Retirement with No Problem

Fradley to Taft Bridge (69), Trent and Mersey Canal, 9.5 miles 2 locks

Thanks to Les and Paul Balmer for pointing out that the links to the October Picture Album were duff.. all fixed now though.

Paul also pointed me in the direction of waterscape.com and their mapping to show a location.. Although it does take quiet a while to download those maps for me on this slow connection, I have been playing this evening!

Richard Fairhurst was the main brain designing these excellent maps.. I didn’t know just how powerful they were until Paul pointed it out to me.  You can actually obtain a grid reference for any place on the waterways that the maps show by holding left key on the mouse and pressing ‘E’ on the keyboard, and hey presto up comes the grid co-ordinates.  This can then be transfered to a link… so today then we are here!

I will try and put this on the location page as well as the normal map thingy that I put on.. interesting stuff..

Today then has been much colder than of late.. Pulled the pins on Fradley Junction..

brrrr that northerly wind was a bit cutting, but we enjoyed being back on the T&M again, such wonderful countryside all the way through to Rugeley.  On the way is the rather difficult Armitage Tunnel.. well it isn’t a tunnel anymore..

The tunnel roof was taken back at the beginning of the 70s due to mining subsidence, but as you see from this photo looking back, if a boat is coming the other way, then somebody has a bit of tight reversing to do!

So Rugeley next, were I went off for an hour to do some ‘wish I had one of those’ shopping.. although I did return with a couple of delicious meat and potato pies from Morrisons..

Yesterday I was surprised to bump right into Kate and Pat of NB Shotley Shuttle who we met back in July on the Ouse.. said goodbye to them and wandered back to NP only to be stopped by Mike of NB Phonenixx who invited me on board for a coffee and chat. Mike has an awesome sound system on his narrowboat, surround sound no less but not only was that keeping me from returning to NP, but also he has a guitar.. and pulling it down from the wall I enjoyed a bit of a strum.. blimey not played the guitar now for quite a few years!

Cannock Chase is the area we are in now.. plenty of walking to be done around here for sure… but Lucy was a bit off colour this evening.. so decided that her run along the towpath today of some 9 miles was probably too much.. hope she is just tired..