Bartimaeus

We've been through Autherley Junction at the southern end of the Shropshire Union Canal ("Shroppy") on Bartimaeus several times before, but we've not done the sharp turn on to the northern section of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal before.  It forms part of the "Four Counties Ring" which we have done more than once on hire boats - but that was a distant memory.

There was a good mooring immediately adjacent to the junction, but on the "wrong" side, so I had turned the right way at the junction and reversed back to moor for the night.  The change of canal was immediately apparent.  Much of the southern Shroppy is on massive embankments and runs in straight lines for miles at a time.

The map shows that the Staffs & Worcs is anything but straight.  The map doesn't show the number of times the vegetation hides the entrance to bridges on blind corners. As if to celebrate a short straight section, it was lined with massive poplar tress.

We seemed to be going the unfashionable direction.  We met quite a number of boats coming towards us, but were not aware of much going our way (even when we stopped, nothing went past).  The folk on one boat we met at a narrow bridge told us there were two more boats behind them.  We had to wait for them at the next bridge.

I entered a very narrow section without really noticing that it was not wide enough for two boats to pass.  I could see a boat facing us through a bridge, but wasn't sure if it was moored.  As we got nearer I could see someone was holding it by its centre rope, a sure sign of waiting for something  - us!

As we got to them I could see they were opposite a passing place cut out of the rock.  I manoeuvred in to it so they could proceed.  There was another boat behind them approaching the narrow section.  I decided the easiest thing to do was sit tight while that boat came through too.

The canal continued to wind through the countryside and the wind was blowing through the trees bringing occasional light showers.  We were opposite an easy looking mooring spot when a particularly heavy shower started - an excellent time to moor up for lunch.  This was a lucky choice for the passing cyclists who had a puncture but the wrong sort of pump.  By the time they'd returned the pump to us, the rain had eased off enough for us to move on.

We got to signs advising to coast when passing the fabric dam at the side.  I immediately went to neutral - perhaps a little too early.  By the time I'd realised that the point was not to drag the fabric in to a turning propellor, the propellor was over the fabric.  We had just enough momentum to drift safely past.

I had another cause to consider the location of the propellor later on when a girl fell off her bike in to the canal just ahead of us. I could see we were not going to collide but I also wanted to be in a position to assist.  I settled on gentle reverse while I could see she was safely far away.  I unclipped the life ring in case it was needed, but the girl had now found that once untangled from her bike she could stand up - that is usually the case in a canal.

We asked if they wanted any help from us, but the girl's parents were sure they'd be alright.  If something similar had happened in winter, I'd have been more concerned for her welfare.

As we arrived at the first of the locks, the rain started to get heavier again.  I didn't fancy working locks in heavy rain, so we moored up for a short while.  Once the rain had eased again we decided to work through the locks.  The first one dropped us below the level of the busy road ahead.  Last time we had crossed Watling Street was on a fancy aqueduct.  This bridge was a lot more functional.

The road here had been widened so that there was no longer enough room for the lock arms which had been turned at right angles.  Clare and Bryn reappeared on the other side of the road and walked on to the next lock.  This lock also had a road bridge adjacent to it, but there was still room for the gate arms and a convenient bridge for pedestrians and lock crew.

The pattern for this canal seems to be to have a bridge just below the tail gates on each lock.  The next lock was not next to a road though, so the bridge was a lot less substantial, though clearly intended to carry more than just pedestrians.

By now, the rain had cleared up, but the sky was still threatening.  As we reached Penkridge I spotted a vacant mooring with a lot of sky.  There was an adjacent pub, which put the idea of a meal out in to our minds.  Other pubs are available, and after a little research we walked half a mile further along the canal to eat.

The food there was excellent.  Boaters at another table engaged us in conversation.  One was originally from a small village in Fife, and was somewhat surprised that I even knew where it was.  They complained about the recent weather, so we explained that usually happened when Bryn joined us.  They were keen to know when he was going away.

Today we woke to sunshine, but the forecast was solid rain from 10am to 3pm and still damp after that.  We've been happy to sit inside and watch the ducks swim by - it's their sort of weather.