Adderley Below Locks to Market Drayton - Shropshire Union Canal

 

Saturday 31^st October to Sunday 1^st November

Saturday we stayed put and didn’t do much as the weather was not too good, lots of wind and rain.  There was a full moon and I managed to get a few pictures through the trees.

Sunday – when we got up the wind had dropped a bit and although it was overcast it was dry so we untied and set off from our mooring.

  

  

We have the five Adderley locks to go up and as the bottom lock was not far from where we were moored, I walked down to the lock to get it ready.

The lock was empty so I opened the gates and Kev came in.  We timed it right for once as a few minutes later a boat came behind us, usually it’s us following a boat up the locks but today it’s the other way around.  The lady from that boat came up to the lock and said she would go and set the next one for us, not sure why she wanted to do 

that perhaps they were in a hurry and wanted to make us go faster but we didn’t argue.

We were soon up the lock so I opened the gate and out we went and onto the next one where the lady had opened the gates for us so Kev went straight in.  We have a little system on these narrow locks in that I get both gates open then Kev brings the boat into the lock and steps off the boat and up the steps onto the offside and takes a rope with him and pulls the boat into the lock, then he shuts one gate and I shut the other, it saves me having to go from one side to the other.

  

    

I then opened the paddles and the lock filled up, they aren’t very deep locks so they don’t take long to fill.  We were then onto the third lock. 

We were lucky as all the locks were empty today so in our favour.  We got through this lock then onto the fourth one and then we were heading to the top lock.

    

A boat had just arrived at the top lock waiting to come down and the lady came down to the lock.  Kev had just pulled the boat into the lock and we shut the gates and I saw that she was going to open the paddle.  I called to her to wait a minute until Kev had stopped the boat going forward as if she opened the paddles fully then the boat would surge forward and smash into the top gate.  She obviously didn’t like me saying as she muttered something and wasn’t very friendly after that but it’s our boat and if it had surged forward things inside could have fallen and broke.

I tried to chat to her but she wasn’t very forthcoming, still never mind you can’t win them all!

We left the gates open for them and went on our way.

    We went under a few bridges and in a few open spots the wind was quite strong and it rocked the boat a bit. We carried on along the canal and after a few miles we were approaching Market Drayton, we went past a long line of moored boats and under a couple more bridges and stopped at the services.

There are two moorings just past the services but they are usually always full but today we were really surprised to see one was empty so we took that space which is great as it means we don’t have to move the boat to get water or carry it along the towpath, our hose will reach the tap from this space.

In the afternoon we walked up to the Lidl and B&M to get a few things and both were quiet.

We are now going to stay here in Market Drayton for the month lockdown as we have boat services and the town is about a 15 minute walk away with three supermarkets and other shops like Wilko and Savers so it should be fine.

This will be our last blog for now although I may do one every now and again during the Winter if we are able to move around again. It has been a strange year for all of us and it was going to be our first year of proper trading doing several markets and festivals but Covid put paid to that. 

We did manage to do some trading during the Summer when things opened back up and it went really well and we are selling a few things online so hopefully next year things will start to get back to normal and we can experience trading at some organised events, fingers crossed. Kev will be busy over the Winter making stock and we will try and do some trading during the lockdown and hopefully make a few pennies!

This year since the first lockdown we have only managed 139 miles and 96 locks and travelled through three counties, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.  We spent the first lockdown near the small village of Brewood in Staffordshire which worked out well.

We were booked to have Harry the Jack Russell to stay for two weeks in September but only got him for a few days as Jane and Malcolm's holiday abroad was cancelled and they only managed a few days away in Cornwall but we did get to spend several weeks in and around Audlem and got to spend time with our Audlem family so that was great.

Thank you to you all for reading our blog, take care and keep safe and let’s hope that next year we can all get back to some kind of normal.

Sheila & Kev

Between Locks 3 and 2 to Adderley below Locks - Shropshire Union Canal

 

Tuesday 27^th to Friday 30^th October

We spent a couple of days moored near the top of the Audlem flight.  Wednesday we visited Sheila and Tony one more time and had a good old chat and laugh as always and then me, Kev, Jane and Harry went for lunch again at the Shroppie Fly and I am pleased to say that the food was really good again and we had a nice few hours eating, chatting and drinking gin!

We called into the Coop to get a few supplies and then made our way back up the flight and luckily in the dry.  Thursday the weather wasn’t good so we just stayed in.

  

Today (Friday) we are on the move and finally leaving Audlem behind us.  We have loved spending time here with our Audlem family and are sad to be going but it is time to move on and we will see Sheila, Tony, Jane, Malcolm and Harry over the Winter as we are never that far away so we will look forward to that.

We left our mooring and was glad that although it was overcast it was dry and headed to the lock.  We have two locks to do and then we will be at the top of the Audlem flight.

 The lock was empty so I opened the gates and Kev came in.  These locks aren’t very deep so don’t take long to fill.

  

A boat was coming out the last lock so we left the gates open for them and I walked up to the lock and Kev went in with the boat.

I shut the gates and filled the lock.  A boat came along as we were going up the lock so we could leave the gate open for them.

  

There is a stall at this lock selling cakes, drinks and ice creams but it was empty today which was a pity as the cakes are lovely and on our way down there was even homemade bread there which was really good.

We went on our way along the canal, under a few bridges and then we were approaching the bottom of Adderley locks where we moored up in the visitor moorings.  There was only one boat there so plenty of room for us.

    

 We are staying here for a couple of days as the forecast for tomorrow is not good but hopefully Sunday will be better and we can chug on to Market Drayton.

Below Shroppie Fly to Between Locks 3 and 2, Audlem - Shropshire Union Canal

Saturday 10^th to Monday 26^th October

We stayed at the bottom of the locks for a week and then moved up two locks to the moorings below the Shroppie Fly pub and stayed there and did some trading and we did quite well, we sold several things and had a couple of orders so it’s going okay. 

We visited our friends Jane, Malcolm, Sheila and Tony who live in the village and had a few lunches with Jane.  We tried the Shroppie Fly which had gone downhill over the years but have new people and are really making a go of it and our food was excellent and the service was good.  We had a couple of trips out to Nantwich and Market Drayton.

      

Today (Monday 26^th) we are moving up the locks to a nice mooring spot before the last two locks for a few days before we finally leave Audlem behind us.

It had been raining earlier but eased off to just spitty rain so we decided to go.  We untied and went through one lock and moored outside the Shroppie Fly to use the services.

By the time we had filled up with water and got rid of rubbish etc., it had brightened up and the sun was trying to come out so that was a good sign.

  

    A hire boat came up the lock so we let them go past and then we set off.  I walked up to the lock and waited for the hire boat to go out then I emptied the lock ready for us.  Kev came under the bridge and into the lock.  A boat was coming down so we left the gates open for them and went on to the next lock.

The hire boat was still in the lock and they had a chap helping them.  He told me he had been employed, I think by the hire company to give them tuition, but to me he was just doing all the lock and not instructing them.  There was three of them on the boat but he seemed to leave two of them on the boat and just one helping and they were just stood watching him and it was slow going!

  The pounds in between the locks were quite low so it was good we had a boat in front as I had to empty the lock to let us in and that lock of water filled up the pound a bit so we didn’t get stuck.

We did the next lock slowly so we would pull a gap between us and the hire boat and then we could do our usual routine.  I had to empty every lock as there were no boats coming down, it was very quiet today. I opened the gates then Kev brought the boat in and got off on the steps and he closed one gate and I closed the other, it saves me having to go back and forth over the lock.

We are doing 11 locks today so we worked our way up and after a couple of hours the end was in sight and we were at lock 3, our last lock for today.

The moorings between locks 3 and 2 were almost empty do we picked a nice spot and moored up.  It’s really nice up here with lovely views.

In the afternoon we walked up to the top lock as there is a house there that has a stall by the lock selling homemade cakes but it was empty today, but I expect as the canal is very quiet now and not many boats about she doesn’t bother this time of year, pity as it’s lovely cake and shortbread and home-made bread, we will have to wait until next year.

We walked back to the boat and within a few minutes of getting back, the heavens opened and we had a hefty shower so how lucky were we, not only did we do all the locks in the dry, we managed a walk as well and didn’t get wet at all.

We are staying here for a few days now and on Wednesday we are walking back down the locks to visit Sheila, Tony and Jane one more time before we leave Audlem and then me, Kev and Jane are going to have lunch again in the Shroppie Fly to see if its as good as it was when we went last week.