Winter Cruise - Day One

It was past midnight when I got home from work last night, but even so we got up at 5am, and were on the road at 6 heading for Norbury Wharf.  A trouble-free journey meant we were there just after 9, and quickly unloaded the car and stocked up with coal.  Just after 9.30 we were heading south, having spun the boat in the basin.  It was a cold and misty day, so we lit the fire and hope to keep it in for the whole of our fortnight!  I steered while Adrian unpacked and put everything away.

There were only a handful of boats on the move, but typically we met both northbound ones at bridges.  We made our way through Gnosall Heath, through the diminutive Cowley tunnel, and on to Wheaton Aston, where we moored up for a lunch stop and a warm.

Setting off again, we went up the lock, much to the delight of a family who'd been hoping to see a boat.  The stretch through Brewood was exceptionally slow, with a couple of miles of moored boats.  We moored on the Shropshire Union Canal Society moorings just south of Bridge 8, at around 3.30.  It's another spot we've passed lots of times and liked the look of, but never stopped before.  It's lovely and quiet (even though the M54 is only a mile away), and very dark.

12 miles, 1 lock.