Etruria Festival

What better way to wrap up our time on the Caldon Canal than with a festival at Etruria Junction?

We descended the final three locks on Friday afternoon. Historic boats lined the banks but we were especially happy to see Kat on Bargus; a Juels Fuels boat! We tied up alongside and Kat (ably assisted by Teddy; her gorgeous young cocker spaniel) pumped 175l of diesel into Rainboat. We were extra happy when she told us it was only 98p a litre! Another stop at the services meant we had a full water tank too. With this, we turned right onto the Trent and Mersey and were relieved to find nearby moorings easily.

On Saturday we walked the dogs, then left Tiger at home with a licky mat. Leo came with us as we joined the crowds flowing towards the sound of music. Some festivals can be a bit generic but Etruria festival was anything but! Local makers displayed creations made to celebrate their local area. Stoke's famous bottle kilns were represented in paint, paper quills, wood, ceramic, coloured foil and even had their likeness printed using Staffordshire oat cakes!

Lots of free activities were available for children and adults; ukelele lessons, pot throwing, peg painting pirate style, clay and willow nest making. A collaborative mural drawing attention to the importance of wildlife came together as more of the festival's younger visitors contributed. Live music played from 11am - 5pm and a host of food stalls and beer tent kept everyone happy.

The onsite forge was fired up with its artist smith creating garden and home decorations, next door to the flint museum whose famous steam engine was unfortunately out of action due to a boiler malfunction. The weather remained good and a steady stream of visitors passed Rainboat, making their way to and from the site over the two days. From his isolated life on the farm, Whiskers' naturally gregarious side is beginning to overcome his nerves around strangers. He was seen popping in and out of the towpath hedge to get strokes from a privileged few!

We really enjoyed the festival on Saturday morning and buoyed by our experience we headed off to The Holy Inadequate for a drink with the dogs in the afternoon. The beer garden was packed and for once Leo and Tiger weren't the centre of attention. The show was stolen by Chico the cat, who we'd seen riding on his owner's shoulders earlier at Etruria!

After the busy Saturday, Vicky spent Sunday resting but Will returned to the festival for a spot of lunch, noting that it was just as popular on the second day as it had been on the first.Read more