Gnosall to Norbury Junction - Shropshire Union Canal

Thursday 11^th to Sunday 14^th April

Little Lambs

We have spent the last few days in Gnosall, it’s a really nice village with good walks and a few shops.  I needed my hair cut so went to the hairdressers in the village and the girl Lauren who cut my hair did a good job.  There is also a good bus service to Stafford so I went there on Saturday and when I came back Kev went for a couple of hours.  We used the same ticket as I got a day saver and that way we got good value for money.

Baby Chicks

There is a small holding at Gnosall alongside the canal and they had some chicks in a run with their mum and a five very small lambs who were always hiding when I wanted to take a photo but got one eventually.  There was an older lamb, about two weeks old and he was orphaned and followed the chap around like a little dog, in fact they had a Jack Russell and the lamb and dog ran around together, it was very sweet.  Also the chap came over to the pub which is opposite his small holding and the lamb saw him and started bleating and didn't take his eyes off him until the chap went inside and even then he kept looking waiting for him to come back, so sweet.

Today (Sunday) we are moving on just a few miles to Norbury Junction.

Leaving Gnosall

Going under the old railway line

The sun was shining as we set off along the canal but quite chilly.  We chugged on past Shelmore Wood and along the mighty Shelmore Embankment.  The construction of this great Embankment, 1 mile long, was the source of endless grief and expense to the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal Company in general and to Thomas Telford, the engineer, in particular.  It was an enormous task anyway to shift the millions of cubic feet of earth to build the bank, but while the contractors struggled to complete it, the bank slipped and collapsed time and time again.

Coming to another bridge

By early 1834, Shelmore Embankment was the only unfinished section of the whole canal.  It was not until 1835, after five and a half years solid work on it and we’ll after Telford's death, that the embankment was completed and the canal was opened as a through route.

Flood Gate on Shelmore Enbankment

Me & Smugs at Norbury

There are flood gates at each end, to close off the channel in case of a breach.  These were closed each night during World War II as a precaution against bombing.

Norbury Junction

We moored in the visitor moorings just before the junction.  While we were chugging up to here, I cooked Sunday lunch, roast chicken so we had that and after a rest to let our dinner go down, we all went out for a walk.

Old Arm & Dry Dock

We walked up to the junction.  This was once the outlet for the Shrewsbury, Newport and Trench branches on to the rest of the Shropshire Union canal system.  

Old Buildings at Norbury

There was a long flight of locks from the junction down to Newport, but these are now closed, except for the top lock which is used as a dry dock.  There is a nice pub and a cafe on the junction, it’s a really nice area.

Owl in his house

Now where's that Cat!

We had a walk along the towpath and there was an owl in a box on the top of one of the boats, we have met him with his owner at the pub in the past, such a beautiful  creature, they have a barn owl as well but we didn't see him, I think he must have been in side.   We then walked back down and back to the boat.

We are staying here until the weekend when John and Sharon will come and collect Smuggler, his four weeks with us are nearly over and they have flown by, but it’s been great having him to stay.

Moored at Norbury Junction