Category: Travel

Blog posts covering our trips in Floydtilla

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Tug Boats at the Black Country Living Museum

Last year we had planned to visit the Black Country Living Museum while on our summer trip, but due to time constraints we had to motor past. Well this weekend we were on our mooring checking the boat over and decided we could make the trip, but this time by car.

From Droitwich Spa Marina it is just 22 miles by road up the M5 to BCLM, so after a slow start off we went, we arrived at approx 11am and found the overflow carpark, which with luck had a row of PodPoint electric chargers, so we plugged in and wandered in.

At £22.50 Per Adult it is not cheap, but as we found, there is a lot to see, with lots of work going on with new displays being built. I suspect this kind of museum is never finished, as you can see from the map below lots of areas for development.

Map of the current museum (There is lots in development)

I was not feeling 100% so this was going to a slow walk around, we also could not stay late as we had left Obi, our Sprollie dog, looking after the boat.

There is lots to see all arranged in areas around streets, we started will a look around Jerushah Cottage, inside the lady of the house was working on a Rag rug, cutting the material into lengths, she told us some of the fascinating history of the building and the how the family lived.

We then moved on to the The Workers’ Institute and Cafe for a well needed coffee in a tin mug, while Sonia had tea and a slice of Victoria Sponge.

A. Hartill Motorcycles

Then past the Elephant and Castle Pub popping in to A. Preedy & Son Tobacconists and the A. Hartill Motorcycles for a nose around, in which we found a early Seagull outboard motor, which was manufactured in the Sunbeamland Factory in Wolverhampton.

A. Preedy & Son Tobacconists

Then it was down to the canal for the main reason for out trip to see the old working boats that had come for a special weekend visit. We had a few chats to the owners and keepers of these fantastic old beasts, mostly tug boats used for pulling barges AKA ‘joeys’ around the local canals. We stopped and had a good look at Bitten a 1934 example which I was surprised to see had a draft probably 12″, 30cm, deeper that our modern boat.

Canal Tug boats and Joeys on the quay side

We walked around the quay side, had a quick look at a nail making demonstration, but it was hard to see as it was drawing quite a crowd. The on for a look around the Bottle and Glass Inn, then we could smell the fish and chips cooking just up the road at The Village Fried Fish Shop, unfortunately due to my diet, only Sonia could sample there wares, I did steal the odd chip and very good it was too.

The queue for the chip shop

All that had taken over 3 hours, and I would think we had still a good 60% left to see and sample including cakes and pasties from Veal’s Baker’s Shop and sweets from T. Cook’s Sweet Shop, all of which seemed very popular to the bank holiday visitors.

Due to out time constraints we started walking back to the entrance and the obligatory browse in the gift shop, not forgetting to buy a parking token so we could get our car out of the carpark.

With our entrance we got a full 12 months access to the Museum, but I suspect we will be back again in the not to distant future.

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The Summer Adventure 2022 Part 6 – Stourport-On-Seven and back to Droitwich Spa Marina

29th – 31st The end of the Stourport Ring

It is odd, apart from some pictures of the Lock 9, Lincomb Lock, We took almost no other picture on this leg of the trip down the Seven and into Worcester and onto the Birmingham and Worcester Canal, it may have been because we have done this bit so many times.

Lincomb lock gates
Lincomb Lock exit

We moored up in Worcester over night and tried to go for breakfast at House of Coffee but due to unforeseen circumstances it was close, so we tried Cafe Rouge, not as interesting, but it did the job. After that we set off up the Birmingham and Worcester Canal.

Nearing the end of that day we did have a little adventure around lock 13 on the canal were a fallen tree had blocked most of the canal, we tried to pass it right to the righthand side and got stuck on the bottom in a sallow area, much heaving with the pole and a few engine revs and we got free.

We then moor up by the the Tibberton Road Bridge, Bridge 25, and had a meal at the “The Bridge” Pub with some other boaters we had been following up the canal.

FEB 2023 Edit – The Bridge Inn at Tibberton has closed, Admiral Taverns are looking for new tenants

Later we sat of the roof of the boat and watched the stars, it is amazing what a few beers will do.

The next day we did the final chug to Droitwich Spa Marina, completing our navigation of the Stourport Ring.

Approx 84 miles and 118 locks if you discount the detour back to Droitwich for repairs, we orders a brass plaque from The Canal Shop to celebrate and other grand holiday on Floydtilla.

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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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