Barlaston

Here I am Rune

Distance 3.7 miles 

Total 5253 Locks  431 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7,959.9miles

 

Weekend shopping duly purchased, along with a stock up on beer, and then we moved on through Stone up to Barlaston. I have to say that whether I’m getting old and forgetful, or we haven’t really gone around Stone much previously, I didn’t remember much about the place. They do have a handy hardware shop where I got some Gaffa tape to effect some temporary repairs to one of our Thetford Cassettes until such a time as I can get a replacement valve for it. I still haven’t figured out how but the air release valve on it broke last time I put it into the toilet unit. A replacement is about £9 but finding somewhere stocking them is going to be a challenge since I don’t think they are something that breaks with any regularity (unlike the main seal which does regularly fail).

Tomorrow the plan will be to pass through Stoke-on Trent and moor somewhere around Westport Park in preparation for a passage through Harecastle Tunnel.

Stone

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 10.3 miles 

Total 5245 Locks  431 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7,956.2miles

 

A straightforward days cruise up to Stone where we will be able to get our shopping for the weekend. Nothing of any great note except a random cow wandering along the towpath around the area of Weston. Seems the farmer was aware of it and was in attendance trying to coax her back to her field.

It has been a pretty lucky day for us, there was a heavy shower to the east of us, a heavy shower to the west of us but we managed to navigate a path between the two. Once shower did catch up with us, but we then stopped for lunch, and the sky darkened again as we entered Stone so we stopped short of the town to let it pass. Once it had done so we then moved onto an excellent mooring withing walking distance of the town.

Not sure how far we’ll get tomorrow, depends on when we complete the shopping

Tixall Wide

 

Here I am Rune

Distance 9.4 miles 

Total 5241 Locks  431 Tunnels

Running total mileage 7,945.9miles

 

Once again we’ve reached our intended destination of Tixall Wide, one of our favourite moorings on the system. Quite busy here so we couldn’t get to moor with a view of the Gatehouse (Landmark Trust property), but we are more or less on the wide itself, so good enough.

Weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t quite so good so I think I’ll head on into Stafford on the bus to make use of their swimming pool. Plan would be to then move on to Stone on Thursday.