Through the Potteries

We are in the area of Staffordshire known as The Potteries.

There are still a few of the old bottle kilns standing, mostly unused.  This one is on an old site looking quite derelict right beside the canal.

A pair of kilns left in a regenerated site of housing.

At Etruria the canal passes the home of Jesse Shirley's Etruscan Bone and Flint Mill. Etruria Industrial Museum has the last working steam powered potter’s mill in Britain. It was built in 1857 to grind bone and flint for the pottery industry. The main museum is now closed although the mill is opening in steam on special weekends.
Earlier we had passed the Wedgewood pottery.  Unfortunately at the wrong time of day for a visit, we shall have to try to come this way again. Maybe there will be chance to see another of the potteries while we are in the area.
At last we have had better weather, no rain now for 2 days, and today has been sunny and warm.

Leaving Stone yesterday, everything looking so green,

And today leaving Stoke behind on the Caldon Canal, sun shining and enjoying the hills all around. Beautiful countryside.

Saturday
8 miles, 10 locks
Sunday
6 miles, 4 locks, 3 bridges

Rolling on to Stone

It's been another showery day, as we made our way up to Stone.

There have been a lot of other boats on the move today, so we have sometimes waited to go up the locks, but there has also been someone waiting to come down. so no closing gates. The girls have been good at getting out to help despite the rain. The youngest one tried walking on water today, fortunately I had hold of her as she was getting back on the boat, so only one leg got wet!
In between locks we have filled our time with playing around with paper and scissors, keeping a 9 year old busy has been fun.

We had a wander around Stone this afternoon, once an important stopping point on a turnpike road, London to Holyhead, there were many coaching inns to refresh both the horses and travellers.
The River Trent, running through the town has been used for carrying cargo since Roman times, though there were limits to how far inland boats could go.
James Brindley devised the scheme to build the Grand Trunk Canal to join the Mersey and the Trent. With backing from Josiah Wedgewood who could see the advantages for his potteries, the scheme was put into action and in 1772 opened from Wilden Ferry to Stone. It brought raw materials to the potteries and transported the finished delicate wares away with far less breakages than previously on the rough track roads. Now known as the Trent and Mersey, we are enjoying it today despite the rain.

7 miles, 6 locks

Getting Wet Again

Yesterday had it's dry patches, even some sunny ones, but we did get pretty wet one way and another. Shame when we have our nieces staying.Today hasn't been any better. Tonight we have had the fire alight, to dry out shoes and clothes and the dog!

Travelling along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal we came to Calf Heath, here  the sun was shining, and we felt warm as we stopped to take a look at the junction of the Hatherton Canal.  There are two locks in water, with moorings along the cut.

The Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Trust are working towards opening up the route through to Birmingham.

The round lock house at Gailey is impressive and worth a look. There is a canal shop on the ground floor, with lots of canal nik-naks, basic food supplies and treats. Even though it was wet there, we still had ice creams.

Running through the horse tunnel to catch up with Tacet after taking a look and choosing the ice creams.
At Penkridge we stopped to do a bit of grocery shopping, also letting a heavy shower pass over before moving on again.  There have been quite a number of boats on the move along the Staffs and Worc., many of them hire boats who have a schedule to keep to.
We moored for the night at Radford Bridge, all rather damp, except one of the girls who was soaked, after taking a dip as she stepped back onto the boat after the last lock. Oops!

This morning we caught a bus into Stafford, just a short ride away, and had a wander round the town.  Along the main street is Ancient High House, and Elizabethan house made of oak and the largest wooden framed house in England. Charles I visited Stafford and stayed at the Ancient High House in 1643, not long after raising the Royal Standard at Nottingham, the feudal signal to call his loyal subjects to arms - this act was seen as the start of the English Civil War.

It is now a musem, with rooms decorated from the period of the civil war, Victorian and Edwardian eras.
In Victoria Park we had fun in the playground, no-one else was out in the damp drizzle, so we all made the most of it.

balancing on the spinning ring

spidermen

dodging the fountains

being a big kid

Waiting for the bus back we had time to admire The Picture House, now a restaurant. The glass name frontage was lovely.

Once back on Tacet we set off again, in the rain again and worked our way to Great Haywood Junction,

passing through Tixall Wide on the way

and crossing the rivers Sow and Trent via aqueducts.

At the juction we turned towards the Potteries,

and tonight we are moored at Weston upon Trent, it just got too wet to carry on. We're warm and cosy now, and the wet clothes are drying out, two girls are asleep, and we'll soon follow.

Wednesday
14 miles, 11 locks
Thursday
8 miles, 3 locks

Finding Another Challenge

Monday
Before leaving our Oozells Street Loop mooring we had a coffee with Jim on nb Starcross, swapping more boaty tales and future plans, then it was time to head off up the main line

 passing under the Engine Branch aqueduct, through Galton Tunnel and under the Stewart aqueduct,

before taking a quick detour up the Spon Lane locks,

 only to turn round and come back down.

That was another bit of the BCN we hadn't done yet, and we didn't want to miss it. Now it can be coloured in on the map!

Once back on the Birmingham main line we took the Walsall canal turn at Pudding Green Junction, but not to go down the Ryders Green locks, rather to try the short Ridgeacre Branch.
 However progress was slow, stirring up the silt at the bottom, making the water rather black and smelly.

And before long the water narrowed and then was no more, or at least we couldn't see it.  The reeds were completely covering the cut.

A bit of reversing and pole pushing followed to return us back to Ryder's Green.

Our original thought had been to go the Black Country Museum for the night where we would meet up with my brother and family Tuesday morning, but during our journey, our daughter rang to say she was on her way to Sussex could she stop off and see us. Wasn't going to pass that up, so arranged to meet her at Wolverhampton, as the coach stopped there on the way into Birmingham. So plans changed and we went on to Broad Street Basin where we could use the services and moor securely for the night.
We met her coach at 21.40 and returned to Tacet, where it was now clear that the lovely old BW buildings

 were now used as a nightclub and it was not going to be a quiet night so we pulled out of the basin onto the 24hr moorings on the off side a little further away. We were all so tired that as midnight passed we were soon sleeping soundly.

Tuesday morning we moved to the top of the locks to await the family's arrival and to work down the 21 locks together. While we were waiting along came our new friend Andy on Wand'ring Bark, Ian started to help him down the locks until he met with our crew coming up, having parked their car half-way down. Andy had told Ian his best time for the flight was 2 hours 2 minutes, big mistake, the challenge was now set, we had to beat that. In all there were 9 of us, a big advantage, we mustered up 5 windlasses and off we set, a team ahead to set the locks, a team to work through and a team to close up.

Well our honour is upheld we came out of the last lock 1 hour 22 minutes 43 seconds later.

 Great work team, a well deserved dinner followed. The weather turned wet afterwards, which was a shame as we wanted a bit of a cruise before seeing our visitors off back to Sussex, leaving 2 girls behind to stay with us for the rest of the week.

Monday
12 miles, 9 locks, 1 tunnel
Tuesday
7 miles, 23 locks

Challenging Weekend

We have had a great weekend.
On Friday evening we met 11 other people for the first time and then spent the next 2 days with them in the close confines of an old working narrow boat, travelling the canal network of Birmingham, doing as many locks and miles as possible during 24 hours in a 30 hour period.
It could have been a bit of a disaster, but it was brilliant.
Amy brought us all together, we have followed her blog Lucky Duck for a while, so it was good to meet her and James properly.  We have met too, Jim from nb Starcross another liveaboard and blogger.
We enjoyed a meal together at the Gourmet Burger restaurant, talking routes, strategies and getting to know each other. 
Yeoford, the boat we were supposed to be using had a problem with the gearbox, so we were accomodated instead on Collingwood ably steered by Graham the owner of Birmingham Canal Boat Services whose home is the back cabin of Collingwood. 

The old cargo carrying part of the boat is fitted out with bunk beds, two bucket loos and a makeshift kitchen.

The challenge started at 8am Saturday morning. Collingwood was ready at the top of Farmer's Bridge Locks waiting for the chimes of the church clock. A sealed envelope was opened, with log sheets to fill out as we went round with timings for each section we travelled.  There were some questions to answer on the way round too. Points are awarded for locks worked, miles travelled, with extra points given for questions answered and the more difficult waterways covered.
So we were off, with 12 crew working the locks we were soon down the flight of 13 and moving on to the next lot.

Farmer's Bridge

A tight fit, good driving from Mike

Perry Barr

Curly Wurlys on the Curly Wurly (Wyerley & Essington Canal)

t

Jumble came too.

Meeting Captain Ahab on Wand'ring Bark

Saturday night we spent at Pelshall Common, arriving in time for a quick visit to the pub before bed.

Sunday Morning, 5am. Wet,wet,wet.

It rained all day, and soon most of us were very wet, we didn't have many locks to do, so some stayed inside.

Sarah keeping warm, windlass at the ready!

At the water point  at Wolverhampton Graham lit his stove which kept him and whoever was standing at the back a bit warmer.

We were now heading back towards Gas Street Basin to return the boat. On the way we  got to the 2pm finish time.  We had clocked up 55 miles and 48 locks. We shall have to wait to see how our attempt compares with others, once the paperwork has been checked and sorted.

The food boxes empty, just right for a bed.

 Once we had said our goodbyes to our new friends we left Collingwood and and went with Jim to Walsall where the other competitors had finished up, to compare our journeys and adventures. It was good too, to chat with Andy, (Captain Ahab) whose Watery Tales we enjoy reading.

So a great way to spend a weekend, new friends made, a challenge met and boating fun.

Daisies Are Our Silver

Had great weekend on BCN Challenge, will tell you about it soon.
Meanwhile here's one I made earlier..........

Daisies are our silver

Buttercups our gold.
This is all the treasure we can have or hold.

Raindrops are our diamonds,
And the morning dew;

 

While for shining sapphires
We've the speedwell blue.

These shall be our emeralds
Leaves so new and green;

Roses make the reddest
Rubies ever seen.

  God, who gave these treasures
To your children small,
Teach us how to love them
And grow like them all.

Make us bright as silver:
Make us good as gold;
Warm as summer roses
Let our hearts unfold.

Gay as leaves in April,
Clear as drops of dew
God, who made the speedwell,
Keep us true to you.

Jan Struther, 1901-1953

 Anyone who was as school about 40 years ago, as I was, will probably remember this school hymn from morning assemblies. I was reminded of it recently from a reference on another blog. I  could only remember the first verse, but found it on the web and added recent pictures to it.