Camp Reports Uttoxeter Canal Uttoxeter Canal Week 2: Success on one of the country’s most unsuccessful canals...
Alex takes up the story for the second camp, another week of bridge rebuilding plus wildlife spotting, Feng Shui and the occasional Latin quotation... canal camps (See camp reports Uttoxeter Week One and Chesterfield). The general briefing was given by Gary; after a lengthy delay from Dhush who overshot the accommodation arriving finally at 6pm. With bellies filled and introductions out of the way, the group set up sleeping positions for the next week.
Saturday: Week two led by Gary Summers started off with the stay-overs from the previous week, Pete B, Pete F and David, committing themselves to site in order to prepare for Week Two. This all happening whilst the rest of the Week One group went Sunday: Awoken by a cool chill in the air, home after a hard grafting week through the rumble of snoring and the smell of siztorrential downpours. The first of the newzling bacon and sausage, day one started comers Mr John Hawkins arrived promptly at with an eager optimism to get to site. The base camp and made a quick escape to site first day of work started with a continuation in order to provide his “support” to the of the valiant efforts of the week one crew. group on site. Leading the way, veterans of week one Once the group made it back to site, started laying the final cobbles onto the they greeted the next lot of willing volunteers steps, whilst newbies received the site history to the ‘Bridge 70’ endeavour. Of the six new talk and briefing. We explored the story of volunteers arriving on camp we had two the Uttoxeter canal, the importance of Bridge veterans (Bob Coles and John Hawkins); two who had dabbled in canal camps (Martin and Alex Melson); and two newbies in the form of Mike and Dhush). We also had Pete B, Pete F and David, who, through means in which I am unaware of, were coerced into staying on a couple of days and Pete B being kept captive for yet another week; making this week three of John and Bob apply the finishing touches to the pointing on the steps
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