Streethay to Hopwas.

Travelled 4.4 miles, worked no locks in a time of 1 hour 50 minutes.

Short jaunt today after a lovely few days at Streethay.

We left at 9.10 am, on what was a chillier start, but on the plus side the sun was out.

We passed by Kings Orchard Marina, which although it is not finished it is now open.

Approaching Huddlesford Junction.

Lichfield Cruising Club.

Willington the home of the Poly Tunnels.

We passed by Hopwas Hays Woods, which is home to firing ranges, it is also known for its Witchcraft, which was supposed to have taken place in 1984.  Hopwas our mooring for the day. Normally the 48 hour moorings are full, so we decided as there was one empty space we would take advantage of it. We had thought of heading to Fazeley.

After Tomato Soup for lunch, we headed out for a walk around the village and down towards Coton.

Either side of the road bridge is The Tame Otter and The Red Lion.

We turned turned right opposite The Tame Otter and walked towards Coton.

We walked over the River Tame road bridge, with views over the flood plain.

One of the first things we noticed was the new flood defences. These were begun in October 2012 and officially opened in June 2013, offering the village of Coton some protection. The scheme consists of new flood embankments to the north of Coton Lane, new brick clad walls around the Fox Inn roundabout, and new flood walls along Lichfield Road. Improvement works on the culvert in Coton Lane and the Severn Trent Water surface water drainage chamber on Lichfield Road have also been carried out. I bet the residents can rest easier in their beds now.

The Fox Inn on the roundabout. We then walked a little bit further into the village and rain began to fall, so we took shelter in a bush shelter, before heading back into Hopwas.

We walked up over the canal bridge and headed towards the church.

St. Chads is a grade II listed church and very quirky. The church was designed by the Chester architect John Douglas and built in 1881.

It is a picturesque little church and very peaceful.

Unlike many churches these days, this one was open, so we went inside to have a look at a pretty place of worship. The church and grounds are so well kept.

For such a small community a lot of men died in the great war, these included Major W Northey D S O. Who died from his injuries in October 1914 and is buried in Boulogne Cemetery. If you have the time please read the story of his life it is fascinating. I find it so sad that we lost so many men in both wars and yet wars still take place, nothing has ever been really learnt.

Walking back down the hill to School Lane I spotted the plaque above the school house.

A charming house with a wonderful tale to tell.

We walked back down School Lane past Thomas Barnes School named after the gentleman who set it up. Thomas Barnes came from such humble beginnings and yet made something of his life and then gave back to the village that saved his life. Thomas is said to have been abandoned as a baby, he was discovered in a barn by some villagers. They were said to have given him his name. He was educated and cared for by the village, His life took him on to being a  successful London merchant.  He wanted to give something back to those who had helped him thus the building of  the school house. The plaque reads. “This house was built at the charge of Mr Thomas Barnes native of this place and a citizen of London in the year of our Lord 1717 for the dwelling of a person to teach the children of this village to read English’. What a wonderful thing to do.

Of course the school has undergone many changes over the years and today it has its very own climbing wall. Hopwas is a delightful village and well worth a wander around and of course if the mood should take you a pint and a meal in one of its pubs.