Vlog 95: Stoked
After spending the night at the village of Barlaston, I’m ready to go through the substantial town of Stoke-on-Trent, past the CRT facilities yard at Etruria and on towards the southern portal of the infamous Harecastle tunnel.
Canal Life
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The reality of life aboard a canal boat
January 23, 2024
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How to operate canal locks, with crew
January 23, 2024
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The Boat Safety Certificate
January 23, 2024
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A quick history of the canals
February 23, 2024
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How to moor your canal boat
January 23, 2024
If your mum likes Moorcroft pots, she’s got good taste – my wife does as well.
Hahaha it’s not to my taste at all and I have great fun poking fun at mum’s collection (in jest!)
Your journey through Stoke reminds me of one of the canal features that always fascinates me. One can be in the middle of a large urban area and because the boat is often down in a trench (the cut) lined with trees and shrubbery, you don’t even realise the scale of urban development surrounding you until disembarking and going up to a bridge crossing to pick up groceries or to explore.
Don’t be too hard on those towns and cities where others issue warnings to stay away and not to moor up. Some folks tend to spread unsubstantiated rumours and stories – what are they called again? Fake news, is it?
Perhaps but if there are enough people telling tales of problems, including someone who I know who had stones chucked at his boat there, then I will tend to give the stories the benefit of the doubt. Rather that than moor there and find in fact the stories are indeed true!
Hi David,another great vlog, just going to watch the next one, that was quick. A while back you showed a Marina with on site container storage, can you recolect it, thinking of moving on to the water for good instead of just holidays , cant bare to get rid of nearly everything !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brgds
Alex
I think a lot of marinas offer storage but the one I showed was probably Yelvertoft in Northampton. But if you don’t use it for a couple of weeks, you probably don’t need it – chuck stuff out!!
Unfortunately some of us battle with the problem the” might just be useful syndrome”. Hard habit to kick. You’re lucky you don’t suffer this painful condition !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha, my mum and sister are terrible hoarders! Why I’m so happy to chuck stuff I don’t know :-)
Hi David
I did my week on the cut last week, completing the Four Counties ring in clockwise. The vlogs of Stoke and Stone brought back so many memories! The deep locks, potteries, the wooden clad boat, the house with twin boat mooring (which had two boats in it last week)! When did you pass through Stoke? I think we went through last Wednesday. I’m looking forward to the Harecastle vlog. Isn’t the water a funny colour on the other side!!
It was filmed about four weeks ago or thereabouts (they take such a lot of editing, they’re delayed against “real time”). Harecastle was fun!
Another wonderful blog; I always stop what I am doing to see your blogs as soon as I see they are up, it would seem. In this case, it was sleep!
But not only another great view of the canals and some quite deep and slimy locks, but also an education too. Despite having lived in the UK all my near 50 years, I had never known that Stoke-on-Trent was home to so many famous pottery brands! I guess that “Stoke Pots” does not have quite the same alliterative qualities as “Sheffield Steel” :) I would imagine that the canal would have come as a godsend to 18th century pottery makers looking to sell their wares both domestically and internationally, probably making a huge saving on breakages compared to the rough and ready roads of the time!
Thank you, glad you enjoy it. I’m told that Josiah Wedgwood was one of the main backers of the Trent and Mersey canal.
David, your vlogs are tremendous. I look forward to each and everyone. Keep up the good work. I live in the US and your vlogs constantly remind me how wonderful and beautiful your country is. Fabulous job. Keep them coming!
Hi Marianna, thank you so much. I’m really pleased you enjoy them. Cheers.