In some ways it`s nice to be back on a wider bit of canal, despite the fact that it`s not quite as pleasant as the Caldon. But today we`ve been through nine locks and covered a few canal miles, so M`s engine has been able to work a bit. The run has been good for her domestic batteries as well and they were sitting above 13V for most of the afternoon - they havn`t been that high since we plugged in at Norbury.
There`s some nice canal side properties along this section - Barlaston to Stone - and they`re not necessarily big or expensive looking. Many are just small semis with an added balcony or conservatory from which the owner can enjoy the canal. There is one place, though, an old boat yard, now a private residance, that has everything - private dock and all.
Coming down through Stone we caught the aftermath of a meeting held this weekend, so there were a few boats around. Prince, a Thames/Grand Union working boat has been leapfrogging us for a few days - we first saw her on the Caldon - and her sister, Victoria was moored amongst the group at Stone. These boats date back to the 1930`s and were originally designed to carry large loads but apparently they were never fully used and not many were built. As far as the Caldon was concerned, Prince was a bit too deep in the draft and apparently ended up touching the bottom quite a lot.
There`s some nice canal side properties along this section - Barlaston to Stone - and they`re not necessarily big or expensive looking. Many are just small semis with an added balcony or conservatory from which the owner can enjoy the canal. There is one place, though, an old boat yard, now a private residance, that has everything - private dock and all.
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| The old Barlaston Boatyard |
Coming down through Stone we caught the aftermath of a meeting held this weekend, so there were a few boats around. Prince, a Thames/Grand Union working boat has been leapfrogging us for a few days - we first saw her on the Caldon - and her sister, Victoria was moored amongst the group at Stone. These boats date back to the 1930`s and were originally designed to carry large loads but apparently they were never fully used and not many were built. As far as the Caldon was concerned, Prince was a bit too deep in the draft and apparently ended up touching the bottom quite a lot.
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| Victoria - a big old working boat |
Stone Boatbuilders looked busy and there were a couple of nice boats outside, including Emma Louise Too, a narrow beam barge.
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| Brand new - Emma Louise Too |
Stone Boatbuilders looked busy and there were a couple of nice boats outside, including Emma Louise Too, a narrow beam barge.
We stopped and shopped in Stone, a pleasant town with a busy pedestrianized shopping area, and Sue went into the Co-op for supplies while I waited outside with V. I`d collected 58p by the time Sue came out, which usually represents about 25 minutes. I bought some gloves - the weather is getting colder by the day - and some waterproof tape to repair our domestic water hose, which now washes the side of the boat instead of filling her water tank every time we try to use it.
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| We are here |
Tomorrow we head down to Great Haywood where we will come off the Four Counties Ring. Thursday will be a rest day - possibly. Today`s been a good day - sun, boats and a nice town along the way.
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