Cool cruising!

We woke to a world of Jack Frost

All was white around us and the towpath had ice patches so we took our time getting going; in fact it was almost lunch time when we stirred ourselves!

Re-visiting this part of the Staffs and Worcs Canal, we anticipate what is around each corner to test our memory!

We had remembered this community boatErnest Thomas

My memory of Mops Farm Bridge was good tooMops Farm Bridge

The locks on this stretch are really picturesque - either from a scenic point of view or from an historic point of view. I love the bridges over the bottom of the locks, some of them almost too low as at Dimmingsdale. This bridge has two levels and I was glad that we were going down as the chimney was OK on the left!

Dimmingsdale Lock and its bridge (52)

Dimmingsdale Lockbottom of lock

 BridgeUnder the bridge

Ebstree Lock is almost immediately after a large right hand curve - I had to hover for John to top it up as the level had dropped. Like Dimmingsdale it had leaky bottom gates.

In Ebstree LockEbstree Lock

As we approached Awbridge we saw a familiar fuel boat - it was Roach. We had bought fuel from him when we were on Tixall Wide in March. There was a boat waiting to moor up alongside him and take on some stock. Bad timing on our part, but the second boat we had seen on the move today!

John Jackson's fuel boat RoachRoach fuel boat

We had to wait at Awbridge Lock, as there was a boat ahead of us going down. Why all of a sudden was it "busy"? I think Awbridge Lock is lovely but how strange that we saw our only moving boats today here!

Awbridge LockAwbridge Lock

This lock has long fascinated me, not only the weirweir

But the style of the bridgeAwbridge Bridge

The split bridge split bridge at bottomdetail of split bridge

And the boaters opening in the wallboaters openingopening

John found something else of interest - but that is another story you will have to wait for!

We decided that we would leave the Bratch Locks (near Wombourne) for tomorrow - more to fascinate the canal enthusiast - and moor up above them. The ulterior motive being that there was more likely to be a TV signal above than below!

I was only tempted for a minuscule of a minute by the sign opposite our mooring, but others might easily succumb!

Anyone interested in a greyhound?adopt a greyhound

Staffs and Worcs Canal, Wightwick to above The Bratch - 2 hours, 2.81 miles, 3 locks

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