Bridge 8 (Shropshire Union Canal) to Compton (Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal)

Standing on Avenue Bridge

Yesterday (Sunday) we stayed put and had a lazy day.  We watched the Grand Prix in the morning then went for a walk along the towpath to Avenue Bridge.  We got off at Bridge 9 and walked through the field to it as the towpath between Bridges 9 and 10 is really muddy and horrible. 

Driveway through the woods

The private road which the bridge takes over the canal to Chillington Hall is no longer used but good to see as it is very ornate and the road goes through the woods, you can imagine all the horse and carriages going over there to the Hall.  We walked through the woods up to the main road, well a lane really where there is also a car park and then we walked another path back to the bridge.

Interesting branch in the woods

It was funny as when we were watching Victoria Sunday evening on the TV, she went to Chillington Hall by Horse and Carriage, mind you the road they took didn’t look anything like the one we walked!

Passing under the M54

We moved on today (Monday) and it was a glorious sunny morning as we set off along the canal, under the M54 and then we were at Autherley Junction.  This is an important and busy canal junction, where in 1830 Thomas Telford brought his Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal (now part of the Shropshire Union system) to join the much older Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal (built by James Brindley and opened in 1772).  There is a former canal toll office here.  The stop lock has a fall of only about 6in; it was insisted upon by the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Company to prevent the newer canal stealing water from them.

Former Toll Keepers House

In Autherley Stop Lock

At Autherley Junction

We went through the stop lock and turned right onto the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal.  We were originally going to turn left and head back up to Great Haywood for a few days and then head back to Gloucester for the end of October but as the weather forecast is good for the next 10 days we have decided to make our way to Stourport this week, out onto the river at the weekend and back to Gloucester the middle of next week while the river is low and not much rain is forecast as we don’t want to miss the window to get down the river safely.

In Compton Lock

We chugged on for a couple of miles and then we were at Compton.  We went through the lock and moored at the bottom.  

We had lunch then went for a walk to the Lidl which is up the hill from Compton probably about a mile.  We got a few supplies then headed back to the boat.  Where we were moored, it was in the shade now but the moorings the other side of the bridge were in the sun so we moved to those, we have to think of our solar panels and get the most out of the sun!

We moored in front of another boat and guess what, a short while after we had moored up, they untied and moved to the other side of the bridge and moored up there, wonder if it was something we said, more than likely though it was because they didn’t like us mooring near them, wanted the whole space to themselves, it was quite funny, made us want to reverse back under the bridge and moor behind them, but we didn’t!

We are staying here tonight then chugging on tomorrow morning.

Moored at Compton