Friday July 19th; Barlaston to Stone (top)
It would be a different kind of day from yesterday – a much shorter cruise, for a start.
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| Morning sun at Barlaston |
We left at about 9.15, already in shorts and t-shirts. We had no intention of going through Stone today, as I need to catch a train and the station has good access from the top lock. But we weren’t expecting Meaford locks to be so busy so early! A boat was waiting for the top lock to fill – an experienced boater was moving his brother’s boat, but his crew was a complete novice. Luckily he was a quick learner and, because boats were coming up, things kept moving. The top lock was a little slow to fill, because the footboard was taped off and it took time to walk round to raise the offside paddle. This had to be done, as two boats had arrived behind us while we filled the lock.
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| The slant was even greater than it looks here |
At the third lock there was a short delay, as the crew of the boat coming up lowered the towpath paddle before I had crossed the gate, and as the lock above was being emptied already, the extra water in the short pound prevented us opening it, so I had to raise the paddle again. It’s happened to me more than once so I never close the towpath side paddle before I open the gate, but it was completely new to this chap and I’m not sure he understood what the issue was.
We moored on the 5-day stretch of rings above Line Kiln lock and we were soon on our way across the lock to Stone station – I’m taking a turn at the car shuffle this time. The footbridge over the railway on the way there is high and steep and was very taxing on our knees, though Jess skipped up with no problem.
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| The beautiful station building |
Apart from accommodating the overhead electrics, the far platform retains much of its original appearance, though I fear the doors might all be locked and the building not used as part of the station any more. I don’t know what goes on in the building now, though the upstairs seems to be lived in with curtains and ornaments in the windows.
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| The electrics are far higher than the platform shelter – that must be why the footbridges are so enormous. If you can’t manage the stairs and want to travel north, I suppose you have to go to a different station and catch the train there. There seems to be no other way to cross the line. |
The train was on time, clean and plenty of seating available so I chose the side with a view of the canal.
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| Across the meadow – Barlaston? |
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| No idea where this is but it’s before Kidsgrove |
I caught a glimpse of the orange canal as the train crossed just before the Harecastle tunnel, and shortly afterwards we were in Crewe. We had already decided that whoever collected the car, they would get a taxi from Crewe – a mite expensive but very much easier than waiting for a train from Nantwich and needing to book a taxi to Swanley Bridge – it’s a long walk otherwise. I was mystified by the driver asking if the train had been ok, as there seemed to have been some sort of trouble this morning – I thought he was referring to the recent rail and junior doctor strikes. It wasn’t until much later that I heard about the massive IT outage caused by a bug in Windows!
It was only two miles or so to walk back to the boat from the marina, but the heat was stifling even though I was walking in the shade of the towpath hedge most of the way. After a long cool drink and a rest, we walked back down the locks for a different long cool drink at the Star by the bottom lock. Unfortunately they weren't doing food, and we didn't fancy Smoke and Rye on the other bank in the place of the Italian we remember, so I nipped over to the new M&S Food for something quick and easy to eat this evening. We took two of the hopper windows out to cool the boat down when we got back.
3 miles, 4 locks and a long hot walk
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