Down past Fradley to Alrewas

We’ve had two fine days as we headed down from near Rugeley to near Alrewas. We left the moorings at Armitage yesterday morning, grey skies but with the promise of a little sunshine later.


Through a pleasant wooded section near Kings Bromley

Just past Bridge 55 there are moorings with rings, but it’s best to avoid them during breezy autumn evenings.

We spent a very disturbed night a few years ago with acorns regularly bouncing off the roof…

Approaching Woodend Lock, no queue this end…

…but several boats waiting to go up.

We didn’t drop down to Fradley Junction, instead pulling in on the open moorings above Shadehouse Lock.


There was a notification on the C&RT website last evening; the river section between Alrewas and Wychnor was in flood, and the canal was currently closed there. So this morning we were in two minds whether to stay where we were or to move on and wait at Alrewas the water to go down.
In the end the fine warm sunshine made the decision  for us, so we untied and set off down the locks to Fradley Junction.

Shadehouse Lock

There were volunteers to help at Middle and Junction Locks, then we pulled in to top up the water tank at the services next to the café. The smell  of frying bacon was tantalising but we resisted the temptation. That done we headed off. There was space on the main moorings here but we pushed on, dropping down the last two Fradley Locks.

Keepers Lock…


…and Hunts Lock.

Common Lock is a half-mile further down, and the new marina alongside seems to be coming along. Daisy Meadows Marina is to have 60 berths, quite small, with an entrance below Common Lock.


With the river below the village impassable we thought the moorings there would be busy, so pulled in above Bagnall Lock.

It’s better here anyway, less foot traffic and it’s nice and open.

Later in the afternoon boats started to come up Bagnall, they’d re-opened the canal although some boaters reported that the Trent is still running quite fast. Ok coming upstream but maybe a little interesting going with the flow… We’ll leave it overnight and set off to Branston tomorrow.

I see on the news this evening that the reservoir above Whaley Bridge is still in a precarious condition. Residents of houses threatened by flooding in the event of a collapse are still in temporary accommodation having been evacuated, the dam wall is being reinforced by bags holding tons of aggregrate airlifted into position, and high volume pumps are slowly reducing the water level and the pressure on the wall. This reservoir was built as storage for the Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals, and the locks at Marple and Bosley are closed until the situation stabilises. But if the reservoir requires major reconstruction work it seems likely that they’ll stay closed, or there’ll have to be a long stoppage in the winter while the work is done. It won’t be cheap, either.

Locks 7, miles 6