It is now the run up to the biennial Huddlesford Heritage Gathering, where we and other traders will be showing off our wares, along with exhibitors in the field and lots of music!
Leaving Alvecote a couple of weeks ago
We decided that before the festival, we would visit Great Haywood again and hopefully trade for the first weekend in between.
Storm clouds gathering as we pass over an aqueduct
Wiggling through Hopwas
We passed up the 2 locks at Fradley and then the single one at Wood End, before having an unfortunate encounter with a hire boat coming around the corner on the wrong side of the canal!
The woman on the front of the boat decided to take exception to my husband's outburst of 'flipping idiot', insisting that he swore. A moored boat bore witness to the woman's tirade as Richard struggled to reverse the motor and pole off the bank as he was well and truly stuck. His outburst was not aimed at the hirers, who, give them their due, offered to help eventually, but in explaining the situation to the moored boat. Oh well. So we won't be on her Christmas list! The moored boaters laughed and suggested a holiday with her would be the holiday from hell!!
Round the bend at Handsacre
Carrying on up the Trent and Mersey Canal, after mooring on pins for the night, we passed through Handsacre on the outskirts of Rugeley (Staffs)
Armitage Shanks
The remains of Armitage Tunnel ~ strictly one way traffic here!
Large swimming pool in beautiful conservatory in the ground of this house
Trent Aqueduct
Colwich
Essex Packhorse Bridge in the grounds of Shugborough Hall
Last weekend, we spent a fairly steady 2 days trading at Great Haywood. Footfall was surprisingly low considering schools were not back until this week on the whole.
Back down through Colwich lock
Early morning, we set off in thick mist, to get down through Colwich lock and get to Rugeley for much needed shopping.
Very quiet this time in the morning except for us gently plodding along
Lovely gardens in Colwich
We managed to get moored up centrally in Rugeley, did the shopping and move the boats out of town for the night. Randomly, we passed a hire boat with 2 familiar faces aboard from my previous life working in a secondary school 8 years ago! We chatted for a couple of hours before they headed off to keep to their schedule. Funny how small a world it is!
Back through the narrows at Armitage
And now we are moored above the locks at Fradley Junction. Richard has been headhunted by his old firm again to help them out for a couple of days. It is that time of year, where real life catches up and the prospect of paying bills etc looms heavily! But then we can do all this again next year.....
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