Aston marina once more

Monday 2^nd September; Brassworks bridge to Aston marina

Today it was to be a question of dodging the showers as we completed this trip – our 17^th aboard Bonjour.  It was gloomy and damp, with intermittent rain, which promised to get heavier as the morning wore on. 

Gathering swallows, twittering

So instead of our normal practice, which is to get started on the packing and cleaning while still out on a pleasant mooring, we got going straight after breakfast and were already in Aston lock by 9 o’clock.

The interesting little leaflet dispenser at Aston lock.  Now unlocked, and unsurprisingly with no leaflets.

The air was misty and damp as we moored on our pontoon at 9.15.  Bow in, to keep our bags out of the rain, which soon started.  Dave went to pay for our stay and exercise the dog, bringing back a trolley on his return.  They are excellent trolleys here, quite big and easy to manoeuvre which isn’t always the case in marinas!

Goose poo on the pontoon – watch your step!  Luckily this is the cleaner end.

We managed to load the car in the lulls between showers, which got progressively heavier as the morning wore on, and set off home just after one.

The hotel boat’s guests had left after breakfast

Apart from a lengthy diversion around road works near Stafford, a couple of slow crawls on the motorways and some horrible weather, the journey home wasn’t too bad.  Our next trip should take us back down to Droitwich Spa marina, but the route we choose will depend on the weather.  Last year the Severn was in flood, so we had to go via Birmingham and the Tardebigge flight.  What will happen this year?

¾ mile, 1 lock

Trip stats

Waterways: Trent and Mersey canal and the Caldon including the Leek branch.

66 miles 5¾ furlongs, 64 locks, all narrow.  Ivy House and Norton Green lift bridges (both electric) both ways, Hazlehurst aqueduct (twice over, twice under), Leek tunnel both ways, 1¼ furlongs underground.

Nights aboard - 15.  At 7 hours a day (such as when we were hirers, all those years ago) it would have been 6 or 7.