Smoke hangs low in the cutting at Brewood

Cruising Shropshire Union and Staff and Worcs Canals

Busy morning aboard with paperwork *yuk* before pulling the pins and heading off into the murky cuttings and embankments of the Shroppie.  Oh boy it was chilly, I am so pleased we have our wigwam for whimps (AKA pram cover).  It keeps the cold wind out, and it is low enough to go under all the bridges …. so far.

We passed through Wheaton Aston Lock today, goodness it has been a long time since we last did a lock, and with that done we soon reached Stretton Embankment with it’s aqueduct over the busy A5..

I say busy, well it wasn’t today, and it just goes to show how the leaves have suddenly disappeared from the trees after the last couple of nights of frost.  Not a leaf to be seen on the road side trees..

I needed to stop today at Brewood to collect some post.  I have never been into the village before.  What a lovely place it is too, it had just about every kind of shop that you would need, even a travel agent!  Very surprising in a village!  The visitor moorings at Brewood are excellent, and I moored close to the footpath bridge which gave me a short interesting walk to the village.

These visitor moorings were full in October when we came through here on the way to Wales, but today there was plenty of room.  The narrowboat stoves are working hard today and the smoke is barely rising up out of the sheltered cutting.

With homemade soup and bread tucked away in our tums we pulled the pins again and cruised for an hour then settled for the evening in time for me to take ‘the girls’ (Meg and Lucy’ for a stroll.  Mind you Lucy has been out on the towpath a lot today, I guess she has done about 3 and half miles.. Meg likes to ride on the boat.. she is not too sure about being out there without me yet!