High Onn

We spent the rest of the bank holiday weekend tied up at High Onn. Hilary arrived at Gnosall on Sunday lunchtime and we took Starcross down to High Onn wharf to "wind"  -and I do mean wind - a strong north-westerley was blowing straight down the Shroppie, which made turning quite interesting. It was OK until I got the boat broadside on across the cut, but then the wind caught us full-on, pushing us sideways. Winding here can be tricky at the best of times as the winding-hole itself doubles as a mooring for two boats - one either side of the "V". I managed to get round without hitting either of them, but it was a question of "full power on, rudder hard over and hope for the best!

On the way down we passed a very sad sight.

This liveaboard boat has been at High Onn for as long as we've been moored at Norbury. It caught fire earlier in August, but thankfully the inhabitants escaped, although they are now reduced to living in a tent on their mooring.

Its not possible to tie up just anywhere on the Shroppie, due to the underwater shelf and the lack of depth in many places. We wanted to tie up out in the country but all the well-known unofficial mooring spots were taken, so we ended up on a random bit of towpath just north of Bridge 28. There was just time for a local walk attempting to follow the remains of a Roman Road we saw on thge OS map, but in reality it was just an undefined way across the fields. The end of a hot and sunny (albeit windy!) day produced a fine sunset.

Before bedtime, we were entertained by a trio of Tawny Owls staking competing claims to hunting territory with their distinctive cries and were eventually rewarded by the "winner" making what appeared to be a "victory lap" beneath a rising moon - magic!