Stafford Boat Club to Penkridge - Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal

 

Monday 13^th September

We are on the move today.  We left Stafford Boat Club and set off along the canal.

We got to Deptmore lock and was pleased to see no queue. I went up to the lock and got it ready and up we went.

                                                

We chugged on along the canal under a few bridges and through Acton Trussel and past the Moat House pub and hotel.

We then came to Shutt Hill lock and we had boats in front of us.  I went up to the lock to help.  A boat came into the lock and we shut the gates.  As there was several of us at the lock I thought the chap on the boat would stay there as there was plenty of us to work the lock, but no we had to wait while he set a little ladder up and got on the roof then climbed on the ladder in the lock and got out and held the boat on a rope.  One of the ladies started to open the paddle but he kept shouting at her not to do it fast although she wasn’t.  When the boat was almost up, I thought he would get back on the boat ready to take the boat out when we opened the gate but no he then proceeded to walk down to the gate and when it was ready he opened it and then we had to wait for him to go back to the boat and take it out of the lock, by this time a queue was building up! Me and the other lady there couldn’t understand why he did all that when we were there willing to help, it just really slowed everything up and to add to things there was only one paddle working so the lock took an age to fill.

                                                 

At the bottom of this lock is an iron post which is the only reminder of a small wharf which once existed here.  The post was used to turn the boats into the dock.

Eventually it was our turn.  Kev came into the lock and up we went.  Once through there we were on our way.

                                                           

The next lock we came to was Park Gate lock.  There is a chandlers and boat yard at the top of this lock.  Again there was a queue and we had a wait before it was our turn and another broken paddle and the gates were really hard to open, you had to swing on them with all your weight to get them open.

                                             

We eventually got through the lock and on we went.  We went under the M6 motorway and a couple of other bridges and then we were approaching Longford lock and would you believe it another queue and another broken paddle and to make things worse the gate paddles on this lock were really stiff and I had to call Kev to come up and do them, by this time I was losing the will to live but not too far to go now so we just had to persevere!

                                           

We got through this lock and went on our way once more.  We were now coming into Penkridge and went past lots of mobile homes by the side of the canal.  

We passed the Boat Inn pub and then was at Penkridge lock and for some strange reason the queue had gone and there was just one boat in front of us and they were almost up the lock.

                                                  

I went up to the lock and emptied the lock so we could come in.  The boat in front went into the services just past the lock and she very kindly came back and helped me which always makes life easier when there are two of you working the lock.  We were very glad this was our last lock for today as it seemed it had taken forever to get here to Penkridge today.

                                                         

This lock was about the only one we had done today with no problems so we were soon up the lock and out we went.  We went past the winding hole and moored up in the visitor moorings.

We are staying here tonight and also tomorrow as the forecast is not good then Wednesday morning we will move on.