Quite a few sunny spells during the day but a fair breeze kept the temperature on the cool side for the start of August.
Before setting off, Mike checked the weed hatch - not a lot but an unpleasant weed: the remains of several plastic bags, wrapped around the prop shaft. At least there was a litter bin close at hand for its disposal! The photo, just as we were casting off the last of the four ropes we used last night, shows how fortunate we were to be so close to the shop and the pub! Fitting in to a tight space often means using rings or bollards that are not ideally placed for our length. Hence the need for a spring at both ends.
This view across the fields just after leaving Willington is really an excuse to show that bright blue skies have not deserted for ever!
One of the houses in the far distance of the previous photo has what seems to be an observatory. Alas, we have not found out any detail - mentioned before many years ago but still no info!
This is the first of numerous small aqueducts along the mile before the start of Burton-on-Trent, that allow water from the many small streams in the Dove flood plain to pass from one side to the other.
One aqueduct is a bit larger as the canal crosses the main stream of the River Dove. The old road bridge was originally known as Egginton Bridge, from the nearby hamlet, but changed in the 14C to Monk's Bridge. The river crossing probably began with the Roman Icknield Way. The extant bridge originates from the 13C and was for a time maintained by a nearby abbey. In the 14C, permission was given for a chapel to be incorporated and for a chaplain to collect alms for its maintenance. From then on it was renamed Monk's Bridge. In 1924 the A34 (which now noisily dogs the canal for a long way!) was re-aligned and made suitable for motorised traffic. The road over the old bridge remained open as a slip road until it was finally closed to traffic in 2014.
The river is more readily seen on the opposite side of the canal aqueduct.
Just beyond we passed a moored boat - we are not sure if all of the text is in its registered name. If so then it really ought to go in our Unusual Boats list! In any event, we were taken by the sentiment of the motto: Time is precious . . . waste it wisely.
Horninglow Basin is the last point for wide beam boats to turn around before the canal becomes narrow.
Dallow lane is the first narrow lock, and quite shallow as well. A boat was just leaving and so the lock was left ready for us.
Alongside the off side of the lock is a metal fence, decorated with images of two swans (we think!)
We were helped through the lock by a very pleasant young man who regularly comes here - he lives nearby on the road that passes over the lock - equipped with his own windlass and who obviously knows what to do. He even knows to wait for the go-ahead to open paddles (not always known to those officially volunteering) He, and a friend, were on hand when we came down just over a month ago. He told us that he decided to do this over a year ago.
A pipe bridge towards the end of the town carries an advertising plaque for the Bass Museum - Burton's Biggest Attraction. It was established when the nearby brewery was still owned by Bass and gave visitors an insight into the brewing process as well as a chance to see their collection of shire horses, once used to deliver to nearby pubs. Sadly, despite the text, it is now too late to visit the museum as, after a series of takeovers, Coors decided to close the museum in 2008 and they were by then having to subsidise it to the tune of over £1 million a year. It is also no longer possible to stop off at Branston Bridge 34 to catch a bus into town - it is now bypassed by the adjacent Nurton Bridge for access to the new and growing Branston Locks urban expansion scheme of ultimately 2500 houses - as there are no longer any bus stops anywhere nearby. The original Bass Museum was re-opened two years later as the National Brewery Centre only to close again in 2022 when Coors decided to relocate the UK headquarters to the site. According to Wikipedia, the exhibits have been dismantled and put into storage if in the future it is possible to find funding to re-stablish it on a new site.
A Free Secondary School was built a few years ago as an early part of the new housing development (we do not know why the developers used the name Branston Locks when there is only one lock!) and, close to the canal, an even newer primary and nursery Free School opened last September with the capacity for 30 children at first (they must rattle around in such a large building!) The school is just to the right in the photo - our attempt to take a better photo of the school on its own failed miserably!
Shortly after we were fortunate to find one space left on the short term visitor mooring by Branston Water Park. This was our aim for tonight as there are no good moorings until Alrewas - the canal and the busy A38 dual carriageway run just a few metres apart for some miles.
We both went to walk around the lake - separately as Mike was still finishing preparing the evening meal before himself going a short way around, far enough to find somewhere to sit and read in the balmy evening sunshine.
7.1 Miles - 2 Locks
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