Goldstone to Market Drayton (Shropshire Union Canal)

Sunday 6^th to Tuesday 8^th September

Sunday we went over to the pub for Sunday lunch and our Audlem family, Sheila, Tony and Jane joined us, Jane’s husband Malcolm was coming as well but he works on a farm and he got called in to go combining while the weather was good, which was a real shame but we will catch up with Malcolm when we get to Audlem. We had a lovely time, great good and fab company as always, lots of laughs and great to catchup.

Coal Boat Mountbatten

Cheswardine Church

Mile Stone in the Village

The Mighty Reakin

The coal boat Mountbatten came along in the afternoon, so we stopped him as we needed a gas bottle and a couple bags of coal as its getting chillier in the evenings now and we may need a fire soon.  He pulled in and served us, its great buying off boats like this and if people use them then they will keep going, saves us lugging it along the towpath from a marina or chandlers.

Coming to Woodseaves Cutting

Monday, we went for a nice circular walk down the towpath and got off at Bridge 53, we then walked up the lane into the village of Cheswardine, it is uphill and the view at the top is lovely and you can see the massive bulk of the Wrekin with a tv mast on the top, this is the mast we tune into when we are in this area..  There isn’t much here, just some houses, a couple of pubs, a Community Shop and a church but it is a really nice village.  

Deep Rocky Cutting

Tall Bridge in the Cutting

The church was open, so we went in for a look.  Opposite the church was a house selling free range eggs so we bought some and then walked down the main road and then onto the lane which leads downhill back to the Wharf Inn and the canal where we were moored.  It was a nice walk and although it was overcast, it stayed dry.

Been a landslide here

Approaching Tyrley Wharf and Locks

Today (Tuesday) we are on the move.  We decided to leave early as we have to go through Woodseaves Cutting, a deep rock cutting cut entirely by men without powered machines. It is narrow in places as well!.

Tryley Top Lock

We set off from our mooring about 8.15am and soon came to the start of the cutting. We passed one boat at the start but then we were on our own and went through the cutting without seeing anyone else.

Sign at Tyrley Wharf

We went on along the canal and then was approaching Tyrley locks, there are five in this flight. The top lock was empty so I filled it, well I tried to but the lock wouldn’t fill enough for us to open the gate, it was about 4 inches down.  We went to the bottom gates and the water was pouring out, obviously it was going out quicker than it was going in. We decided to empty the lock and open and shut the gates in case something was stuck in them, which we did and we open and closed the paddles.

Eventually in Tyrley Top Lock!

We then filled the lock again but it still wouldn’t fill enough to open the gate.  Another boat turned up behind us and he had a look and we emptied and filled the lock again but didn’t make any difference so we rang the Canal & River Trust to report it and they said someone would come out.

Boats Everywhere Now

More boats turned up waiting to go down and also coming up.  A woman came up to the lock and said no wonder the lock is leaking, there is a gap between the gates, we said that’s due to the fact that the lock is empty and therefore no pressure from the water keeping them shut and anyway the water was leaking out from underneath, she didn’t like our reply and said I'm a boater you know and was quite shirty, she then went back to her boat.

Working Down the Locks

A hour and a half went by and no sign of CRT so I rang them again and they said they would get someone to call us.

And onto the Next One

Then a very short woman and her husband came up to the lock, she reminded me of  Jimmy Crankie!  She knew everything and said we will get a boat in the lock, fill it up and use the boat and people to force the gate open and that is what they did as the lock still wouldn’t fully fill.  It’s all very well doing things like that but it puts a lot of pressure on the gate and could easily damage it that’s why we didn’t do anything like that.

It was then our turn to go down so in we went and left them all to it.

Tyrley Bottom Lock

Fierce Bywashes Today

There was lots of boats coming up and so all the locks were set for us, but although there was plenty of people around I still had to do the gates on my own and they only came up to the lock when we were coming out apart from the last lock where a lady kindly helped me.

The by-washes on these locks are always quite fierce but they were exceptionally so today which makes it tricky coming out and getting into the lock but Kev managed okay.

Coming to a Bridge

No Sun Today

We flew down the locks today and was soon coming out the last lock.  It is very rocky at the bottom of the locks and Kev got stuck on the side but got off okay and picked me up and we went on our way.

We then came to Market Drayton and moored up in the visitor moorings.

In the afternoon, we went for a walk up to the town, it is about a 15 to 20 minute walk. We did a bit of shopping then walked back to the boat.

We are staying here for a couple of days now as tomorrow is market day so we will have another wander up to the town and tomorrow night we are having a Chinese takeaway for tea as the Chinese here us really good, then we will head on a bit further.

Moored at Market Drayton