We had made our way to Stoke on Trent for a couple of reasons; we had decided to replace the old floor coverings in Serafina and also to head up to Scotland, we like to put Serafina into a marina rather than leave her on the canal side. Both ventures were very successful, the floor coverings were replaced and look rather good.
We spent four days in Scotland and while we were there we picked up a friend from Australia and showed her a few Scottish sights before bringing her back down to England for four days of cruising on Serafina. I will save you the Scottish tourist shots, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Glasgow and a castle or two.
On Monday (26th) we headed south and after some more sight seeing and shopping along the way we were back on Serafina in time to drop off the rental car and ready to depart by boat in the morning. Having already been out for six weeks we had a short trip in mind for our Australian friend so she could see a few villages and countryside that you rarely get to see as a tourist. We spent nights in Stone, Great Haywood (2) and Rugeley, all on the Trent and Mersey Canal. It rained from the first day we set out right through the time our friend was on board only easing on Friday as we did the short cruise from Great Haywood to Rugeley. We chose Rugeley to finish our friend's trip because the train station is close to the canal.
Saturday was a nice day and the first order of the day was to fill the water tank. Having an extra person on board as well as doing a load of washing and it was rather empty. The water point just outside of Rugeley has great pressure so it was less than a half an hour stop and the tank was very thirsty! Adding so much water really made a difference pushing the bow of the boat well down into the water, much easier to see now. Only another fifteen minutes cruising and we were surrounded by porcelain cisterns and toilet bowls as we cruised through Armitage.
The next order of business was to call into Kings Bromley Wharf for diesel (72p) and holding tank pump-out. Now with all the maintenance items completed we finished off our cruise mooring a Fradley Junction, a regular stopover for us.
Sunday and Monday the weather has been great, plenty of time to relax on the side of the canal. Today however, it was declared a painting day with little rain in sight. So this evening I write with sore knees and tired joints but comfortable knowing the painting looks pretty good!
We plan to do a little more painting tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and head off towards Tamworth when the paint drys, around three to four hours cruising time. Meanwhile Fradley Junction is a lovely place to stay.
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