Rugeley to Weston-on-Trent

Wednesday 17 April

Quite a late start this morning as we were going to the Taft. This did give Steve chance to do one or two jobs including unravelling somebody’s clothing from round the prop. Left at 9.45 arriving at the Taft at 10.30 to be welcomed by Peter and Julie. We had coffee and a chat before Julie had to leave for a prior lunch engagement. More chat with Peter and then lunch with him and the current workaways, Reuben and Veronica. We left at 1.30 taking Reuben and Veronica with us for the ride as far as Colwich Lock which they helped work and then set off to walk back to the Taft. We carried on through Heywood Lock, Hoo Mill Lock and Weston Lock and moored north of Bridge 81 in open countryside. We saw a couple of broods of ducklings on this part of the trip – we had so far seen very few, though we have seen several swans sitting – one of them at the Taft.

We had a walk to Weston-on-Trent and then through the village alongside its enormous village green. We picked up a tray of chips from the mobile chippy en route and sat on a bench overlooking the green while we ate them.

Sunny and warm all day.

Great Haywood Junction

Locks 4  Miles 8.75                                          Total Locks 21  Total Miles 50.25