30th April 2016. Wolverhampton to mooring on the Shroppie; 6 miles and 22 locks.

We went down the 21 Wolverhampton locks in a mixture of sunshine and torrential showers. Two boats were following us and both had several crew who all pitched in to get the three boats down in about three and half hours. There was a lot of water about, with some of the pounds overflowing over lock gates and towpaths. Jo steered the boat and Robin did the locking as the gates were not easy to get across for scaredy cats. At the bottom of the locks we turned right onto the Staffordshire and Worcester canal (the one we would have come up if we had gone via the river Severn) but very soon made a left turn onto the Shropshire Union. This photo was taken from Aldersley lock at the start of the Shroppie, as it is affectionately called. It is clearly a very different canal from the industrial one we have been on through Birmingham and its surrounds.

About five minutes after we started up the new canal and taking the photo, it started to rain and tipped it down for a good two hours. It took a while to find a mooring as much of the bank has a nasty ledge. Thankfully supporters of the canal have sponsored a cleared area and a set of rings a mile short of Brewood village. We took shelter there and allowed our very wet captain to get warm and dry. Lots of hire boats have been coming steaming past (making for the pub in the village perhaps!) so it could be an interesting bank holiday weekend. Lets hope the rain stops. Next bigger than a village settlements will be Market Drayton and then Nantwich, both quite a few pages of our map book away!

26th - 29th April 2016. The Black Country.

Our mooring was at the Dudley Tunnel Canal Trust and right next door to the Black Country Living Museum. There were 12 new ducklings and their dozy mother bobbing about in the cold.

Harold moored up - the museum is on the other side of the fence on the left and the tunnel directly ahead.

Jo feeding the ducklings junk food (better than nothing in this weather!)

We spent Wednesday and Thursday having a lovely time exploring.

The Dudley tunnel is the oldest in the country. Boats can only go through with a guide and must have to be pretty low to get through. We went on a trip on one of the Trust boats through some of the underground network. This was built with the tunnel to service limestone and coal mines. There are covered caverns and open areas where roofs have fallen in. We were volunteered to try 'legging' the boat out of the tunnel at the end and general good fun was had.

Mind your head!

The hanging gardens of Dudley!

Inside the tunnel. The bricks were hand made in the 18the century.

We went in one entrance and out of the other.

The Black Country Living museum is a large area with local historic buildings which have been moved to the site to recreate shops, businesses and homes and the history of the Black Country from the late 19th century to the 1930s. The buildings were interesting and there were lots of vehicles that Robin loved. It is also where the canal-side scenes in Peaky Blinders was filmed. We met a lovely couple in the pub who were locals with broad black country accents and a wealth of local knowledge. A great day :)

Peaky Blinders was here... 

and here.

 On Friday we reluctantly moved on, cruising the 6 lock free miles to Wolverhampton in a perishing wind. We moored in the town just before the start of the 21 lock flight which will take us down to the Shropshire Union canal. For the next week or so it will be pretty rural so we needed to stock up on food. We crossed the ring road and sortied into Wolverhampton town centre, which is sprawling and rather uninspiring. The mooring is noisy from the road and not far from a tented settlement of homeless people in the park, but it seems quiet enough for the one night. Still, we are glad to have Scooby (for a change).

Tuesday 26th April 2016 From Gas Street Basin to Tipton Green.

We left our mooring at Gas Street Basin and headed off up the Birmingham level main line. We had decided to take the Wolverhampton level and go the back way to Dudley. We turned off at the Smethwick junction and on to our first lock and the first of many hail storms started.

Captain Rob holds on to Harold before the first lock in the hail and strong wind.

We then struggled to get the boat into the next lock as the pound between was low and the canal very silted. The gates were hard to open and we start to believe that we have made a wrong move and should of stayed on the main line. We then found ourselves under the M5 the canal follows it for some time and follows it off along the old main line.

Travelling under and alongside the M5.

 At the Spon lane junction we decided to abandon the old line and go back to the main  line via the Spon lane locks. Having gone through the first one we picked up some crap around the propeller and had to limp out of the second lock and moor up and see to the propeller. I managed to unwrap several carrier bags and what looked like the remains of a fishing net. Clearly we were not having our best day yet.

The top lock at Spon lane and us leaving the old line.

Finally we are back on the mail line. Looking back the old line is on the left and in the background is the elevated M5.

 Once on the main line it is a straight line for over three miles. We had more hail and strong winds then sunshine, we finally came to the last of the locks the Factory locks a short flight of three. As we were in the last lock we had our final hail storm which was the worst so far. The lock conquered we turned left down the Dudley arm and found a nice mooring.

The final lock and our heaviest hail storm of the day and Jo working the paddles and gates.

We had travelled a total of eight miles and been through nine locks time for a break.

25th of April 2016. Birmingham.

After a weekend of home visiting we left Alvechurch on Monday morning heading towards Birmingham. It was really cold for April, windy and showery; coats, hats and waterproof trousers all needed. We stopped for water and a Scooby walk at Hopton before pressing on through the long Wast Hills tunnel. It took about 40 minutes to get through this time. The greenness on the south side was a great contrast with the north side and the outskirts of Birmingham.  The water changed colour too; from the usual sludgy green to almost black.

Entering the Wast Hills tunnel.

We had planned to stop at Bournville and the Cadburys factory to have a look around but it was all a bit grim. The visitor moorings didn't appeal at all, lots of concrete and graffiti and signs warning about thefts, plus a railway between the canal and the Cadbury site. We decided to give it a miss and push on to Gas Street Basin.

The glimpse we got of Bourneville.

Gas street is where the Worcester and Birmingham canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley canal. The W&B was built second and the B&F wouldn't agree to the two meeting up so there was a stop lock put in known as the Worcester bar. Boats couldn't go through and goods had to carried across it. Fortunately now the two are joined up so we can get through! It was a hugely busy place then, as it is again now, although in a completely different way. Its all recreation now not industrial work! There has been loads of redevelopment which is interesting and it seems to be thriving.

The cube. The canal turns just by it and the wind howled between the building making it quite a job to get round.

Harold moored at Gas Street.

The BBC building from the bridge over the canal you can see in the background in some programmes.

The Birmingham Rep. theatre.

There were lots of people about despite it being a very chilly damp Monday evening (goodness knows what its like at the weekend) and a nightmare for Scooby as the postage stamps of green there were all had no dogs signs and threatening notices. Robin walked half a mile up the canal before they found a bit of grass edge to the towpath for Scooby to have a poo. We will have to leave tomorrow unfortunately because it is so dog unfriendly.

Mixed reviews in Birmingham so far .....

21st April 2016. To Alvechurch.

Wednesday the 20th was spent at our nice mooring at the top of the Tardebigge locks. Robin painted bits of the boat which have been battered and we dried washing on our new airer on the front deck - carefully tied on this time. A day resting our backs and enjoying the sunshine. We were next to a field of ewes with their lambs which were noisy, but in a nice way :)
Thursday we went the few miles to Alvechurch where Jo will be picked up tomorrow evening for a days work on Saturday. Only the one deep lock at Tardebigge (and no more now until we are past the centre of Birmingham) and two tunnels. In the middle of the Tardebigge tunnel there is no brick lining, just hard rock that has been cut through. Quite a job with the limited technology of the time. The rock was red, like much of the soil around here.

You can just make out the rocky sides in the depths of Tardebeigge tunnel.

As we near the end the brick lining reappears.

We'll stay around here for the weekend. After our failed attempt to bypass Birmingham on the River Severn to get to Wales, our route will now be though the city via the famous Gas Street basin (the centre of the English canal network) and Wolverhampton. First stop Bourneville (of Cadbury fame), on Monday.

18th and 19th April 2016. Tardebigge again!

On Monday we made our way to the bottom of the Tardebigge flight. It was dry but cold and cloudy. Jo was kept warm by 12 locks.

Looking back towards Worcester and the Malvern Hills. 

We moored opposite the Queens Head and had a lovely dinner there. Perhaps because of our indulgent evening, we were late getting up the next day and didn't set off up the Tardebigge flight until midday. The sun shone and the views were wonderful, but even so 29 locks in a row is rather relentless and we were glad to stop for the day 5 hours later. Robin had a beer in the sun on the back of the boat - the first of the year. Unfortunately Jo was collapsed on the bed nursing her aching feet and a nice cup of tea!  

Lovely views from the Tardebigge reservoir.

Looking down the flight.

Lots of lovely white blossom today, which looked so pretty against the bright blue sky.

Finally at the top - we moored just the other side of the bridge.

14th-17th April 2016. In and out of Worcester.

After a very uninspiring meal at the Bridge Inn the evening before, on Thursday the 14th we headed into Worcester. As with most towns and cities the canal creeps in the back way through industrial estates and housing developments. Of course, as we neared civilisation there were more people on the towpath. Scooby often stands on the back with us, looking and sniffing at what's going past. He has never shown any interest in going in the water so we haven't worried while we are mid canal and moving. However, today he saw a golden retriever that he took a particular dislike to and launched himself towards the bank. As he can't fly, he landed several feet short and had to swim the rest! Fortunately the owner of the retriever was very calm and sensible and we managed to get the boat to the bank and recover our wet and hysterical hound before any damage was done. Now the canvas sides are permanently up which is a nuisance for us but should prevent any more cross-water escapes!

There were 14 locks altogether on this leg of our journey to Worcester and at this one we got our first tantalising glimpse of the cathedral.

The cathedral lurking through the trees

This bridge had holes in surprising places! (note the lovely daffs in our garden).

We started to get a sense of the place at this lock, which is right next to The Commandery, an old pre-Tudor house which was the headquarters of the Royalist troops during the civil war. Definitely worth a visit.

Bridge by the Commandery

We eventually arrived at Diglis basin and found a nice mooring where we could stay for a few days. It is the terminus of the Worcester and Birmingham canal. This photo is taken from the two locks which take you directly from the basin onto the river Severn.

Diglis basin

The river was quite high and fierce when we first arrived.

Looking up the Severn from Diglis lock towards the city and the Cathedral.

This hire boat had got into difficulties after going on the river against advice. They got stuck against  weir barriers and were lucky not to get turned over. It was tied up here for a few days until it was towed off.

Worcester has nice shops and we liked the cathedral. Jo liked the pottery museum and spent a happy couple of hours amongst the china. We enjoyed our stay and would happily return for a visit and to cruise the river; in the summer when it is more narrow-boat friendly!

On Sunday we set off back up the canal towards Birmingham to continue our oddessy to Wales. It was cold but sunny and the journey, including the 14 locks, passed without incident. We moored at Dunhamstead bridge, about two miles south of the Droitwich junction.

Looking back towards Worcester from the 13th lock.

11-13th April 2016. Quite enough of Droitwich Spa.

On Monday we explored Droitwich (it didn't take long). We visited the little museum with exhibitions on the brine springs and salt extraction which were a feature of the town and local area for centuries.

This is the end of someone's garden and the spring is pouring into the river salwarpe next to the canal
in the centre of Droitwich.

The museum also had a room with old equipment from the Droitwich BBC masts put up in the 30's and which broadcast throughout the war. Ironically, we could get no TV signal at all in the canal basin. It is very low lying and the railway is above it and we know from experience that railways causes interference. No TV didn't add to the joy of Droitwich really.
The town centre is very small and shopping opportunities were limited (especially as many of the little shops were closed on a Monday) although we saw at least seven charity shops. There is a large Waitrose by the canal but Robin braved a rather average Morrisons for the big stock-up. There were showers on and off during the day. Early on Tuesday morning we rang the Severn lock keepers for an update to be advised that the river level was falling but not safe to travel and to ring again tomorrow. The river Salwarpe was also high so we actually couldn't go back either; stranded in Droitwich! We diddled about for the day, taking a walk and doing odd jobs.  We went up to this church which stands up on a ledge above the town and has views across to the Malvern Hills.

St Augustine's Church. Between the hill and the houses is the railway line.



The view of Droitwich Spa from the church. The green in the front is Vines Park and the
canal (the basin is just off to the right) and the big white building is Waitrose! 

It tipped it down again during the night which didn't bode well. On Wednesday morning we rang the Severn again and sure enough it was still closed. We were getting a bit concerned about our loo situation having nowhere to empty it where we were. We checked the river Salwarpe level and this had fallen so we reckoned we could get back through to the Hanbury junction where there is a boatyard. As well as the current on the river, the lowness of the M5 bridge and being able to get through needed to be considered. The paddle board etc came off the roof again and we set off back through the swing bridges in Vines park with sunshine and gongoozlers. However, when we reached the lock to take us onto the river, we found the gate padlocked shut. We moored and rang the Canal and Rivers Trust. Two hours later we eventually managed to get thought to the right person and he turned up in minutes to unlock the gates and help us through. While we were waiting for people to ring back, Robin spoke nicely to the lady on the desk at Waitrose and he was allowed to empty our loo in their toilets. Such charm he has!
The rest of the journey went  a bit more smoothly and by early afternoon we were back on the Birmingham and Worcester canal. We decided to go south to Worcester itself to see the cathedral and take a look at the River Severn from there. If it ever stops raining in Wales we might still get up it to Stourport, but if not we'll just turn round and head back up the nice, safe but very locky canal to Birmingham.
We moored about 3 miles south of the junction by the Bridge pub with plans for a meal out. It's rural again; calves and lambs in the fields; primroses and bluebells on the banks. TV again, although he's had to put his big pole up to get the BBC!      

8-10th April 2016. We make it to Droitwich Spa.

On the Friday we continued on through a further 11 locks over 2.5 miles, stopping just a mile and a half short of the turn to Droitwich. We were pretty tired by then; with Robin's damaged leg and Jo's back both being painful and annoying. As a result, on Saturday we decided to stay put in our rural mooring and do some resting and cleaning. Jo had a sort out of the inside and Robin  managed about a third of the outside between the 'showers' (more like heavy rain!). He and Scooby had an eventful walk later in the day, deciding to try the footpaths around the nearby Hanbury Park estate owned by the National Trust. Having got thoroughly excited going through a sheep field, Scooby was then attacked by two cock reeves pheasants who were guarding a wood containing release pens. Scooby is always kept on a lead, but the pheasants clearly didn't like the look of him and aggressively followed man and dog. At one point they went for Scooby's face with beak and talons. It was a very overwrought Scooby and very tired Robin who eventually made it safely back to the boat!

On Sunday we decided to make for Droitwich Spa. The day was chilly but sunny and we made our way to the Hanbury junction and turned right for Droitwich (straight on would have taken us to Worcester).

Droitwich this way!

Immediately we met a flight of 3 locks. We were surprised to find it still a narrow gauge. There were two lock-keepers who helped us with these three. From here we were on a canalised part of the river Salwarpe and need to be mindful of water levels. All was green today though, so no worries so far. Next we encountered more locks, including a staircase of two which were very deep.

In the second of the staircase locks. Its a long way up there!

We had been told that there was a very low tunnel under the M5 and it was immediately after these locks. We stopped at the lock moorings and measured our air draught (height above the water) and found we needed to remove some things from the roof, including the paddleboard, in order to get through. This done (the paddleboard stowed inside on the sofa) we proceeded with caution.
It was indeed a tight fit!

Approaching the tunnel - will our preparations be enough?!

A tight fit!

The challenge of steering down the sides.

After another lock we meandered through a Great Ashby style housing estate and then into the centre of Droitwich and a park area with a flood lock and swing bridges, quite difficult to operate and with lots of school holidaying families watching (of course).  The mooring was just past here and Robin reversed skilfully onto a pontoon just about 3pm. After a quick nip to Waitrose for treat pizzas and milk (which we had run out of) and putting the paddleboard etc back on the roof, we could relax for the evening. We couldn't get the BBC on the telly for some reason. But that did leave time to do the blog, so its not all bad news!

Settled comfortably on the pontoons in Droitwich.

Tomorrow we will potter and stock up at Morrisons. You never know there may be more delights in Droitwich Spa than immediately meet the eye. We'll also check with the lock-keepers on the Severn to see if we can get up the river to Stourport and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal the next day.


6th and 7th of April 2016. 29 locks and a glimpse of Wales.

On Wednesday we travelled a short day in occasional rain and a freezing gusty wind. We went through 2 tunnels and the first of the Tardebigge lock flight, mooring just before the main flight begins.

The fallen leaves among the trees gave this tunnel entrance a definite other-worldly feel.

Harold tunnelling

We went for a walk in the evening up to this lovely church in Tardebigge. Not only was it pretty but it had stunning views. Even with the weather coming in we could see welsh border hills in the distance.

On Thursday morning Robin heard the first cuckoo of the year at 6.30am. We didn't get up till late though as it was teeming with rain. About midday, after some breakfast and faffing about, we set off down the Tardebigge lock flight in drizzle.

We then worked our way down the 29 remaining locks of the Tardebigge flight, the longest in the country. We were following another boat so that every lock was against us and needed to be filled before we could enter, except two in the middle when we met boats coming the other way.  We had a dog walk stop and a cup of tea and cake stop but otherwise plodded on through every sort of weather April could throw at us, including glorious sunshine, gale-force winds and hail. We didn't meet many people but there were occasional glimpses of the hills beyond and a scattering of lock cottages and farmhouses, as well as this engine house which is now divided into holiday cottages.

This building housed the original steams engine which pumped water from the reservoir which is in the middle of the flight up to the top of the locks to keep it all flowing. 

Eventually, after 5 hours we made it to the bottom lock. Harold had only travelled 2 miles but Jo had walked six, going backwards and forwards getting locks ready and closing up behind us. She opened and closed 58 top paddles and closed almost as many gates. Robin scrambled on and off the boat roof 29 times (managing not to fall in once) and also opened and closed many bottom paddles and gates. We moored with relief and aching legs just below the bottom lock and Robin took poor Scooby, who had been boat bound most of the day (being a distraction and a menace in locks), for a nice walk. Phew!

The Bottom lock sign, taken from Harold's stern deck as he left it.
You can see the weather had not improved much over the day!