Cheshire, eventually: Day 9

It seemed pretty chilly when we set off this morning at about 8.15.  Just through the bridge ahead of where we moored is the Merry Hill Waterfront development.

After about half an hour we reached Blowers Green Lock, which is a deep one at 12ft.

Above the lock is a junction.  Straight ahead are the locks up to Park Head and the Dudley Canal, which isn’t open to powered boats; the Dudley Canal Trust runs electric trip boats from the other end.  We were turning sharp right, moving from the Dudley No 1 Canal to the Dudley No 2.  We were thinking of stopping for water here, but the tap is out of order.

Along this canal there are rather nice mile markers (actually they come every half a mile) in the shape of the Cobb’s Engine, and there are different information signs too.

There’s a lovely iron bridge over the end of what used to be the Two Locks Line.  If it was still functional, it would have allowed us to cut the corner off.

It came as a bit of a surprise to see a boat coming the other way, particularly as it was in a slightly narrower section which used to be a tunnel.  There’s a high bridge over it, which has spawned one of those names that always seems a bit mangled.

We reached Windmill End, where there were a few boats moored.  A boat was on the water point here, so we didn’t stop.  The junctions here all have nice bridges, but there’s not really a view of the Cobb’s Engine House, because of the trees.

Netherton Tunnel is over 3000 yards long, and takes over half an hour to get through.

I amused myself in the tunnel by trying to take a photo up the air shafts.  Once I’d worked out how to stop the phone doing the nighttime thing where it wants you to stay still for three seconds, the results were better.  I’m quite pleased with this one.

After the tunnel we went under the aqueduct which carries the Old Main Line, then at Dudley Port Junction turned left onto the New Main Line.  This is looking back, so we came from under the right hand bridge.

All the Factory Locks were in our favour, so we made light work of them

At the top, a boat had arrived to go down, but was so close to the lock we couldn’t get out until they’d reversed a bit.  It’s also very weedy, and we seemed to have very little forward propulsion.  That combined with the other boat being in the way meant the turn left towards Tipton seemed like hard work.  The weeds and the water lilies have grown a lot since we were here a few weeks ago.  We needed to stop to clear the prop, so we thought we’d combine that with a visit to the water point by the park — but there was a boat moored there, and the hosepipe wouldn’t reach.  We set off again with a clear prop, only for a boat to be coming through the next bridge.  After we’d gone through we turned around at Tipton Junction and retraced our steps, mooring at our usual spot outside the health centre.  The other boat here was also moored there last time we were here in May, and was also here (although in a slightly different place) in 2023.

This afternoon it’s been sunny but windy.  I’ve spent the time editing a couple of podcasts.  As we’re in Tipton, we’re treating ourselves to another visit to Mad O’Rourke’s; hopefully they’ll have some Peaky Blinders, which they were out of last time.

10 miles, 4 locks.  (65 miles, 85 locks)

To Crick: Day 8

The moorings at Autherley Junction were really quiet; as I mentioned last time we stayed there, some years ago you’d have avoided the area completely.  With a lot of locks to do today, we were up early, and set off at 7.45.  Within the first few yards, a dispute between ducks resulted in one of them landing on our plank, and then appearing quite surprised that it was moving.

It was 8am when we went into the bottom lock.

The first two locks were full and needed emptying, but then a whole load were empty ready for us.  Adrian worked the first ten before we swapped over.  There are lots of huge railway bridges, and there was a family of goslings.

It began to look as though I’d got the raw end of the deal, because from Lock 9 they started being full, and needing to be empty.  But then we met a boat at Lock 6, a young Belgian couple who’ve rented a boat for six weeks from near Oxford, and were planning to get back to the countryside up the Shroppie.  We also met a boat at Lock 3, immediately after yet another rail bridge.

We didn’t set any records today.  We were ready to leave the top lock three and a half hours after we started.

We paused on the moorings above the lock for a little while, then set off again to make a small detour.  Just before Horsley Fields Junction, where the Wyrley & Essingtom goes off, the areas both sides of the canal have been cleared.  It feels much more open.

We turned onto the W&E, under the junction bridge and through the narrows.

We had an appointment at the Urban Moorings.  They accept deposits from compost loos, and we had a bucket full to donate.  They have big purpose-built compost bins, which we could do with more of around the network.  Also, a gas bottle ran out last night, so we bought a new one.  The price was £45.50 which is pretty standard these days, and we liked that we could support them.  We moored up alongside the boats on the outside, with our bow next to a stern, so we could get across.

Unfortunately as Adrian took the new gas bottle, he hurt his arm.  We’re not sure what it is, but probably a ligament that’s pulled somehow.  When we had paid and untied, we reversed back to the junction, which was achieved without getting too stuck in the shallow edges, and then turned towards Birmingham.  There were lots of people out on the towpaths enjoying the sunshine, and we had our photo taken many times.  Everyone seemed very pleased to see a boat.  At Coseley Tunnel, I always wonder the the houses built on top have problems with insurance.

Just before Factory Junction is a huge new housing development.  I’m sure the site has been vacant for many of the years we’ve been coming this way.

We turned right at Factory Junction, onto the Old Main Line.  There was some sort of event on at the Malthouse Stables Activity Centre, and people came out to wave.  There were some old cars parked outside.

We moored up just round the corner on the John the Lock moorings about side the health centre.  This evening we’re going to Mad O’Rourke’s, because we enjoyed it so much last time we were here.

8 miles, 21 locks.  (47 miles, 51 locks)

Wending to Wales: Day 25

A few years ago we would never have stopped overnight at Autherley Junction, but now it’s a popular spot.  The moorings were full, with no git gaps to be seen.  And we had a very quiet night.  Possibly because we knew we had lots of locks to do today, we were awake early and decided to get up and get going.  So we were ready to pull away from our mooring at 7.15.  As we left, the sun was rising and there was mist swirling above the water.

It’s an only about 10 minutes down to Aldersley Junction.  The bottom lock was empty, and it was 7.30 when we started our ascent.

We worked our way steadily up the flight, with every lock in our favour — the advantage of being first up.  With the sun shining, the flight also looked pretty good.

Three volunteer litter pickers opened one set of bottom gates for us, and at Lock 3 a couple of CRT guys put down their strimmers and helped.  I said to them that the locks seemed in much better condition that the last couple of times we’ve been up them, which they were very pleased about.  One of them also discovered grease on the pawl handle — and decreed that whoever had put it there should be up for gross misconduct!

When we did the flight in 2019 we completed all 21 locks in 2 hours 40 mins, and in 2017 it was 2 hours 50.  Today we were on course for 2:50 again, except that when we got to the top lock there was a boat about to come down.  When I arrived, the ladies on board were debating whose lock it was, and whether they should fill it for themselves or empty it for us.  As it was about three-quarters full, it was decided it should be filled. When we came to open the top gate, it got stuck after a few inches, I I discovered it was because a coconut was jamming it.  Once that was removed, the process could continue.  All of this meant we took 3 hours for the locks today.  At least the cottages at the top are back to looking good, they had scaffolding all over them last time.

Another boat arrived as we left the top lock, so we left it for them.  They will soon have realised there was a boat going down in front.  We pulled in to Broad Street Basin to fill the water tank and get the washing machine going.  Another boat passed, heading for the locks  as we prepared to reverse out, and we passed a couple more along the way.  Not far from Wolverhampton Tunnel is a development of flats we don’t remember being there before.

After a while, the threatening clouds brought some rain.  At first, there was also blue sky further ahead.

But then the rain really set in.  There was thunder, rain coming down in stair rods, and even hail stones.  Once again, I was absolutely soaked, as were people on the towpath who’d been caught out.  By the time we got to Coseley Tunnel, it had almost stopped.

We turned right at Factory Junction where some people were messing about in boats, made of two canoes tied together.  One guy even jumped from one boat to another, and we were amazed he didn’t fall in.  We moored up at the John the Lock moorings in Tipton, I had a change of clothes, and we had lunch.

This afternoon the sun has come out.  We had a surprisingly productive walk to the Tipton Shopping Centre, where Poundland and the Nisa Local turned out to have quite a few of the things we were after.  Then I had a go at re-hanging our bow button.  It’s been lopsided for ages, but over the past couple of days has become ridiculously so.  I eventually managed to get the shackle off so I could shorten the chain by one link on one side.  Hopefully the button will reshape itself to the boat over time.

This evening, we plan to try out the famous Mad O’Rourke’s Pie Factory.

8 miles, 21 locks.  (301 miles, 203 locks)

West Mids Meander: Day 14

This was a day which went wrong.  It had started ok — it had hammered down with rain in the night, but was dry if murky when we set off at 8am and went through the Waterfront development.  We were soon up Blower’s Green Lock, and moored on the services to fill with water, start a wash load, and empty the loo.  We then carried on to Netherton Junction where we turned right, to stay on the Dudley No 2 canal.  There were lots of boats moored up, getting ready for the Black Country Boating Festival this weekend.

The main feature is Gosty Hill Tunnel, which is narrow and although it starts tall enough has a low section in the middle.  I was quite pleased with a photo up the air shaft.

There are more photos of the tunnel is a post from six years ago when we last came down here.  We carried on to the end of navigation, where we took the narrow entrance to Hawne Basin.

The Coombeswood Canal Trust sells cheap diesel, partly to encourage boaters to come down here.  Today it was 65p — which is a bargain.  Retracing our steps, I was amazed to see another boat emerging from the tunnel.

I was even more surprised when I saw a boat approaching the far entrance — he had to wait for us to emerge.  Back at Netherton we turned right and went into the very different Netherton Tunnel: long, wide, and tall.

It took half an hour to go through.  At the far end is a nice row of cottages.

We wanted to finish today at Tipton, facing Wolverhampton, so the plan was to turn right at Dudley Port Junction onto the New Main Line, then right again at Albion Junction onto the Gower Branch, go up the Brades Locks, and then right again on the Old Main Line.  I got off to work the locks.

We went up the bottom lock, and then went on to the top two, which are a staircase pair.  I found that the top lock was completely empty — so empty that the bottom cill was exposed.

I started filling the top lock, and found that one of the middle paddles was so leaky that Adrian was finding it difficult to get the boat into the lock against the flow.  When he was finally in, the boat started rising immediately, even with no middle paddles raised.  Before long the two locks were on a level, and we made it into the top lock.  However, the leaky paddle meant it was impossible to make a level in the top lock.  However long we waited, the lock was always a few inches short — so we decided we’ve have to go back.  As we were going down the bottom lock of the staircase — backwards — the boat caught on the lower edge of the overspill and started to tilt, getting to quite an angle before slipping off and righting itself.  Things had come off many shelves, but miraculously the only breakage was the teapot lid.  It was all, frankly, quite traumatic.  Adrian then reversed along the pound into the bottom lock, at which point it started raining.  We then had the half mile of the Gower Branch to do in reverse.  This is quite time consuming, and half way along we picked up something on the prop which stopped the engine.  There was no option to go down the weedhatch.  It was still pouring with rain, as I removed plastic bags and a combat jacket.

We eventually made it back to the end of the branch at Albion Junction, and turned towards Tipton.  We checked the time as we passed Dudley Port Junction — it had taken two and a quarter hours to return to the same spot.  We eventually made it up onto the Wolverhampton level at Factory Locks.  Even there, there was a slight problem, as one of the anti-vandal locks was broken, with the lock on, meaning the bottom lock took ages to empty.

We turned right at Factory Junction, went past the moorings, turned around at Tipton Junction, and returned to the John the Lock moorings.  Once we had tied up (at gone 5.30 — very late for us — I checked the weed hatch again and got another significant haul of plastic bags off the prop.

16 miles, 8 locks.  (152 miles, 197 locks)