Narrowboat Serafina: A Quiet Cruise on the Staffs and Worcester and the Shropshire Union.

A couple of days at Fazeley Junction allowed me to continue honing my sanding and scraping skills in preparation for more painting. It can be frustrating doing all the prep work and the painting as you move along the canal because the tow path changes from side to side, you need to have jobs going on both sides of the boat. While we were at Fazeley we managed to fit a bus trip to Birmingham in, we spent most of the day in the huge Bullring Shopping Complex, most importantly picking up Rachael's birthday gift at Selfridges.

The Bullring Shopping Complex on both sides of the mall

Passing through another Birmingham mall

The last leg of our trip on the Coventry Canal saw us arrive at a nice mooring in Fradley, just short of Fradley Junction for another two day stop for yet more prep work on the right or starboard side of Serafina. While we were there we took the chance to have a look around Fradley village where we spoke at length to the owner of the off-license/post office. She pointed us to a nice corner of the local church which contained the graves of quite a number of WWII Australian Airmen, apparently Fradley had a military airfield right next to the canal during the war.

The RAAF section of Fradley church cemetery

We turned on to the Trent and Mersey canal at Fradley Junction continuing on our journey stopping for the night at Rugeley, with a chance for a large grocery shop with Tesco right next to the canal. We made several trips over the two hundred metres from the boat to the supermarket, the first trip was mainly bottled water in our shopping cart, it's been reasonably warm and hasn't rained since we got to the UK two months ago. The next day it was just a short run of two hours and one lock to Great Haywood for another overnight, we stopped along the way to fill the water tank.

Next morning at Great Haywood we turned off the Trent and Mersey Canal and on to the Staffs and Worcester Canal where we made it a two day trip on the S&M, only stopping at Penkridge. Early next morning, before getting underway, we strolled down to the shopping centre for the Saturday morning market. Once moving again we came across this boat moored outside a marina, trying to deter speeding boats.

It was getting close to the end of the day when we turned on to the Shropshire Union Canal at Autherley Junction. Under the bridge and into the stop lock, only one foot deep but enough to stop your boat and 200 years (or so) ago pay the toll, gauged by weight, to the canal owner.

We finished the day on a nice rural mooring just outside the village of Brewood. There ae lots of beautiful deep cuttings on the SUC, this heavily wooded cutting was no exception. Although, not so good if you are needing the solar panels, a long day for us so no such issues the batteries were fully charged.

Serafina from the bridge

Mile post at the mooring

The bridge in the photo above is much more ornate than the standard bridge on the Shropshire Union Canal. It seems that wealthy land owners required the new bridge to be a little more special in return for allowing the canal builders to build the canal on their land. I'm sure two hundred years ago it was very grand but the years have taken a toll. We took a walk next morning to see why the land owners wanted this 'special' bridge.

On top of the bridge


On top of the bridge

After walking a well defined track through woods for around two kilometres we came to the gates of Chillington Hall.

Chillington Hall is a Georgian country house built in 1724, it looked at least another kilometre away from the gates.

After our morning walk we set off again heading for Gnosall Heath, another bright sunny day. The Stretton Aqueduct carries the canal over the A5 to Holyhead and into the Saturday fishing competition. Fishermen for a few miles!

Through the 81 yard Cowley Tunnel blasted out of solid rock.

Cowley Tunnel signaled the end of our cruise for the day, mooring up a few hundred metres past the tunnel in a sheltered position away from the hot sun. It was time to lock up and have a walk around Gnosall Heath, The Boat Inn next to the canal at Gnosall early on in our walk around town.

And further on into town was the used gypsy caravan lot.

We did a circuit and ended up on a Right of Way in a farmer's wheat field.

I did get a chance to finish a few jobs while we were moored in Gnosall. The port side hatch needed some touching up around the doors and rust repair at the base. The fairlead (rope guide) base was also badly rusted but is now ready for a new fairlead to be screwed back on.