Gnosall to Audlem
Monday 30th April
Hi from Gnosall. Yep, we’re still here, but will be heading about two miles towards Wheaton Aston this morning in order to turn around and come back to Gnosall. I know, confusing huh? Not to worry, all will be explained.
I’m pleased to say that the rain has now gone, it’s a bright and sunny day, with only a light, but cold, breeze.
We decided yesterday that, since we really do want to go to Market Drayton, then we would have to turn around and head back the way we came. However, since we still need more stuff for the fridge and I still need to fill my prescription for this month, that we would turn around and come back to Gnosall and then, tomorrow morning, we will take the bus into Stafford .
From Gnosall the trip should be somewhat faster than it was from Wheaton Aston, where it took in lots of country lanes and a couple of outlying villages. We would also like to shop at Sainsbury’s and visit the 02 shop to have them enter a PIN onto my mobile. I suspect that, when Lyndsey, their sales girl, entered it when I upgraded, she misheard and entered the wrong code, which would account for why I am unable to do anything with it.
Tuesday 1st May
A beautiful day yesterday and quite warm, more rain last night though, the towpath now looks like a herd of elephants have passed through.
Gnosall is a very pretty village, with two pubs within easy reach of the canal, a very good butcher and a friendly mini-market. Unfortunately the welcome to boaters doesn’t extend to making the towpath easy to walk upon. From experience of past visits we know that, even a short period of rain turns the towpath into a mud-bath. Householders are not expected to traipse mud into their homes from the streets, why should visitors to this charming village be expected to suffer it? Not good enough Gnosall! Clean up your act!
Today we’re off to Stafford , for a bit of shopping and prescriptions, and to call into the 02 shop again. Tomorrow, all being well with the weather, we’ll be heading towards Market Drayton, hopefully the fallen tree the other side of Goldstone Wharf
Wednesday 2nd May
Would you believe it, Boots, the biggest chemists in the country, did not have my diabetes test strips in stock. What’s more, they didn’t even recognise them and had to order them in for today. So, after spending all that time travelling to and from Stafford, Sheila has had to take the bus there again this morning but, on her return, came the bad news, Boot’s supplier was unable to get hold of any.
Now, the little gadget I now use is, in fairness to Boots, a fairly new addition to the medical profession. But you would think that such a huge company would be aware of this and would keep supplies in stock, wouldn’t you?
Today, much later than usual, we made our way to Norbury Junction and will stay for tonight. We can’t really stay much longer because there is a rally going on here this bank holiday weekend and all the visitor moorings have been reserved for those boaters attending. No matter, we won’t be there long enough to cause a problem.
 |
| Jemima Puddleduck at Norbury junction |
I’m pleased to say the weather has been pretty good to us today. Wifey is now on the blower to BW to see if the way is now clear after Goldstone, and has been told that it is now all OK, but that we should pass with caution. Covering their butts I call it.
Friday 4th May
So, what happened to Thursday? We-e-ll, I just didn’t get around to entering anything when I first climbed out of the pit, I was so busy looking at stuff online that, by the time I had taken Rusty out and given Herself a cuppa, I completely forgot about it.
Still, apart from a gentle cruise from Norbury to Shebdon Wharf, all of three miles and no locks, oh, and rain later in the day, a-and discovering that the local pub is not open at lunchtimes, nothing untoward or exciting happened yesterday.
Once again the sky looks rather bleak this morning; we might have rain and we might not; and we’re off to Goldstone Wharf
On Saturday we will, once again, attempt to get down the five Tyrley Locks to Market Drayton, only a week late but, better late than never.
Saturday 5th May
We have a pale, pink sky to the east, but with luck we won’t get the clouds and rain until we hit Market Drayton. The plan for today is to leave early-ish, say 07.30, an get through the five Tyrley Locks ahead of the competition, the approach to these locks from both ends is quite narrow, so it’s best to avoid meeting other boats if possible.
Yesterday was great. We left Shebdon Wharf before nine o/clock, took a slow amble to Goldstone Wharf
The Wharf Tavern at Goldstone is a very pleasant pub with good food and a selection of real ales. Not that I go for that kind of thing, I find such drinks far too sweet and cloying. But then, that’s my palate, spoiled by Guinness and Lager over the years. Anyway we indulged in a pub lunch yesterday consisting of a chicken and chilli sauce baguette, with side salad and chips. The chips were particularly weird, all wrinkles and holes, most peculiar. Still, they tasted like chips, so who’s complaining.
Sunday 6th may
At last, sunshine, most of yesterday and this morning has started bright too. This is just as well, because Market Drayton has a Farmer’s Market today and, since we also have Morrison’s shopping to do and the usual Sunday drinky-poos, and it’s a fair old walk into town, we would prefer to do all this on a dry day. Sheila also wants to buy some new plants for the flower boxes, I do believe it’s going to be a busy day.
Actually, after arriving here yesterday morning we took a slow walk into town for a few bits and bobs from Wilkinson’s, so I’m going to be stretching my legs two days running. It’s all necessary exercise, but my legs do give me gyp during the night following such walks.
If it stays bright this morning it would be an ideal time to repair some of the damage to our paintwork. For those of you unfamiliar with the construction of narrowboats, below the gunwale and above the waterline is a protective strip called a ‘rubbing strake’, which is supposed to protect against scratches when coming in to land. So, how come the paintwork still gets damaged between this and the gunwale? Me no understandee! I suppose, without it the damage would be much worse.
Wifey is saving our pennies quite vigorously on this trip because, we not only have to pay for our moorings for the winter, but we also need to have the bottom blacked. This entails taking the boat into dry-dock and having the paintwork, below the gunwale and down to the underside, all scraped and jet blasted to remove nasty deposits, then re-painted a nasty, sticky, gungy black. This does not come cheap and, lucky old us, we’ll be able to take a short break at a local B&B, one which allows dogs. Alan and I once carried out this work ourselves, back in the day when we moored at Kecksy’s Farm in Sawbridgeworth, and it is a rather messy job.
All being well weather-wise, we might even outstay our 48 hours tomorrow and continue with the paintwork. We also have plans for brightening up the front of the cratch and the back doors. The front with pretty coloured diamond shapes and the back doors with Roses and Castles, where I might even slip in a Fire-Breathing Dragon or two, just to be different. The latter job will have to wait until we get to Audlem, where there’s a rather good chandlery and gift shop and where I should find a book on the subject of roses and castles.
Before we get back to Mercia
Hopefully, if we take Wifey’s camera with us today, we’ll have a couple more photos to include in this blog. Unfortunately the weather has not been conducive to camera work lately. But, it seems to be brightening up now and, now that we have our Blogger back, things are looking up. Whoopee!
Monday 7th May
Well, so much for the camera yesterday, having taken it with us into town, we had so much to do that we completely forgot to use it. However, from what Wifey tells me, we do have some of Market Drayton on the computer, all I have to do is find them.
As for the Farmers Market, that wasn’t there either, despite the huge sign by the side of the canal advertising the fact. It would have helped had the person who designed it had left space for the date. As it is the sign simply tells you there is a market on Sunday, which is not much help really, and it is blooming frustrating to walk all that way for nowt!
 |
| The Tudor House Hotel, Market Drayton |
We did manage to get all the shopping, but we did so after a quick half at the Salopian something-or-other pub, a real spit and sawdust, one bar place. Wot? No Guinness? Shameful. I’m afraid a lager had to suffice.
Once again we have a calm and bright start to the day and we have five locks and four miles to go this morning.
Tuesday 8th May
Yesterday we managed five locks and four miles to the bottom of Adderley Locks and, pretty soon after our first cuppa, we had some rain. Later in the day it became a veritable deluge and carried on for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people continue cruising in nasty weather. I realise that some are holiday boaters and wish to get on with the business of enjoying their holiday, but how does anybody enjoy cruising in such a downpour?
Thankfully this morning has dawned bright and calm and so, with a bit of luck the 12 locks to Audlem should go well. This will bring us to moorings opposite the Shroppie Fly, a pub that does real good food. Also I have to try for the test strips that I need for my blood sugar tester.
My diabetes nurse at the surgery in Willington introduced me to a new testing machine but, when I first presented the prescription to the local chemist, they had to order the test strips in. This should have warned me and now, having found that even Boot’s have had none in stock, I’m chasing my tail from town to town, trying to find a chemist who has them. Even Boot’s were unable to order them in. I now have less than three weeks supply left, at which point I’ll have a serious problem without a new batch.
Now, I had hoped to post this blog today, what with it being pretty long but, as with most things Internet-wise, connection can’t always be relied upon and, our moorings at the bottom of Adderley Locks is a poor place for the Internet. I don’t think I’m going to have much success at Audlem either, the moorings there are pretty enclosed and I don’t remember how successful we were there last year.
Ah well, you’ll have a long read when I do finally post.
Wednesday 9th May
Yesterday was a real boon to us, having 11 locks to pass through in just two miles, with the sun shining and only two boats ahead of us, we considered ourselves to be pretty fortunate. We left the bottom of Adderley Locks as early as half past seven, but still we were beaten to the top of Audlem Locks but, with the fine weather we really couldn’t complain at the three hours it took to get through them.
When we’ve moored at Audlem in the past we’ve usually settled for the moorings outside the Shroppie Fly pub but, since we were approaching from the opposite direction, we stopped above locks 12 and tied up besides the underwater ledge. This can be a bit of a pain when other boats pass by, simply because normal fenders don’t stop the underside of the boat from hitting the ledge. However, some time ago we purchased two go-kart tyres and fixed eye bolts to them. Now, with the tyres being so much wider than fenders, we’re pretty much shielded from the bumps.
Once again, after our cuppa, we moseyed on into town to order my test strips. Hurrah! It seems the Boot’s here at Audlem can get them in for today.
 |
| The Church at Audlem |
All in all a pretty good day yesterday and this seems like a good place to stop and post. But first I have to locate some photos.
All abreast
Dave, Sheila and Rusty
No comments:
Post a Comment