Branston (as in the pickle) to Shardlow

Friday 24 August

Our next stop was Branston.  After WWI, Crosse & Blackwell bought a site in Branston and in 1922 started to produce Branston Pickle, however the factory was not economic and they moved to London and production at Branston ended in 1925 causing large scale unemployment and locals boycotting Crosse & Blackwell products.

Nugget & friend at The Horse Shoe Inn, Tatenhill 

 We went on a walk to Tatenhill, a nice village with a lovely church, St Michael and All Angels which is dated to Norman times. Sadly it is in much need of extensive repair work and the congregation numbers just 8 😢

Bank holiday weekend
We enjoyed a short cruise through to bridge 29A mooring near the Mill House pub.  On the way we called at Shobnall Marina for fuel and water. What a lovely marina this is, very clean and tidy and the staff are very helpful too.

Taking on Fuel at Shobnall Marina 

Lauren and Paul joined us for a few days and we all enjoyed excellent value food at the Mill House pub, indeed we also went for  breakfast too!  Next mooring was Willington which has all the CRT facilities, a Co-op, takeaways etc and also a large car park. The Bank Holiday came complete with the usual rain and wind but we didn't let it dampen our spirits! 
Monday we called at Mercia Marina. This has vastly improved and increased in size since we were last there.  There are now lots of shops/cafes and restaurants as well as a large chandlery with great visitor moorings.


Stenson Lock

Tuesday Lauren and Paul helped us down Stenson lock. Extra muscles as we are now back to double locks. Our next mooring was just above Swarkstone lock. This area has been reserved for winter moorings to tempt the continuous cruisers to settle down for winter and get their wallets out!!
A short walk takes you to the church at Swarkstone, very interesting to see a lot of the really old gravestones  made out of slate.  Even though they were made as far back as 1780's, they had not weathered or corroded like the softer stones you usually see.

Swarkstone

Nearby are the remains of Sir Richard Harpur's Tudor mansion.  Apparently this is where  Bonnie Prince Charlie in the rising of 1745 gave up his attempt for the throne of England and returned to his defeat at Culloden.


Completion of the Trent & Mersey Canal  

Today we have cruised through to Shardlow, almost the end of the Trent and Mersey Canal which starts at Preston Brook some 92 miles away. Shardlow is an old inland port, with a lot of canal history. A visit to the 'Heritage Centre' is recommended, but don't forget Shardlow is also blessed with  numerous pubs!