Day 9 - Stone to Barlaston

Thursday 11th June

4 miles, 8 locks



Welcome to Stone

A very lovely warm day although still breezy. I walked back into Stone to stock up at the co-op. After topping up the water we joined the queue to go up Stone locks - slow progress but everyone was chatty and enjoying the sunshine. The queue was bigger going down. At the top I realised that no photos had been taken We moored up and walked back down to lock 2 where there was a statue of Christina who had been hanged for murder. We had passed the bloody steps where she was supposed to have taken the body.






Christina at bridge 94















Joules brewery

Next the Joules brewery and a lovely clump of huge pink poppies in someone's garden. The owner says everyone stops to admire them. There was also a horse tunnel and a boatyard.













Lock with horse tunnel













We called into the chandlery to buy the no. 5 Nicholson guide for the Macclesfield and Pennine canals later in the trip and a water filter as we have black bits coming out of the tap.



Approaching Stone top lock

After lunch and cleaning half the boat we cruised on through Meaford locks - another 4 locks still quite busy. The water level had suddenly dropped - we didn't know why but we noticed when stopped for lunch we were on a tilt.











Spoke to a lady at the locks who asked where we were going and I told her just along to the Wedgewood factory. She said it is closed at the moment so we were disappointed. It is being developed into a Wedgewood experience of all things!



Visitors at Barlaston

Decided to moor for the night at Barlaston. Cooked a nice meat and two veg dinner before strolling along to the Plume of Feathers a pub connected to Neil Morrisey of Men Behaving Badly fame.The barman said he had been there the night before. I bet he says that every night!

Oh, forgot to mention the mobile pump out wagon at the boatyard - a beaten up vintage lorry with a tank on the back onto which had been painted Winnie the Pooh and Piglet!