Saturday dawned and cruising began at 7.30 am. Trev is now on a mission.....
the weather forecast is giving rain, there is a bank holiday due when Poppy is coming to visit us in Stoke where there could be hold ups because of a bank holiday festival. So its lets get ahead of schedule and aim to be at Eturia by Thursday afternoon. Friday we will get some gas at a very a reasonable price from opposite Festival Park and then moor at Westport Lake for the Bank Holiday weekend. At least there is someone else doing some early morning cruising.
Passing through Hopwas...
and this delightful wooden cruiser- so well looked after.
Not generally thought of as a beautiful canal, the Coventry nevertheless does become very picturesque between Fazeley and Fradley Junction.
Bridges now seem to have name plates rather then numbers...
the reason being that with the Coventry Canal builders unable to complete the section between Fazeley and Fradley because of lack of money the Birmingham Fazeley builders and Trent and Mersey builders finished the job joining at Whittingham. The IWA placed this stone in commemoration of the bicentenary joining.
A signpost at Huddlesford points towards Ogley, in anticipation of the restoration of the Wyrely & Essington Canal, however its a long time coming and in the meantime Lichfield Cruising Club use the first half mile.
What a nice club house they have.
Into the peaceful countryside now and a tree lined corridor.
We stop for water before Fradley Junction.
We are taking a left here ultimately to Preston Book.
Canal junctions don't come much more charming than Fradley. Remote from any other settlement the canal authorities created a self-contained community to house their employees at a point where the Coventry Canal met with the Trent and Mersey.
On the well trodden path to home now.
Always a busy spot both for boats...
and gongoozelers!!!
Love the setting of Wood End Lock
Trev's first sighting of his beloved Cannock Chase.
The canal runs alongside the sanitary ware works of the famous Armitage Shanks
and by the looks of it business is doing well.
We moor just beyond this bridge, very tired, having cruised 17 miles and done 3 locks in just over seven hours!!!!
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