Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 10:37:21 +0100 From: Andrew Dyke Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Subject: Trip Report- From the Cut [ The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set. ] [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set. ] [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ] Hi All, Second report in the way to the GIG Monday 14th August. We wake at 7am and I make Wendy a cup of tea. Wendy had filled a flask with boiling water the night before so that we could have early morning drinks without disturbing our fellow boaters. We breakfast, a good fry up and then as the forecast is not good in the am and better in the pm we decide to wind just up the cut and go bask to Barlaston and visit the Wedgewood factory this morning. John turned the boat, well eventually and we headed off to the factory. This is an excellent 5 quids worth and well worth the visit. You are taken round the working factory, so what you are seeing is the china actually being made. Each section is explained via a headset given to you as you enter and is very well done. Back to the boat at 1.30 and again wind at the convenient hole and off again. I steer the boat as we retrace our steps. The weather is overcast and breezy, with the odd shower. The countryside soon gives way to the outskirts of Stoke on Trent. Its now industrial and derelict. Its difficult to know what are working factories, most of the buildings look in the same state. Only the odd missing roof, gives the game away. We then start the locks. They are well kept and not too difficult. At the top lock there is a very tight right hand bend that takes you up onto the Caldon Canal. I try and get round the almost 180 degree turn in one go but am unable to get round without a 3 point turn. John now takes over the steering as we enter the staircase locks. Another boat is following us and one waiting to come down. The buildings are, if anything, a little more dilapidated than before. The canal is narrow and we twist and turn through Hanley. We pass a park with a very nice clubhouse and then the college. We continue on, its bends and turns are quite different to the canal we have just left. At Ivy House Bridge we have to stop the traffic and raise the road bridge. A BWB key is required here. Its quite novel to do. Eventually we leave the built up areas and are in the countryside again, with lovely views to the right. Its raining on and off. We arrive at Foxley and the Foxley pub, our mooring for the night. I investigate the pub. It has food, although the menu is somewhat limited. Its 6.30pm. The TV aerial goes up and the picture is very good. Janet has showered on route, the rest of us shower and change for the evening. We watch Coronation Street, well I have to find out what Jezz Quigley is up to. At 8.00pm we toddle over to the pub for dinner. The Foxley is an old fashioned sort of pub that seems to run on a shoestring. They have no white wine!, not a good start. We order 3 steaks and 1 cod. John and I play pool in a room that is too small for the table but we have had a few wets on the way and it doesn't seem to matter. Our play is not that good anyway. The Guinness has a strange taste, we put this down to its age!. The barman got the drinks order wrong and Janet end up with 2 gin and tonics. Wendy's red wine is excellent she says. The food arrives. It all looks very nice. We start to eat and discover that the steaks are a bit on the tough side. What makes matters worse, is the cutlery has seen better days and the forks bend easily in use. We laugh and Janet cannot control herself. She giggles for the rest of the meal. The food was actually quite nice, when you eventually got it in you mouth. Back to the boat and a game of 'Reminiscing' is decided upon. This is a board game and has questions based upon the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. If you don't like Trivial Pursuit, you will hate this. The questions are ridiculous. Example, 'the high inflation with low economic activity and employment which reigned over Britain in and around 1975 was called __________?. Answer, Stagflation. I rest my case. Wendy and John, won the game. We didn't play a second, instead we stood on the back the back of the boat and looked at the stars and discussed the universe over a few glasses of port and whiskey. Great way to finish a smashing day on the cut. We bedded at 11.30 and were soon asleep. Tuesday 15th August We wake at 7.30am and after doing the engine checks and putting more stern grease in the tube, are away by 8.30am. Its hot and sunny. We breakfast on route, bacon butties. We wend our way through the countryside, the canal is still narrow and has tight narrow bridges and sharp bends. Its also very shallow in places and we touch bottom several times. We go up through Engine Lock, which is very deep and then on passing more lift bridges on the way. I sit on the back of the boat and steer. Its high up and the view is splendid. We stop for water at Endon. This looks new and as well as RWS there are also showers. A BWB key is required. The girls go shopping to the nearby Spa shop. The canal continues to wind, twist and turn through the countryside. At Hazehurst Locks while doing the locks and reading the sign, mind the step, falls down the step and grazes her leg. We reach the junction Leek Branch. We carry on, now going down the locks. Through countryside again and the occasional wooded area, this really is lovely. At Bridge 48 the canal briefly joins the River Churnet. Just after this we turn sharp left avoiding the weir and up the narrow, very narrow, just room for one boat on some sections, narrow, final length of canal. This whole section is wooded and very pretty. The pace is slow. Its now raining on and off, which takes the shine off the scenery, but never mind. At 5.00pm we arrive at the head of the navigation. There is nothing to speak of at Frogall, bog all at Frogall says John. We wind and start our return journey. We are heading for The Black Lion at Consall Forge. We arrive at 6.10m in the pouring rain, and moor just past the bridge before the right hand turn. Janet and John have a shower together, 'to save water', yeh, yeh,. . I try to send this e-mail. No chance, no signal. We have 4 phones on board, 2 Cellnet, 1 Orange and 1 Vodaphone. None of them work. The TV picture is also bad and the radio reception s poor. Not good in the electronics dept. Off to the pub at 7pm and a splendid pub it is too. Steak and kidney pie all round, except Wendy, who had a veggie thing. The Old Peculiar was excellent, as was the service. A few wets then Bed. 'Don't Fall In' Andrew >From the Cut andrewdyke@thatcameraplace.freeserve.co.uk ---