Rugeley to Fradley Junction (Trent & Mersey Canal)

Passing Rugeley Power Station

Passing Spode House

We are on the move today and the sun was shining as we set off from Rugeley.  We chugged along the canal past the Power Station which is now no longer in use and round the corner under the bridge and stopped at the water point to fill up.

Approaching Armitage Tunnel

Armitage Tunnel

Once full, we chugged on our way and went past Spode House, a former home of the pottery family and then we were going through Armitage Tunnel which is 130 yds long but the roof was removed in 1971 to combat the subsidence effects of coal being mined nearby.  This bit is very narrow and luckily we didn’t meet a boat until we were just out the other side, so that was lucky.

Passing the Plum Pudding

In Woodend Lock

On we went past the Plum Pudding Italian restaurant, we are going to stop here on the way back, past King’s Bromley marina and then we were at Woodend Lock.  

There was a boat just coming through so when they came out, in we went, this lock is not very deep so we were soon through there, on along the canal around a bend and we were at Fradley Junction at the top of the locks there.  We moored in the visitor moorings just before the locks.

Fradley Pool Nature Reserve

In the nature reserve

Fradley Junction is where the Coventry Canal joins the Trent and Mersey Canal.  This is a busy junction and has a gift shop, café and pub. 

Kingfisher Cafe

Little Sparrow Visitor

We had lunch then went for a walk down the canal. There is a nature reserve here called Fradley Pool, it was built in 1780 to divert the excess water so that the Coventry Canal couldn’t use it.  Today it serves as a quiet nature reserve, with a series of woodland paths, a bird hide and a broadwalk around the lake.  We had a walk around there then walked back up the canal and had a coffee in the Kingfisher café which is also a caravan park.  It is right by the canal so you can sit there and watch the boats going up and down through the locks.

There was a family of sparrows in the garden where we were sat and the parents were picking up bits of food and feeding it to the young ones.  They were quite tame and came very close to us.

We are staying here tonight then going through the locks tomorrow.

Moored at Fradley Junction