intrepid pony: Almost back

Heron going

going

The weather was still bright and sunny but with a biting wind destroying the Captain’s faith in the
weather forecasts. We followed a single-hander down the first two locks but the lady was cheerful, efficient and did not slow us up and thanked us nicely for closing up after her. She stopped at the Stone Canal cruising company so may have been one of the family running the business. It has been open 60 years and run by three generations of the same family.

gone

After we disturbed one heron it flew away however within a mile we were fortunate to see another heron in action. It posed like a statue then dived at its prey spearing it with its razor sharp beak. I find it amazing that they can see anything to catch in the muddy water.

swans

We found another single-hander descending Sandon lock and helped another one up. Finally after twenty minutes helping it took us five minutes to descend and leave the lock. We passed dredging works in operation and then were amazed by the number of swans congregating between bridges 89 and 87. I counted thirty but there may have been more. They all seemed to be young swans, many of them still had some brown cygnet fluff clinging to their snowy feathers. I’ve never seen so many swans together on a canal before. Unfortunately we were past them before the Captain grabbed his camera so he only snapped the last few. Where were they when we came up? I think they must have been down on the river which runs parallel and lower than the canal making hidden for much of its course.

Shrugborough House

We passed the marina without incident though the gusting wind would make it tricky for anyone exiting it and filled with water at Great Hayward. A Biffa lorry was emptying the bins next to the water point making our normally placid hound quiver with fear at the strange bumping and banging.

We worked through Great Hayward lock and moored up for the night with a splendid view across to Shrugborough. Where else can you just turn up and stay overnight outside National Trust houses like you can on a canal and enjoy their gardens?