Summary

Summary

A fantastic holiday afloat. We looked forward to it with great anticipation and now it's over we have great memories. The hope is this 'Blog' has captured the imagination of others and they may follow in our footsteps

The Boat
Our boat, NB Martha, was first class. Everything one could want for a holiday on the canal system, from the basics to the sophisticated. It had the lot. Comfortable beds, superb and well fitted out galley, comfortable saloon area, TV DVD Radio CD great hot water system, two showers, excellent central heating and carpeted throughout

NB Martha

The Canals
Trent & Mersey and Caldon Canal. Well maintained and a pleasure to cruise on both. The Caldon must have a special mention because of its terrific scenery and more or less complete isolation at its upper reaches. It is an exceptional waterway and our eternal thanks go to those with the foresight to fight for its survival all those years ago. The engineering is everywhere from the construction of three feeder reservoirs to the clever use of the River Churnett in providing water for this canal and in turn part of the Trent & Mersey. Then there's the magnificent Hazelhurst Aquaduct a massive undertaking in its day. The towpath is also in very good shape and provides a safe haven for walkers, as long as they take care to avoid the cyclists that is

Upper reaches of the Caldon Canal

Consall Forge
An amazing place

The Pubs
Whilst we do enjoy having a pint at local pubs the only two we visited whilst on the move were The Hollybush at Denford and The Black Lion at Consall Forge. Both offered excellent food in super surroundings and each had a choice of real ales. We made the Black Lion something of a base due to its location. You really do feel you have stepped back in time. The whole area is tranquil and unique in what it has to offer

The Black Lion Consall Forge

The Hire Boat Company
A pleasure to do business with. Canal Cruising Ltd of Stone provide a quality service with well maintained and well fitted boats. Years of experience have placed them above some of the other firms and as usual fuel is included so it's not an extra. We believe including fuel is ethical and correct but it is only one of the reasons we chose this firm. Their location is ideal for a number of routes and for us The Caldon on the doorstep was an absolute requirement

A class act

The Weather
One thing you can depend on with a holiday in the UK is the weather will be an issue. We know this and it makes no difference at all to us. It is nice when it's warm and sunny and when it isn't it's a case of making the best of it. Now a narrowboat is a rather cosy and entertaining place to be when it's hammering down with rain, unless you happen to be steering the boat or working the locks. The secret is to have appropriate wet weather gear and the right mindset. It isn't difficult to enjoy yourself on the canals. On this occasion the weather was reasonable and fairly typical for the time of year

Thank you for reading our 'Blog'

Dave
Malc
Trev

Our calling card. We gave these out on our travels

What did we miss?

We regret we didn't find the hidden jewels (Joule's)

(see the earlier posts or click here)

Find the hidden jewels?

Maybe next time?

Day 9 Friday

Friday

Strictly speaking the holiday has ended or it will after our last breakfast on-board. It's now 0440

As always we discussed the merits of this holiday and agreed to do the same again next year, all being well.

Breakfast over and all that remained was to unload and tidy the boat which we duly did. Sorry the holiday was over but grateful for all the parts that made it a truly enjoyable week

All that remains is to complete a summary for the Blog

It is likely there will be some further editing with more text and pictures being added in the coming few weeks. Hopefully the technical difficulties that have prevented any video footage being added can be resolved. In the meantime thank you for following our Blog

Also, thank you to Karen, Peter and all at Canal Cruising Ltd. Stone for providing a super boat and first class service

Day 8 Thursday

Thursday

Malc was up at 0430 and made sure the rest of the team were awake and ready for action. Light breakfast first though

The light breakfast that we have to start the day is just that. However Trev has a particular favourite which is toasted cheese and he likes to sprinkle a little pepper on the cheese before toasting it. It works and he enjoys it most of the time

This morning as Trev was preparing his breakfast Dave and Malc were startled to hear Trev shout "Oh dear me" or words to that effect. It appeared that he erred when opening the pepper and poured the contents onto his cheese. We are writing to the manufacturer to demand proper notices are placed on this product to ensure no other members of the public are traumatised in this way

We think everyone should be able to follow these instructions eh Trev?

 Underway at 0520. A glance back at the neat moorings here at Milton reminded us what a fine place this is

Look at the colour, it's amazing

Nearly forgot to mention this and at the time it seemed quite important. We had arrived at Ivy House lift bridge at or around 0615. Malc went key in hand to operate the bridge. He turned the key and pressed the up button. Nothing happened. So he went through the sequence again, nothing worked it was completely dead. He gave each of the barriers a shake just in case they hadn't located properly after their last use, still nothing. It seemed the only thing for it was to phone the emergency number provided and wait. Malc then pressed the emergency stop button and started the sequence again and this time the light came on and the mechanics of the bridge started to work. relief all round and one to remember for the future. Panic over

A reminder of the time when Stoke on Trent became known as the Potteries

Now derelict a place that would have brought employment to many years ago

Approaching Bedford Street staircase locks

Working through Bedford Street locks in it's fine tree lined setting

The excellent waterway facility at Etruria. Clean and well maintained

Impressive skyline in the heart of Stoke on Trent

The top class moorings provided in the shadow of the Wedgwood factory

 This much photographed row of cottages line the canal in the Barlaston area. It is suggested they were homes provided for the workers of the adjoining boatyard. It makes sense if it's true

This is the site of the aforementioned boatyard

Now in Stone just two lock to go before the base

Wonder if this was the famous Joules Brewery?

This is a teriffic boat

Martha back at base and our crew are taking showers and heading into town.
Wetherspoons for a couple of pints then The Crown of India for a curry

We are about to open the free sample of beer that was provided
on arrival. Malc looks suitably impressed and Dave is already drinking his,
from a glass of course. None of us holds with drinking from bottles

Trev's Beer Dock T-shirt proves he's something of a fashion icon

Malc also thinks he's a fashion icon as indicated by this selfie

We finished where we started

Another night on-board and then the holiday will be well and truly over

Day 7 Wednesday

Wednesday

Rise and Shine it's 0440 and the alarms just gone off. After our usual light breakfast we set off toward Froghall initially for there was a need to turn the boat around. Half an hour later we slowly passed The Black Lion and agreed this is a fantastic part of the world. It's isn't just the pub and the grub, it's the entire area. So much more to see. Will we be back next year? Hope so

Rolling countryside seeming at every turn

Trev at the Hazelhurst flight
Dave had gone ahead to set the next lock

Leaving Hazelhurst. It's still early morning and not a bad  day

 We had considered a stop at Endon and then decided to just keep on plodding along. It was certainly turning into a nice day. A pleasure to be quietly moving along at around walking pace and just taking it all in. The kettle was on the go of course and there was always a cup of tea or coffee to be had

We are reliably informed that these are Canada Geese

Think this is one of the pounds at Stockton Brook

This is bridge No 23 well out in the wilds
Trev told us how many turns of the windlass it took to open this bridge
can't remember the figure

We moored close to bridge No 21 close to the village of Norton Green and near Engine Lock for a spot of lunch and a couple of hours fishing. All in all a peaceful day so far and the rain that had been forecast stayed away

Milton

Setting off we arrived at Milton and decided this would be our overnight stop. Just needed to moor up and that would be that. Oh Dear!!! Where are the mooring hooks? Then it dawned on us, we had untied the boat at the last mooring and forgot to lift the hooks from the piling. Which two idiots can we blame that on. That would be Malc and Trev. Nothing for it but to go for a walk and try to find them. Dave offered to go whilst Trev and Malc moored up using the steel pins, not ideal but little choice under the circumstances. It would be about a half hour walk. Trev and Malc pondered the futility of it all, after all the grass was fairly long and overhanging the canal so how would Dave spot even one of them. It was not too long before Dave appeared in view hands behind his back, then we heard a bit of a clank as the two hooks banged together. fair play to Dave he found them alright and all ended well

We had already planned to visit the excellent Fish & Chip shop for tea (we tried it last year so we knew it would be good). With this in mind Dave and Malc set off to check out the opening times and also to take a look around Milton and all it has to offer. Good thing we checked the Chip Shop, for there is a notice in the window explaining it's closed at the present time for refurbishment and will be opening soon under new ownership. A bit disappointing so we crossed over to have a look at the menu and opening times of the Indian Restaurant. That was disappointing as well for there was no menu on display nor any indication of the opening hours. Not a problem as there was plenty of food on the boat

Another blood curdling episode of Spartacus on the DVD  a light supper and an early night for we were to set off for Stone next day. And so to bed..................

Day 6 Tuesday

Tuesday

Consall Forge it is then

A gentle run back to Consall Forge seemed to fit in well rather than the trip into Leek for we had little need of provisions and the tranquility of the Churnett valley and the thought of another meal at The Black Lion was tempting.........too tempting. It's 0630 as we move away from the overnight mooring

The beer garden The Black Lion Consall Forge

Our mooring for the day

Super location

The River Churnett flowing gently over the weir as it makes its way
to join the River Dove which in turn joins the River Trent
with all that water eventually flowing into the North Sea via the Humber

As we moored here it 0900 there was plenty of time for a spot of exploring but not before a hearty breakfast. The weather was slightly overcast however this didn't deter Dave from his declared intention of "going for a walk" Trev elected for a spot of fishing whilst Malc decided to have a play about with the Blog. After a couple of hours or so Dave returned and declared he had little idea of where he had been other than it was up and down and hard work and, most importantly, very enjoyable. At this stage Malc decided to go for a wander and camera in hand set off  just as the rain commenced. It was just a shower as Malc thought and so he plodded on. Meantime Dave joined Trev in a spot of fishing. Malc returned eventually and our group discussed lunch arrangements, now we could go to The Black Lion, then again we had eaten a large breakfast around 0930 and our plan to eat at the pub in the evening might have been scuppered had we eaten lunch there. We decided to go in for a lunchtime pint and order a meal for the evening. What a sensible outcome

Adele taking care not to spill any of our
precious beer

It says Free House not Free Range mate!

Well stocked bar and more than enough real ale on offer
Malc was deep in thought and both Dave and Trev wondered what he was thinking
We would soon find out.........................

After a pint Malc was away for another short walk camera in hand. Where would he end up? Only time would tell

This area is home to Consall Nature Park more here

The Staffordshire Way passes here and there is an excellent guide to it's route more here

Two pics of the same pub - Fantastic - Which is best? Both of em, Who cares?

 

Looking along the valley towards Froghall

The overhanging platform at Consall Station. Quite a maintenance job by the look
of it. Lot of wood in the structure

What was Malc thinking earlier. here's the answer

Take a bar

Take a narrowboat

and combine the two

Now the perspective might not be right but the principle is great. Malc fully expects this to be a feature of this boat next year

We worry about Malc at times