Boat life…….

….on the Trent and Mersey Canal adjacent to the Shugborough Estate, National Trust, Staffordshire.
We took ourselves off after breakfast to visit the Estate, the former home of the Earl of Lichfield.
It was very enjoyable walking through the extensive grounds and parkland.
We had a bite to eat in one of the Tea rooms at lunchtime, before setting out once more.
This time we traversed the old packhorse bridge, built by the Earl of Essex in the late 16th Century, eventually arriving at the footpath running alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. After watching a very long canal boat negotiate a lock we carried on and saw this couple on their boat. They were having a mug of tea each and some cake.
I was interested in the name “Settle Down” and asked them about it.
We had quite a chat discovering they were Yorkshire folk who had owned a shop in Settle before retiring to live on this boat where they spend their time navigating up and down from as far North as Skipton, (where they had to remain during part of the lockdown periods as the River trust closed all the locks), down to London.
They have been living this nomadic life for 11 years now.
They don’t have a tv, as some of the other boats we spotted, but do have a radio on which they listened to the events of yesterday.
Another long discussion then took place about what next for the Monarchy.
Eventually we said our goodbyes and went on our way. I’ve included a photo of the bridge in extras.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_Bridge,_Staffordshire