Cosy toes and a wet dog

Tuesday 27^th August; Hazelhurst Junction to Endon (bridge 28)

We had no particular plans for the morning, as we were not planning to go far today. 

Thank goodness the geese on the field opposite didn’t wake us up at daybreak

It was cool and grey, with a bit of a breeze, and although a few boats went by it was a pleasant spot to get on with some jobs.  First job – Dave gave Jess a thorough brushing, as the second (mostly mine) was to clean through the boat and there was quite enough dog fur already to be dealing with.  Dave then got busy dealing with the rust on the heavy metal gangplank.

Zizzing

He took it over to the handy bench where he painted on the rust remover.  While he washed the boat roof, I reorganised one of the galley cupboards to make better use of the movement-sensitive light we bought for it.  Somehow all that took up the whole of the morning.  After lunch we wanted to move down to Endon, for two reasons – I need to go shopping tomorrow, but also we had to look out for NB Oleanna for a much anticipated meeting.  But that was later.

Hazlehurst or Hazelhurst?

With no-one coming up the Hazelhurst flight we slipped our moorings and pottered along towards the Park Lane services for water, recycling and rubbish disposal.

All quiet at Hazelhurst junction

When we came the other way last week, we noticed young fruit trees planted along behind the towpath and eventually spotted a notice proclaiming the trees a Linear Orchard.  I hope they are maintained properly, then it will make a lovely autumn walk with free healthy snacks provided – apple and pear at least (I saw a few fruit, so I'm sure of those) and what may have been plums and cherries too.

Orchard tree

There were no other boats at the services and after taking on water and disposing of rubbish and recycling we were soon on our way.  Would we see Oleanna?  There is a fair bit of mooring space along the way, they could be close by or right down past the Stoke Boat Club mooring arm.  But we hadn’t gone 50 yards from the services when there was an almighty splosh!  Where’s the dog???  Scrambling out of the reeds on the offside, that’s where, and it took a lot of manoeuvring to get close enough to get her safely back on board – because of course the engine had to be out of gear if she was nearby in the water.  No time to get a photo, there were sheep and goats in the field above her - which she knew - and we had to keep her attention on us.  Dave finally got the stern in close enough to grab her collar as she attempted to jump back on board.  We don’t know if she jumped off, thinking the water plants were on solid ground, or whether she had tried walking along the gunwale and slipped off when trying to get back – we were just thankful she went away from the boat and not too close to the propeller!

I was just towelling her off when we were hailed from the towpath, and there was Oleanna.  We managed to pull in behind them, introductions were made, Jess was safely shut inside and we all went onboard Oleanna for a lovely cuppa and a good old boaters’ chat.  Tilly gave us the once-over – I don’t think she was impressed – and Pip handed me my long-awaited pair of socks (she has been knitting socks - a 'sockathon' - in aid of the Dementia UK charity, and mine are pair no 32.  That's a lot of knitting!).  It was great to have a proper chat after one very brief meeting some years ago at Lapworth.

We thought we’d better moor to leave a decent distance between the boats as I’m sure Jess would have been rather too keen to make Tilly’s acquaintance.

Have those stinky dog people gone now?

It was much closer to bridge 28 where we pulled in, with rain threatening.  Later on there were several heavy showers.

Gorgeous cosy socks

2 and a bit miles, a surprised wet dog and a happy meeting

 

Breathe in!

Monday 26^th August; Froghall to Hazelhurst Junction

Apart from the steam whistle and the sound of the chuffing engine leaving Froghall after dropping off its passengers (much faster than when it was pulling the carriages), it was quiet last night.  The boat moored behind us left at 8 am, as they were very worried about meeting another boat on the narrow section.

Enough space on the towpath for a game of ball

We were on our way before 9.30, in cool but sunny weather – except of course in the shady bits.  We were going cautiously, as we knew how bendy and narrow it would be.  Should I get off and walk, as you do on the Llangollen?  It would have meant a giant step over the overgrown towpath edge, and it was still quite early, so I didn’t.  The vegetation on the offside was so dense it was very difficult to see if anything was coming.  Luckily, NB Argy Bargy was also going carefully when we met on a blind bend, but even so the bows touched – not violently, but, shall we say, quite firmly, though nothing got knocked over inside.

Two horns tooted at the same time

We had to reverse to a stretch straight enough and long enough for him to pass.  A cheerful soul, he said there were six boats potentially following him down!  At least he would be able to moor, not sure about the others ….  We met the first as we straightened up to pass under the railway bridge at the Black Lion.  Dave had sounded the horn in good time, so NB Adventurer had already gone into reverse.  We pulled in on the water point to fill up, which didn’t take long with such a fast tap, and off we went again.  We heard the train whistle as we pulled away – would we see it?  Yes!  An excellent view, much waving from driver, guard and passengers, but sadly I fumbled with the camera and managed to turn it off instead of pressing the right button.

Off it goes

It was lovely cruising along the river in the sunshine, and soon we started meeting more boats.  It was a shame there was so much of the sickly-smelling Himalayan Balsam which infests the river and the whole of the Caldon. 

Great drifts of the horrible stuff.   Though it is very pretty, it shades out all the native plants and when it dies down in winter it leaves dead leaves and bare mud, ready to be washed away in the rain.

By the time we reached Wood’s lock and left the river section, we had passed all six boats that Argy Bargy had warned us about.  I wonder if they all hope to moor at Froghall, or intend to stop at the Black Lion?  I could see Rob’s car parked at Wood’s lock, and as before he gave us a hand, although this is not a deep lock and quite easy.

Rob off to get himself a drink of water

We met the day boat Joshua round the bend, having left the top gate open for them.  As we approached Cheddleton locks a boat was just emerging from the bottom one – so that’s potentially 9 boats at Froghall!  though the day boat would obviously have to get back by about 5 so may not have got that far.  All that boat traffic had resulted in the pound between the two Cheddleton locks getting extremely low.

On my way to run water down

Even after I emptied the top lock, then ran more water down, Dave still only just managed to get out of the bottom lock and was scraping the bottom all along the pound.  So I called CRT in case they need to take action for the eight boats coming back up today or tomorrow!  The day boat would certainly not know what to do.   We had lunch on the visitor mooring above the top lock, then went to visit Cheddleton Flint Mill, which was open, it being Bank Holiday Monday.  It’s free, and must rely on donations to keep going. 

Repairing one of the water wheels

We have visited before, in 2012.  We had just bought Chuffed at Great Haywood marina, and this was our first trip aboard.  There had recently been a disastrous flood, and although the mill wasn’t really open for visitors they had started the clean-up and were happy for us to wander around.  The chaps working on the water wheel remembered it well.  The mill was used to grind flint into a fine powder used in the production of ceramics. 

Pit wheel (vertical) and wallower (horizontal).  You can see the light from the outside of the wall falling on the axle, which turns when the water-wheel is in operation

 

Now I understand gearing and how power is transferred from the vertical plane to the horizontal - from the pit wheel to the wallower, whch is attached to the millwheel below which grinds the flint.

And now I know what calcination is

The mill cottage, where the miller and his family would have lived, is open too.  Compact, I suppose you would call it.  There is a main room with a range for cooking, a scullery for the washing, and upstairs were one and a half bedrooms.

My Grandma had a range similar to this, but her scullery was bigger!

Mill cottage.  I bet it wasn’t this pretty when it was a working mill

Sadly there was nowhere to buy an ice-cream as we had hoped!  We cruised on to the Hollybush, but rather than moor by a busy pub on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon we went on up the Hazelhurst locks.  Then at the top of the flight, Dave reversed Bonjour down the Leek arm to moor for the night. 

Reversing from the junction

We were pleased to see that the abandoned boat was still securely moored where we had left it.  There was time for some jobs before going to the pub to eat – Dave cleaned the engine hole and I scrubbed the starboard side of the cratch cover again.   I think I have now got most of the green algae off, but it still needs reproofing, though it was much too windy to do that today.  Argy Bargy passed us later on having returned from Froghall to make for Leek.  Quite a long day!  We ate in the pub, walking to it down past the locks and under the aqueduct, and coming back up the steps to the aqueduct and along the Leek branch.  The meal was quite nice – Dave had curry, which was ok, and I had fish and chips, also ok, though nothing could beat the zander and chips I had at the Wharf in Welford last year.  Good beer though.

7 miles, 8 locks

Steam!

 Sunday 25^th August; Denford to Froghall

There was sun when we got up, but not enough break in the tree cover for it to last, so by the time we left, soon after 9, we were cruising in full shade and it was very cold.  With tall trees and high hedges most of the way to Cheddleton, it stayed cold too.

Approaching Cheddleton top lock

As you can see in the photo the sun had been shining as we shivered our way along underneath the tree cover!  The bottom gates on the top lock were metal and awkwardly positioned over the wall of the little stone footbridge and I managed to twinge a rib – one I’d injured in the past – so that would be uncomfortable for at least a couple of days.  We moored below the locks on the shortish length of visitor mooring available behind a workboat and I prepared for the long trek up to the shop.  As I walked past the parking area a cheery voice said good morning, had I had a good walk?  On hearing I was from a boat, and off to the shop, he said did I realise it was such a long way uphill and would I like a lift?  He was waiting for the day boat Joshua which moors at the Hollybush pub, and had plenty of time before they were due, so I thought why not?  He is a gentleman of a few more years than me, his name is Rob and he is an unofficial volunteer at Wood’s lock.  CRT have offered to train him, but if he accepts their training he doesn’t get to choose where he works, so he stays unofficial.  It is indeed a long way to the shop and very steep, so I was jolly pleased he offered.  He helped us down Wood’s lock as Joshua was now on its way behind us.  We were soon down Oakmeadowford lock and onto the river section.

The Churnet comes in from the north below Oakmeadowford lock

There wasn't really any noticeable flow on the river, even though there wasn’t much green showing on the indicator board.  We didn’t moor to visit the Black Lion at Consall Forge, instead we continued past the footbridge and railway bridge and took the tight turn to cruise alongside the railway at Consall station, and below its famous cantilevered platform and waiting room above the canal.

Flint Mill lock marks the end of the river section and is the last place to wind a full-length boat if it won’t fit through the tunnel.  The old flint mill is now a private house.  The profile for Froghall tunnel hangs under the footbridge at the bottom gates, so we could tell we probably wouldn’t quite fit through.  But the thought of jamming in the tunnel by risking passage so horrifies me that it’s not an option!

The towpath side bottom gate doesn’t quite stay open by itself and I had to hold it open so Bonjour could leave the lock.

The channel from here to Froghall is narrow and winding, and visibility is not helped by the overgrowth of offside vegetation.  Cherry-eye bridge is so named for its resemblance to the red eyes of the old ironstone miners who rubbed them with ore-stained hands.

We winded at the (unmarked) winding hole and reversed back into a vacant spot between the two boats already moored here.  The first time we came here (on Chuffed) we hadn’t realised we had missed it until we saw the tunnel entrance round the bend!  After a late lunch we set off to see the sights.  We knew it was a steaming day on the railway as we had heard the whistle of the train before we arrived, but were too early to see it return to the station so instead we walked across the road to the far side of the tunnel and along the rest of the canal to the basin.

Actually this mooring basin is the Uttoxeter canal – all that is left in water.  Beyond the footbridge where we were standing is a small muddy pool, and that’s it.

Then we looked at the limekilns, which appear to be the same kind as at Consall Forge.  I failed to take a picture of the drawing mentioned, but the explanation is below.

We stopped at Hetty’s tea rooms for a very nice cup of tea from a proper tea pot.  The outside tables were all empty as it was such a grey gloomy day but inside was pretty busy.  Of course we were outside with the dog.

Back at the boat I settled to upload a blog post, as we’d had a couple of moorings with a poor signal and I'm getting behind.  Dave had been out walking the dog when he saw, through a gap in the trees, the steam engine returning to Froghall ready for its evening trip.  We knew from the website it was to be a murder mystery evening and would be a good opportunity for some photos!

Major Bixby – goody, baddy or murdered?  I know but my lips are sealed!

I spoke to "Major Bixby", fully in character with a very Home Counties accent.  The passengers were all dressed up for the occasion and sitting at tables with white cloths and table lamps like the Orient Express.  

Shovelling coal at the business end

First it was white smoke, or possibly steam, now it’s black and that’s definitely smoke!  Check out the soot stain on the bridge.

Off with a whistle and a cloud of steam

I am old enough to remember going on steam trains to the coast on holiday, and how tightly my Mum held my hand as we walked past the enormous engines at Fenchurch Street station.  I also remember not being allowed to run and watch from the footbridge on the way to school when a train was passing beneath!

I wouldn’t stand there if I were you!

Off for an exciting evening

The driver, stoker and guard all waved at the spectators.  The young mum on the bridge was enthusiastic, her little boy was agog, and I just had a big grin on my face.

5¾ miles, 5 locks, a nice pot of tea and steam!

Over and under in one day

Saturday 24^th August; Leek terminus to Denford

It rained overnight and drizzled on and off for the first half of the morning.  But at least the cratch cover hasn’t leaked.  This would be the last opportunity to get to a decent-sized supermarket for several days and we are running out of a few things, so even though it’s a mile to the Morrison’s off I went in the drizzle.  I had to go further to find a pet shop – we are running out of gravy bones, Jess’s favourite treat.

Chimneys in Leek

The shopping was heavy – I hadn’t thought I’d need my trolley, but it would have helped! – and I managed to get the paper too.  I arrived back at the boat rather overheated, as the drizzle had gone and the sun was coming out. By now it was 11 o’clock so once the shopping was unpacked we set off for Hazelhurst junction.

Badger setts?  Near the north portal of Leek tunnel

Into the tunnel we went.  But what was this?  A headlight appearing at the other end?  It was Joshua, the day boat from the Hollybush pub near the junction.  We have seen so few boats on the move on the Caldon that it was quite a surprise, as it was to the boater moored on the lagoon as we emerged.  It seemed a much quicker journey back to the junction than it had going the other way towards Leek.  There are some very nice houses along the way too.

Astonishing cones in one of the lovely gardens

Once we’d crossed the Hazelhurst aqueduct, and negotiated the tight bend (with built-in winding hole) beyond the bridge, it was time to find a mooring for lunch.

Looking back at the aqueduct

Dark clouds had been massing and were getting closer.  Would we be able to moor without getting soaked?  The first spot we tried was so shallow we ran aground and by the time we had freed ourselves it was pouring.  We pulled in on a nice stretch with mown grass shortly before the junction.  The field opposite was covered in grazing geese which we watched through the rain-spattered windows.  By the time we had finished lunch the sun was out again and the weather was lovely.  I had another go at scrubbing the starboard side of the cratch cover (it’s still not leaking), then after a boat had passed on its way to Leek, I noticed a boat’s bow drifting across the canal closer to the junction.  With the little day boat just returning from Leek, I went to see if they could nudge it back so I could secure it, but they couldn’t.  Dave could though.  I had got the boathook on the bank so it was fairly straightforward for me – the hardest bit was for Dave to get past it then catch hold of the loose rope without getting it caught in the propeller.

The boat is a wreck, clearly now abandoned, and has two ‘CRT aware’ notices on it.  They had already secured the stern with a short length of new rope and a piling hook.  The bow rope had snapped but luckily there was enough left for me to re-tie it.  Sooner or later it will wear through again, as it is directly round the Armco piling. I took the short cut across the grass to set the top lock of the Hazelhurst flight while Dave went the long way round the junction, negotiating the very sharp turn to leave the Leek arm and start the descent to Froghall.  Hurray for a bow thruster on a windy day!

Hazelhurst top lock

It took a while to descend as all the locks were against us, so I had to fill them all before we could use them.  It was by now very warm.  There is no mooring until after the aqueduct, so now we went under where we had crossed this morning.

Hazelhurst aqueduct from below

We could have stopped outside the pub, but the towpath was very narrow and the pub very busy, so we went on a couple of hundred yards to find a spot in a patch of sun that wasn’t on a bend or directly opposite another boat.  We walked back to the pub later on for a beer, sitting outside in the sun but the wind soon got a bit chilly for my liking.  As we returned to the boat the sun had dipped below the trees on the hillside, so the mooring quickly became very gloomy as dusk approached.

3 miles, 3 locks, Leek tunnel