Friday 25^th October 2019

The boat was readied for the run to Etruria which meant everything over a certain height being removed from the roof, due to the very low bridges at Hanley. It was an unpleasant day with heavy rain.

CRT duly arrived at 12 noon and moved the buoys to allow passage of the three waiting boats. Once passed the restriction, for us, it was heads down for the run to Etruria, 4 miles away, a lift bridge, a single lock and the staircase of two before the end of the canal.

CRT Staff with a Technical Piece of Equipment

 to move the buoys from the navigation restriction,

a Tree Branch

The rain persisted for the whole of the miserable journey, looking at one point as though it was easing, but as heavy as ever when we came to moor up outside the Etruria Industrial Museum. We had always said, when we moved onto the boat, that we would not move when it was raining or too windy. But sometimes needs must, and Brenda had to collect her medication from Boots in Festival Park, and we have to rendezvous with our coal delivery.

By the time we moored the two of us were wet through. Obviously our waterproofs are inadequate and will need replacing, but our boots are also letting water in. This is disappointing. We only bought them in Derby in September and they are expensive Brasher boots that have been well treated with Dubbing on a very regular basis.

Brenda walked to the Festival Retail Park while I stayed on the boat and waited for the coal delivery. Paddy of The Chamberlain Carrying Co. duly turned up with 6 bags of coal for us, bless him. We normally pay by either card or bank transfer but he didn’t have a card machine with him and was happy for us to pay whenever, by transfer. This part of the canal community we do enjoy. Trust. The canal is regarded as the longest village in the country and it could be said there is no hiding place. But nevertheless, there wouldn’t be many businesses that would be happy to walk away from delivered goods and not receive payment.

We changed the bedding for the new bedding Brenda had bought back in August in Rugby, showered and had a lovely dinner of Lamb Steaks and Leek Colcannon.

Although we are still technically, on the Caldon Canal, being a hundred yards or so from Etruria Junction, our journey on the Caldon has come to an end. It has to be one of the better canals we have travelled on. While the first 2 miles leading out of Stoke-on-Trent are pretty grotty, and the area of Froghall before the tunnel not so nice, once beyond bridge 12, the character changes completely and leads to some of the finest scenery we have seen with the Leek Branch and the river section leading to Consall of particular note. There is so much of interest, so much to do and so much history in the area, that it has to be well worth a further visit. Without doubt, this part of Staffordshire has to be one of the countries hidden gems.

Weather: rain all day. 

Day Total: 3 locks; 4 miles; 0 Tunnel; 0 Swing Bridges; 1 Lift Bridge; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 2.4  

Overall Total: 780 locks; 1355 miles; 52 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 858.9hrs