Photo shoot

After a few good days of chilling at Tixall Wide we pulled pins at 09.10 and winded in the wide before heading back to Haywood junction and then turning right towards Rugeley.

After dropping down the lock at Great Haywood we saw this girl on the towpath . She seemed to be striking different poses and we didn't know what she was up to . It wasn't until we passed her that we saw a photographer with lights and cameras taking pictures of her . For some strange reason I didn't get a picture of the Photographer but did get several of her.

Just look at the size of these Leaves . Apparently its called Gunnera and is a member of the Rhubarb family, after only a few years it grows to this size. Gunnera manicata is a giant herbaceous perennial. An absolute monster. A huge furry rhizome lies on the soil surface from which stout, 2m spiny leaf stalks emerge that carry immense, puckered, scalloped, rough textured leaves that can reach over 3m in width. Weird spiky-looking but soft-fingered flower stalks are produced that just add to the whole primeval, Jurassic feel that the plant has. Reaching full potential in a sheltered position in a mild, wet climate at the edge of a lake or stream in a valley bottom this is simply one of the most dramatic plants that can be grown in the UK - but best given the room it deserves.

Passing this boat which is called Maid of Oak and is supposedly the last ever Narrowboat that was built of Oak . It has been up for sale for some time and at £65,000 it may well be up for sale for sometime to come.

Arriving at Rugeley and how lucky are we to meet up with friends Tony and Jacqui on Nb Timewarp . They are well known on the canal system for Tony’s collection of quality tiller pins that he sells and Jacquie’s amazing home made Fudge which comes in a variety of flavours .Needless to say we stopped and moored up behind them.

Just opposite our mooring is Rugeley Cemetery and Carolyn couldn't resist the opportunity to have a look to see if this would make a good final resting place for me. To be honest it’s not at all bad here as it’s well kept and in a Sunny location . Another one to go on the list .

As always it’s great to chill out with friends and we ended up having a couple of days with Tony and Jacqui .The biggest problem with our lifestyle is that it can be months if not years before we meet up with friends again.

After a couple of days we pulled pins at 07.40 and headed towards the moorings outside of Tesco . Even though we had stocked up from Aldi we still did another shop which mostly consisted of wine.

Passing through Armitage tunnel and as it’s a single passage and very narrow. Carolyn has to go ahead on foot to make sure no boats are coming in the opposite direction . It’s still called Armitage tunnel even though the roof was removed many years ago.

Going through Armitage which we always call Toilet Town and we pass the Armitage shanks Sanitary works . For some reason every boater that passes here seems to take a picture of it.

We picked up this mooring a couple of miles before Kings Bromley marina and will spend a day or two here . With some good fishing this mooring will be just the ticket until we move on to our favourite village of Alrewas.                                                                                                              

                                                                                                              Happy Days

More boat names

  With all the travelling we have done this year I have collected hundreds of unusual and fun boat names . I will try and put on the blog as many as I can over the next few weeks.   Enjoy !

                                                                                            Happy Days

Great Haywood

After a couple of days moored below Aston Marina it was time to move on . We pulled pins at 08.10 and said goodbye to our friendly neighbours. Hopefully I will meet up with these Calves again in a couple of years time when they are cooked medium rare then smothered in a delicious peppercorn sauce and surrounded by chips ,Peas and a few onion rings. (Carolyn thinks I'm terrible but where do you think your steak comes from ).

This is always a good sight as you approach a lock . Its a group of volunteers painting everything black and white on this lock .They were a happy bunch and we had a good bit of banter as they helped us lock down .They did have one little moan about the paint they were using as they said ”it was environmentally friendly and they had to use it, but was a pain in the arse neck to apply as it kept running and didn't want to adhere to the lock surfaces”.

After a good cruise we arrived at Great Haywood and picked up a mooring just after the junction with the Staffs and Worcs Canal. Inca is the last boat you can see.

This is the bridge that crosses the canal at the junction and you can see that the old canal companies had their own ideas about how bridges should be finished . On the left The Trent and Mersey canal liked to have brick coping where as the Staffs and Worcs on the right canal preferred stone coping.

After a walk around Great Haywood village and a shop in the local mini market we went and had a look around Great Haywood marina just in case Inca wants to spend a few months on a secure mooring in the Winter .We had a very friendly welcome and have put our name down just in case Inca needs a mooring . We are also going to look at Barton Turns marina , Mercia Marina at Willington and Sawley Marina as we make our way towards the River Trent as we have had good reports from fellow boaters about all of them

On the way in to Great Haywood marina you have the farm shop which includes a pick your own Raspberries and Strawberries. Carolyn had a go at me for eating the Raspberries instead of picking them and putting them in the punnet. Yum Yum

But then I caught her having a sneaky Strawberry or three. We must remember to pick up some clotted cream on the way in next time and not on the way out so we can enjoy it with our free fruit .

After a couple of days at Great Haywood we thought we would see if we could pick up a mooring at Tixall wide which is only about a mile away . So we reversed back up to the junction and turned onto the Staffs and Worcs canal.

After a very short cruise we were lucky enough to pick up this mooring on the wide . Not only did we have an amazing view from our front room window but we also got a mooring with no over hanging trees which is great for the solar panels giving us lots of free electric…Just the ticket

Tixall wide is a body of water that forms part of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near Tixall in Staffordshire, to the south of the former Tixall hall .  The hall was, at that time, owned by Thomas Clifford, the fourth son of Hugh Clifford, 3rd Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, and the grounds had been designed on the advice of the landscape architect Lancelot "Capability" Brown The lake was probably created during the construction of the canal in 1771. It is said he "gave permission for the canal to pass through his land on the condition that it was made ... wide enough to look like a lake from the house" and thus in order not to spoil the view.Many Boaters moor on the Wide,and the towpath is a very popular overnight mooring spot, or passing through the Wide you have an excellent view of the magnificent Elizabethan gatehouse that is the only remaining part of Tixall Hall.

It has also been suggested that the canal was routed to utilise a lake that already existed, in which the angler and writer Izaak Walton had learned to fish.

A little later a boat moored up behind us and Carolyn said “ I know those people on that boat “  So off she went to say hello . Half an hour later she came back and it turned out that she had seen them on the TV programme Escape to the Country just two days before . The lady told Carolyn all about their experience on the show which was made around Lincoln. What a small World it is.

We have now had a few days chilling here on the wide and tomorrow we are off again towards Rugeley where we will need to do a large shop to refill the wine cellar and I guess some food shopping as well.

                                                                                                          Happy Days

Boat names

A few more boat names for your perusal .

Carolyn says that’s me.

Carolyn also says that’s me .

You never guess what ????? carolyn also thinks that this sounds like me !

Nothing better than a bit of Tootling.

Thats good as the kids have gon and you can get on with your life ….or maybe not.                                                                                                         

That’s me most of the time .

Winter ‘Spring ,or Summer it all tastes good to me ,

It is.

I know a few of these …

It just has to be slow on the canals .. Chill out !!!!

                                                                                                     Happy Days

Ferndale for sale

Some more of our friends are selling their boat and this time it is Ray and Diane's lovely boat Ferndale . If you are looking at buying a boat this is another one that's well worth looking at . Details are listed below.

NB Ferndale

Builder

Heron Boat builders

Launched

2004

Length

55 foot (16.77m)

Beam

6 foot 10 inches (2.08m)

Draught

2’ 2” (0.67m) approx.

Air Draught

5 foot 9 inches (1.75m) approx.

Engine

Isuzu 4LC38

Electrics

Engine Alternators 1 x 70 amp/hr. 1 x 110 amp/hr.

Starter Battery

1 x 12 v x 110 amp/hr. starter battery                                

Domestic Batteries

4 x 6 v Trojan 395 amp/hr. domestic batteries (Linked in parallel and series to supply 12 v x 790 amp/hr.)

Anodes

x 4 (2 each bow and stern)

Sterling Alternator to battery charger

AB 12210 210 amp/hr.

Sterling 3000 watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter

plus 240 volt landline

Water Tank

900 litres Stainless Steel

Diesel Tank

150 litres

Gas

2 x 13kg bottles

Heating (1)

Reflecs 3.6kW Diesel stove with own 50 litre tank; two chimney extensions; standard chimney top and ‘H’ chimney top

Heating (2)

Mikuni MX60 diesel fired, 3 radiators, 1 heated towel rail and hot water calorifier (also heated by engine)

Refrigerator

Washer/ Dryer

Candy CMD146 Washer and combined Condenser Dryer

Oven/grill

Vanette GG2200

Gas Hob

4 Burner Vanette 4000-2

Toilet

Porta Potti 365 with 3 cassettes

Lighting

All 12v LED

Rear Bedroom

In-line bed with memory foam mattresses, 4'6" x 6'3 (1 mattress)

Dinette

Pullman Dinette converts to double bed when required

Saloon or lounge

2 recliner rocker chairs, 1 footstool, 2 sets drawers, 12v TV,  bookcase surrounding radiator, book shelves

Bathroom

Shower over bath, vanity, wall cupboard, pump out Sealand toilet

Galley

Galley style with vanette wall oven above the 2-door fridge/freezer. Washer under hob. Pull-out pantry

Rear Cover and Cratch

Black cratch cover and Black rear pram hood cover (2012)

As of 19^th July 2017, nb Ferndale is on the market for sale; we are not setting a price or price range, we would like sensible offers to be made and arrangements to have a look through the boat can be made.
This is an all inclusive sale - all items on the boat (apart from personal items) will remain.

We are not in a position that we have to sell immediately.

http://gypsyrover-australia.blogspot.co.uk/  

                                                                                              Happy Days