Betton Wood (nr Adderley) to Wheaton Aston

Monday 10th August 2009
Grey to start the day, then drizzly and wet.

We headed south on the Shropshire Union Canal - stopping to try to get supplies in Market Drayton. This wasn't particularly successful. After a fairly long walk I found an Aldi supermarket, and was told by a young Eastern European woman that the other supermarket was a Lidl. Sorry, I don't need mega packs of Haribo or bargain garden solar lights.

Tyrley Locks start in a cutting, and have strong bye-washes at each lock, causing boats to head off in all directions. There were long queues and people began to get quite short tempered. The scenery is however, like the rest of this stretch, beautiful.


Bottom lock, Tyrley.

A short distance after the locks, Woodseaves cutting is extremely narrow, through solid rock. Trees overhang on both sides. It's also very damp, with ferns and mosses growing on the slopes of the cutting. In places the towpath is so damp that there is duckweed growing on it, and it looks more like a pond.

Green, and damp






Towpath


We were part of a convoy travelling through the cutting, and fortunately didn't come across many coming the other way.


Approaching Cadbury Wharf, Knighton in the rain.

The wharf formerly had deliveries of chocolate crumb, but there is no longer a chocolate factory here. There were several working boats moored.


Alan looks back at the working boats as we pass Cadbury Wharf.






After this is Shebdon embankment, which was closed only a couple of days after we passed through, due to a leak in the embankment. We were fairly close to finding that we had to go back in the other direction around the Four Counties ring.

We were getting low on diesel, and Alan was getting worried that we might run out, so we started standing on one side of the boat, to tip the tank. However, we safely made it to Norbury Junction, and refilled there.

Then on through Gnosall, which I've often wondered how to pronounce - we were told by someone that it's "knows all".

Many miles without locks, after the five we tackled early in the day. We eventually moored up in Wheaton Aston, and off to the pub for a drink before dinner.

Miles: 21, Locks: 5
Total Miles: 260.5, Total Locks: 245