Living The Dream: CAPTAIN'S LOG

Thursday, 14 November 2013

CAPTAIN'S LOG

WEEK 36

Wednesday 6^th November

Stafford B98 - Lock 42
1.5 miles and 1 lock

The centre of Stafford is a straight walk from bridge 98 (the A34) and is about one and a half miles. There are some lovely old buildings there and on a Monday morning it was very quiet and we virtually had the whole town to ourselves. We returned to Stafford on Tuesday as the museum that I wanted to visit was closed on Mondays. The museum is housed in Ancient High House which is the largest timber framed house in England, it is Elizabethan and was built around 1594. Unfortunately on the day we went there was also a school trip and as is was around lunchtime the kids had taken up a number of the rooms to eat their lunches, never mind we got a good impression of the place in the rooms we could get into, it’s well worth a visit and free too.

We headed off in the pouring rain stopping at Staffordshire Boat Club to get a pump out. I don’t normally mention the emptying of our tank in the log, but the service here was excellent and only £12 so deserves a mention. The Club is run by volunteers and when we arrived James went off to find someone to assist and there they were laying tiles in their newly built clubhouse, the guy that came to do our pump out was the Harbourmaster and the Commodore was assisting with the tile laying. We were told if passing again to stay overnight as they nearly always have a space or two and the charge would be £7.50 or just buy a few drinks in the volunteer run bar in the evening.

We went through Lock 42 Deptmore Lock, this is on CRT’s winter stoppage list from 11^th November so our target was met. We moored up just after in a nice rural stretch in pouring rain.

Early morning mist

Ancient High House - the largest timber framed house in England

Some other old buildings in Stafford

Alme Houses built in 1660

Rural mooring just above lock 42

Friday 8^th November

Lock 42 - Penkridge

3.75 miles and 3 locks

After a couple of days in the middle of nowhere it was time to move off and head for Penkridge. It started off being a lovely morning with bright sunshine only for it to change to cold and raining. We stopped before bridge 86 and Penkridge locks as it was 14 days moorings on this stretch but above the lock its only 48 hours and we intended spending a few days here. There is a great bakery in the village, Jaspers, we went there twice during our stay and both times lovely warm freshly baked loafs and a couple of their rock cakes.

On Saturday we went along to look at the outdoor market and noticed a banner there was advertising the Penkridge firework display later that evening, so along we went, it started at 6pm (8pm LJT). The massive bonfire was lit at 7pm with the fireworks starting at 7:30pm.

Sunday was Remembrance Sunday and we headed up to Penkridge Village to watch the parade and join the wreath laying at the war memorial outside the church.