Summer Cruise Day 31 Trenham Lock to Stone.

Chris normally does a weekly shop and by now we needed another.  Knowing a Morrisons store was in Stone we set off to find a mooring there

We passed through Barlaston and the Plum of feathers pub that belongs to Neil Morrissey of Men behaving Badly fame, though he was not in when we passed.

Just outside Barlaston we came across the site of a boat building yard that now has a lovely house and grounds.  Old lock gates sit side by side with ornamental Sheep and pigs.  It even has its own wharf with crane to remove stop boards. 

House at the boatyard, the gates have that inscribed into them too!

And the gardens would hold a football pitch

Wouldn't you just love moorings like these to yourself?

 At Meaford locks we joined our first queue for a while.  3 boats ahead and only two coming up, just our luck we had to turn them all in our favour again.

First of the 3 boats ahead enters the top lock

Our turn next

Two gone down last one ahead to go 

Children eager to help but slowed us down.  Not that there is any rush.

 Approaching Stone from the North there are no visitor moorings until you get below Lock 94, they are all private moorings.  For a popular visiting place on the canal moorings are at a premium here.

This place brought back many happy memories as it's the home of Canal Cruising Company and base for Olivier Ginger.  It was from here we started our Llangollen Cruise back in 2002.

Canal Cruising Company base at Stone

Our trip ended with me winding the boat into that shed.

 After descending Lock 94 there are some visitor moorings on either side of the pound.  Our luck was in as all the boats on the towpath side moorings were queuing for the lock.  As we exited the lock they all shuffled up and there before me was a vacant mooring in the pound.  The last boat held back until I was near then shouted the mooring was here and moved up.  We moored up straight away and took ourselves off to Morrisons.  On our return we unloaded the shopping.  Needless to say AmyJo is now is sitting slightly lower in the water than before and my arms are now longer than before! (no I don't drag my knuckles on the floor so don't say it! ).  As it was now 3:30pm we decided here was as good as any place to stop for the night.

Total distance:3.82 miles Elapsed time:3h38m15s Locks:7 

Bridges:15 Average speed:1.05 mph (2.97 lock/mph)