Just the 20 locks today then?

Wherever I left off yesterday..I know I hadn't included this rare pic,of me which I stole off Vicki's blog. Just sating around doing nothing on the staircase locks!

Then it was on to the Harecastle Tunnel. Half hour wait but just one boat in front of us. We said fond goodbyes to GRUMBLE.. Blogging as  WAKAROA 2015. They were off the the Macce on their way back to Sheffield. We are Weaver bound. 

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Had forgotten about the rusty water!!

 Pete makes the turn onto the Macce...we were so tempted to turn back!! But it's in our 2016 cruise plan!!

 On for a few locks and a lovely Church Lawron mooring.

A fair bit of traffic heading our way this morning. Of course some of the locks are duplicate locks...and some of them are still working!!

We were behind two boats from.....

 Part of a 15 strong cruising group returning from Burscough Basin.

Thanks CONSTANCE and TAMARISK we couldn't have asked for more helpful boats to follow down the 20 locks!! I also learnt that their club look after Bramble Cuttings. Even more to thank them for.

I hope to get a pic of TAMARISK tomorrow to add to the. Blog.

So..20 locks done. Some,call this Heartbreak Hill but I like it. The scenery is lovely.. Some of the paddles were very tough to wind. Too many duplicate locks out of action...a false economic saving? Only needs one of the duplicates to have a problem and the canal will be closed. Still.. Feedback passed to CRT and the day not spoilt. 

Next time we might get LJ booked in here ...we will never find a groomers nearer the cut!

In answer to my last question...no there isn't!

Good excitement...the arrival of Team New Zealand.  Vicki and Pete 7 weeks left on their 6 month cruise on MUSNN GRUMBLE.

Vicki and I had a fantastic mooch in Leek on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday morning, she was, briefly, up very early to capture the fog shots!

With an 0930 departure, we set off towards the junction and all points to the Trent and Mersey. GRUMBLE went through the tunnel to turn at the end of navigation. Our RV was a mooring just below Engine Lock. Ready to tackle the rest if the Caldon and the Harecastle tunnel today.

  So goodbye Caldon

But not without one last ....

Is there no end to the excitement?

We moved back up to the Leek Arm today. Meds to collect in Leek. But our trip was not without incident. It started with an almost empty pound. Off I went to let some water down. QISMA came across and into the lock. One gate wouldn't close. Opened both up and tried to see if gate was damaged. Alistair had a prod about. Closed in reverse order. Other gate wouldn't close.

A boat arrived to come down. Crew of four.mtwo couples. One woman came to help. Two men stayed at boat on towpath chatting. Much running around, trying to adjust water level to see what, if anything was down there. After some 20 minutes.nthe men came up to lock. Prodding in lower levels continues. Finally the gates are shut. I go to wind lock with Man A. He takes offence when Alistair shouts up and asks him to wind one or two notches at a time. Tells me Alistair is wasting his time. Lock is silted up. Even more muttering when asked to stop. Then...from the silt emerges .....  The chap showing off the catch is not the one offering advice....who was strangely quiet at this point.

Then off we went to carry on enjoying the beauty of the Caldon

Onto the Leek Arm and an early evening RV with Team NZ on MUSSN Grumble.

You moored where?????

LJ and I set off on Friday morning to walk to the lock. Whoa!! towpath completely blocked by big old fallen oak tree with canal almost completely blocked and a huge,split branch overhanging. A boat was just beyond it heading,towards us. Moving pretty sharpish for an old lady, I ran back to try and stop QISMA. Luckily, I got them just as they were coming through the bridge, about 300 yards before the blockage. Banks so overgrown, nowhere to moor so we stopped there. Seconds later  CRT were on the scene and told us we were OK to stay put. They were off to call the experts in to remove it.  

Hardly seemed anytime at all before they arrived. They worked at it until late afternoon and came back to their vehicle telling us they had cleared the towpath and would be back 0900 Saturday, hopefully with heavy lift equipment.

We had no expectation of the canal being cleared on Saturday. Went into water restriction routine!!

The poor crew stuck nearest to the oak were on their first Narrowboat holiday in a friends boat. It might have been too much excitement!! They did what any sensible boater would do. Retired to the pub! 

Saturday dawned. Oh ye of little faith!! 1030 in the morning....boat ahoy!! Tree, roots and all removed. Amazing.

We were something of a tourist attraction!

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Hundreds of these as neighbours.

The offending oak

3 wheels on my trolley

Taking things easy since the tyre adventure. Which is really what the Caldon is all about. Stunning views. Some amazing houses, cruising on the contour of a hill. Reminds me of our walks along the Monmouth and Brecon when we are in our Welsh home from home.

Into Leek today. Bit of a schlep through a semi industrial estate and up the hill but worth it. Lovely market town...even if the market is not the 90+ extrvaganza it used to be.  I can recommend the cakes from at least two shops!!

Homely Homes...a delightful emporium that I had allowed an hour to explore was closed today. Hoping it will be open when we come back to collect Alistair's prescription next week.

I was deposited at Morrisons with serious shopping list. Alistair took LJ back to the boat and to collect the shopping trolley. I think the title has given it away. Anyone singing that annoying song. I was! He arrived in the shop.....empty trolley still folded up with only three wheels. Back he went to collect missing wheel. Rather than wait after I finished I headed back ... and managed OK. Not that I wasn't pleased to see them coming back with number 4!

Still, no tyre or wheel disaster can spoil the Caldon.

I'll just take a pic before I throw it back in ..........

Today's blog was going to be about our arrival on the Caldon. Well it still is ...though we had unwanted company! 

Our trip up the staircase locks went smoothly...this only because we had made something of a hash of helping the single gander in front of us!! 

Then, at Ivy Road swing bridge ...disaster struck. A tire not just round the prop. Not just stuck...an absolute perfect fit and jammed solid. The story of it's removal is three hours long. It involves a hacksaw, boat stopping to see if bolt cutters would help...sadly he was there too early...they would have been great help later. What else? A call out to RCR..nice young man but as they are not allowed to cut anything, believing so he said, that there is nothing that can't be jemmied off...a chorus here of OH YES THERE IS would seem appropriate. 

Still...at least the rain held off and we were next to the road. 

A lovely boater passing in his car saw the RCR van and stopped for a chat. A local recommended we stay anyway as the first ever Staffordshire floodlit cricket was on the pitch across the canal that night.

Alistair in position

RCR taking a turn

They knew I was joking about throwing it back!

The offending item now travelling as passenger in the well deck

And finally, exactly where we wanted to be

Today Alistair is a bit battered. Cuts on his hands and arms. Chest bruised but refusing to class it as a bad day's boating! 

How could Pearsons Guide ignore this?

We moored in Stone on Tuesday. Collected post and parcels from the PO, handily placed in the Coop. Magic that we can now order something from Amazon or EBay and pick it up at the next town. 

We moored in the pound between Briges 93 and 94. Great spot. 

You can understand why boaters like Stone. It's a very welcoming spot. Probably because of it's long boating history.

If you read Pearsons you can learn about the Canal Carrying Company, the convent school of St Dominic's, Joules Brewery, The demise of boat Cressy, the Star pub and an old warehouse that's been converted into retirement flats. 

Not one word about Christina Collins. So, if anyone was wondering about the memorial and garden at Bridge 94.... let me enlighten you!

Christina Collins was the daughter of a Nottingham inventor. Her first husband Thomas Ingle y, a conjured, died in 1832. Christina was 30 and left practically penniless. 

Unusually, for those days, she married again, to a man she loved Robert Collins. They lived in Liverpool but he could not find work. Christina worked for. Dressmaker. Robert went to London and quickly found employment. Meh sent Christina a guinea to pay for her transport to join him.

On 15 June 1839, Christina travelled to Preston Brook to join a Messrs Pickford boat as a passenger. 

I am sure we would think it odd. A woman travelling in the cramped space of a working boat with 3 men she didn't know and a cabin boy. Nevertheless ..... 

They set off Christina, James Owne (Captain), George Thomas, William Ellis and William Muston.

The crew,mule,ed by alcohol, became increasingly unpleasant and rowdy. By Stone Christina feared for her safety. She told the Canal Clerk she was frightened on being 'meddled' with. His reply was that if she was 'meddled' with she should report it when they reached London! 

Late that night, at Hoo Mill Lock, the lockkeeper's wife woke and heard a woman crying,out. She went out to ask what was wrong. Told that the passenger's husband was with her she thought things were OK. Next day Christina's body was found at Rugely.

The boat had moved on.

At the trial, the defence claimed Christina had committed suicide. James Owen and George Thomas were hung.  William Ellis, although initially due to hang, was transported.

Belt up!

My 'holster' was the first item bought for QISMA. A Christmas present in 2009, the month before the steel was laid for the hull.

I love it. Hardly a boating day goes by without a comment on it's usefulness. I always point interested  'lockies' in the direction of www.daveonanon.com

 So there was some excitement when we realised that Anon was moored a few boats along from us at Tixall. A visit was a must. Dave told me that most of his business was on line now.

LJ picking one out for his Dad.

 And I have been thinking how nice plain black would be! An addition to my boating wardrobe!

£35 well spent.

What could be better.......a weekend at Tixall

What a difference four years makes. Last time we came through Great Haywood there was a big overstaying problem. At the Junction and onto the Staffs and Worcs. it was very hard to get a mooring. Almost impossible. Now it's clear. Hard to believe.

Tixall is good for exercise. Each day seems to demand a schlep into Great Haywood for farm shop or Post Office. Yesterday it was to meet up with my friend Justine, Tweetbuddy and Curtis Stigers fan, who drove over to have lunch with me. We gave the new Canalside Cafe the once over but went for the Lock Tearooms. It proved to be an excellent choice. Then a wander back so Justine could see QISMA and meet LJ. Because I dislike having my photo taken I have no record of this. Big mistake. 

Two more nights here before the demands of water etc...more etc than water, will have us moving on.