Just a little bit further

It used to be a case of Gnosignall at Gnosall, but things are slowly improving. The Vodafone service is still nowhere to be found, but there's a usable T-mobile and a respectable 3 offering, so we've got two sources of data and one of voice. The moral for continuous and extended cruisers is that it's a really good idea to have at least two possible connections on the go, perhaps one monthly contract and one or two PAYG deals.

It means that I can share this photo with you of the view from our wonderfully peaceful mooring at Valencia:

With not far to go, we had a really lazy start this morning, not setting off until half nine or so. Forty minutes cruising got us to Gnosall; there were just one or two boats about, but the cut still feels very quiet.

Our preferred mooring here is on the visitor moorings just after Cowley Tunnel, preferably at the far end near the next bridge. This gets you onto fairly unshaded towpath, whereas all the rest of the generous space tends to be a bit down in the dark.

We were all tied up and sorted by 10.20 and decided to go shopping before coffee. Neither of the small shops in Gnosall Heath, the part nearest the canal, had a loaf we fancied, so we ended up walking up the hill into Gnosall proper and raiding the Co-op. On the way back, in bright sun and with not very heavy loads, we decided to take the long way round. This means walking along the greenway on top of an old railway embankment until it crosses the canal at the far end of the moorings, just where the 48 hour section turns into 5 day.

These latter were completely deserted and there were just a few boats on the shorter term stuff. Back at the boat it was too late for coffee, so we put things away and pottered about until it was time for lunch.

Just as I was recovering from my post prandial doze, the boat The Lady Margaret turned up with her usual crew of Roger, Margaret and John. They stopped for a natter and to tell us that they'll be at the reopening of the repaired Dutton Breach at the end of next week, Roger presently being the acting chairman of the Trent and Mersey Canal Society.

It sounds as if the repair has been very thorough; mooring rings have been added where a concrete cap has been installed, and even the milepost, which had been washed away with the canal bank, has been found, repainted and re-erected.

After they'd boated off, Sheila washed the galley floor and I polished it; the plan is to do the floor in segments like this in future, rather than knocking ourselves out trying to do the whole lot at once.

We'll stay put here tomorrow, then chug on to Norbury on Tuesday.