Wheaton Ashton to Market Drayton

At last a proper internet signal so I'm able to do another catch up blog.

We left Wheaton Ashton on Wednesday 26th March stopping off at Turners garage for some of their reasonably priced diesel and stopped in Gnosall.

Spotted this kingfisher, it stayed just long enough to get this photo

Wheaton Ashton to Gnosall 5 miles

It was here that the guys from Stafford Enterprise came and picked us up on Friday to get a hire car, we headed down to Poole to see Jess and Lee and do a couple of little job at the house for them. One of the jobs was replacing the back fence which had been in a sorry state for sometime but finally came down completely in the winds they have had down there, luckily the weather was kind to us and we even got some preserver on as well.

We managed to get out on Saturday night to our favorite Chinese in Poole which is just a short stroll from Jess's. Mac's Garden is an all you can eat Chinese but freshly cooked to order, we certainly got our money's worth. All too soon Monday morning came with Jess and Lee both having to work so we headed off with our next stop being at Mum's about an hour and a half away. Here we helped her a bit in the garden where she had a shed removed and it just needed a bit of tidying up and stepping stone pathway rerouted, then it was off out for dinner again in the evening. 

We headed off Tuesday morning as we had to get the car back to the guys in Stafford by 3pm. We got dropped back to LJ just after 4pm and decided to make the short journey up to Norbury Junction. We went through Shelmore Wood and then the Shelmore Embankment which was the last part of the canal to be completed. It came about as Lord Anson refused to allow the canal through his game reserves at Norbury Park so it had to follow a different route, one that would take five years to complete due to many breaches. The embankment is about a mile long, 60 feet wide and about 60 feet high. We reached the moorings at Norbury to be greeted by Peter and Heather on Blackberry Way. We had a bit of a catch up, it's been a month since we last saw them when we left Birmingham.

Mooring at Norbury Junction

Gnosall to Norbury Junction 2.3 miles

We headed off on Wednesday on a bit of a mission as we had heard of some Ash trees which had been felled in Woodeaves Cutting and logs had been left for passing boaters, we were not disappointed and managed to pick up a good supply. 

This has got to be one of the most photographed bridges

One of the many old wharves

This bridge lives up to it's name of 'High Bridge'

We moored up just before the visitor moorings at Tyrley Locks ready for a day of sawing and splitting on Thursday.

Quiet spot just before Tyrley Locks visitor moorings

Lots of space for sawing and splitting

Norbury Junction to Tyrley  Locks 9.5 miles

On Saturday we headed off down the locks and into Market Drayton, where we are moored high up on another embankment looking down onto a fishery. It was then off to Lidl for a much needed shop, our fridge and cupboards were bare.

One of the sections of cutting through the rocks

Amazing how these trees survive with the roots clinging to the rock

At the end of the Market Drayton visitor moorings

View from the towpath outside LJ

Tyrley Locks to Market Drayton 1.3 miles and 5 locks

Total  68.7 miles and 53 locks