Market Drayton

Captains Log Canal Date 17th May 2010 Travels 6 Miles Locks 5 Current Location Market Drayton OS Ref SJ 680 346 Why is it that you can find the perfect spot to moor up, no one else about, nice views, everything we like, only to find that although there are a hundred metres of moorings available, someone always wants to moor right next to me? It is the herding instinct built into most of us. We are now low on important things like cake & puddings do time to move to the local town of Market Drayton. We came across quite a lot of other boaters today; I think the sunshine brings them out. The other thing to ponder is why can you travel without seeing another boat until you arrive at a bridge hole or a very narrow section of canal? Never at a place where it would be easy to pass! We have had a quick look at the town. It looks OK, well kept and with shops still selling things, so many towns now only have pound shops charity shops and estate agents. Whilst in the pub the other night, another boater strongly recommended that we try the food at the Talbot in Market Drayton. What do you know; we are moored up right outside it. Now there’s a stoke of luck! I suppose we will have to try it out tonight. Captains Log Canal Date 14th May 2010 Travels 5 Miles (over 2 Days) Locks 0 Current Location 5 miles South East of Market Drayton OS Ref SJ 740 272 Moved on from Norbury Junction on the hunt for quieter pastures. We travelled for about 4 miles of lock free canal when disaster struck! The boat veered towards the towpath and the engine stopped. We were right outside a nice country pub serving real ale and home cooked food. As they say in all the best commercials “That will do nicely” I did manage a few drops of ale and an excellent meal before retiring to bed. Next morning the boat started and we set off again in search of a nice spot to stay for a few days, where we are is fine but it is just a bit too close to a pub for my wallet! We travelled over the now famous Shebdon embankment; this is where the canal was breeched last summer causing the closure for many months. Not far past the embankment we came across a nice open and wide stretch of canal. This will do us for a few days. Unfortunately the phone signals of poor and the internet just is not there at all, but it is peaceful and glorious views over rolling farm land. Captains Log Canal Date 13th May 2010 Travels 12 1/2 Miles Locks 1 Current Location Norbury Junction OS Ref SJ 792 230 We set off earlier than usual today we were moving by 11.00 am, a proper early start. No real plans other than to do a few hours to charge the batteries and to find a shop for fresh bread and provisions. We soon arrived at Brewood. For some reason, totally beyond my comprehension, it is pronounced “Brood” Is it me or do we have a strange language? We found a mooring and went into the village. A nice and well kept village, not where the average pauper would live! I know that this may sound a little odd but we walked past 2 nice smelling pubs serving food and ate onboard instead. (I am sure that this state of mind will not last for long) We continued our journey after lunch; the weather was bright with sunny intervals however when the sun goes behind a cloud the temperature drops dramatically. I went from tee shirt to jacket and back to tee shirt. There was much more boat traffic than we have been used to, It must be the time of year, the majority of traffic is the hire fleets, we are now on one of the more popular cruising rings. We eventually arrived at Norbury Junction. This used to be a major junction on the canal, now it is just a name, as all the other canals have gone; there is no junction any more! However all is not lost. There is a pub, so we had to try it out. Yes it worked, the beer was good, and the food was better. Too much for me, I had to leave some of mine. We shall stay here overnight and move on to a more rural location where we will stay for a few days.