Canal Festival Etruria

The third day or our current Solace trip and one I admit I had some concerns about.  We were turning off the T & M on to the Caldon Canal, usually no problem apart from the 180 degree turn.  So what was I concerned about?

The canal festival!   We needed to stop at the services to take on water and dump rubbish I worried there would be a queue.  Also from what I had seen in photos of canal festivals there would be lots of boats breasted up to each other sometimes reducing the passage to a single boats width.

I needn't have worried.  Firstly "The Mate" who does the bulk of the helming is quite up to the job and secondly although there were many boats,including a good selection of old working boats there was still a good passage where boats could pass each other if necessary.

While filling the water tanks (a fairly slow job) we were beside some of the working boats, and these three were having what I think musicians refer to as "a jam session".  All in all the festival was a colourful distraction and not at all the problem I was anticipating.

Footnote.  Etruria was the site of Josiah Wedgewood's first factory.