Little Haywood to Great Haywood

Walked to the farm shop café for a birthday breakfast. Then back to the boat, one lock and home.

1 mile, 1 lock, 1 engine hour

Ingestre to Little Haywood

Mostly cloudy and cold, some drizzle and then rain. Decided we could get back to Bransgore at the weekend, so came past the marina and down to the Taft for diesel. 63p now, as against the 55p it was when we left. 141 litres, with an allowance for the Webasto use, gives about 1.5 litres / hour – a bit less economical than the stretch to Norbury Junction. We've probably been going faster and using the Webasto more.

Coming back, tied up between Colwich and Great Haywood locks, leaving one for tomorrow.

9.3 miles, 4 locks, 4.7 engine hours

Stone to Ingestre

Chilly day, with bright start and rain later on. Picked up a sweatshirt round the prop at Aston lock. All the moorings at Weston were taken so came on and tied up at Ingestre bridge in the rain.

7.5 miles, 3 locks, 3.7 engine hours

Barlaston to Stone

Coming through Stone, got a woven nylon bag round the prop just as we were going into the second lock going down. Fortunately it was removed without much hassle – even kept the lock gates open while we did so.

Washed trainers again (dog dirt from Barlaston mooring) and took on water at the water point below the final lock in Stone.

4.6 miles, 8 locks, 4 engine hours

Westport Lake to Barlaston

Day alternated between sunny and warm (shall we go up the Caldon?) and chilly and overcast (make tracks for home). Bit of a to-do at Stoke top lock when the boater in front didn't appreciate my manoeuvring to both get in line and avoid the Viking coming up the lock. Tied up on the moorings above the Wedgwood Works Bridge, opposite the Alpaca farm.

8.1 miles, 6 locks, 4.3 engine hours

Kidsgrove to Westport Lake

Church at St Thomas's, Kidsgrove. Found our way down to the entrance to Harecastle tunnel and walked back along the towpath. Sunny day at this point, but got gloomier through the afternoon as we came through the tunnel and tied up at Westport Lake.

3.7 miles, 0 locks, 2.5 engine hours

Buglawton to Kidsgrove

Winded before the Bosley locks. Found we had more dog mess on my shoes – probably picked up in the act of setting off. So we stopped at the "Secret Water" to clean it all up, and to re-fill the tank since we'd done a wash. Cloudy, cool and slightly damp day. Pump-out at Heritage Narrowboats (£17). Tried unsuccessfully to call on Roy and Audrey (NB Rosie). Tied up at the aqueduct moorings shortly before re-joining the T&M.

Taybrite fire took a long time to get going tonight – had to intervene before it properly caught.

9 miles, 0 locks, 4.5 engine hours

Rounds Nº2 Bridge 86 to Buglawton

Keith and Sue from NB Claddau were moored near by and came to chat before walking down to Little Moreton. They knew of a water point at Buglawton that's not on the Nicholson's map – a relief as it means we won't have to go all the way up the Bosley flight for water. A day of sun, cloud and cold wind – had the body warmer on for most of it. Tied up just round the corner from Buglawton, with a view across to the Cloud.

5.2 miles, 0 locks, 3 engine hours

Rounds Nº2 Bridge (Bridge 86)

Ran the engine first thing with SG on 50. Went for a walk up Mow Cop via Bridge 85. Fine weather but very windy at the top. Expected to have a pub lunch, but one had closed, one was closed till the weekend, and the one down the hill doesn't open at lunch time. Lady gave us a lift back to Bridge 85, so we got back to Erin Mae at 1 p.m. Ran the engine again in the evening.

0 miles, 3.5 engine hours

Moreton (Bridge 81) to Moreton (Bridge 86)

Winded and went back to Heritage Narrowboats for solid fuel (2 bags Taybrite), since none of the coal boats are passing immediately. Turned again in the marina entrance and came up to the 48 hour moorings at Bridge 86 (Rowndes Nº2 Bridge). Went for a walk to prospect the route up Mow Cop for tomorrow.

2.3 miles, 0 locks, 1.8 engine hours

Kidsgrove to Moreton (Bridge 81)

Sunny day meant we decided to turn aside and go up the Macclesfield Canal. Tried to tie up near Bridge 85 for a walk up to Mow Cop, but shallow water made mooring hard, and eventually tied up just beyond Bridge 81.

Realised too late we were running out of solid fuel. Will need to go back to Heritage Narrowboats tomorrow for a few bags.

4.4 miles, 2 locks, 3.1 engine hours

Kidsgrove

Sunny day. Walked about a mile to St Thomas' church for an all-age service. Then caught the bus to the Toby carvery for lunch. Ran the engine morning and evening for charge and hot water.

0 miles, 3 engine hours

Rode Heath to Kidsgrove

SG down to 39% overnight, from 83. Conclusion is that the batteries are shot. SG is being fooled by the surface charge, especially with a day of reasonable solar charging, but the batteries are depleting very quickly. Ran the engine from 8, and set out just after 11.

Showers promised, and they turned into some quite heavy rain later on. Came up to the pound between the Macclesfield aqueduct and Harding's Wood junction, with water at the Red Lion Wharf on the way. No TV signal whatsoever, though mobile broadband seems OK. Fire lit early. Visit to Tesco.

2.6 miles, 11 locks, 6.5 engine hours

Rode Heath

Stayed put and went by bus to see NT's Little Moreton Hall. Weather mixed, but SG (50% overnight + 1 hour engine for charging), was reading 87 when we returned. Decided not to run a further charging period and see.

0 miles, 1 engine hour

Wheelock to Rode Heath

Very windy today, but mostly good sunshine. Tied up in Rode Heath 100 yards before Bridge 140 –excellent ringed moorings.

3.8 miles, 14 locks, 4 engine hours

Ettiley Heath to Wheelock

Cruised into Wheelock, found a good place on the almost empty 48 hour moorings, and caught the bus into Sandbach for a visit.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1 engine hour

Middlewich to Ettiley Heath

Came down Wardle Lock to Kings Lock Chandlery to get the Webasto serviced and the heating system antifreeze changed. Mick also looked at the warning buzzer (etc) problem, to no avail until Steve suggested changing the ignition switch. That resolved all the warning lights / buzzer issues. Still no tachometer, and a lower than expected reading on the analogue voltmeter on the control panel. Bought their Sikaflex substitute to seal up the control panel when I do the remaining jobs back in the marina.

Then pushed on towards Wheelock, but stopped short in case, at this late hour, there was no space to moor. Beautiful late afternoon for cruising.

5 miles, 6 locks, 3 engine hours

Middlewich

Drizzly day – stayed put. Arranged with Steve at Kings Lock for the Webasto service tomorrow. Ran the engine in the afternoon for hot water and to top up the SOC.

0 miles, 2 engine hours

Middlewich

Moved Erin Mae further towards the junction before church, and again in the afternoon, to get slightly better TV reception. Went to St Michael's Family service in the morning, and to the Churches Together event at the Methodist in the evening, to hear Fiona Bruce speak.

0.2 miles

Bridge 21 to Middlewich

Just a short trip, but we need to stay in Middlewich over the weekend. Tied up on the visitor moorings but quit4e a long way back from Wardle lock. Went down to Kings Lock chandlery to arrange for the Webasto service and anti-freeze, but need to leave finalising till Monday, when Steve is back after breaking his collarbone. Bought some proper Morso fire-rope and glued that in place. Took a lot of force to close the door, but managed it.

2.4 miles, 1 lock, 1.7 engine hours

Barbridge to Bridge 21

First place we'd thought about stopping had a severe shelf in spite of being a nominated visitor mooring, so we moved on to the moorings overlooking the Winford flashes – really nice spot to stay. Shortly after Adrian and Dawn on NB Chalico came from behind and stopped just in front. Adrian got a great photo of a kingfisher on Erin Mae's bow.

6 miles, 2 locks, 2.8 engine hours

Nantwich to Barbridge

Ran the engine first thing to get the charging started. Got a pump-out mid-morning at Nantwich marina and bought some rope for the Squirrel ash-pan door. Would have had to wait too long for water, so went on and got it at Barbridge junction. Turned down the Middlewich arm and tied up a few hundred yards before Cholmondeston Lock.

4.5 miles, 0 locks, 5 engine hours

Nantwich

Went shopping in Nantwich and then back in the evening to the J John event at the parish church. relied on just solar.

0 miles, 0 engine hours

Hack Green to Nantwich

Ran the engine from 8.30 for both the batteries and hot water for a shower. Bright day for cruising, but not too hot. Tied up on the 48 hour moorings before reaching the aqueduct. Took bedding and towels to the launderette in Nantwich Marina basin. Found Rex and Margaret Wright moored up in front of us on our return, and they came for muffins and a drink in the evening

2.7 miles, 2 locks,  4.5 engine hours

Audlem to Hack Green

Dull but dry day, got sunny in the afternoon. Took on water before leaving. Paused at Hack Green to visit the bunker, and then decided to stay on these decent moorings. Got a first coat of varnish on the back and front doorsteps.

3.1 miles, 2 locks, 1.8 engine hours

Adderley to Audlem

Hot sunny day. Got cruising at about 10 and made very good progress down the Audlem flight. Water at the Shroppie Fly and mooring at the the end of the 48 hour moorings below the next lock. Dropped a windlass as we were tying up and couldn't find it with the magnet.

2.8 miles, 13 locks, 3.7 engine hours

The Wharf Tavern to Adderley

Promised early showers did not appear. Left mid-morning, down the Tyrley flight to Market Drayton. Stopped there for lunch and a bit of shopping. Pushed on mid-afternoon and thought about stopping above the Adderley flight. The shelf was too severe so we went down the flight to the visitor moorings below.  No Three or TV signal.

7.3 miles, 10 locks, 4.5 engine hours

Gnosall to the Wharf Tavern

Misty as we set out, but the sun came out in the afternoon, warm enough to dry the washing. Filled up with diesel at Norbury Junction, and checked their chandlery for tachometers, to no avail.

Came a bit further than CanalPlan suggested and tied up opposite the Wharf Tavern – first time we've stopped here.

70.77 litres at 59p/l & 30/70 split.

10.4 miles, 0 locks, 4.5 engine hours

Shropshire Union Bridge 7 to Gnosall

Hot, sunny day. Washing went out in the cratch and dried easily as we travelled. The only lock was at Wheaton Aston, going down, so no danger to the washing from that.

Could have gone on past Gnosall, but we've got a little time in hand to get to Audlem for Sunday. Tied up in our now usual spot before the first bridge. TV signal is odd. Seems strong, but no ITV, Channel 4 or 5. However, good signal for the HD versions of all of those.

10 miles, 1 lock, 4.3 engine hours

Shropshire Union Bridge 7

Stayed put intending to do some painting. Orphan Mable rang with a vast price for the tachometer, so we didn't go ahead. Spent a lot of time researching alternatives. Did a wash, but by the time it was ready there was a thunderstorm.

Ran the engine for charging while the washing machine was on.

0 miles, 2 engine hours

Pendeford to Shropshire Union Bridge 7

Got down to Oxley Marine for just after 9 for the 1000 hour service, though had to wait for over an hour for Philip to come back from a call-out. Service went fine – no tappet adjustment needed. Everything looked clean and in good condition – including the fuel.

He greased the drive seal with silicone grease, and topped up the antifreeze to bring its SG to the correct level.

Philip removed the control panel to see whether there was anything obviously causing a problem with the tachometer. In the process the warning buzzer was corrected – probably a loose connection. Tachometer looks as though it has failed and will need to be replaced. Philip sealed the panel again with silicone from a gun, but it's a bit messy.

Then we backed to the junction, took on water at the first point on the Shroppie and came up to the rings between bridges 7 and 8.

4 miles, 1 lock, 2.6 engine hours

Pendeford

Stayed put, and just enough sun not to need to run the engine. Went to church in St Paul's, Pendeford. Did some essentials shopping at Morrisons on the way back to Erin Mae.

0 miles

Deepmore Bridge to Pendeford

Followed a slowcoach to Cross Green, but this was a relatively short run. Nobody in the narrows. Tied up on the Armco at the end of the narrows.

4 miles, 0 locks, 1.5 engine hours

Deptmore lock to Deepmore Bridge

Decided there was no need to call in a Penkridge or Gailey, so came all the way through Hatherton to the good moorings following Deepmore Bridge.

9.8 miles, 10 locks, 6 engine hours

Great Haywood to Deptmore Lock

Left after the morning rain had stopped. By that time there was little traffic in our direction, in contrast with eight boats waiting to come down Great Haywood lock. Took on water at the junction, and then came without a stop to moor up just round the curve above Deptmore lock.

Windy day, just a fleck or two of rain, but a sunny late afternoon.

7 miles, 3 locks, 3.8 engine hours

Armitage to Great Haywood

Left the Ash Tree mid-morning and stopped in Rugeley for some shopping. Weather was fine and getting quite warm by the end. After lunch we cruised to the Taft and stopped to give the Thorns some left-over halyards from the Fazeley weekend, and to see if I could help with Julie's access to the website via her iPad.

Came through Colwich lock and tied up on the stretch before the ornamental bridge. Lots of boats around.

6.1 miles, 1 lock, 3.7 engine hours

Fradley to Armitage

Nice sunny day when we started out, though it got cloudier. Only short queues at Fradley and Wood End. Tied up outside the Ash Tree, and will eat there tonight.

7.6 miles, 3 locks, 1 swing bridge, 4.3 engine hours

Fazeley to Fradley

Cloudy day, but brightened up around 5 p.m. Got away from the mooring around 11.30 and went down to Fradley Mill Marina for a pump-out and a gas bottle. Then back up to Fazeley junction and turned left for Fradley. Took on water at the junction.

Tied up just before bridge 90 at Fradley, in the same spot as on the way down.

10.6 miles, 0 locks, 5 engine hours.

Fazeley

Batteries down to 52 overnight, so didn't run the Webasto in the morning. Ran the engine for an hour after the BCF communion service, as there wasn't much sign of sun. SG gave the SOC as 65 after that, and then some sunshine pushed it up to 70 by late afternoon.

Gas bottle ran out first thing. We'd noted that it was low as we got to Fazeley, and that the other bottle was also not full. We assumed that the Gibsons had switched bottles, without us registering it, so both would be empty. Consequence: no tea for breakfast. However, I looked at the other bottle when we got back after the service, and it appeared to have some gas. Perhaps the Gibsons had switched bottles before the old one was empty. So we had gas for today.

Waste tank light came on in the afternoon. We're told we can get gas and a pump-out in the morning at the marina just a few hundred on from our mooring.

Fazeley

Mostly rain and cloud, with a bit of sun in the afternoon. Batteries 65 to 55 during the day.

Fazeley

Dull day. Batteries from 90 to 76 during the day.

Fradley to Fazeley

Sunny day for cruising. Some hold ups for slow boats. Tied up just short of the footpath up to St Paul's church in Fazeley

10 miles, 0 locks, 3.5 engine hours

Rugeley to Fradley

Shopping first thing, under way at about 12.30 with weather getting warmer all the time. Only a brief queue at Wood End and Fradley, where we turned right on to the Coventry Canal. Tied up just past Bridge 90 – good armco (though slightly too broad for our hooks) and pretty quiet in spite of the proximity of the A38. CanalPlan had suggested by Bridge 90A, but this spot is much better.

Water at Fradley, just past the junction. Washing load run while travelling, and out on the Vango once we'd stopped.

9 miles, 3 locks, 1 swing bridge, 4.5 engine hours

Wolseley Bridge to Rugeley

Late start. Day very warm and sunny. Called in at the Taft for coffee with Julie, and then stopped to chat with Chris and Sharon of NB Krystyna. Tied up on the Rugeley visitor moorings, and by the time we thought about anything else, it was too late for shopping or moving, so we stayed put.

3 miles, 0 locks, 1.5 engine hours

GH Marina to Wolseley Bridge

Started out after some final chat with Steve, and Dawn & Adrian. Good weather. Long queue at Colwich Lock. Tied up on the last mooring before Wolseley Bridge. Went to the pub to eat in the evening.

3 miles, 2 locks, 3 engine hours

Gibsons' trip

Mark and Cheryl, Amelia and Sam Gibson had the use of Erin Mae from 22/07/16 to 31/07/16. They got down the Staffs and Worcs to the River Severn and back. They re-fuelled and got a pump-out before leaving.

Total: 64 engine hours

GH Marina to Tixall Wide and back

Robin from Wildwood church came over in the afternoon, so we took him for a cruise down to the Wide and back.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1 engine hour

GH Marina to Tixall Wide and back

Collected Ted and Mary in the car from Lichfield. Went down to Tixall Wide with them for most of the day. Then back to the marina before driving them over to Lichfield.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1 engine hour

Tixall Wide to GH Marina

Gentle cruise from the Wide back to the marina

1 mile, 0 locks, 1 engine hour

GH Marina to Tixall Wide

Mark and Cheryl came to see what Erin Mae was like, in preparation for their cruise. After they left we got a pump-out at the marina, and then went down to Tixall Wide for the night.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1 engine hour

Great Haywood to Bridge 68 and back

After two days on the boat with wind and rain, took the boys for some boating down to the Bridge 68 winding hole and back, now that the wind had finally dropped a bit. Middle two hours were wet. They enjoyed the boating and the locks more than previous years.

8 miles, 4 locks, 4 engine hours

Tidal Wide to Great Haywood

Mostly sunny day, with a few specks of rain. Turned right at GH junction to get diesel (105 litres @ 55p/l) and a £22 gas bottle from the Taft Wharf.

Lots of traffic going down, none coming back.

8.3 miles, 4 locks, 4.5 engine hours

Tixall

Stayed up late last night to see the first referendum results, so got up late this morning. Turned Erin Mae to polish the left hand side, and continued running the engine for half an hour to get some hot water. Rain came down after I got the polish on, and alternated with sunshine throughout the afternoon.

0 miles, 0.5 engine hours

Acton Trussell to Tixall

Slept late, but got away about mid-day. At Radford Bank a slow boat in front kindly invited us to pass. Decided that Tixall Wide was a better place to stop than the marina. SG on 71 in the morning and 91 when we stopped.

6 miles, 2 locks, 2.5 engine hours

Gailey to Acton Trussell

Weather fine for travel from mid-morning. Stopped in Penkridge to buy lunch from Jaspers. Decided not to stay. Stopped after Acton Trussell opposite the field where we saw marsh harriers one year.

6 miles, 9 locks, 4 engine hours

Pendeford to Gailey

Warm and eventually sunny day for some uneventful cruising. Took on water and got a pump-out (£18) at Gailey. However this did not include any rinsing – very strange. Went down Gailey lock and tied up just before Brick Kiln lock.

7.5 miles, 0 locks, 3.5 engine hours

Wightwick to Pendeford

Left in the dry about mid-day, but the rain was lashing down soon after. Eventually it dried up, with a lot of sunshine by the time we moored up at Pendeford. SG from 85 to 100.

Morrison's shop.

4.2 miles, 3 locks, 2.5 engine hours

The Bratch to Wightwick

Generally sunny morning, with some cloud. Set out a bit earlier to avoid queues and get to Wightwick for lunchtime. All three locks had boats emerging as we approached.

SG 89 in the morning. 100 after cruising.

3.5 miles, 3 locks, 2 engine hours

Greensforge to the Bratch

Cloudy for much of the day, but the sun came out late afternoon. Good time travelling to moor up just above the Bratch. Had to clear the propellor after Botterham staircase locks – plastic and loads of grass cuttings.

SG was 97 in the morning, and back up to 100 after cruising. Ran a wash load.

3.5 miles, 9 locks, 3.5 engine hours

Stourton to Stourbridge to Greensforge

Morning was due to be the best weather-wise. Got under way about 11 and followed the college boat to Wordsley Junction and then in to Stourbridge. We found there had been flooding at the canal basin, with the Stour having broken its banks the previous evening.

Took on water at Stourbridge. Had though we might walk the short distance to the centre of the town, but decided not to.

SG last night was 51, because I'd left the inverter on after grilling. This morning it was 50, but we put in a lot of boating today, after which it was up to 99.

Came back onto the S&W and up through three locks. Tied up just past the Greensforge permanent moorings.

9.4 miles, 7 locks, 6 engine hours

Stourton

Stayed put. Rainy day, sometimes heavy. Some thunder and some sunshine. Diesel heater morning and evening.

Kinver to Stourton

After giving up hope of anything from Wilsons, we encountered a boat at Kinver lock who'd just had a cover repaired by "them" aka Keith Wilson, who has set up on his own. He came in five minutes, inspected the damage, decided the only bit actually torn was the rear panel near the strut. He took it away and added a strip of PVC to the inside, which seems to have sorted it. The other damage we can see, on the front panel, looks like being rubbing marks from sliding the hatch when the hood is down.

Came back up to Stewponey and turned right onto the Stourbridge. Moored up a few hundred yards beyond the 4th lock. SG on 99.

4.2 miles, 7 locks, 5 engine hours

Kinver

Dental appointment at 8.30, then Ralph Wilson came around 10.45 to look at the cover. Said there was nothing he could do as it was a fabric failure. Went back up to the High Street to pick up a cooked chicken, and then the rain came on again.

SG 85 in the morning, and stayed on that all day, with the solar panel balancing out day-time usage. Changed over gas bottle.

Expecting phone calls from Wilson Jnr and KinverCanopies, so stayed put.

Swindon (Staffs) to Kinver

Some early rain, but cleared up enough to travel. Eventually got dry, warm and muggy.

SG was 61 in the morning, and picked up quickly as we cruised. When, after a couple of hours, it got to 84 we turned on the inverter and ran a wash-load. SG was mid-90s when we tied up at Kinver visitor moorings and 94 at 11 p.m.

Rang Wilson's early to see what the score was. He confirmed the liquidation, but offered to come and look at the cover anyway.

6.4 miles, 7 locks, 4.5 engine hours

Wightwick to Swindon

Heavy rain in the night, but decks virtually dry in the morning – Brazilian conditions. Dry as we travelled down through the Bratch, but began to drip a little rain shortly before we decided to call a halt for the day. After we tied up below Swindon lock it came on to rain very heavily.

Got a TV signal for the Euros match!

SG was unusually low at 77% in the morning The only difference I could see was that the computer charger had been connected all night. SG showed 100% by the time we finished travelling.

Heard today that Wilson's have moved from Kinver to Stourbridge in the last few weeks. So the journey may have lost its main rationale. We'll need to ring them.

5.9 miles, 11 locks, 4.5 hours

Pendeford to Wightwick

Turned up on to the Shroppie for water, and then reversed back through the lock.

Dave at Oxley Marine put in two new machine screws for the back door lock (£12). Orph said I could ring him any time just before we wanted the 1000 hour service done, to arrange a day, and they would do it while we waited.

Came down to Wightwick in hot, fairly humid conditions and tied up just past the 48 hour moorings, to avoid being under a tree. SG read 100% when we turned off the engine. Engine time was considerably more than moving time, by the time we'd done the water, the door and waiting at the locks.

6.7 miles, 5 locks, 4.5 engine hours

S&W Bridge 74 to Pendeford

Hot and humid day as we sauntered towards Autherley Junction. Found a decent mooring on the armco just south of Bridge 67, opposite the BCF boat Marsh Harrier. Walked to Morrisons and back, had lunch in the shade of a tree – and then had to move inside in hurry because of a downpour.

SG gone from 84 to 97% by the time we stopped.

3.8 miles, 0 locks, 1.7 engine hours

S&W Bridge 74

Where we are, Bridge 74 is actually out of sight, back round the corner. Stayed moored up. Day was hazy, with some brighter sunshine later on. Eventually SG reached 100%. Down to 93 at bedtime, after some TV on the referendum debates.

Penkridge to S&W Bridge 74

Scorching hot day, but a fairly lazy start. Took on water at Penkridge and then just cruised in the sun. Bridge 74 is somewhere out in the sticks between Calf Heath and Coven. Really isolated spot.

Used the inverter for a wash load – all seemed to be dealt with very happily by the charging system. SG reads 100% this afternoon.

6.75 miles, 7 locks, 4.75 hours

Bradford Bank to Penkridge

SmartGauge 92 to 88 overnight. 87 after an hour of the Webasto.

Cloudy to start but sky cleared and got sunny and hot. Queues at the locks. Pound above Longford lock was low, but that's where we tied up – to watch the French Open final.

Cruising and sunshine got the SOC to 100 by the time we pulled in, and it stayed at that until about 8 p.m.

5.4 miles, 4 locks, 3.5 engine hours

Great Haywood to Radford Bank

Cloudy morning – bit sunnier in the afternoon. Got a pump-out and left the marina about 11. Not much traffic, except for a couple through a bridge, and a boat we crossed with at Tixall Lock. Tied up just short of the bridge at Radford Bank and walked down to the Aldi for a few things.

5.5 miles, 1 lock, 2.7 hours engine time

Great Haywood to Bridge 68 to Great Haywood

SmartGauge read 90% in the morning, from 94% before bed. Solar panel already giving 3 amps at 8 a.m., even though it was not as sunny as yesterday. Got going after 10 and stopped at the Taft Wharf for 39 litres of diesel @ 57p/l. Winded at Bridge 68, lunch between the locks watching Andy Murray at the French Open, then home by about 6.30.

7 miles, 3 locks, 3 hours engine.

Great Haywood

After a bit more clearing out and coffee, got going about mid-day. Engine started fine, and headed out towards Rugeley. Picked up water at Anglo-Welsh and queued at Haywood lock, so it was lunch-time by the time we got through. Tied up between Haywood and Colwich locks for lunch and then decided to stay the night.

1 mile, 1 lock, 1 engine hour