Market Drayton to bridge 8 on Shroppie

Market Drayton to Bridge 8

Sunday 9th August 2009

As you all know, we spent Thursday and Friday at Market Drayton. What you do not know yet, is that we are now at Goldstone Wharf, which is a stretch of canal south west of Cheswardine. You are not yet aware of this because, as with quite a few stretches of the Shroppie, mobile connection is not possible. Sheila even tried taking my mobile to the nearest high point, which is bridge 55, but still no joy. No doubt you are all frightfully worried as to our state of health but, fear not, we are, all three of us in the pink, as they say.

O.K. so, here we are at Goldstone and across the bridge is a pub called The Wharf Tavern. Last time we passed through here we didn’t bother trying it, but we have it on good authority that it is a very pleasant pub, so we’ll give it a try today. Last night it was very busy because they were holding a wedding reception. Today will probably be quite busy too because there is quite an extensive caravan park behind the pub and that is pretty full this weekend.

The weather has been very kind to us recently, so we managed to get some of the war wounds rubbed down and filled in with red oxide and Wifey gave the starboard side a good clean yesterday. Hopefully, if it is cool enough – I cannot stand working in hot weather – I shall paint over all the green on that side. If, as I suspect, it is too darn hot, it will have to wait until it’s cooler, so there!

This coming week looks like turning into something of a pub-crawl. We rounded off last week by sampling the Guinness, orange juice, crisps and peanuts at The Talbot in Market Drayton o Friday. Today we did the same at The Wharf Tavern at Goldstone Wharf, Cheswardine. Tomorrow we’ll be cruising the four miles to Anchor Bridge, besides which, believe it or not, is the Anchor at High Offley.

We will be staying for just one night here then, on Tuesday morning we’ll make our way to Norbury Junction where we’ll take a look and a couple of drinks at the Junction Inn. On Thursday we’ll wend our way down to Gnosall, which is only a couple of miles away, and sample whatever is on offer at the Boat Inn, which is the pub we did not use on our last visit.

On Saturday we’ll cruise the five miles to Wheaton Aston for the weekend. On Sunday we will give The Hartley Arms a try and maybe have a pub lunch for a change.

Believe it or not there is method in our madness. It would be a bit of a rush to get to Cross Green, which is on the Staffs and Worcs by this coming Thursday, so we’ll be dawdling along to make it by next Thursday. This is all because Wifey wants to call in to the book shop, which is only open Thursday to Saturday inclusive and we missed it last time through there. Besides which there is also a rather good butcher next door.

Taking a further look at our map I have noticed The Bridge Inn at Brewood, which is where we’ll stop for Monday night and, quite by chance, The Fox and Anchor at Cross Green, so it seems that most of the next fortnight is pretty much taken care of. Great!!

Monday 10th August 2009

After yesterday’s hot and sunny day, this morning has started out very wet indeed. So much for finishing the boat painting today, I somehow do not think it is going to happen. Still, there’s always the pub at Anchor Bridge for lunch. Yeah!

Lucky old us, missed the rain cruising down to Anchor Bridge, which crosses the canal at High Offley. I don’t know if I’ll bother with the pub though, I’m not sure whether alcohol contributes to the state of my aching calf muscles, so I feel it might be best to leave it for a few days.

Tuesday 11th August 2009

We now have just seven weeks and one day to get to our new and permanent moorings at Pillings Lock. Having calculated the mileage from here to there, if we travel our usual three miles per day average, we’ll make it spot on time. But the of course, there’s the weather to contend with. In this neck of the woods it has not been at all generous with the fine and sunny, preferring instead the cloudy and rainy.

Today we travelled the two miles or so to Norbury Junction and will stay here tomorrow as well so as to give the local watering hole a look in. This one, as unlikely as it may seem, is called The Junction Inn and, according to the chappy in the next boat, who is busily making leather belts and such, it’s a pretty decent place. Hopefully they also do decent food, ‘cos I’m planning on a pub lunch.

Wednesday 12th August 2009

It is now 5 am and I have had a pretty awful day and night with my knees. I think I’ve possibly pulled a tendon behind the left one which is making it impossible to straighten it.

Unfortunately the proposed pub crawl has come to a juddering halt because I simply cannot even think about walking to the Junction Inn, which is only about 50 yards away. (For those of you who are unsure as to what yards are, they are the measurements that came before those foreign things called metres.)

Thursday 13th August 2009

It is now almost 7 am and, although I had a better night last night, I’m still undecided as to whether I should call in to the local doctor at Gnosell this morning. The problem is that, unless we can find a taxi nearby, it will probably take me about half an hour to walk it. The, after he pulled the leg about a bit, as they do, I’ll have another half hour walk back to the boat. Besides which, apart from giving me stronger painkillers, which I would rather not take, it’s doubtful he can do much for me.

Yesterday we discussed the possibility of making our way straight to Pillings Lock Marina, where we can sign up with a new G.P. and possibly have my knees sorted out earlier. From here it’s about 85 miles, which we could probably cover in a couple of weeks. Perhaps, if I can get online during the next couple of days, I can post this blog and invite your comments and advice?

Saturday 15th August 2009

We spent an extra day at Norbury Junction because I needed to rest my left leg up and get the swelling down on the knee. Goodness knows what caused the swelling, but it has now diminished to the point where I don’t need to see a quack, which is just as well because, after Wifey walked the length of the high street here at Gnosall, there was no surgery to be found.

This village is where Terry, of T.W. Boat Training lives and is who we took our boat-handling course with three years ago. His boat, Shropshire Lass, is moored up at Norbury Junction.

Today we’ll be off to Wheaton Aston for the rest of the weekend and to top up with diesel.

Sunday 16th August 2009

I kind of skipped over the problems I had on Thursday because, quite frankly, although they were pretty upsetting, the subject matter is not something normally discussed in polite society. However, since the problem cropped up again, and with much greater severity, I thought I might pass it on.

As you all know, this week was to have been a bit of a pub-crawl but, because my legs have been playing me up more than usual, we’ve not had much chance. But, by Thursday afternoon, and by now being able to straighten my left leg, we trotted off to the pub at Norbury Junction.

We were not all that hungry and so we simply ordered a combo to share, which was rather nice as it happens. For our evening snack Wifey had a banana and a slice of b and b, whilst I opted for one of my favourites, pork pie with mustard and a slice of b and b.

Whatever caused it I spent the best part of two hours, in short stages, sitting on the loo that evening.

Like I said, I kinda skipped over that sequence of events because it seemed to be a one off. Yesterday however, whatever hit my system on Thursday came back for a re-match, and it won I might add. This time I spent over four hours on the loo, again in short spurts and, also after a lunchtime snack of pork pie and mustard.

I cannot remember ever going through such torment in the past, and I hope never to have to endure it ever again in the future. Suffice it to say pork pies and mustard are off the menu from now on. Initially, as you can well imagine, I blamed the pub food, but the only similarities between the two events is the mustard.

Maybe I have developed an allergy to mustard or, just maybe, I have grown an ulcer, which is aggravated by the strong, English mustard. Whatever it is, avoidance is the only cure as far as I can see.

Incidentally, the problem has not completely gone away, because my tummy is still rather tender, but I don’t think I’ll be partaking of drinks at the local watering hole today. I promised myself, about three weeks ago, that I would try to lose some weight before we get to our moorings. This is not one of the top 10 ways I would have chosen to do so. One thing is for sure, it has messed up my blood glucose readings.

Monday 17th August 2009

This morning, as our waste tank is full, it will be necessary to find a place to empty it. Quite by chance there is a BW water point and sanitary station just a short way past the next bridge. Sadly, as has happened on several occasions in the past, the swipe cards that are supposed to operate the pump-out machine, and which we have been carrying with us since leaving Bulbourne, came up as “card error”. We know that one of them has been used before and would expect that message for it, but we are equally certain that the other two are OK. Believe it or not, the nearest place to Wheaton Aston for purchasing new cards is Ellesmere Port!! Oh, whoopee!!

Fortunately for us our next port of call is Brewood and the holiday boatyard there has a pump-out unit.

We are now moored up at Brewood, having sorted out the waste tank, and we’re moored by the local pub, which is called The Bridge Inn. Sadly, once again, we are unable to pay it a visit because my tummy is still a bit dicky. It’s a pretty good pub too, so I am somewhat disappointed. Still, there’s always Coven, which is where we’ll be on Thursday, because my dearly beloved wants to visit the book shop there and, quite by chance, there’s also a pretty decent pub there too. Aren’t we the lucky ones? By then, I feel sure my tummy will be well able to cope with a Guinness or three.

It has just turned five pm and ‘the modem in, in the hopes that it will connect and, yo and behold, it has done so. S’mazing!! Strange to say, when I first turned on the laptop, BT Open Zone popped up. I’ve not come across this before and can only assume I’m picking it up from the pub or from a house nearby. Anyway, at £5 per day, I don’t think I’ll bother.

Tomorrow we’re going to move a couple of miles to a nice open mooring spot. Meanwhile, whilst I still have a connection, I’ll post this latest blog.

Have a good week folks.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.

Belay that good people, just as I was about to log on to my blog site, my connection dropped out. Better luck from the moorings tomorrow, we hope.

Tuesday 18th August 2009

…….. and we’ve move just two miles along to bridge 8 on the Shroppie. Tomorrow we’ll set sail for the Staffs and Worcs to Cross Green.

Meanwhile, since I am clearly online, I’ll post this blog, at last.

Bye for now.

Dave.