Shebden Embankment.

   

As it was blowing a gale we stayed put at Market Drayton until Tuesday. When we reached Tyrley locks there was a queue of four waiting to ascend. The first pound was low and there was a wide sandstone ledge on the towpath side. Other boaters told us that a boat was marooned on it the previous day for a couple of hours, so everyone was being cautious. Anyway, it took us two hours to get up the five locks, then we stopped for about an hour on the services waiting for the water to dribble into our tank. Meanwhile I had spotted some hazelnuts on the towpath below the lock so I went back and collected up about 3lbs of them. So, there was and advantage to the high winds after all, they had blown all the nuts off. The front gardens of the top lock cottages are a delight and the butterflies were taking advantage of a splash of sunshine on the Cornflowers.

 

There were apples, pears and honey for sale here so we bought some, we like our stewed apple with custard.

   

Here is my hoard of nuts, some of which I shall Squirrel away ready for my winter hibernation. Fortunately Bottle doesn’t like them, so all the more for me. There are very tall bridges through the narrow Woodseaves Cutting and everyone passed each other at sensible speeds in, the few, wider bits.

   

This was the once busy Knighton Wharf where churns of milk from surrounding farms were gathered to be mixed with sugar and cocoa to be turned into chocolate crumb. This was transported by canal to Cadbury’s at Bourneville. The last cargo of crumb was carried on ‘Mendip’ by ‘Chocolate Charlie’ Atkins fifty years ago.

When we reached Shebden we slid into a designated mooring space with rings, sharing one nose to nose with the boat in front. As I was preparing dinner we heard a raised voice saying ‘bloody bad manners’ so Bottle went out to see what the fuss was about. Apparently the bloke in front on nb Bradgate Oak didn’t like anyone mooring near to him. He told Bottle that it was not right to share rings and that BW rules said that you should not encroach on other peoples space. Then with the assistance of his wife pulled his boat back from us and tied up a couple of rings away! His boat now had about a thirty foot gap at the front and fifteen behind. So no room for anyone else to moor, how selfish and pig-headed is that?