Not like Gnu.....

.... it’s Gnosall, pronounced No-zull.

I moved away from Wheaton Aston on Friday, another stretch of lock free canal ahead and as you travel along you can see just how much work went into altering the landscape in forming the embankments and cuttings to keep the canal level and eliminate the need for locks.

Open meadows and farmland with straight sections of canal passing through them until you reach this house just before High Onn

it made me think what it would be like snow covered, you wander outside slip on the snow and then slide/roll down the stepped garden and land in the canal, what fun.

Passing Lord Talbot’s Wharf

It would seem there is an ‘R’ Us for just about everything these days.

From embankment to cutting the journey continues

This project needs some effort and a new licence, it expired two months ago.

until you reach Cowley Tunnel

Still can't get my flash to work in tunnels.

 a short one at just 81 yards, it is unlined and the only tunnel on the Shropshire canal, the view as you leave the tunnel gives a nice sense of the work put in to complete it.

Shortly after the tunnel I arrived at the Gnosall visitor moorings stopping and mooring between bridges 34 and 35 which also puts me between two pubs, The Boat at bridge 34 and The Navigation at bridge 35.

The Boat

The Navigation

On Saturday I took a walk in Gnosall itself to get some provisions and have a look around, another beautiful church St. Lawrence’s

I liked this rather lovely old property.

And of course another pub

There are four pubs in the immediate area but a chap I spoke to at my moorings told me there used to be twelve, that would have made an admirable pub crawl.

Having stayed Saturday and watched the final of Strictly Come Dancing I set off yesterday and continued passing through more embankments and cuttings passing this Stop Gate, which appeared as if it could be put to use if necessary, effectively closing the canal if there were a breach somewhere close.

Into Norbury Junction.

It is no longer a junction as such, with the Newport Canal branch no longer navigable, but the initial section is being used for linear moorings.

Branch now just used for moorings

Passing through more beautiful countryside.

And then beneath bridge 39, I have seen many pictures of this unusual bridge with its stumpy, no longer in use, telephone pole built in the gap, on various blogs over the years and it seemed odd to suddenly find it facing me.

The weather took a turn for the worse as I passed bridge 43 with the wind building and rain coming down, it was so windy crossing the open area here I had to struggle a bit to keep the boat heading forward and away from the moored craft.

I decided to call it a day as I reached Shebdon and found a nice fairly quiet section of mooring to spend a night or two.

Last nights mooring.

Total Travel : 12 miles