Passing Great Haywood Junction

Yesterday we passed Great Haywood Junction so this posting on our blog covers the few days from Fradley Junction north to Great Haywood including a visit to the National Trust Property at Shugborough Hall.

The last of the locks around Fradley is Wood End Lock shown here. After this, we had about 7 miles on the flat before reaching Great Haywood. And you can see that the sun came out at last!

Passing through Rugeley (a useful place for shopping) a local resident had decorated their canalside with these lovely ladies. Incidentally, while shopping in Rugeley do note that the hardware shop that we and other boaters often used to patronise and which sadly closed, has now reopened as 'Claire's Emporium' and is well worth a visit.

At Rugeley the canal crosses the River Trent on an aqueduct. As we make progress up the Trent Valley, the river is getting smaller day by day.

After a lock-free few miles we came to Colwich Lock shown here. If you look carefully you can see cows crossing the bridge by the lock.

We've always admired the Gunnera growing in this garden by the canal above Colwich Lock.

We moored after Haywood Lock in order to visit Shugborough Hall. The path to get there crosses the Essex Bridge shown here which is reputed to be the longest packhorse bridge in Britain. The bridge is over 400 years old and crosses the confluence of the Rivers Trent and Sow.

Shugborough Hall is a splendid mansion and we enjoyed visiting again.

This is the carved plaster ceiling in the dining room. It shows the dawning of the day with Phaeton flying above the chariot holding the flaming torch representing the sun. Aurora as the dawn leads the way and Apollo is driving the chariot.

This is the drawing room.

This photo taken as we crossed back over the Essex Bridge shows the River Sow to the left and the Trent to the right. If you study the picture you can see that the Trent is very muddy and the Sow has clear water.

Here, looking back, is Great Haywood Junction where the Staffs and Worcs Canal joins the Trent and Mersey. To the right under the bridge leads to Wolverhampton and eventually to the River Severn at Stourport. The Staffs and Worcs was part of the original grand plan to link with canals the four rivers Trent, Severn, Thames and Mersey.

The sign at the junction shows Wolverhampton to the left (as we headed north) with "The Trent" behind us and "The Potteries" ahead.

As I prepare this posting we are moored in Stone and will tomorrow be heading north towards Stoke on Trent. No rain today and even some sunshine but it would be good to have a little more warmth. It is supposed to be summer!