Return to Willington.
A few more notices like this could be useful to novices today
Tuesday 20th August
The only place to shop for food was Shardlow Village Stores, which was 1
mile along the main road that crossed the cut, so it was time to investigate,
not that I was expecting much. Not a pleasant walk alongside the traffic, but I
needed some exercise. True to my expectations, it was more a boutique type of
shop that sold a minimum of foodstuffs along with birthday cards and gifts. I
did locate a couple of expensive lamb chops to BBQ and that was it. I caught
the bus back and had a pint in the Clock Warehouse, where Marston’s have done a
good job of restoring the interior, but ruined it with an imitation wide beam
barge in the loading arch below, which is looking somewhat tired by now.
The Clock Warehouse.
I cooked both chops on the BBQ and will keep one for tomorrow if I don’t
eat out again.
The bricks in this boundary wall are so soft that birds have pecked nesting holes in it. They also go behind the adjoining brick so the nest would be hidden.
The brewery bottling store built in 1780.
Used for unloading boats at the bottling store.
Wednesday 21st August
I let go about 09.30 to wind the boat in Dobson’s boatyard opposite and
head for Shardlow Lock hoping to follow another boat in, but when I got there
he had an offer from a boat already waiting in the lock, so I had no
alternative but to do it solo although it was only 4ft 5ins deep. The next lock
was Aston where I had moored previously and although 8ft, I did this one as
well. The following lock was Weston and this was 10ft 11ins, so more daunting
and despite getting Stronghold in and tied up fore and aft, I could not close
the offside gate, as it was just too heavy and had to ask a dog walker to add
some weight behind the beam. Just as I was about to exit that lock, another
boat appeared behind me, so I offered to wait at the next one for them – any
help making things that much easier.
It was about here that I saw my second ever terrapin, but no chance of a
photo as it dropped back in the water as I went past. The last one had been in
the filthy water of Paddington Arm last year.
Instead another boat appeared behind me at Swarkstone and got me through
with the help of mother and two girls, but they were pulling in at Barrow, so
that didn’t last long. Eventually I got back to Stenson and what with the
bridge over the tail of the lock and it being 12ft 6ins deep, I was just not
going to chance the slippery ladder that far up, so I hung around on the layby
waiting for the previous boat, which was twenty minutes behind me and they took
me through to moor up again by The Bubble Inn. That was quite enough for one
day and the 9 miles took me 7 hours of cruising, bearing in mind that I had to
fill most of the locks before I could pass through.
I did not feel like cooking by the time I had moored up, so went to The
Bubble Inn for a Greek beef stifado, with rice and Greek salad. It was not how
I remembered it in Greece and was rather dry with none of the recommended spice
flavourings or the baby onions. Anyway, it was all washed down with a couple of
pints of Cornish Tribute.
Thursday 22nd August
A slow start this rather miserable morning with overcast skies and a
strong wind, although no rain is forecast and the Bank Holiday weekend is
looking good. I motored up as far as Mercia Marina to visit Midland Swindlers
again and moored outside this time. I wanted some Morris oil for topping up,
some Duraglit and a deck chair. Duraglit has now been replaced with Brasso
wadding in exactly the same type of tin as the original make. There was only
one type of chair on sale and that was too heavy for carrying any distance, so
that was off my list. Besides, it was more expensive than I wanted to pay. I
also bought some toilet bowl cleaner as mine is now very badly stained despite
scrubbing vigorously in the past, it has remained so. This Jabsco concoction is
made by the pump manufacturers and is biologically safe, so should not damage
the biological action of the Silky RX in the waste tank.
I looked at some LED strip lights housed inside an aluminium extrusion
and was given a demo by the salesman. Not only is there a touch switch on the
end of the strip, but if a finger is held on it, the lights are dimmed. After
switching off, they remain as the same setting when switched back on – clever stuff
and I must admit to being tempted to replace the fluorescent strips over the
galley work area.
Whilst on that mooring I went into marina reception to make enquiries
about getting a temporary mooring for when I went home next. It was £67 for a
50ft boat for a week and no reservation required, so that was easy. There is
also a bus service every hour from a stop outside the marina to Burton. Not as
cheap as Rugby Wharf, but still fairly reasonable, compared to some other
places I could mention.
Moving on, I soon arrived back on the Willington moorings and there was
one space left on the edge of the winding hole restrictions. In all cases,
there is no mooring opposite a winding hole, although I have seen hire boats
and liveaboards there many times.
I did some shopping in the Co-Op, which is better stocked than the ones
I am used to and popped into The Green Man on the way back. Surprise – it was
full of locals eating and drinking and it was only Thursday. There were six popular
ales on tap, but I restricted myself to one pint of Bombardier.
Back on board, I had to do something with the remains of the beef
stifado, a small piece of fillet steak and a lamb chop previously cooked on the
BBQ. I had bought a tin of oxtail soup so it was all mixed together with some
boiled potatoes, leftover mushrooms and some broccoli and carrots, flavoured
with some tomato puree, Worcester sauce and seasoning and simmered for a while.
Surprisingly, it was very tasty and produced enough for about four meals.
Friday 23rd August
A leisurely day on the mooring with not a lot to do. At last the constant
wind had dropped this morning and it looked like a warm sunny day for a change.
Blogging and generally wasting time this morning, but another visit to the Co-Op
was due, before another visit to The Dragon for beers outside and the garden
was packed with people.
Not many tables free on a Friday evening at The Dragon.
Visitor moorings full up on the towpath.
Saturday 24th August
Yet another visit to the Co-Op, but the problem is that I can’t carry
too much shopping in one go in a knapsack, unless I take the wheels.
Andy Belton stopped at the waterpoint opposite and we had a few quick
words. He had been up the Caldon and was now on his way back to Nottingham, so
he missed all the hanging about for the flooded Trent.
I got into conversation with a boater on the towpath after he remarked
about how good The Anchor pub was after spotting my tee shirt. We talked for a while about
pubs and beer and he did complain about the cloudiness of the two pints of Boot
Ale that he had and that the Doombar was now off. We compared notes on various
waterway pubs and I showed him my database of 120 pubs on the cut, many of
which he had been to in the past. The Boot ale was now off, so I had Clod
Hopper instead, which was a light ale with slight citrus flavour. Strangely
enough, another punter at the bar, said, “That’s a bloody good pub,” referring again
to The Anchor at High Offley. So two people had remarked on it within the space
of five minutes.
It is extremely hot again this afternoon and I spent a lot of it sitting
out with a book and the fan going full belt to keep cool.
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