Saturday 11^th August 2018

We walked up to a Sainsbury’s supermarket ½ mile away, in the Hanley direction as we had run out of milk. Again, we bought far too much although it wasn’t too far a walk to carry it back. Then discovered we had forgotten milk.

We had decided to have a rest day today and not move. We seem to have moved every day now for weeks, have had visitors for a fortnight and we felt we both needed a day off.

Brenda is also suffering badly with mouth ulcers that are making her feel miserable.

I had a snooze in the afternoon and woke up feeling like shit.

Although I went out again for milk and a few more bits from a local B&Q’s, we have largely spent the day reading. The rain has been on and off all day.

In the afternoon the old British Waterways working boat and butty, Lindsay and Keppel went past with a Morris dancing group on board. They went up to Middleport Pottery to entertain the crowds.

      

After feeding Harvey I walked him up to the Junction with the Caldon Canal and took some photos. There is a statue of James Brindley, the engineer responsible for building, amongst others, the Trent and Mersey and Caldon Canals, across the canal. I tried to get to it but it lays within the grounds of a social housing complex and there was no public access.

The engine was run for an hour to give us hot water for showers and an early night is on the cards.

The

Thee

                                                                                                                      

          

                                                    Etruria Junction. Caldon Canal on the left, an historic

                  drydock centre and Trent and Mersey Canal on the right

                                                                                                                              

                                                                              Josiah Wedgewood’s statue at Etruria

The Caldon Canal is now a “dead end canal” that runs for some 17 miles from its junction with the Trent and Mersey at Etruria. 10 miles and 9 uphill locks from the junction however, the canal splits. One branch runs lock free another 3 miles until its terminus on the outskirts of Leek, the other locks down through a further eight locks through the village of Cheddleton to its terminus at Froghall.

We were planning to, and looking forward to, exploring the Caldon although we have done it before. Canal and River Trust though, are locking the gates on Monday where the canal splits, so preventing any craft going on the Cheddleton/Froghall branch so as to conserve water for the Trent and Mersey.

The notification is ambiguous and there is a possibility that, if you are caught the wrong side of the closure, you can arrange to be let through. However, we have decided not to take the chance.

This is very disappointing but I suppose it is fortunate that this is the first closure affecting us.

Although CRT are giving the reason of preserving water for the use of the Trent and Mersey, the

amount of leakage through the top lock here at Etruria is unacceptable.

If CRT were to spend more money on maintenance, using the monies from boaters, who pay licence fees to use the canals, and not on stupid signs, towpath upgrades for the benefit of walkers and cyclists and access slipways for canoeists, none of who pay anything, then possibly this situation could be avoided.