Dates: Monday October 5th to Saturday October 17th
Overview: Advance planning has been tricky due to the number of canal closures. Some caused by water shortages, others by repair works. The emerging plan is a leisurely trip to Congleton and back, and we are to be joined by Chris and Chris for a couple of nights
Planning is made more difficult by our car being in for repair for over a week. It needs a new ABS pump, price new £500, but James at the Carmoor Road garage has been scouring the scrapyards of the northwest for a compatible second hand part. The Sunday of our departure slips by, and we are packed and ready to go, but lacking the means to do so. The car is finally available at 3pm on Monday, I cycle to collect it, bring it home, quickly load, and we are heading towards our marina by 5pm.
By the time we have stowed everything aboard the sun has set, so the first night aboard is spent in the marina before heading to Stone the next day.
And what a glorious autumn day it is, with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze, and this weather will stay with us for several days.
But it is autumn, with shortening days and falling temperatures. We check the boat's central heating, only to find that it's totally dead. It's not a big problem as we prefer the cosiness of the log burner, but investigations spread over several days discover a disconnected wire within the engine bay. Fixing this restarted the heating, but only one working radiator, and only temporarily. The next day the boiler would go through its start-up process but without igniting. There's always something needing attention on a boat. Often several things. And I never managed to get central heating without running the engine
A visit to the butcher's in Stone to stock up on cheese, and also burgers and sausages from their fabulous gluten free range. The warm weather meant we could have early evening barbecues two days running.
We have done this journey north on the Trent and Mersey several times before, and it has developed a familuar pattern and rhythm. A short hop to Stone, with an evening in The Royal Exchange. Up through the Stone locks to Barlaston with its excellent post office and local store. The Plume of Feathers is an expensive optional extra
Then on towards Stoke on Trent and its flight of five locks. I can report that the graffiti and murals on the canalside walls is slowly improving.
We like to moor in the Etruria basin, on the start of the Caldon canal. It is well placed for walking to The Holy Inadequate, one of our favourite pubs. We have never found anywhere to eat out near here, so we cook on board. This time it's Vera's delicious corned beef hash.
For this trip we now head further north, through the two mile long Harecastle tunnel. Harecastle, Scarecastle. Emerging, blinking, into the light at the northern portal the weather has become more gloomy. But it's only a short distance to our mooring near the Poole aqueduct carrying us and the Macclesfield canal over the Trent and Mersey at Kidsgrove. The heavens open as we come into moor, and we are soon drenched as we tie the boat up.
A change into dry clothes and to enjoy the warmth of the log burner. I often compare the narrowboat experience to camping, but in truth it's a whole other world of comfort and convenience
Our two friends Chris and Chris join us that evening for what will be two nights on board. We are not traveling far, a few miles to Congleton, the furthest point of this trip.
We stop to visit Little Moreton Hall, a moated Tudor manor house in the rolling Cheshire countryside
Then onwards to Congleton, where we turn round and moor by the station. The Chris's catch one of the hourly trains back to Kidsgrove to move their car nearer to the boat. It's only a six minute train journey, but allows them an early start the next day for the drive back south.
A early evening drink in The Wonky Pear. Great pub.
We eat out at a very lively Turkish restaurant. If it's your birthday the staff come out with flaming blowtorches, dress the hapless victim as a Turkish warrior, and give a spirited rendition of Happy Birthday. It's Istanbul Village, in case you want to visit.
Chris and Chris make a 6.30 getaway on the Sunday morning. Later, at a more sensible time, Vera and I make the 20 minute walk through quiet residential streets to the beating heart of Congleton. It's a nice looking town, if rather sleepy on a Sunday. Lots of old characterful buildings and independent shops.
And then it's time to start making our slow way back towards our Aston Marina base. Quiet mooring on the canal near Little Moreton Hall, through the Harecastle tunnel, and two nights moored at Etruria. This is becoming one of our favorite mooring locations
On the way to the Holy Inadequate Vera spots a kingfisher. This is the fifth of this trip. Normally a kingfisher sighting is just the merest hint of a flash of electric blue. Here we get a prime view of the bird, perched on a branch, holding the fish that it has just caught.
We have also booked ourselves onto a factory tour of the Emma Bridgewater pottery. It's interesting following the production process from mixing the clay into a slurry, all the way through the firing and decorating processes.
Also while in Stoke we stop by the Portmeirion shop to top up our own home crockery.
And so we slowly make our way back to Aston Marina. We arrived on the boat later than planned, and we also leave earlier. This is to get home to see the first play of the season at our Northenden theatre. The timing turns out to be quite fortuitous, as we both start to develop sore throats and colds on arrival back home. The weather also turns, into a colder and wetter series of autumn days. We realise how lucky we have been to get such a period of mostly warm, mostly calm weather so late in the season. We are due back aboard in two weeks time. Will we be so fortunate then?
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