It's definitely starting to get autumnal now, with a misty start to the day most mornings.  However it is still warm and we have had a few sunny days.  No fire lit for several days now.  We are now back on the Leicester section of the GU canal, and having come up Watford flight this morning are taking a slow cruise along the summit.  We have to be back in Market Harborough for 3rd October as Graham has a train ticket booked, so rang up the wharf and are booked in for three nights from 2nd.

We had a lazy weekend moored up from Friday evening to Monday morning.  In the middle of nowhere and no-one moored anywhere near us until Sunday evening.  We found a good walk for the dogs over the fields and they had a good run every day.  They are still worn out.

The weekend mooring

Visitors trying to mug us for food! They're like a bunch of hoodies!!

Yesterday was a long day coming from Hillmorton, through Braunstone and round Norton Junction onto the Leicester section.  The trip up Braunstone locks was lengthy due to the flight being busy, mostly with boats ahead of us.  We did manage to share locks for most of the flight though.  Mainly uneventful apart from meeting a very bossy woman, who was coming down the flight, who tried to organise me at one of the locks.  I walked away and left her to it.  Can't stand being bossed around!!

The Stop House at Braunstone

Marina entrance at Braunstone

Today was a much more relaxed day coming up Watford locks, a flight of seven in total including a staircase of four.  Usually there is a wait to use these locks as the lock keeper operates a queueing system.  But there was no-one else around when we arrived so were able to go straight up.  More boats soon arrived though and we were followed by three more boats and there were two waiting to come down when we got to the top.

Looking back to the bottom lock

Going into the bottom of the staircase at Watford

Lock keepers hut at the top of the flight

We are now well and truly heading home to Market Harborough and it feels as though summer is over.  At lunchtime we moored halfway up Atherstone flight, in the rain, and after eating lunch and lighting the fire, headed into Atherstone to pick up some provisions from Aldi.  Now snuggled in front of the fire eating cake and drinking coffee made with milk.  Don't think we will be going anywhere else today as it is still raining.

In spite of the rain, today was a good day.   Atherstone locks were busy as usual, but that makes for plenty of people to talk to at the locks.  Met a couple out on a Kate Boat.  They had been talking about having a boating holiday for several years and this is their first trip.  They are really enjoying themselves with the exception of being given advice from another boater in a pretty negative way.  Shame because even the most experienced boater was a novice at one time and we all get it wrong sometimes (me more than most probably).   Also met some potential winter neighbours who seem very sociable.

We had a busy few days after leaving the Caldon Canal just over a week ago.  Heading down through the locks at Stoke on Trent and through to Stone.  Moored up overnight at Stone and ended staying the next night as well.  Had a meal in the Star, a Marston's pub right next to the lock.  There was a special offer on the grill menu, buy one get one free, so I had a steak and Graham had a mixed grill, a real meat feast.

These bottle kilns used to be a common sight around Stoke on Trent

The industrial end of the Caldon Canal

More industrial scenery on the Caldon Canal

From Stone we had an uneventful few days, with the exception of meeting a very strange bloke at a lock.  We chatted in the usual way that you do whilst waiting for the lock to fill/empty.  Never met the bloke in my life before but he managed to have a conversation with me that included the words 'perky' and 'orgsasm' (he said them not me).  I was a bit taken aback but decided to treat it as a joke.  Graham was less than amused when I told him!

Just beyond Rugely we met up with Sheila and Jim (not Tom, sorry Jim), who we met at Keadby last year.  They now have their own boat 'Islonian' and it was good to catch up over a couple of beers and another meal out (whoops not going to lose much weight at this rate).

At Fradley Junction we turned off the Trent and Mersey and onto the Coventry Canal.  We found a good mooring in the middle of nowhere and stay put for the weekend.  The dogs had a wonderful time running in the fields and swimming.

Truly loves to swim and is very tolerant of me wrapping her up in a towel

Not sure that she likes it though!

The toll house at Fazely Junction

Some old working boats seen on route

an old working boat exiting the bottom lock on Atherstone flight

Jeanie Deans coming into the bottom lock

The moorings at Atherstone are pretty busy but we managed to squeeze in.   Hopefully tomorrow we will still be floating.  But last time we moored here on our way up the flight, the pound was virtually empty next morning because someone had left a paddle up. 

It has been a very long time since my last post, so apologies to all who follow it.  My only excuse is that we have are returning along the same route that we travelled earlier in the year, along the Trent and Mersey Canal.

We spent a few days on the River Weaver, over August bank holiday.  Which was very relaxing.  Had some lovely sunny weather and found a quiet mooring where the dogs could just spend time on the towpath and we could chill out with an ice cream or a beer.  An uneventful trip down and back up in the Anderton Lift.

A busy few days when we came off the Weaver with plenty of locks and Harecastle Tunnel to negotiate.  Turned up at the tunnel just in time and were waved through by a very cheerful tunnel keeper.  Mind you we had planned on having a coffee while we waited so didn't get that until we were through.

No time for coffee at Harecastle Tunnel!

We are pretty much headed back to Market Harborough now, however with plenty of time to spare before we are due at our winter mooring we decided to spend some time exploring the Caldon Canal.  The Caldon Canal branches off from the Trent and Mersey at Etruria and although initially very industrialised around Stoke on Trent and the Potteries, later travels through some lovely countryside and is very quiet and peaceful.

Etruria Junction onto the Caldon Canal

Statue of James Brindley (who built the Trent and Mersey Canal)

Bedford Street staircase lock at the bottom of the Caldon Canal

Graham operating the staircase lock

The Canal was originally built to transport Limestone from quarries near Froghall.  A further branch was later added that carried the Canal to Leek.  There is an aqueduct that carries the Leek branch above the main branch.  We were heading for Leek first and having filled up with water and emptied the toilet at the services we headed for the junction.

Approaching the junction to the Leek Branch

Turning onto the Leek Branch

 The Leek Branch is an attractive and quiet stretch of water with a tunnel at the end leading to moorings.  Because the last half mile of the canal and the basin has been filled in the canal now terminates somewhat abruptly.  Due to this you now have to turn longer boats when exiting the tunnel and reverse into the moorings.  This seems to put some people off and they either moor before the tunnel or just come through turn round and head back.  We found a good mooring and stayed overnight and the next day.  Did some shopping at Morrison's and had a look around Leek, which has a small but good town centre.

Leek Tunnel 

 Inside Leek Tunnel

Heading out of Leek Tunnel 

This looks like a lovely place to live

This looks like a row of cottages but seems to be two properties

Having completed the trip to Leek, we headed down to Froghall.  This branch of the canal is very narrow and twisty and is a test of steering skills in some places.

Turning the junction from the Leek branch and heading for Froghall

Coming into Hazelhurst top lock

Cottage at the lockside

Looking back at Hazelhurst bottom lock

Hazelhurst Aqueduct, which carries the Leek Branch over the main line.

Working flint mill museum at Cheddleton

Consall Station on the Churnet Valley Railway (operated by enthusiasts) has the platform and waiting room cantilevered over the canal, which is very narrow at this point with room for one boat only.

The waiting room looks a bit precarious to me!

Consall Station

The tunnel at the Froghall end of the canal is unusual in being very low and narrow.  We were unsure whether we would fit through.  However the boat just brushed under the tunnel profile that was set up on the last lock so we decided to give it a go.  We had to take down the chimneys and exhaust stack and Graham even removed the tiller pin.  It was tight but we did it.  It was well worth doing as very few boats even attempt it and there are very nice moorings in the basin.

Froghall Tunnel

Lovely moorings at Froghall Basin and only one other boat there.

We stayed for two nights on the excellent moorings in the basin.  Such a shame that not many boats manage to get through the tunnel.  We walked back to Consall Forge to the pub and sat in the garden enjoying a beer.  The dogs were quite interested in the chickens, but behaved remarkably well.

  We are now moored near Etruria Junction having spent 10 days on the Caldon Canal.  We will be heading back onto the Trent and Mersey tomorrow.

It is now a week since we left Liverpool and travelled back up the link and on to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.  At the moment we are on the Bridgewater Canal, moored up near Dunham Woodhouses and Dunham Massey Hall, once the seat of the Earl of Stamford.

The trip up the Liverpool link was enlivened by the tales of the lock keeper, which involved a toaster, cheese on toast and a kitchen fire.  He kept us all entertained for the morning!!

We shared locks from Liverpool and up onto the Leeds and Liverpool with Amphora, a boat owned by a couple from New Zealand, who spend the summer here cruising the canals and then return to NZ for their summer.  They were heading of up the Bridgewater to a borrowed mooring and to spend some time in Manchester.  Passed the boat today and they went past us this evening.  Think they are headed back to Rugby, where the boat is moored and then heading to Italy for a holiday, before heading home, what a terrible life!! 

Goodbye to Liverpool

Leaving Liverpool

Sharing the lock with nb Amphora

We had a lazy weekend moored up near a place called Astley Green, where we managed to moor with no other boats nearby for the whole weekend.  Bliss and the dogs could just mooch around on the towpath.  We celebrated Graham's birthday with a meal in the nearby pub, although didn't go on Saturday as planned due to the heavy rain and a ten minute walk along a muddy towpath.  Lovely sunny day on Sunday though so we went then.

A quiet weekend mooring with no other boats in sight!

We stopped at Worsley to top up with water, a very attractive place and the site of the Duke of Bridgewater's coal mines.  The Bridgewater Canal was constructed to carry his coal to Manchester.  I think he made a few shillings out of the deal as he ended up the richest nobleman in England.

Today we again crossed the Barton swing Aqueduct, which takes the Bridgewater Canal over the Manchester Ship Canal, and can be swung open to allow ships to pass through.  An amazing feat of engineering!  

Barton swing Aqueduct

Manchester Ship Canal from the aqueduct

Manchester Ship Canal from the aqueduct

We also stopped for a look around the Trafford Centre, an incredible shopping and leisure complex which defies description.  Unfortunately I didn't have the camera, who knew you needed a camera in a shopping centre!  It takes shopping to a whole new level.  Seriously if you are ever nearby it shouldn't be missed.