Stone

Here I am Rune

Distance 4.0 miles

Total 534 Locks 17 Tunnels

Running total mileage 829.9 miles

A particularly tardy sort of day today, only 4 miles and a couple of locks however, on the bright side I have now replaced the domestic water pump that has been leaking and filling our bilges for months so I have my fingers crossed that we may now have dry bilges, which is what we are supposed to have.  Today we have reached Stone which seems to pride itself as the place where the Trent and Mersey Canal was conceived. Pleasant sort of place but without much to recommend it other than a very good chandlers! Have taken the opportunity to restock with more food so we won’t be short for the next few days. Should be quite a busy day tomorrow (weather permitting) since we have 8 locks ahead before we even get out of Stone.

Approaching Stone we came through Aston Lock and the milestone alongside that lock (photo below) shows it to be the halfway mark between Shardlow and Preston Brook.

Aston Lock (milestone just visible on left)

The halfway point