Sandon to Stone - Trent & Mersey Canal

 

Sunday 8^th August

We are moving to the small town of Stone today as there is a train station and buses to Stafford so easy to get to the hospital.

It was dry but very overcast as we set off from our mooring.  Unfortunately the dry weather didn’t last long and it started raining, quite heavy at times, I was okay as I was inside but poor Kev got rather wet!

                                                        

 

We went under a few bridges and passed a few boats coming the other way.  We passed Aston marina and then was approaching the lock.

We have one lock to do today, Aston lock and I was hoping the rain would ease off so I wouldn’t get wet and guess what, it did, the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we got to the lock, oooh someone up there likes me!

There was a boat in the lock coming down and a couple of boats waiting as well.  Once the boat was out of the lock, Kev came in, there was a lady from the first boat waiting so she helped me shut the gates.

We walked up the other end to open the paddles, on this lock there was a ground paddle and a gate paddle.  The gate paddles can be quite fierce so we usually open the ground paddles first, then when the boat is up half way or so, we open the gate paddle.  I went to the ground paddle and started to open it a few turns, we do this one slowly as well as if you do it too quick, it can make the boat lunge forward and crash into the gate.

                                                       

The lady went to the gate paddle and was going to open it straight away, so I asked her to wait.  She then said to me you can open that paddle a lot more than that, so I said yes but we do it slowly so the boat doesn’t surge forward, she stood there for a minute then said okay I’ll leave you to do it yourself then and walked back to her boat, which was fine by me. 

                                                 

I think they were in a rush and wanted to get through the lock quickly, but the canal and especially locks are not the places to rush.  Another lady came down from the second boat and she was very friendly and helped me, she told me that lady had bossed her about as well and told her how to do the paddles and therefore she wasn’t going to help them through the lock, I don’t blame her and I was glad it wasn’t just me she was funny to, mind you that other lady did herself no favours as she ended up working the lock on her own instead of having help, nowt so strange as folk!

                                            

                                                                                           

Once through the lock we chugged on under a couple more bridges then was approaching Stone and the moorings where hopefully there would be a space for us.

We were just getting to the moorings and the heavens opened, so poor Kev who had just dried off in the sun got wet again!

There were quite a few spaces so we moored up easily.

                                               

In the afternoon, we went for a walk up into the town and to Morrisons.  Just as we came out of there, we had torrential rain again, luckily we had our umbrellas.  There is a nice M&S Food Hall by the canal, so we popped in there and had a coffee in the cafe, well I had tea as that’s all I was allowed and Kev had a toasted teacake and coffee, I just watched him eat it but he did say I could pick the butter dish as I was allowed that, he’s so kind to me!!

When we got back, Jane’s cousin Sue who lives in Stone came to see us while she was out walking with her lovely collie Bryn, he is lovely and so handsome.  It was lovely to see her and have a good catch-up.

We are staying here for a few days now while we get the hospital scan out of the way, then on Wednesday we will move up the locks to the top of Stone and stay there for a few days and have a trip to Trentham Shopping village and a meal out on Saturday with our Audlem family, so looking forward to that.