Recharging the batteries

 

A quiet morning before everybody is on the move you know just beyond the bridge somebody is moored up and will be planning to be using the facilities here on what's a beautiful morning aiming to cover several miles.

Others go through along the towpath such as cyclists, and joggers of which there are a good number around here of all ages and both sexes and dog walkers too so often you'll find yourself in conversation with others.

Buildings by the cut

 Canalside architecture is interesting, some was built for those who came "ashore" perhaps finding life onboard a narrowboat "barge" designed mainly for transporting goods with space for sleeping and eating at a premium just too much as they got older.

Others were built by the canal company for its employes providing services such as looking afte the many locks that enabled the narrowboats to navigate the ups and downs of the local terrain as it affected the canal system.

This is one such one, converted over time into a private residence, looking great on a warm sunny day.

Locks

Canals in many ways were the information superhighway of the eighteenth and nineteenth century enabling goods, often mass produced to get to markets and ports.

Staffordshire, my home county was very much at the centre of the Industrial Revolution with coal, iron ore, clay all together enabling iron works, coal and pottery production to take place on a vast scale,

Here on Bratch Lock on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal we see one of the many locks you had to navigate along the way as a barge driver taking your wares on behald of the company you worked for.

All is reflected

 

Framing.

There are ways you may of photographed this scene, front facing, straight on from the side but for me using the foliage to to frame the scene with the reflections caught seemed to me to the be better bet, giving you the emotional feel on a cool autumn morning.

Jadanik

 

While out, I noticed we still have mooring narrow boats ("Barges") although less than the summer months apart from encountering Anglers with their rods and tackle boxes but this scene with the reflections, autumnal colour and stillness appealed to me.

Again using a wider aperature and the telephoto end of the zoom lens helped to keep the focus on what the picture is about

Onwards to Malkins Bank

 

Continuing along the canal towards Wheelock we come to the small village of Malkins Bank most of the original houses of which were connected to the coming of the Trent & Mersey canal built in terraces while today it is mainly a dormitory village serving the town of Sandbach.

Some mainly diary farming takes place in surrounding fields.

Here we see the lockgates closed awaiting passing narrow boats

Continuing along

 

Continuing with Monday's theme, along the same canal we have the two main uses of canals today, those vacationing on their barges passing through  in this instance towards Wheelock near Sandbach while others take steady walks along the towpaths.

Whatever option you take it certainly can be relaxing.

Pastoral haunts

One area not that far away that I enjoy going to is Hassall Green just out of the sprawl of this area near Sandbach, Cheshire that you can access via the Salt Line , a former railway line I did play along as a boy that transported Brine Extracted Salt towards Stoke and the major ports of the North West of England.

This intresting church is St. Phillips which is actually a corrigated tin structure famously painted pink, erected as the village population grew and the Church of England didn't wish to lose followers to the Methodists who were massive in our area.

When we talked about the former railway being a way of transporting salt, so was the Trent & Mersey Canal of which Lock 59,shown here is a good example of the locks you encounter along this stretch that runs very close to that of the M6 Motorway linking the Midlands with the North West so really the whole area is a transport hub with trains along the Stoke-Nottingham line and from Crewe to Manchester (plus loads of places) completing the picture.

On the move

 

Bank Holiday for  eightieth VE Day anniversary is over with and typically the weather here has improved as I strolled down the canal earlier on today with the ducks out navigating before the humans get going from mid morning onwards.

Passing through

 

It is sadly rather wet outside as I type this, far too wet to be getting about over grass safely but having been about earlier on in the week I'd say we are about three weeks of season of crisp golden sunlight leaves and the berries are starting to come out.

There still is a sizable amount of traffic alongside the canal  and good number of ramblers using the tow paths along side the joggers undertaking their excercise with vigour although on this picture noboy's moored up.

Autumn time on the cut

 

Trying to get out in the four seasons in day nature of yesterday here had its challenges such as gaint hailstones, strong winds, heavy rain followed by brilliant sunshine but we did manage it, strolling along the towpath where things are still pretty busy.

Navagating the canal network and planning your daily excursions needs some thought but fortunately there are things more like "Tube Maps" showing where the intersections are and major stopping off points.

Mind the ghost of the Harecastle Tunnel near here.

Yes Crewe is south of here and actually Nantwich is south of Stoke!

This nice little map shows in orange the route of the Trent and Mersey Canal as it goes around the North west Midlands and nearby canals such as the Caldon which in the nineteenth and earlier twentieth century were centres of industrial activity rather than being mainly residential villages in much the same way here we worked underground in coal and salt mines.

Swans lead the way

 

Although the numbers do vary somewhat, one thing you can usually count on when strolling alongside the canal are swans and the odd duck having been along here from the mid 80's armed with initially the 35mm compact and my trusty Minolta XD7 single lens reflex camera with its 300mm lens, tweaking the focus in real time.

Of course in some ways it's easier now, modern autofocusing systems are more accurate but until you actually engage the camera's focusing system the view is very much out of focus where if I was focusing by hand I'd roughly set it to something fairly close to the subject  and adjust later!

September usually sees a gradual falling off of absolute traffic but is rewarded by softer, less contrasty light which makes for better photographs especially towards the middle of the day.

Moored up

 Tis getting towards the end of the season on the canal here, actually as I sat with family having a meal in a local pub, I saw several travel up and down its length making their way to either Stoke itself or to join up with the Macclesfield canal which gets you near the large town and Borough of Stockport where among other things they made hats.

Coming in

 

Coming in to the lock along a heavily developed section of the canal enroute for Wheelock and beyond, the scene is different from the canals commercial hayday when the cottages on the far left existed and the area had more of a semi rural feel to it.

Sandpiper

 

Being summer, it is pretty busy on the canal as the barges pass through going from the Midlands to the North and you'll often spot interesting reflections of their colourful decorations in the water.

A welcome pause

 At rest.

People that spend several days on a canal cruise need to stop at least every other day to pick up supplies although within reason they can "tie up" anywhere and you need to remember it amy take a good day or so to get to the next major town or large village that has shops and other facilities.

Fortunately we are situated convienently so it is common sight to see narrow boats moored while people stock up and not a few take an overnight stop.

Making our way

 

Having come through the lock gates, the vessle peacefully makes its way down the canal towards a group of cottages built for those ashore before encounting a second set of locks.

In the fields, a few horses have been transported for grazing on the freeholding near the farm animals.

Coming in

Inland waterways abound in these parts and their users are frequent visitors so often you don't just see them, you engage very much with them even when you're taking the picture as they steer read to get into line for the next lockgate ahead.

Industrialization and encroaching urbanization are challenges in this district as development continues to eat into our green spaces and the needs of people to get away from all of that  receive scant protection but with care you can find spots that keep more of a rural character.
 

Just passing through

 

Springs really is here even if we've had some heavy rain of late with temperatures being high enough to despense with wearing a coat such as on Monday when the sun was quite strong out.

I went out exploring by the canalside where it was quite busy with quite few people about and a lot of narrowboat activity as folks were waiting to go through the various locks, getting into position and turning the handles.

Here the boat is being steered avoiding moored vessles as it makes its way southwards.

Then their were ducks out and about, some in nearby gardens backing on to the canal

Restful winter

 After the snow of the last few days and much rainfall, we return to the other side of winter while out here.

Moored up while its occupants are getting provisions here as there is only one place three miles south that has that with a day or so of travelling and enjoying a walk in the fresh air, this barge (aka a narrow boat) is traditionally decorated while the reflections in the water are idyllic.

Looking to its right, beyond the tow path is a steep drop in land level, the direct result of subsidence from mining which is endemic here.