A wet Wednesday morning

Last night we woke to the sound of rain hammering on the roof and I wondered what the dawn would bring. We were pleasantly suprised to find that by 7.00 the rain had stopped and, although overcast, the weather is fair.

We spent last night in the village of Wheaton Aston, and had a fine meal (of cod and chips) at the Hartley Arms.

Having said that I feel that I must tell our anxious wives that we have been eating well. On Sunday we stopped in Stone and had lunch at The Star, a pub which I think I have already mentioned. Our lunch was ale and steak pie. On Monday our main meal was taken in the evening and Stan and I were treated to a wonderful potato and leek soup which John made using the fresh vegetables we had bought at the Farm Shop. The soup was accompanied by ciabatta bread rolls, also from the Farm Shop. And then last night's cod, chips and mushy peas (which Stan and John found questionable) complete the main meals.

The routine we seem to have fallen into is - up at 7.00, have a cup of coffee sitting round the table and discussing the day ahead, cast off and travel until we moor for breakfast, which could be at any time!

Mid-afternoon we have coffee and a biscuit (wonderful 'oaties' from the Farm Store). Just in case you are concerned for our well-being I have cooked a full breakfast twice - Monday and today, Wednesday. John's marmalade has been favourably compared in a taste test with a jar of 'Betty's' or 'Granny's' marmalade. Stan and I feel that John has managed to catch the taste of the original very well.

This is our little kitchen (please note that the washing up has been done!)

Below the hob is a small grill, and, below that, a small oven

The weather thus far has been very good to us, Sunday was wonderfully sunny, Monday and Tuesday overcast with patches of sun, today heavily overcast and looking like we could have some rain.

Well today (it is now just past 1.00) has been good to us. We have made our way through Little Onn and High Onn, through Chamberlains Covert and the Cowley Tunnel into Gnosall (pronounced "No-zull"). After Gnosall we encountered the greatest work of Thomas Telford. The "Shroppie" was his masterpiece, but to keep to his principles of straight canals (which cut down distance and thus time) he had to create great embankments and cuttings. Some of these embankments are as high as 80 feet and the Shelmore embankment built in 1834 was a nightmare for him as it kept collapsing. Sadly, although  the rest of the canal was completed, he died before the Shelmore was correctly built. Following the Shelmore is the "Grub Street Cutting" which is 80 feet deep!

Staffordshire is wide and flat with beautiful green fields stocked with cattle and sheep. There is a huge dairy industry here and at Knighton we passed the Cadbury Wharf where milk was delivered from local farms, and boats brought in cocoa and 'sugar crumb'. The raw chocolate was then sent, by boat down to the Bournville factory in Birmingham. An interesting point as we (John, Suzanne, Sarah and I) had passed the Bournville factory on our first trip in 2000 on the Stourport Ring. Here is the old wharf -

Thanks to Thomas Telford we have not seen a lock all day!

We have one more of his great cuttings to travel through - Woodseaves - then we will hit the five Tyrley Lockswhich take us down into Market Drayton.

On we go!