Whittington

Well we did not make it quite as far as Huddlesford Junction, we stopped half a mile beyond the village of Whittington. Prior to reaching the village we had passed through a secluded wooded area, which also doubled up as a military firing range. It looked peaceful enough as we chugged along. The village itself appeared pleasant, and it had a small shop for us to top up supplies. Whittington, is also home to Whittington Barracks and the museum of the Staffordshire Regiment. Unfortunately one of many ancient regiments that have been cut over the years, due to government savings. Just beyond the village the canal sweeps round a long gentle bend which has secure piling so this is where we stopped. We will be staying here for a week, to allow the crew to return home for a friends birthday celebration.

       

Although we did not reach Huddlesford junction it is only a short distance ahead. So during an exploratory walk of our local environment, we went and had a look. The junction is where the Coventry Canal (detached section) meets with the Wyrley and Essington Canal. At this end this canal only forms a short arm, which are now moorings for the Lichfield Cruising Club. The other end of this canal joins the BCN near Wolverhampton. It is currently undergoing restoration, so one day it may be a through route. On our travels we have recently seen a number of swans building their nests, some of them have been in what could only be described as rubbish tips. This pair however, seem to have found the perfect sunny spot.

     

This is right on the junction by the cruising club moorings. There is as you would expect a pub, The Plough and after having lunch there we decided that when the crew returns after the weekend, we will have an evening meal on the Monday to save cooking, and support local business.

The past few days the weather has been warm and sunny so some outdoor chores have been completed. The boat has had a wash and the stove has been cleaned out. The flue needed a good sweep, I was surprised how much the soot had narrowed the flue diameter. With all this sunny weather the solar panel has been performing well. On good days it is producing nearly 100 amp hours into the batteries. This means we can now survive four days, without having to run the engine for charging our domestic battery bank.

Today we were joined by new neighbours and whilst outside chatting with them, a Hudson boat, Wigrams Turn passed by. As we are soon to be heading the same way, we will probably meet up with them again at Fradley Junction tomorrow, or Tixall Wide at the weekend.

Totals 4 Miles