We really like Great Haywood and we had a lovely mooring. Ordinarily we might have stayed another day, but there’s a floating market over the Easter weekend and the moorings are all reserved for the traders from today. For Macc’s breakfast time walk, we went down to Essex Bridge over the Trent at Shugborough, and he posed for a photo.
We set off just before 9, but as we were preparing to leave, the boat behind us set off and then another came over the junction. We therefore took our time to get going, and as Macc had woken up from a nap we thought we’d bring him out for the locks. It’s still quite chilly, so we tried putting his little coat on him for the first time in anger — expecting him to refuse to wear it. However after an initial chew of the Velcro he seemed to be ok with it on.
By the time we got to Haywood Lock the first boat had gone and the second was about to go in. It’s then half an hour old so to Colwich Lock, where there was a boat coming up and both the boats in front of us were waiting. As we moved forward in the queue, Adrian was holding a rope and walking the boat on when he slipped on a muddy patch and one foot ended up in the water. Fortunately no damage done, other than a boot which will take a while to dry out. There were boats in both directions until it was our turn, and then no-one — so we had no help. I chose the cottage here as ‘My Favourite Lock Cottage’ in a Waterways World feature a few months ago.
Macc had become increasingly whiney at this lock (maybe he’s just impatient and doesn’t like queues, I thought), so Adrian took him in once we were down and he crashed out in his crate straight away. Hopefully he’ll learn that it’s acceptable to go to sleep in his travel bed too, and he doesn’t have to monitor everything. This is all part of the process: he needs to experience all these things so they become mundane and everyday, rather than new and exciting.
It was rather grey and chilly as we did the next section, eventually coming to the aqueduct over the River Trent just before Rugeley.
By the right-angle bend at the end of the aqueduct there are some houses up on the hill with gardens down at canal level. Then a bit further on is the one with all the mannequins in the garden, this time with an Easter theme going on.
We stopped on the Rugeley moorings just through the bridge to Tesco. After lunch the people in front of us left, so we moved to their spot, which was straighter than where we were. It also means we’re next to the same boat as last night, though they’ve turned around. This afternoon I did a big Tesco shop, and then Adrian went with wine carriers. They have 25 per cent off six bottles at the moment, and one win we like was already reduced anyway, so it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. It seems very busy with boats here, but it’s probably also because it’s narrow so you’re very aware of everyone going by.
5 miles, 2 locks. (48 miles, 33 locks)