Thursday 1st July
At last, back to a place where 3 mobile broadband actually works! Poor old 3, I know I keep moaning about it, it’s not that bad really.
Anyway, here we are at Stockton Brook again. A week ago (last Thurday) we left here and made our way to the top of Hazlehurst Aquaduct on the Leek arm of the Caldon. Below the aquaduct on the main line is The Hollybush, a very nice pub and easy to get to from the aquaduct if you go down the steps and walk 200 yds along the towpath. Not so easy if you try to get your stubborn old dog round by the road, as we did before we discovered the steps! However we managed it. We sat round the back of the pub as it was very busy on the canalside and there were quite a few dogs. But as I always say we can look at the canal any time so it didn’t matter to us. The food looked very good but I just had the usual crisps! We stayed the night on the aquaduct, the views were lovely both sides from up there.
We wanted to get to Consall Forge to see the steam train at the weekend so we didn’t venture further up the Leek arm until we were on the way back. Friday we stopped below Wood’s Lock lock at Cheddleton and walked George back to The Boat Inn at Basford Bridge. It was really hot and we didn’t think he would want to go but he surprised us! He was delighted when he arrived to receive a huge handful of winalot shapes from the barman. Back at the boat Ken did some fishing and caught 2 pike …….. at the same time! A tiny jack pike took his bait and a larger one took the jack pike. Surprisingly it didn’t let go and Ken landed them both. There is photographic evidence of this, although the larger one did escape just before I took the picture. You can see it though it’s a bit blurred!
Saturday we made our way down to Consall Forge, ostensibly to get a mooring so we could see the steam trains on Sunday but as we were mooring up we discovered they ran on Saturdays too. That was a good thing as it turned out because it was really hot on Saturday and the whole area became swamped with people walking, picnicking, going to the pub and barbequeing by the river. So, after we had spent a pleasant couple of hours in the garden of the Black Lion, about 20yds away from the railway line, getting some good photos and having a rather substantial pork roll from the hog roast (George was pleased) we decided to go down to Froghall in search of some peace and quiet.
Sunday we stayed at Froghall because we had a tv signal and we wanted to watch the England match. Hmmmmmmm after about 30 mins we turned it off and I cut Ken’s hair and did the hoovering! Enough said. Before this we took George for a toddle to the basin and back. Unfortunately the Railway Inn is still closed so he didn’t get to go to the pub much to his disgust. Ken and I, however were very intrepid and decided to walk to the pub at Foxt. You remember, the one that was closed the last time we walked there? We figured with it being Sunday lunchtime they would be open. After we had been walking for about 20 mins I said I didn’t recognise the road we were walking up and thought we should have gone up the road on the other side of Froghall basin, not this one. Ken agreed and we started to go back. There were some chaps on scrambling bikes in a nearby field and we asked them if we were going towards the village. We were, but a different one to what we thought! After 2 miles we found the village of Ipstones and a shop, bonus because there isn’t a shop in Foxt and a pub, hurrah!
Monday we went back to Cheddleton and The Boat Inn of course! Tuesday we went back to the aquaduct on the Leek Arm and The Hollybush of course. Yesterday (Wednesday) morning we just popped up to the Leek tunnel, which is as far as you can go on the Leek arm at the moment, for a look. It’s only a couple of miles but it is lovely, with scenery better than the Peak Forest Canal I think. On the way back we stopped on the aquaduct and went to The Hollybush again! Last night we stopped at Endon, yes this time we really did!
I have a shed load of photos to upload so be warned!
