Westport Lake

These two working boats are owned by Nuneaton canal society and ask for volunteers to work them.... They were going to Wolverhampton for coal and then going down to London to sell it. They were lovely boats but caused havoc at Atherstone locks !

 

 

We eventually lost them at Fazeley Junction and carried on heading towards Fradley and the Trent and Mersey.

Greg trying out his grumpy old man look!!

Pooley nature reserve.

 

 

And then it started to rain.....

and rain.....

and kept raining.....

Rugeley Power Station in the distance.

This would be Greg's dream boat!

On the way up the Trent and Mersey we met another couple who had had to go and fetch their boat from Hawkesbury Junction as they had got stuck there when the lock was closed and had to leave their boat as they needed to be back at work. The locks were quite busy as everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction and at most locks there was a 5 boat queue. We soon got chatting though and got the boats through fairly quickly.

At one of the locks is an artist who makes the most amazing sculptures.

 

Talk about a nice perch.

Trentham Lock.

That's a lot of water coming through the lock.

Going through Stoke on Trent.

You have to moor quite a way from the lock here as its under 2 railway bridges and has a whirlpool in the middle.

Just before Westport lake is this old factory which has been taken over by a travelling family...They have managed to fill most of the building with junk, old suitcases and furniture.

As we re getting nearer to Harecastle tunnel the water is starting to turn rusty orange...Its an early start tomorrow to go through the tunnel and then start heading up the Macclesfield Canal which will be new ground for us.

Happy days.