Luckily Saturday was much drier and on collecting our friends we set off for the Caldon. Negotiating the small staircase locks was straightforward and we entered the Caldon planning on visiting the Leek branch first. A great deal of “urban renewal” is taking place in Stoke as many old industrial sites are bulldozed just leaving a few poignant reminders of the Potteries’ heritage

Not all is lost however, the canal takes you past a pottery that is still working but one wonders for how long it can continue against Far East competition.

A very pleasant break in the industrial and urban landscape is Shelton Park with a number of attractive bridges and mooring rings. A perfect place for a lunch stop.

Once out of Stoke the countryside opens and the true charm of this canal is revealed. As a first time visitor I was quite taken aback - I was not expecting such an attractive area. On taking the Leek arm the canal crosses the main line via the Hazelhurst Aqueduct:

Just before the aqueduct at bridge 3 there is an interesting piece of canal architecture and a very interesting turn in a strong wind !!

The guides point out that the Caldon is very shallow at times and in the following picture you can see the visible trail left by Willoughby even when travelling down the centre line of the cutting.

I talked earlier about the charm of this canal and the following two images show how attractive the Leek Arm can be even in very late Autumn.

At the end of the arm is the short, 130yd Leek Tunnel. Going through we winded after bridge 9 before the terminus.

We then returned and passing through the 3 Hazelhurst locks travelled up the Froghall main line. Again some superb contryside to cruise through as can be seen from the following views.

The very short days meant that after mooring for the evening I went “hunting” for that elusive sunset shot.

It was always nice, when you had walked a bit too far, to see Willoughby’s cabin glowing cheerfully with the promise of a warm cosy cabin to thaw out in.

We continued on to Consall Forge and winded here as there was no wind, no passing boats and the river flow was slow.The rebuilt lime kilns were quite spectacular - But as one of our party remarked, even in the industrial boom of the mid-1800’s British management could still take its eye off the ball and condemn many poorly paid workers to penury.

Whilst we were feeling the cold a little we were passed by this group of guys who seemed impervious to the lower temperatures.

A major landmark on the canal is the old Asylum, St. Edwards Hospital. It looms over the woodland in quite a menacing manner and would, I feel, strike fear into any luckless soul driven through its gates.

On this return trip was the highlight of the week!! - It was one of our party’s 65th birthday and we had been invited to a celebratory dinner at the famous Callow Hall (www.callowhall.co.uk) . This hotel is situated at the begining of the Peak District National Park in Ashbourne. We moored at bridge 38 where a taxi had been arranged to take us on the very exiting route from Denford to Ashbourne across the moor.

The evening was absolutely superb - There is nothing finer in my view than excellent food, wonderful wine and the company of very special friends - It was an evening to remember for a very long time.

And so our return to Etruria. Our friends had to leave early so we joined the Ownerships flotilla on the Thursday and left late on the Friday as there was no handover for the following week. We were on hand to see the launch of nb “Senior Moment” as it was swung onto the water via two synchronised mobile cranes - Quite a smooth operation !!

At Cooper Mill lock we found a pair of Narrowboat Trust boats negotiating the severely restricted access/exit. This was carried out with the minimum of fuss with superb helm control. Very humbling.

Further along, saw this dozing cygnet which quickly returned to its slumbers after my disturbing photography.

The weir after Black Jack’s lock looked good in the sunlight with the dark water and white foam but I’ve yet to find the right angle for this shot.

On our return to South Harefield we heard the sound of galloping horses and saw this amazing sight of them drinking from the canal - No Red Indians in sight though.

We decided to take things very easily for this first trip as, although being a fairly experienced narrowboat crew (thanks to kind and generous friends) , each boat is different and all take some getting used to.

We planned to cruise from our current base in Etruria down the Trent & Mersey through the Staffs & Worcs and then on to the Shroppie up to Market Drayton . Here we would wind and then return.

Luckily for us departure day was clear and fine so loading was less of a trauma. After a discussion with the local “Ownerships” support manager going over the various technical, maintainance and safety points we set off for our first cruise. We wanted to get out of Stoke for our first night and got as far as Trentham lock, mooring just before.

We walked back to bridge 106 and had supper in the Trentham Inn, a Toby Grill, which was very pleasant and good value.

After a fairly leisurely start we tavelled through Stone, stopping for a stroll through the town and lunch in the famous Star Inn. Stone is a very pleasant town with a large range of useful shops. That night we moored near Burston after bridge 85.

Another leisurely start and a slow cruise down for Sunday lunch at Weston in the Wool Pack on the village green - Very pleasant meal.

Carried out a nice tidy right turn at Great Heywood Junction and slowly cruised past Tixall Wide. Absolutely no chance of a mooring with live aboards and continuous cruisers nose to tail all along this stretch. Moored for the evening before Deptmore Lock.

Carried on down the Staffs & Worcs but had forgotten the “Narrows” at Wolverhampton. Luckily this proved to be fairly relaxed, passing one boat before we entered the cutting. Managed a very professional turn into the Shroppie at Autherly - Luckily for me, no wind and no oncoming or passing boats. Moored overnight at Brewood and had supper at the Navigation - Absolutely terrible meal. I had rabbit pie which consisted of 3 pieces of meat with paxo stuffing encased in concrete shortcrust pastry. I understand that they are “between chefs” so quality may improve in the future but be warned.The Bridge Inn was better on the return, with good honest well cooked pub food.

Continued on through the typical long straight stretches of the Shroppie with very attractive rural views. The weather was very kind, the Autumn sunshine adding to our cruising pleasure.

Stopped at Norbury Junction for a pump out and diesel top up. Just as friendly a boatyard as I remembered from previous trips, but now with restaurant facilities. Went through High Bridge and was pleased to see the old telephone pole is now straightened and supported.

Cruised on to Market Drayton, winding just before the Adderly Flight. Spent a day here as heavy rain made cruising a bit of a pain. A lot of work has been carried out at Tyrley flight with tree clearance making it a little more open and light. However I remember how it was a unique experience locking through a dark forest tunnel prior to the improvements.

We then began our return, stopping off at the Wegwood visitors centre which we had yet to visit over many years cruising the Shroppie. Good value and very interesting factory tour. We were also planning to stop at the Bone & Flint Mill Museum on our return but found they were closed Thursdays and Fridays unlike the advice in my Nicholson guide - Hey Ho.

A final view of the canal and the statue of the famous canal builder James Brindley, God bless ‘im.

This is the blog of nb Willoughby and one of her crew. She is part of the “Ownerships” scheme and we share her with 11 other “owners”.

Unlike other narrowboat blogs from continuous cruisers and “Live Aboards” we only have 3 weeks cruising a year but we also enjoy walking the canals and waterways in our area. We plan to record these trips as well, including photographs of this unique environment.

For your enjoyment a recent photograph of some horses drinking from the Grand Union near Denham.