Easter Break to Market Drayton - Part 2

After a peaceful night we prepared the boats for our ascent of the 15 Audlem Locks and 5 Adderley Locks.  The morning was grey and overcast with a slight drizzle but it was surprisingly a lot warmer than the last two days.

Someone once posted on facebook about boaters who, when using mooring pins, loop their lines through the loop of the pin and not round the pin itself.  A comment from another said it does not matter they never break.   Well here is proof they do.  Had the line not been correctly passed around the pin itself  but round to loop instead the boat would have ended up adrift.  This may well have occurred earlier in the morning as two boats had passed at some speed.

Mooring pin and sheered off loop.  

At our now usual time of 10am we set off up the flight.  Steve, now with Steph who had joined us last night, lead the way followed by Graham.  Next was Marie.  I asked Chris to work Marie through the locks and I followed last single handing.  To my relief several boats were descending and their crews, whilst waiting for the lock, helped me through.

A dull day at lock 12 just above the Shroppie Fly pub.

For some reason progress was slow with all of us having to wait for the boats coming down to clear the lock we were moving to next.   It soon became apparent why.  A run of working boats started to appear descending the locks.

The first of several working boats leave the lock whilst Marie moves off into the vacated lock, meanwhile,
 I wait in the lock for them both to clear before moving out

And another

Eventually passage stopped altogether.  A gent walking down from the above lock asked that I remain in the pound and hover away from the towpath to allow his butty to be roped through, all the while a queue building behind me in the locks and pounds below.  There was nothing for it but to sit it out until finally we passed the butty.  Progress was much better there after.

Butty being roped into the lock

Slowly inch by inch.  You can see the queue of boats building up below the lock

Now the butty was passed normal progress resumed

Audlum Top Lock  There is an honesty box here and the homemade pork pies are truly scrumptious!

By time we got to the top lock it was decided to stop on the visitor moorings for some lunch and a bit of a breather before tackling the Adderley locks.  I had purchased a large homemade pork pie from the honesty box at the top lock so tried a slice.  It rates as one of the best pork pies I've had in along time.  Needless to say it didn't remain long before it was gone

Welcome break for lunch

The first sighting of ducklings of the season  sorry for the burred photo we had to be quick

At the Adderley locks more working boats passed through  this time a butty was being towed by a motor so as not to hold things up too long.  I do love to see working boats on the move but they do seem to pick the busiest of weekends to go through locks.

butty towed rather than roped through the locks.

We worked as a team through the Adderley locks and eventually moored up on the visitor moorings in Market Drayton at 7:30pm  Surprised to find moorings free for us all at that time of night at what is a popular spot to stop overnight.

Total distance:6.27 miles Elapsed time:9h58m33s Locks:20 Bridges:16 

Average speed:0.63 mph (2.63 lock/mph)