We continued along the Caldon Canal which, soon after we set off, became very pretty in rural countryside. On the other hand, it also beacme narrow and shallow which meant that progress was often slow and quite challenging around tight bends and when passing boats coming the other way.
At Endon we were promised - both by the Nicholsons and Canal Mate guides - an interesting and well-stocked farm shop. Alas, it is no longer very successful and had barely any stock at all, certainly not the promised bakery products. On the other hand, it was only a short walk into the village where there was a good Spar shop - we also needed to go there to buy cards for the British Waterways facility block at the next bridge.
Christine was rather keen to make use of the launderette and processed two loads through both washer and dryer. This meant we had quite a break - rather longer than just a lunch stop. We were eventually on our way again by 4 o'clock.
We reached the junction where the Leek branch goes off, running parallel for a short distance before passing over on an aqueduct. Since leaving Stoke the canal had followed a disused railway track although, at Endon, we could see that the rails still existed. At Cheddleton, the line has been taken over by the Churnet Valley Railway which runs various steam trains at weekends.
We were aiming to stop for the night at Consall Forge where the guidebooks recommended - as did a passing boater earlier in the day - the pub for its food. On the other had, we were apprehensive as we approached the lock before the stop where the canal joins the River Churnet at this stage for about a mile. We were hoping to avoid rivers for a while! With relief we saw that the flood gauge showed plenty of 'green' so we were able to continue!
At Consall Forge, the river leaves, passing over a weir, and our plan had been to look for a mooring just after the junction where the pub is located. Official moorings were placed just above the junction but we looked further. This was a mistake: not only was there no suitable mooring but the place we thought was wide enough to 'wind' (turn around) proved just a few inches less than needed and we ended up stuck for a while across the channel! Helped by a very kindly passing dog walker, we eventually pushed and pulled ourselves around in order to return to the proper moorings for the night!
The pub - one of the most isolated as the nearest track is across the river and all deliveries have to be brought across a footbridge on a trolley - was very welcoming and the food, whilst not especially exotic, was very tasty and was served as huge portions. Mike had never seen a cod fillet of such a size and Christine's shank (we never did decide whether it was the lamb or pork!) was simply mighty!
