It was a welcome change from the past few grey days to awake to bright blue skies.
As can be seen at our overnight mooring, everything looks much brighter today.
We set off just after 10 - not far to go today - but pulled in soon after at Trentham so that Christine could pop to the shop nearby for a newspaper.
By now, light rain had arrived but nothing too heavy. Below Trentham Lock three men were magnet fishing. They were quite pleased that they had already manged to pull out a rather mucky motorbike which they will be able to take to sell for scrap. At least it is better there than in the bottom of the canal - in this case right at the entrance to a lock.
The weather was again dry, but grey and a chilly breeze was also making it feel autumnal. At Barlaston, a walking group were just finishing their coffee in the pub car park before setting off along the towpath.
The road bridge just below the top Meaford Lock has once again been damaged by a vehicle strike. The road is quite busy and has a tight bend for some of the traffic to turn onto the bridge. Not as much of the wall has been dislodged this time than in a photo we have from 2011, but these repairs all cost unnecessary money from a limited budget. We wonder just how often the drivers own up to their mistake so that their insurance company can pay out.
We continued onward to Stone but we were warned that the centre of town was very busy with moored boats so we stopped where we did earlier in the year. After we moored, Mike decided that he would do the car shuffle today rather than in the morning.
He walked to Stone Station - takes around 25 minutes including a rather high footbridge over the railway line (three sets of 13 steps each, so equivalent to a three storey house!) The train was a little late so Mike rang the taxi company with which Christine had booked for the scheduled arrival to warn them of the delayed arrival. But it was ready, waiting for him outside the station.
At the marina, Mike collected the car and set off back to Stone. The weather now improved and as it was now rather pleasant, he opted to take the car down to Aston Marina where we will be for a few days whilst we pop down to London.
It is about two and a half miles along the towpath, through the (canal) centre of town. Hard to believe that this was the same day as in the previous couple of photos.
We have noticed before a memorial bench beside the towpath at Little Stoke but only this time looked up to see who it commemorates. It turns out that Kieran Harley McColl was a young man who developed epilepsy at 13. He was walking back home in the dark when struct with a seizure and dies in the canal. His family have raised money for a local epilepsy charity.
The second lock up the Stone flight is the first we ever went through in July 1967. Little did we know where it would lead . . .
We included a photo of the new Crown Wharf building in our blog in July but work is progressing well and it is possible to see how substantial a building it will be.
Nearly back at the boat and a Rothen's work boat was coming down - wonder where it will be working next?
5,4 Miles - 5 Locks
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