Autumn Cruise: Day 20

We’d been promised that a CRT guy would be with us at 8am to try to sort out Compton Lock, but it wasn’t until 8.45 that he turned up.  As it’s a deep lock, we took the boat in so he could stand on the back with his keb and feel along the cill for whatever was stopping the gate closing fully.  He couldn’t feel anything, yet the gate still wouldn’t close.  As there was plenty of water about, we tried opening the top paddles to flush off whatever was there, but that didn’t work either.  Soon a boat from the moorings above the lock arrived wanting to go down, then another CRT man turned up too.  We took Briar Rose back in the lock so the second guy could have a go.

Eventually, after lots of prodding with a shaft and raking with a keb, we could all hear that there was something wooden down there, rather than metal or brick.  Then suddenly the gate closed properly.  Whatever was on the cill had moved, but we still don’t know what it was because it’s probably still down there somewhere.  We filled the lock, said thank you to the CRT guys, Chris and Kev, and were on our way.  It was 10.15, so our hopes of getting up the Wolverhampton 21 early were not going to happen.  It was very nearly 11 when we got to Aldersley Junction and turned onto the BCN.  The first lock is right there, but fortunately was empty.  In fact 19 of the 21 locks were in our favour, and many at the lower end had their gates open.  We suspect someone coming down, probably single handed, had got bored of walking back to shut the gates when the locks were further apart.  It’s really very rural at the bottom of the flight, with more industry closing in as the locks go up.

Not only were the locks in our favour, but the top gates are in such good condition that no water had drained through, so no bottom paddles needed to be raised.  Where the locks are close together we got into a rhythm where I would start the lock filling, then walk up and open the gates of the next one, while Adrian would drop the offside paddle and open the gate of the lock the boat was in.  I’d then walk back to shut the gate.

We were going really well until Lock 4, where the pound above was pretty much empty.  I went up to the next lock and ran plenty of water down.  Fortunately the pound above Lock 3 is a decent size, so it could afford to lend us the water.  The delay wasn’t too bad, and after 2 hours and 40 minutes we had completed all 21 locks, and were at the top one, with it’s row of neat little cottages.  We are also at our highest point of the trip, at 473ft — which is 204ft 6in above Thrupp Wharf, if my maths is correct.

The stretch from Wolverhampton to Birmingham is always much longer than I remember.  At Horsley Fields Junction a train was waiting at a signal across the junction.

A bit further on a new housing estate is going up.  We can’t remember what was there before — probably a scene of some dereliction.  There are more newish houses on the towpath side just a little way on.

At one point we saw a new tram.  Then at Coseley Tunnel I always like how the houses above have a great view straight down the canal.

We moored for the night at Tipton, on the ‘John the Lock’ moorings by the health centre.  At one time, we wouldn’t have even considered stopping here, but things seem to be much improved.  The trip boat from the Dudley Tunnel visitor centre has been going back and forth.

9 miles, 22 locks.  (203 miles, 213 locks)