NB Rock 'n' Roll

Friday 11th - Monday 21st December 2009

we upped sticks on Friday and cruised our way to Atherston mooring above the top lock and on Saturday met our son Mark and family at the Red Lion in Atherston for a very enjoyable early birthday lunch after which we returned to the boat and played on the wii.

Monday 13th we moved on down the locks ...
... to moor below lock 11 to another fine sunset.

Monday 14th off we set again through Grendon, Polesworth and Fazely Junction to moor by Dunstall Bridge and yet another memorable setting sun.

The weather today was very similar to that we experienced on our way south through here between the 9th/11th February this year!

Onwards and upwards (well north anyway) on a very cold Tuesday 15th to The Plough at Huddlesford for our evening meal - great! Saturday 16th saw us moored at Fradley Junction on the Coventry Canal by the swing bridge.

Thursday 17th we turned right onto the Trent and Mersey, down Junction Lock, moored opposite the BW shop and Cafe and put up Rock'n'Roll's Christmas decorations

it was a very cold but beautiful sunny day with occasional light snow showers at Fradley looking towards lock 17 whilst we waiting for the Tesco man.

The canal had a thin layer of ice on it when we woke up on Friday 18th but we decided to move on as we needed to be at Great Haywood before the weather became any worse. We arrived in Rugeley late in the afternoon and managed to get in the last space beyond the railway bridge.

The ice didn't seem too bad on Saturday so we ventured off only to come to a standstill just beyond Brindley Aqueduct; we had to reverse back half a mile or so and hope that either the weather would improve or another boat came through. Our prayers were answered on the Sunday when two boats passed us late morning; they had travelled from Wolesley Bridge, so off we set. We reached Great Haywood, moored just below Shugborough Hall and walked up to the Marina to ask if we could take up our mooring 2 days early. It took a lot of persuasion to allow us in as most of the boaters in the marina had recently had their hulls blacked and did not want the ice to damage the boats. Anyway they did eventually agree; it took us over an hour and a half to break the ice and tie up, it was after 4pm by then, we'd had no lunch yet, were freezing cold, tired, not in a very good humour but so glad to be here! As I was waiting outside the marina office I glanced over the slipway and saw Moore to Life - Ann was waving out of the window so we went over to say hello.

Monday 21st - this was the scene we woke up to this morning, where we had broken the ice to get to our berth yesterday afternoon had now frozen over again.

nb Moore 2 Life is in the distance in front of the van