Bargecade 2022.

Boats (2) : Fjord Viscount & Fjord Emperor, Andersen Boats, Middlewich

Crews :

Fjord Viscount - Stan, Pete W, Jay, Nellie, Richard and Ian [Nellie's son - 4 nights]
Fjord Emperor - Peter H, Gerald, Ben, James & Palle

Route : Middlewich > Wheelock > Kidsgrove > Stoke > Stone > Great Haywood > Penkridge > Wolverhampton [by bus] > Norbury > Knighton > Market Drayton > Audlem > Barbridge > Middlewich

Coverage : 110 miles and 100 locks.

Notes: This trip went through many iterations of the route during the planning stage - mainly due to the inability of C&RT to actually keep the canals open and navigable.

Plan 'A' - was to do The Cheshire ring, but one week before departure Stan learned that both the Bosley & Marple flights would be severely restricted and would prevent us from doing that route - we needed a plan 'B'
Plan 'B' - was to do The Four Counties ring clockwise, but there was always a little difficulty with the beer desert down the southern end of The Shroppie - so we now needed a plan 'C'
Plan 'C' - was to do The Caldon Canal, but the night before departure we learned that The Caldon Canal was also closed due to overrunning works - so we now needed a Plan 'D'
Plan 'D' - was to meet up in the pub and decide where we wanted to go, or could actually get to. This reverted us to Plan 'B' and the Four Counties ring.

In 30 years of boating, The Bona Boaters have never had to consider a Plan 'B' - let alone Plans 'C' or 'D' , indeed their own trip in 2022 also suffered a similar fate with closure of both The Huddersfield Narrow and The Rochdale canals.

If C&RT cannot keep the canals open and navigable,

then it is no longer fit for purpose.

Saturday 30th April

Lunch : Middlewich. We arrived in Middlewich and parked at the boatyard at about 11:00 We had arranged to meet up in The White Bear, but it would not open until 12:00 Once we had all met, over the course of several pints we decided on doing The Four Counties ring, clockwise. We then had to ring the Boatyard to ask them to turn one of the boats round. Since the boatyard also did not yet know which way we would be going, they left the two boats pointing in opposite directions so that once we had decided, we/they would then only have to wind one of them when we set off. We returned to the boatyard to find both boats pointing the right way, we loaded the boats and set off.

The White Bear, Middlewich.

Afternoon : The King's Lock, Middlewich. After climbing the three Middlewich locks and King's lock, we moored up for quick a few pints in The King's Lock, before heading on to Wheelock.

Evening : Wheelock. We arrived in Wheelock at 19:45 and went to The Cheshire Cheese where we ate. The pub was busy with little available seating so the crews ended up scattered around the pub. There was also an altercation [..not with us..] with a local who came in shouting, effin' & blindin' and threatening the staff, but the landlady seemed to take it in her stride. Later, after some folks had left the pub, we all managed to squeeze round one big table, but it was right next to the band - a rather loud duo, though to be fair, the music was not that bad... just too loud.

Sunday 1st May

Lunch : Kidsgrove. After an early start from Wheelock at 06:45, we arrived in Kidsgrove at 11:45. We moored up and walked to The Blue Bell - though we did pass a few of the crew who had managed to sneak off and get a quick pint the The Canal Tavern. After a session in The Blue Bell, we departed Kidsgrove at about 15:30

The Blue Bell, Kidsgrove.

Evening : Festival Park Marina, Stoke. We arrived at Festival Park at about 17:30 and we moored close to Festival Park Marina. Initially, we went to The Toby Carvery just to see whether it had any beer - and it did, in the form of some rather nice Pedigree. Meanwhile, Nelly was on the boat in the process of cooking a large roast chicken dinner, and someone had the idea of buying some Yorkshire Puddings to take away from the carvery to have with it. After a few pints in The Toby - well, once the so-called "pints" were topped up, we returned to the boat to eat. Having eaten, the crew [with the exception of Pete W, who had failed and was taken out of service] went to The Holy Inadequate.

Monday 2nd May

Lunch : Stone. After another early start at 06:15 from Festival Park, we arrived in Stone at about 11:45 with the intention of going to The Swan. However, on arrival, it was shut, and was not due to open until 14:00, so we walked into the town in search of beer. We found it in Bod - a very modern style cafe/bar owned by Titanic Brewery. It was very busy mostly with coffees and breakfasts, and was not the sort of place we would usually go, but it had a bank of hand pumps selling Titanic beers.. including both Plum Porter and the rarer Cherry Porter. After several pints of each, we returned to The Swan for a few more beers before returning to the boat.

We thought of stopping for a quickie here,

but it wasn't open at 06:30 !

An interesting boat name... to those who recognise it...

Evening : Great Haywood. After leaving Stone at about 15:15, we arrived at Great Haywood Junction at about 19:00, and after taking water, we turned onto The Staffs. & Worcester Canal and moored just beyond the boatyard near the aqueduct at about 19:20 After eating on the boat, we repaired to The Clifford Arms for beer. Here, Jay seemed to have rather too much to drink, and after almost ending up in the cut, he spent most of the next day sleeping it off.

Tuesday 3rd May

Lunch : Penkridge. After another early start at 07:30, we arrived in Penkridge at about 11:50 with the intention of going to The Boat. It was supposed to open at 12:00 but was still shut when we arrived. After rattling the door a few times, someone eventually emerged saying that it would not open until at least 12:30 or maybe even later due to a "technical problem" so rather than stand around in a car park wasting valuable drinking time, we moved on to the far end of the village and The Cross Keys by Bridge 84 where we had numerous pints of Banks's Mild before returning to the boat. We departed Penkridge at 15:11

Evening : Wolverhampton [by bus]. We arrived at Autherley Junction at about 19:10 and moored just short the junction, from where we took the 19:33 bus into Wolverhampton. It was quite a long walk from the bus stop to The Great Western but the overriding memory was the juxtaposition of just how much new building development was going on, and the large number of people begging ! After numerous pints in The Great Western, we took taxis back to the bridge where the boat was moored.

Wednesday 4th May

Lunch : Gnosall. After a relatively leisurely start at 08:05 [..well, leisurely compared to the last few days..] we stopped briefly at Wheaton Aston services to take water. We then continued on to Gnosall, arriving at about 12:15 where we went to The Boat Inn for several pints. We left Gnosall at about 15:15

Mid afternoon: Norbury Junction. We arrived at Norbury Junction at around 16:00 and went to The Junction Inn. Externally, it appeared to be closed, but was in fact open, so we had a few pints there before continuing on towards Kinghton for the evening, departing Norbury at about 18:00

Late afternoon: High Offley. As we passed by The Anchor Inn at High Offley at about 18:50, we sent a runner just to make sure that it was actually shut. It seems that since Olive passed away, the pub now only opens at weekends. It was shut, so we continued towards Kinghton. Pete W was a little perturbed that this was his third unsuccessful attempt to get a pint at The Anchor Inn.

The Anchor Inn, High Offley - Closed.

Evening : Knighton. We arrived at Knighton at about 19:45 in order to try The Habadashers Arms, which was about a mile from the cut along a country lane. Having moored up between bridges 45 & 46, we found no easy way to access the road. There was what looked like steps up to the road, but they appeared closed off at the bottom. Only after climbing over the barrier, struggling up the bank and on to the road, was there a sign proclaiming that the steps were shut as they were dangerous. If that was so, why was there no sign at the bottom ! We walked to the pub and on entry found there were two handpumps along with a plethora of CAMRA awards on the walls. Pete W ordered the first round and at the second pint, the beer ran out, at which point the barman said "sorry lads, there's no more beer - I've had a very busy weekend and I've run out. Next delivery is due tomorrow." We had to contend with cans of Guinness with some sort of fizzing-up machine, draught cider and whatever bottles he had before hitting the whisky - which we also finished off. It was a real shame as it was a cracking little pub. The one good thing which came from it was he gave us some much better directions back to the boat which involved crossing over the canal and continuing down the road to a business park, where, at the back of its car park, we would a gap down onto the towpath.

The Habadasher's Arms, Knighton.

Ran out of beer as soon as we arrived.

Thursday 5th May

Lunch: Market Drayton. After another leisurely start at 08:05, we arrived in Market Drayton about 11:20. The two boats moored breasted up as there was limited space on the visitor moorings. After walking into the town, we first had a pint in The Crown before going on to The Red Lion for several more pints of Joules Ales, before leaving Market Drayton at 15:25

The two boats breasted-up at Market Drayton.

Evening : Audlem. We left Market Drayton and arrived in Audlem at about 18:45 to find The Shroppie Fly closed, so we went to The Bridge. for some beer. Unfortunately, they were not doing any food, so after a pint or two here, we moved on to The Lord Corbermere where we ate and had several more pints before returning to The Bridge for some more beer, and a chap doing George Formby songs. It was after this back at the boat that Pete W gave a performance of some Wallace & Grommit, Trumpton/Chigley/Camberwick Green tunes and "Sailing by" on his squeeze box.

Friday 6th May

Lunch: Barbridge. After another fairly early start at 07:45, we took water at Audlem Wharf, and by 08:15, we had left Audlem. We headed for Barbridge, but before long, the rain showers started. On arrival at Barbridge, we were not able to moor on the pub's own mooring, but we moored as close as we could. After several pints in The Olde Barbridge Inn, we set off for Middlewich at 15:50 There was a suggestion that we might stop and try The Badger at Church Minshull, but as it was a bit of a walk from the cut, and with the heavy showers on and off, it would be just our luck to get there and find it shut after getting soaked. We decided to keep going.

Evening : Middlewich. We moored some distance back from Middlewich Junction, on the visitor moorings between bridges 29 & 30, leaving only about half a mile and three locks to do in the morning. After eating on the boat, we went to The White Bear. Unfortunately, Pete W failed.. again ! He'd been feeling a bit pukey all afternoon since leaving Barbridge - he blamed the first pint in the pub which he drank, but others took back. He did not have any food or beer, and just went to bed..

Saturday 7th May.

Morning: We left the visitor moorings at about 08:10 for the short run back to the boat yard. We had been informed by the boatyard on Friday afternoon of a problem with Middlewich Bottom Lock. Could anything else possibly go wrong with this trip ? The fault was that the cill protector - a great big iron plate which is hung in front of the cill to protect it - had detached and was lying at an angle in the bottom of the lock. The lock was still passable with care, but it meant lifting the lower paddles very slowly so that the obstruction could be seen as the water level fell, and the boat could be kept away from it. Despite this, we arrived at the boat yard at 09:15

Pete W & Stan then headed off to Bradford where they visited the Al Halal supermarket and The New Al Halal supermarket before having breakfast in the Karachi Restaurant then heading home for York.

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