It is a lovely mid C18th building, now used as a preparatory school.
 
Just through Wolseley Bridge we were hailed by a bloke on a moored boat to see if we had lost a dog. He had found a lovely tan cross breed with white ‘socks’ that had either got lost, or had been abandoned by its owner. We couldn’t help him, and he said he would take it to a nearby dog’s home to where he lives.

At Colwich Lock, the towpath user has to cross the ‘roadway’ of the adjacent bridge with great care. It is used by a herd of cattle to cross from a field on one side of the canal to one on the other. Needless to say the short section of towpath is nothing more than a cow-churned mess of mud and other unmentionable items, particularly after the recent rain!

Shugborough Hall across the fields

     The canal now enters an idyllic section. A high bank rears up on the off-side, with the railway line above. Opposite, the River Trent runs right alongside and slightly below the canal while extensive views open up across Shugborough Park, with a clear sight of the big house, formerly the home of the Earls of Lichfield. We will spend most of tomorrow there.

Mooring at Great Haywood

We were pleased to find a mooring just before the junction with the Staffs & Worcs Canal and the iconic junction bridge. I walked over the bridge to the Anglo-Welsh boatyard to empty the loo, whilst Elaine got rid of the rubbish.

Junction Bridge at Gt. Haywood

 
On the return journey, Elaine met up with another Elaine, who, with her disabled husband Derek, had been on the BCN Explorer Cruise in 2010. They have now sold their narrowboat as the tiller steering was getting too much for them both, and they now have a wheel steered narrow beam Dutch Barge. They actually live in Great Haywood!   

Later, whilst walking to the shop for the paper and canal mags, we met Frank & Gillian on ‘Fragil’ who we had met on the Explorer Cruise last year. We had a good chat with them before they untied and moved off, but Gillian kindly gave us a spare electric card for use in Liverpool which they didn’t use when they were there on 2010. Must be something about the Explorer Cruise!

 
Later on, we walked to the Farm Shop, just the other side of the road bridge. We had cruised past several times in previous years and always said we must go there, but never had. The other Elaine had told us it had recently been upgraded, and we enjoyed our visit enormously. Because our freezer is full of the food we had bought before we set out (especially our village butcher’s products), I had to curb my buying instincts. Mind you we will probably be coming back this way again in the autumn……

Ibex and Ilford approaching junction

In the evening, we wandered up to the bridge to take some pictures and were delighted to see a working pair approach the junction from the Staffs & Worcs Canal. It was ‘Ibex’ in her BW colours towing ‘Ilford’ in her FMC colours returning from a canal festival at Droitwich and on their way back to Stone. It was an education to see how a 70’ pair get round a 90° turn.

Ibex makes the turn

Ilford makes the turn

It was great to watch!