Winter's on its way

We left our lovely mooring and chugged our way past Stourton Junction where the Stourbridge Canal heads off to the east, and after some nice woods we stopped in what we thought was a peaceful rural spot just south of Gothersley Lock. There was nobody around and all was calm until about 10.30pm when suddenly there was a roar of engines and several motorbikes

shot up and down the towpath by Gothersley Bridge ahead. We then

noticed a bright light by the bridge. It took a while using the binoculars to work out that a fire had been lit on the bridge... We watched from the covered welldeck until the motorbikes had gone and then nervously crept up to the bridge

where the the blaze was still crackling away - a mish-mash of wood, possibly taken from a Guy Fawkes night bonfire somewhere nearby. We managed to dismantle it as much as possible and crept back to the boat for a slightly uncertain night. All was calm however and the following day we notified CRT as the lovely old bridge had suffered a fair bit of fire damage. So much for a peaceful mooring!

We continued north, stopping for some coal at

Ashwood Marina and then stopped for a few days near Hinksford, where I discovered a lovely walk up onto a ridge and a fabulous farm shop. We then hunkered down in a small town called Swindon while Storm Debi did her worst. It was quite a social spot with some friendly boaters and plentiful free wood

from a friendly chap who was renovating a house by the canal. Heading on we came to Bratch Locks - a really unusual set-up where there are tiny pounds between the three locks and the gate paddles have to be operated in a certain order, all colour-coded! Safely up we then moored in what looked to be a lovely spot, but a nearby kennel-full of dogs howling encouraged us to move on a bit! From there

we could walk along the KingsWinford Railway Walk which was lovely, although sadly we didn't get to try out the cafe at the old station building.

Our supplies of coal were running low again but we knew Rich on fuelboat Roach was on his way. Having been delayed due to some stoppages we weren't quite sure when he'd appear, but the nearby Lidl, handy laundrette and local nature reserve at Compton kept us amused in the meantime. It was also time to sweep the chimney so we let the fire go out (unfortunately not on one of the warmer mornings!) and Rob got to play with our new dismantleable chimney brush. Rich finally arrived and we stocked up on much-needed coal and diesel. He'd had a long journey but was looking forward to chips from his favourite chippy in the village.

Just after Aldersley Junction we passed The Mindful Narrowboat again, last seen on the Avon back in the summer. They were struggling with some engine trouble but were luckily near a boatyard that would eventually sort out the problem. We passed the junction of the Shropshire Union canal at Autherley and carried on through a very narrow cutting,

where you can see how the canal had been hewn through a hard band of rock - an amazing feat. We stopped for a few days in a lovely rural spot - the only downside being the massive oak tree which covered our roof with leaves. Here we

experienced the first frost of the year which turned our surroundings into a winter

wonderland and made the muddy towpath easier to walk on. Once the sun came out however it was warm enough for coffee sat on the back deck! While it was dry we re-proofed the cratch cover and I made a wreath for Jasmine out of locally foraged greenery and Rob did some painting.

Continuing on past a large chemical works with slightly unnerving 'no mooring' signs, the canal descends the lock at Gailey with its turreted toll cottage known as the Round House and shortly after meets the M6 which runs noisily adjacent to it all the way to Penkridge. We were due to meet up with a

friend but sadly she had to cancel due to

Covid, however it was a handy place to base ourselves for a few days with access to shops - luckily as we were frozen in a for a few days! Many years ago I stayed in Penkridge while attending a training course nearby and used to run along the canal before work.

I never imagined I'd be back one day living on my own boat! Rob caught the train to Coventry to meet up with his cousin and collect the car, in readiness for a visit up to his Mum's in Cheshire. On a beautifully frosty day we ventured out in it across to Brewood on the

Shropshire Union where there's a handy little laundrette attached to a pub. It was also the day of a Christmas Fayre, several of the stallholders being boaters, so it was lovely to catch up with them and buy a few Christmas presents while our smalls were drying!

We awoke to snow the next day, but sadly some rain turned it to mush before lunchtime. Rob treated me to a lovely Sunday lunch at The Boat, we put up our Christmas decorations and then I beat him at Scrabble! Having done a tiny part of the Staffs & Worcs canal back in early 2022 we decided we should do the whole thing before retracing our steps to the Shropshire Union. Returning later than planned from seeing Rob's Mum we decided to set off. Although the sun was setting it was a lovely

evening and we did a few locks before it got too dark to see what we were doing! The weather wasn't so kind to us the next day and we got soaked heading to the outskirts of Stafford where we visited a handy Aldi across a wide bridge over a very flooded River Penk. Then it was on to Tixall Wide, a beautiful spot which you may recall if you've followed our journey from the start. Allegedly the landowner only allowed the canal to be built across his land if it was made to look like a

lake, and you emerge from the narrow canal onto this wide expanse of water, overlooked by Tixall Gatehouse, the only remains of the original property. This time, due to flooding, there was water on both sides of the towpath which formed a sort of embankment, which was a really unusual experience.

It was the perfect spot for our early Jasmine Christmas. We enjoyed a walk through Great

Haywood village, across the wonderful multi-spanned Essex Bridge, a Grade 1 listed monument over the River Trent, and around the walled gardens of Shugborough Hall before returning to the boat for a

Christmas movie and a mince pie, followed by a lovely festive dinner, complete with homemade crackers and bubbly!

This seems to be as good a place as any to leave you for this year. I hope you've enjoyed reading about our adventures, of which I'm sure there will be more in 2024. We love hearing your comments so please do keep them coming.

All that's left is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Lucy & Rob xxx

Tixall Wide with the gatehouse in the distance