Where have all the green fields gone...........

Today was definitely an urban day!   We were in two minds whether to move at all as we awoke to the sound of quite heavy rain.   However by 9am it had eased a little and after consulting several forecasts which seemed to indicate a brief lull which Geoff said it was called a 'Suckers gap' (  I think it may be an RAF expression!), we decided to head through Stoke to Westport Lake..

After Trentham Lock I decided to do my morning walk with Barney despite the rain.   In fact I was better off than Geoff as I was partially sheltered by the high hedges and the trees.

These signs are all along this stretch of the canal

No buttercup fields today

British Architecture at it's best!!

What an apt name

Mercifully the rain had stopped by the time we reached the 5 Stoke Locks.   We had completely forgotten how low the bridge was on the approach to the second lock, and I had to do a very hasty reverse action and come alongside for Geoff to remove our satellite dish.....

On through Etruria towards the lake.  I had forgotten how far it was , I thought it was just around the corner.

First fishermen we have seen for a while

Ripe for conversion??????

signs of life inside...are they still operating??  See link below

Middleport Pottery

TV aerial on the back so someone living aboard..... must be very dark below......

Signs of yesteryear

Just before the lake we saw this sign to Butchers Outlet so later when Geoff went for a stroll with Barney he investigated.   It is a factory outlet for meat and if we had lots of freezer space there were some good bargains to be had..........

After a dry afternoon the promised rain has returned......not such a Suckers gap after all....we did reach here in the moderately dry.....

Unfortunately the forecast for the next couple of days is not good....and the next thing that beckons is the Harecastle Tunnel.   Now I don't like tunnels at the best of times and the Harecastle is 40 minutes of anyones time but I am even more dubious now.  On Tuesday a man drowned inside when he knocked his head and fell off his boat.   Not looking forward to the ride.

Total distance:8.05 miles 

Elapsed time:3h50m53s 

Locks:6

Bridges:40 
Average speed:2.09 mph (3.65 lock/mph)