Staff & Worcs.

It rained all evening and night but we were greeted by blue sky and sunshine this morning. What would us Brits talk about if we had "normal" weather ?

We got to Great Haywood in time for lunch (beans on toast.........we know how to live )and turned onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal ( Staff and Worcs for short ) to undertake the Stourport Ring. We are in no rush to get home and this fills the gap admirably, we think. Weather permitting, of course.

They appear to have the same maintenance regime as the Macclesfield, the actual footpath is unmade but the jungle between it and the canal is identical. The canal is generally very wide but mooring is  rare, as are locks. The scenery is agricultural but pleasant.

An exciting and rare event happened this afternoon. A BITTERN showed itself when it took off from reeds on the canal and landed in some nearby marshland. It is the first Bittern I have ever seen, a large and very, very rare member of the heron family with fabulous speckled wing feathers. I consider myself very priveledged to have seen one. Excited, or what?

Back to the weather: it became very windy and cold during the afternoon. We moored opposite a hotel/restaurant in Acton Trussell.