Wet and some dreadful driving

Saturday 3rd September; Fradley junction to Hopwas Woods

First thing today I walked back to the facilities block to dispose of rubbish and recycling.  I noticed yesterday that the recycling bins at Fradley are placed behind and a little away from the general rubbish skips – this has meant that there is no rubbish dumped in the recycling bin by people who can’t be bothered to read the signs!  Excellent. 

We wanted to be away promptly this morning as the forecast said it would be raining from about midday.  Huh!  It started as we pulled out.

Our neighbours last night have had their boat for years and truly thought they were the only boat called Chance on the canals …. how can they have missed our bloggers?

We were in full waterproofs well before we got to Streethay Wharf, where we filled up with diesel at 59p.    I had to shelter under the bows of a boat on the hardstanding to take this picture!

We also visited the chandlery to pick up Towpath Talk etc and get a new floating key ring.  That’s it for photos today, far too wet to keep the camera out.  At Huddlesford we saw a paramedic on his way to a narrowboat – we hope everything turned out ok.  The rain got heavier as we went through Whittington and we started to get rather cold, so although only an hour or so from our destination we gave in and moored at Hademore House bridge for an early lunch – something hot, the first time since spring.   As we travelled we had heard occasional bursts from a public address system and guessed there was some kind of event taking place in Whittington, and while we sat inside in the dry a tractor crossed the bridge with a trailer full of passengers, luckily for them with an awning giving them some protection from the weather.  What a rotten day for an outdoor function!  But by about 3 the rain had stopped so we continued on to Hopwas Woods, our planned mooring for the night.  As soon as we had moored we cleared off into the woods to give our patient doggy a good walk, but it was too gloomy for photos – the flash on my camera is broken and I didn’t have my phone.

On our return we had just put the kettle on when a boat going far too fast roared by, rocking us a fair bit but pulling the next boat along off its moorings, so we went straight out to help.  It was deserted, unlocked, untidy and smelling damp, though the license was up to date.  The bow was still attached with a bit of blue rope tied directly to the piling, but the nappy pin hook at the stern had been bent out of shape at some point and had pulled out.  There was no rope long enough to pull the stern back in and Dave had to go and get our boat hook.  While we did our best to secure the stern, the offending boat had crashed into the trees on the bend further along and got stuck, serve the inconsiderate so-and-sos right – a young man with a female companion.  The boat was bright blue and called something like Adventurer or Voyager; watch out if you see them!

Tea was delicious sausages from the Alrewas butcher.

7 and a half miles