Month: August 2022

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 5 – Wolverhampton to Stourport-On-Seven

26th – 29th The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

There are 21 locks to go from Wolverhampton to join the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, along they way it seems to provide some great variations from Industrial wastelands to delightful wooded areas

Looking back from Lock 11 towards the at the Stour Valley Viaduct

Sonia worked hard on all 21 locks all with in about 2 miles to the junction onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, where we temporarily turned north to Oxley Marine for a much overdue pump out, we then continued north to Autherley Junction where we did a quick 180 degree turn to head south.

We finally came to rest just before Compton Lock (31) where we stayed for the night.

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is beautiful, pretty much what you would expect of a canal after the industrial parts of Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

As we started to near lock 25, Bratch Top Lock, we started to see some activity. It seems the CRT was having an open day and just after bridge 47, Branch Bridge, where probably 10 stalls selling canal gifts, we can recommend Wild Side Preserves on ‘The Jam Butty’ with whom we stock up on Jams and chutneys. We also saw Cruising Crafts on NB Lady Brian, who made some windlass holders, one of which I later ordered for Sonia for Christmas in her favourite colour, purple.

Going down inside one of the Bratch Locks

The locks here are very deep, and have been modified at some point so they have the smallest lock pounds we have ever seen, each lock is serviced by a side pond, I am sure I am not explaining it as well as the CRT guides did.

After a few hours chatting, off we went. The next two locks had surprising and interesting names starting with Bumblehole Lock and then Stewpony Lock.

Interesting lock names on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

Our next temporary stop was in Kidderminster for provisions, we found a Tesco Superstore, unfortunately our schedule did not allow us time to stop for longer in Kidderminster, but that is another future trip.

Falling Sand Lock

Just out of Kidderminster is Falling Sand Lock, named after Falling Sand common, it is a beautiful area to cruise along

Stourport Basin Locks

It was getting later and later as we approached Stourport-on-Severn, the canal seems to be very busy around here, we kept looking for a mooring, but we ended up in the basin and some kind locals guided us to a possible mooring, near the entrance to the Lichfield basin that is closed to boats, while not a normal mooring was available and we did not block anyone else.

The basin is a little noisy at night but this is the hight of the summer holidays. There are a lot of larger river cruisers as well as narrow boats moored here

To one side of the basin there is a small amusement park, but by the time we arrived all we wanted was food then sleep, this area will have to be added to our visit again list, this last bit of the trip is a bit rushed as we lost most of a week doing repairs at the beginning.

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 4 – Birmingham to Wolverhampton

22nd – 25th Shopping, Books and food

We decided to spend a few day investigating Birmingham, the Commonwealth Games had just finished the week before, so there was still lots to see.

Birmingham Library

Mary, our youngest has a fascination with books, and we had moored within a stones throw of the Birmingham Library, a stunning building both inside and out with some great view over the city from the viewing areas, not good for my vertigo.

The Amazing Bull from the opening of the Commonwealth Games 2022

Just outside the library was the Birmingham Bull from the opening ceremony at the Commonwealth Games 2022, you should just be able to see it obscured by Sonia and Mary.

For the next few days we just seemed to spend our time walking and shopping, there is so much to see in Birmingham, Large open Markets, and the Bull Ring shopping centre a must visit for a teenager but we will be back for a better look soon.

On the 24th we headed off again towards Wolverhampton, when we reached Smethwick Junction, we decided to take the road less travelled and joined the Old Birmingham Canal as we had plans on visiting the Black Country Living Museum, in the end this had to be saved for another day.

Under the M5 in Birmingham

The canal does many twists and turns through much of the back of industrial Birmingham including traveling under the M5 Motorway, which is one of the few time we saw another boat moving.

After a long day chugging we got to the CRT Broad Street Basin Facilities, which is now just a water point everything else was locked up and looked very rundown.

Mooring in Wolverhampton

We moored up just after the next bridge ready to start Lock 1 of the Wolverhampton 21 lock flight the next day.

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 3 – A New Start

20th – 22nd August To Birmingham

We are a little later getting away on our adventure, but just after noon we set off from the marina and by mid afternoon we are at the bottom of the Tardebigge ready to start the climb up the locks.

A 7:30am start on the Tardebigge Bottom Lock

At about 7:30am on the 21st August we start at The Tardebigge Botton Lock, it is a nice day for working hard, not as hot has it had been the week before, so by 12 noon we had reached the Tardebigge Top Lock, we are getting experts at these over the last few years we have been up and down them so many times.

Shortwood Tunnel

There are a couple of tunnels between starting with the Tardebigge Tunnel, 530m long, usefully there is a water point at the Tardebigge CRT yard just before the tunnel. Just a few bends later is the Shortwood Tunnel, 560m long, then back past Alvechurch Marina.

Exiting the Wast Hill Tunnel

By 4:30pm we where just exiting the much longer Wast Hill Tunnel, 2493m long, it is one of the longest canal tunnels in the UK and it is wide enough for two narrow boats, you can see oncoming boats a long way off in the dark, but is is very hard to estimate how far away they are until the last new minutes.

An hour later we moored up by a park, not sure exactly were, but Obi our dog needs a good run around before it got to dark.

Birmingham’s Gas Street Basin

The next morning, 22nd August, we moor up at near Gas Street Basin for a couple of days investigating Birmingham.

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 2 – Regroup and Repair

12th to 19th August Back in Droitwich Spa Marina

On the way back we had to make the obligatory stop at The Queen’s Head for Pizza, we where lucky to get a table, it is very popular in the summer.

Pizza at The Queen’s Head

While I have all the tools for fixing such eventualities, my hands have suffered over the years and my thumbs are not working very well, so luckily, we had made the acquaintance of Steve Cowham, of STC Marine Engineering, who was happy to do the repairs, and worked very efficiently getting us ready to head out again.

Steve Cowham repairing Floydtilla

A new Jabsco Par-Max HD4 water pump was ordered from Midland Chandlers, that was a quick couple of hundred pounds, but it arrived the next day as promised.

We even fixed an annoying leak on the top seal of our Calorifier/hot water tank with parts from Screwfix and also replaced a faulty bilge pump.

Leaking Calorifier/Hot Water Tank – Needed new seal from Screwfix

During this time while Steve and I played with the boat, Sonia and Mary went to Birmingham on the train, and looked around Droitwich.

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 1 – The Plague Boat

August 5th to 12th The Plague Boat

Our plan this year was that my brother and his family would start the holiday on the boat taking Floydtilla from Droitwich Spa Marina to somewhere in Birmingham, this would take them up the Tardebigge Lock flight, a task on its own, especially with two young children. 

Make the children work the locks, much better than a beach holiday

Unfortunately for them their youngest had picked up a tummy bug (The Plague), which over their week spread around the family, and then to make things worse the water pump decided to fail, they made valiant attempts to get things fixed but, in the end, they moored up at Alvechurch Marina and the survivors of the tummy bug travelled out to Birmingham on the train.

So, a week after they had set off, we arrived at Alvechurch Marina to relieve them, by this time my brother was feeling better so we tock him to Droitwich Spa Marina to collect his car and leave ours at the marina, then back to Alvechurch Marina and we took over the plague boat, which they had cleaned every surface ready for us.

We decided we would head back to Droitwich Spa Marina so it’s back down the Tardebigge Lock flight to our home mooring to make repairs.

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