Day Out at Iron Bridge

Saturday 7th June 2014

The Iron Bridge

We are off to Ironbridge today and guess what, it was pouring with rain and thundering and lightening, oh what joy!  We set off up to the bridge to get the bus, luckily it was on time, so we didn’t get too wet.  We got a day saver ticket for £6.20 as we could use it to Ironbridge as well, so will get our money’s worth today!   It was about an hour bus ride to Telford and when we got there, it had stopped raining.  We got the bus to Ironbridge, it was only about 20 minutes, so didn’t take too long to get there.  It was still dry, so we walked up to the Iron Bridge, it is the world’s first cast iron bridge and is a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.  It’s magnificent. Walked over the bridge to the old toll house.

The Old Tolls

 

 

It started raining, so we went for coffee in one of the coffee shops, then caught the shuttle bus to Blists Hill Victorian Town, Kev asked the bus driver if our saver tickets were valid on this bus as well and they were, so that saved us a few more pounds!

Lloyds Bank

Went into the Victorian town, it was really good and quite big, lots of old shops, etc.  We went into the Lloyds Bank where you could change your money into pounds, shillings and pence and then spend it in the shops and pub in the town, so we did that, would be a bit of fun paying in old money.  For £10, we got 3 sixpences, 1 thre-pence, 2 pennies, 3 ha’pennies and 2 farthings, wow!!

The Pub

Went into the pub and paid for our drinks with our old money, it cost Kev 1s 1d, shame the exchange rate made it £5.20, I think I like the old money better, it sounds a lot less!,  it took a while to work out which coins to pay with! There was a sing song in the pub, that was good fun, a chap playing the piano and another one singing and getting everyone to join in.

Shopping Street

When we went outside, the sun was out and it was a lovely afternoon.  We wandered around the town, went into the doctors and the school where there was a lesson going on and then onto the mine. 

Steam Engine

There was a small steam engine which went up and down the tracks.

We went into the bakery and bought a couple of things with our old money and then got fish and chips which were cooked the old fashioned way in beef dripping, lovely!!

Caught the bus back to Ironbridge, then back to Telford and then onto Gnosall.  It was a long day, but we had such a nice time.  Ironbridge is lovely and there is lots more to see and do in that area, so we plan to return there in the future.

Church Eaton to Gnosall (Shropshire Union Canal)

Bridge swopping tow path over

Leaving Cowley Tunnel

Going in Cowley Tunnel

We chugged off this morning, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm.  Up the canal to Gnosall, all 3 miles of it!  We went under the bridge that swops the tow path from one side to the other, this is to allow the horses which pulled the boats to cross over without swimming!! and through Cowley Tunnel , all 81 yds of it.   

Moored up at Gnosall just before Bridge 25.  

Chugging into Gnosall

Mooring at Gnosall

Canal at Gnosall

 Decided to go and catch the bus to the Aldi at Donnington about ½ an hour away.  The bus stop is on the bridge.  The bus came along and we got on.  Kev said “two returns to Aldi at Donnington”, the bus driver said “£14.00”, we said “how much”,  we got up off the floor and he said “you can have a day saver for £6.20 each”, and we could go all the way to Wolverhampton for that, wow!!That's country service prices for you!

We bought our tickets and to get our money’s worth, we decided to go to Telford for a few hours and go to the Aldi on the way back.  Well, we got to Telford and the bus station leads into the shopping centre.  We had a walk around, then tried to find the way out to the town centre, but couldn’t, all we could find was the car park.  So we asked at the customer information desk and she said that Telford was a purpose built town, built in the 1970’s and therefore there is no old town, the shopping centre is it, very strange to us!!

It was funny having all the shops, including banks inside, so we decided we had had enough of that, so we got the bus to the Aldi and did our shopping, then back to Gnosall.

We are staying here tomorrow as well, as we are off to Ironbridge on the bus again, that will be good.

Wheaton Aston to Church Eaton (Shropshire Union Canal)

Our Stowaway

We are chugging off today, going a long way again, 3 miles to be exact!  Reversed back to the water point to fill up and as we were doing so, we had a stowaway, a duck jumped on the front of  the boat and stayed there the whole time we were reversing back, I tried to charge her, but she flew off before I could take her fare, these fare dodgers, I don’t know!! 

The open air Gym

Chugged on, stopped to get diesel, 71.9 a litre wow!! then on down the canal to the moorings near Church Eaton.  Moored up, then walked up to the village, went past an outdoor gym, we are both thinking of signing up!     

The Royal Oak, Church Eaton

The Church in Church Eaton

Walked past the pub, The Royal Oak, its only open in the evenings in the week, so we are going to come back up tonight for a meal.  Walked on to the church,  then walked back to the next bridge (26), then back down the tow path to the boat. The sun was shining, so it was a really nice afternoon, a bit windy though.

Walked up to the pub, it was open, so we went in and we had a really nice meal, it is a nice friendly pub.  Walked back down the lane, it was a lovely sunny evening.  Chugging off tomorrow up to Gnosall.

Brewood to Wheaton Aston (Shropshire Union Canal)

 Should have posted this yesterday, but for once, we did not have any internet connection, first time on the canals that the three network has not worked at all, but surprisingly Orange did work intermittently, but not strong enough to cope with the blog, so here is yesterday's blog, better late than never!

Mooring at Brewood

Monday 2 June - We stayed where we were today,  moored at Brewood.     

It was sunny and warm so we went up the shops.  We came back to the boat, then a bit later on, we went up to The Lion Hotel for lunch, it was really nice.

Speedwell Castle

There is a really nice unusual building in the square in Brewood, called Speedwell Castle. It was built in 1740 by a man reputed to have won a lot of money on a horse named Speedwell and used his winnings to build this dwelling.  Brewood is a really nice village with a lot of old houses.

 
Had a walk along the canal to the next bridge and came across this, Kev and I agreed that if we ever need to downsize, this would be ideal for us, but we would probably have to live there one at a time!!

Sailing High Above the A5

Staying here tonight, then chugging off up to Wheaton Ashton tomorrow.

Today - Chugged off today, it was abit overcast, but dry, so set off for Wheaton Aston.  Up the canal we went and over Stretton Aqueduct and onto the lock at Wheaton Aston.

There was a boat coming through, so waited for them and then in we went and down the lock.  Stopped at the water point and filled up with water, then moved down the canal to the moorings.  Tied up.

The weather brightened up, so we went up the village for a walk, there is a couple of shops and a post office.  There was a pub called The Coach & Horses which turned part of the pub in the day into a café, so went in for a coffee, they also had a stall selling fruit and veg.

Mooring at Wheaton Aston

Walked back to boat, then just chilled out and it then started raining.

We are staying here tomorrow as well as the forecast is not good and we don’t want to get wet do we!!, then chugging onto Gnosall on Thursday as its supposed to be sunny then!

From Bridges 7 & 8 to Brewood (Shropshire Union Canal)

Saturday31 May - We stayed put again today, it was a beautiful sunny day, so Kev did some painting, then we went for a walk down the canal to Bridge 7, went up on the bridge and walked up a concrete path which seemed to go on and on, so walked for a while, then headed back to the canal, and look what we passed, now thats my kind of farm!!

Just chilled out for the rest of the day, heading off tomorrow.

Our Visitors

It was a lovely sunny day, just as well as we are chugging off today and for all of two miles to a nice place called Brewood, so we set off, it had been a lovely place where we had moored for the last couple of days, in the middle of nowhere, you could just hear the birds singing and we had a family of ducks visit us every day, but time to move on. 

 

Mooring at Brewood

Through the narrow bit and on up the canal, under Bridge10 which is a really lovely bridge with a huge semi-circle balustrade around it and on to Brewood and moored up.  Wow what a long way we have gone today, all 2 miles of it, we need a rest now!!

Went up the village, it’s a nice village with a few shops and a couple of restaurants.   Had a walk around, got a few provisions and had a drink in The Lion Hotel, had a look at the menu and it looks really nice, so we are going to go there tomorrow for lunch.

Walked back to the canal and went in the The Bridge Inn, the pub just off the canal and had a drink and some lunch, really nice baguettes, I had hot pork and Kev had chicken.  We were sat outside and we heard a toot toot coming from the canal, had a look and it was The President and Kildare coming up the canal, what a sight, and you don’t often see them chugging along, so it was quite a treat.  President is a steam narrow boat, really old and Kildare is an unpowered butty which President pulls.

The President & Kildare

Went back to the boat and just chilled out.  Staying here tomorrow as well, then chugging off up to Wheaton Ashton a few miles up the canal on Tuesday.