Last week after our three OAP's met up we decided a drive to visit the Caldon canal at Froghall was in order prior to our canal boat visit in September. As it happened the weather was none too good as we approached the Stoke on Trent area and so a change of plan occurred and we went to Stone, as it's the starting point of our eventual holiday. More importantly, a good and cheap breakfast was on offer at the local Morrisons supermarket. After eating, and some debate, we decided to brave the drizzle and see what the town had to offer.
What a gem of a place this is, our reconnaissance mission uncovered several decent looking pubs and at least two Indian restaurants. Now our logical thinking kicked in and we decided that in the event of rain as we depart the base for our holiday in September we might as well stay in Stone for the night and get an early start the next day
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| We would have called into the base of 'Canal Cruising' at Stone however we were on the wrong side of the canal and it was raining |
On the basis of our brief visit we would strongly recommend Stone as a place to stock up with provisions and if you have time the town is well worth a walk around with its many and varied shops
Returning toward home we passed close to Newcastle (Staffs) and in a nostalgic moment remembered 'The Crystal' - probably the finest dance hall in the area during the sixties and seventies and the place where I met my wife all those years ago. It looked a little forlorn as we went past, it's doors long since closed
There is a group looking to raise sufficient interest in helping to get it reopened and they have a Facebook page that's quite vibrant here's a link to it though I think you may need to have a Facebook account to see it
