Bartimaeus

We were last in Alrewas over three years ago in the middle of my melanoma diagnosis. With short notice appointments I didn't want to miss, we had decided to stay on the Burton side  of the river section.  If the water levels rose and the section was closed, we'd have been unable to get back.

There had been a lot of boat movement early yesterday, and two boats had just come towards us.  I hoped to avoid meeting anyone on the very narrow section lined with boats.  By the time we'd cast off, another boat had appeared behind us.  In many cases I would have let them pass, but it would have been tricky to stop us bumping another boat here.  We were only going as far as the water point initially - as long as that wasn't their plan too, they wouldn't be inconvenienced.  They moored up before we got to the water, so no harm done.

When the tank was full, Clare went ahead to set the lock and we descended on to the River Trent.  It was very peaceful and gentle.  I remember being cautious on the moving water three years ago, but I was confident of my abilities this time.  We also didn't have a working bow thruster then - not that I needed it.  I wasn't surprised, either, by the sloping bridge with a narrow navigable span

Once past the lock at the far end of the river section, the canal runs very close to the main road for a few miles.  I'd described this section of canal as a noise sandwich last time.  I took the opportunity to start the diesel engine - we weren't going to drive along quietly anyway. I commented that the noise wasn't as bad as I had remembered.

After the next lock, we had the main road on one side and lorries accessing a factory on the other side - this was the really noisy bit! It all quietened down just before the next lock.  We both remembered the approach to this one as there was a strange shaped bit of canal with an old working boat moored in it - and it wasn't there.  On a walk later that evening, we saw that it had returned,

We found a quiet mooring spot in full sun and moored up.  It was a sunny day, so I set off on the folding bike in to Burton to a large hardware retailer (other large hardware retailers were available nearby).  I found the thing I wanted, but the day was so warm that I was unable to summon up the energy to start fixing it.

We had repeated visits from a couple of gosling creches who clearly view people as sources of food.  I was reminded of another phenomenon we'd see on this stretch of water when a woman with a young child arrived carrying a large bag.  The bag contained unopened white sliced loaves.  She proceeded to feed about six of these to the geese, not stopping until the geese were leaving slices floating on the water.  She then headed along the canal with her bag still not empty.

Today started with some rain, but by late morning the day was brightening again as forecast.  I'd identified what I hoped would be an enjoyable ride to the nearby village of Tutbury.  I was fairly sure we'd find some lunch there, and there was a castle too. Mary Queen of Scots had been imprisoned there for a while - she did get moved around a lot.

The ride was indeed pleasant, though the roads were slightly busier than I'd have liked.  We parked the bike and explored on foot.  We found the castle, but there was a padlock on the gate.  We went round the corner looking for an alternative entrance.  We didn't find one, but we did find some peacocks strutting along the wall above our heads.

At that point I noticed something on my phone suggesting the castle was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays - and it was Tuesday.  I have since found that the castle is not currently open to the public, so going back tomorrow won't get us in.

On the way back down we had a look at the entrance to the church.  Once I saw it, I remembered reading that it is the only external alabaster arch in the country, and has recently been restored. Alabaster was quarried locally, but using a water soluble stone for an external feature is a brave choice.

We found a nice cafe for lunch before returning to the boat - by a slightly different route of course.