At the end of a very warm day in June, I set off from Shugborough to Great Haywood, turning there onto the Staffs & Worcester canal because from there down to Autherley is a section of canal I've never done before. I moored at Tixall Wide - beautiful - and then headed on around Stafford before being perplexed at what people have at the end of their gardens in Acton Trussell.