Cut to the Chase

Last night we managed our first alfresco meal. It was fantastic to be able to eat at the side of the canal.

We just sat and chatted until we saw a brilliant sunset and most of the wine had been drunk. 

Today we decided to stay put and instead of spending time on the cut we went off to Cannock Chase which is right on our doorstep. 

Gracie had been here on a school trip and was delighted to get the chance to go again. 

We totally failed to follow the map I had spent ages downloading on my iPhone and got a bit lost. This did not dampen the spirits and there were very few moans about all the walking and all the uphill, most of which were from me. 

Gracie picked an unusual spot for a picnic, or so I thought, 

until they discovered a tree you could ride on. 

We finally located a path and eventually we were walking on the Staffordshire way. This was good as we couldn't get lost. This was also terrible as for a mile the Staffordshire way makes you walk along the side of a busy main road without a pavement. We won't be walking the Staffordshire way again, we prefer to be safe. 

Later on we walked past Shugborough Hall and its various follies. 

The Hall is closed on Tuesdays but we hadn't planned to visit anyway. 

We could still see the goats and sheep which we were glad were on the other side of a fence as these horns looked like they would win any disagreement. 

At the farm shop in Great Haywood, that some of our readers will know quite well, we found a black cheese. Some has duly been purchased for sampling another day. 

We have seen some unusual craft on this trip, but this is the strangest cargo so far. 

At Little Haywood bridge a thought occurred to me. How big were the horses that pulled the boats. The ones I have seen at demonstrations are huge so in that case how did they get under these bridges. 

Gracie is 10 and she can only just fit under at the very edge of the towpath. 

Perhaps they used Shetlands on this canal?