It was about nine thirty when we got our act together and left Barton marina on Tuesday morning. We hadn’t planned on going too far and it was probably just as well as it took us almost an hour to get through Tatenhill lock. We had followed one boat down through Barton Turn lock but by the time we caught up with them at Tatenhill, they were third in the queue for the lock. It was almost midday when we reached the moorings at Branston Water Park and after we tied up, we decided to have lunch at the nearby Bridge Inn. The pizzas that we had were superb, there’s no more to say about them!

After lunch we walked into the village by way of the tunnel under the A38, much easier than our crossing of it near Alrewas! There’s a handful of shops in the village, the ubiquitous Co-op, a bakery, a chip shop and a Tanning salon – no doubt having a very slack period this summer. Branston is home of the famous “Branston Pickle” despite the fact that after its invention in 1922, production moved to London two years later.