Distance travelled: 23 miles (by boat from Gailey Visitor Moorings above Lock to Norbury Junction Visitor Moorings)

Locks: 2. Total so far: 63

I used to think all canals were just bendy and slow with lots of locks. But today wasn’t like that at all.

We joined a new canal called the Shropshire Union Canal, or the “Shroppie” which people call it for short. It felt totally different. We travelled 23 miles and only had to do TWO locks. One of them only changed the water level by 10 centimetres, which is basically nothing.

That’s all thanks to Thomas Telford—the same man who made Harecastle Tunnel from earlier in the week. He didn’t bother following the land, he went through it. He cut through hills, built embankments and bridges, and did everything he could to make the canal level and straight. The Shroppie was the last narrow canal built in England and opened in 1835. When it was new, people called it the “main line”. It was like a motorway for boats.

We stopped at a village called Brewood (which is actually pronounced “Brood”, weirdly). On the way to the playground we passed “Speedwell Castle”. Apparently someone built it in the 1700s after their horse won a race.

Even better than that fancy building was stopped at a bakery. And then stopping there again for cake on our way back to the boat. Yummy.

Back on the boat, I learned a game called Citadels with my godfather Dave. It’s a card game where you try to build a city and do sneaky things. I think I got the hang of it!

We finished the day at Norbury Junction. A long time ago, the Shrewsbury Canal joined here, and some people are trying to bring it back. Right now, the junction is home to lots of moored boats—and also to a pair of swans sitting on their nest. I didn’t get a photo, but I did catch a glimpse of the eggs when one of the swans shifted around. It felt like a secret moment.

We had dinner at the Junction Inn, sitting in the garden by the water as the sun set. The light made the whole canal glow golden. Today was a really good day.