Day 7 Friday

Friday

Up and away just after 0500 and once again we were leaving the rural for the urban as we approached Stoke on Trent, but not before exploring a bit of canalside history although not to a successful conclusion , or was it? A brick wall alongside the canal didn't seem to have any purpose, so why was it there? A bit of exploring was needed at this point

Fairly long brick wall, but why?

A little exploring just past the wall mentioned in the previous photo and there are
traces of an abandoned railway line, so perhaps the brick wall was there to
stabilise the bank.  A look at the ordnance survey map later did confirm the
existence of a railway line along side the canal. Mystery solved

After solving our little mystery it was time to move on. Ivy House lift bridge soon came into view. Funny how as we prepared to raise the bridge there was no traffic in sight and yet again as soon as the bridge began to rise, cars came in both directions. I think it's called 'Sods law' never mind we were soon on the move again and heading for the water point at Etruria.

Ivy House lift bridge with Dave at the helm of 'Martha'

After Ivy House lift bridge, and whilst appreciating a number of new housing developments canalside, there is plenty of evidence of the canals illustrious past as it provided  a means of transport from place to place. Some derelict buildings and some thriving it would appear

The missing letters on this building had us wondering for a while. Then we
realised this is the famous Emma Bridgewater factory

Not obvious from this photo but there was plenty of activity going on inside

Another mystery and this one remains unsolved. A bit anonymous to say the least

We  arrived at the water point at 0800 and although the hour was late there was very little boat movement

At the water point and it can be noted that Trev is carrying rubbish for disposal
whilst making a phone call. This is known as multi-tasking. Men are very good at this!

Having topped up the tank and removed the rubbish we set off to negotiate the tight turn from the Caldon into the Trent & Mersey. Having Trev at the front with the pole certainly helped in this respect and then on to work the five locks of the Stoke flight, all of which were against us

About to join the Trent & Mersey. The great man seemed to approve

Passing the wharf at the Etruria Industrial Museum

This would have been a busy site with boats entering/leaving the site in either
direction and with locks to negotiate either side

Well kept towpath and the industrial theme remains. Pity about the graffiti

 Stoke railway station is just a few hundred yards away to the left

Didn't take too long to get out into the country again and as soon as it was convenient we stopped for breakfast/lunch. In warm sunshine and relaxed fashion we polished off the food and set off once more toward the base in Stone

A nice mooring location and a sign on the bridge
simply consisted of the word 'Pub'  with an arrow to
show the way. It would have been bad manners
to miss it so we gave it a try and nice it was too

A stop near Meaford pointed us to a pub by the name of The Lakeside Tavern. A fine pint, just one, called Lancaster Bomber, went down well. We wandered back to the boat ready for the locks that were waiting for us. Our timing was a bit out of kilter because as we approached the top lock there were three boats queuing and there seemed a bit of a delay.

We had a laugh with these two ladies and promised to put their photo on the Blog.
Promise kept and if you see this ladies you owe us £2,000 for this publicity shot

Eventually we descended the locks and soon arrived at our hire base in Stone and began the delicate manoeuvre of mooring which entailed turning the boat around using the time honoured method of pole and engine. Worked well and we had time for showers before heading into the beckoning nightlife of Stone. The Poste of Stone and then the Crown of India to be more accurate. Both very good it must be said.

All too soon it was time to return to the boat

Back on-board we discussed the merits of this holiday and concluded that whilst very heavy rain for the first couple of days did nothing to spoil things it was regarded as the low point. Now the high point was going through the Froghall tunnel and then mooring in the restored basin. It is a special place. Of course the Black Lion will go down in our memory banks as one of the best pubs we had ever encountered. It wasn't just the pub it was the location as well. One without the other would still be good but the two together and maybe 'Utopia' is the right word in this instance

The boat of course has to have a mention. Engine quiet and never missed a beat. All the controls are there for the steerer to use along  with gauges in clear sight and as far as inside goes the fit out was first class. Everything we could possibly have wanted was provided and as we prepared for our last night on board we reflected on the past week with great appreciation