Market Drayton to Top of Tyrley Locks - Shropshire Union Canal

 Monday 7^th June

We have spent the last week in Market Drayton meeting up with friends, stocking up on supplies as when we leave here, we won’t be near any shops for a while and Kev had a few orders to make up, but today we are on the move and we won’t be back here until the end of July.  We love it here and have made some great friends so a bit sad to go but we are looking forward to moving on to pastures new.

                                                       

                                                          The sun was shining when we got ready to go.   We wanted to stop at the services and as always when we want to go there, it was full so we waited for a boat to leave and then we untied and went under the bridge to the services.  While we were waiting to go to the services Penny and her dog Sally came along so we had a chat to her and said our goodbyes and then when we were at the services, Sue, Steve and Monty came by and also Geoff a fellow boater who we have made friends with, so it was nice to see our friends before we left.

                     

                                                         

When we had filled up with water, got rid of the rubbish and emptied the loo, we went across the canal to Talbot Wharf to get diesel from Tim and Lisa who run the wharf.  Once the tank and cans were full, we were ready to go on our way.

                                                               

Just as we were untying, John and Lacey came along the towpath, we waved to him and said we would see him on our return and we went under the bridge and on along the canal.

We chugged on and came to another bridge, we waited for a boat to come through as this section is quite narrow.  We were then approaching Tyrley locks.  There are five locks here, they are quite close together but have rather fierce bywashes which makes it tricky getting into the locks as the force of the water will push you into the side if you are not careful.

                                                         

A boat was coming down so once they were down the lock and out it was our turn.  There was a lady volunteer lock keeper on the lock and for some reason she left the next lock open for us and told the next boat coming down they had to wait, while we came up the first lock then up the second lock, they were waiting a while and they could have easily filled the second lock, came down and crossed us in the pound but they did as the lock keeper said and waited as she was rather forceful!  The first pound has rocks at the sides so you can’t get your boat into the side to get off, it’s best to come out of one lock and go straight into the next, so maybe that is why she told the next boat to wait, but you can pass easily in the pound as long as you both stay in the middle.

Kev came into the bottom lock and the volunteer asked me to go to the next lock to make sure the boat coming down didn’t fill the lock, so I did as I was told and walked up to the next lock.  The people waiting were very nice and said they didn’t dare argue with the volunteer and we all had a bit of a laugh.

                                        

Kev was then out the first lock and came into the second lock.  The by-washes were quite bad today and to get into the locks, it was a bit like running the rapids but Kev did it okay.  We were soon through that lock and onto the next one.

They were all in our favour today so we worked through the locks and soon we were at the top lock.  There was a boat waiting to come down so the chap helped me through the lock.  This one is a bit tricky as it takes an age to fill and as it is leaking it’s difficult to get it to fill right up and get the gate open, but with a lot of pushing and huffing and puffing and a gentle nudge with the nose of the boat we got it open and out we went.

There are a few moorings at the top of these locks so we moored up here.  It is a lovely spot with no roads nearby only a lane which leads to the few houses at the top of the locks so all you can hear is bird song, just lovely.

We are staying here for a couple of days as tomorrow we are meeting Sue and Steve in the pub for lunch, The Four Alls just up the lane, about a 15 minute walk.  We haven’t been there before so we are looking forward to going there and seeing Sue and Steve, then on Wednesday we will move on a bit further to Goldstone.