Stoke On Trent to Stone. 9 Locks.

Moved over to the water point at Etruria (Named after the Wedgwood house and pottery) in lovely morning sunshine, half way through the fill and it was back to the falling water again.

Opposite the point stands this statue of James Brindley who was the Trent and Merseys creator. Strangely though this canal is listed on Google maps as the Grand Trunk Canal.

Whatever its name it is a bit of a treat to get back to a canal that actually has some water in it, the Maccie is also a very shallow canal easily matching all the "Northern" ones.



Another couple of these Bottle Kilns, these ones seem to have been left standing while the powers that be built a housing estate around them.

They do say that every picture tells a story.
This one is of our chimney smoking away on the 25th July as we try to keep the damp at bay.





Some creatures don't mind this weather as this mummy Duck producing yet another brood seems to prove.





This is the Dolphin boatyard that is fully functioning, that sign along the front of the building states:
Tackle & Bait, Air Guns, Archery, Boats & Engines and..................
Country & Western Line Dancing.
I don't know what to say about that, it might appeal to some boaters.

If you can bear with me for these next two pictures and look fairly hard at the ends of the lock beams in each one.







Those black lumps are people!
They arrived at the lock from an approaching boat, opened the paddles as fast as they could after we had entered then sat on the floor perfectly still with their backs to each other.

As soon as the lock had emptied they burst into life again winding the paddles shut and opening the gates after which they sat down again.
This is the strangest behaviour I have witnessed to date, it reminded me of the fight scene in the Phantom Menace with Darth Maul.


We are staying put in Stone today (Tues), so it should be an easy guess as to what the weather is doing again.



Until the next time.......................................