Avoiding the showers as we head just around the corner

We had rain again overnight, but it was dry although blowy this morning as we set off from The Wide to great Haywood Junction.

The almost obligatory picture of Tixall Gatehouse.

The last bridge to negotiate (before the one at the junction) is Bridge 102, aka Swivel Bridge.
Did it replace a swing bridge at some point, I wonder?

Over the Trent Aqueduct just before the junction.
The Trent and Mersey Canal follows the Trent valley from Shardlow to Stoke, with a few deviations as the river meanders. But you’re never far away from the river. It rises not far to the north-east of the Five Towns, on Biddulph Moor.

Emerging onto the Trent and Mersey Canal we turned left to the services wharf, luckily being able to get into the one gap available.

Regular visitors to the junction will know how busy it can be here…

Filled with water and with rubbish and recycling dealt with, we reversed to the junction, turned around and headed towards Haywood Lock.

Looking back to the junction
Like I said, it can be busy...

There were no spaces above the lock on the 48 hour moorings so we dropped down, under the old carriage bridge and pulled in.

Haywood Lock



The crossing took the carriage road from the church to Shugborough Hall across the canal, then the Trent. But the river bridge has been demolished, so there’s no longer any direct vehicular link between the village and the estate. The only way across the river here is by the 16th century packhorse bridge, know as Essex Bridge after the Elizabethan nobleman who had it constructed, the Earl of Essex.

Although there were odd showers through the day we managed to avoid all but the shortest. Tomorrow we’ll move on a short way towards Rugeley.

Locks 1, miles 1¼