Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE YEARS BETWEEN BOATS

A WEEK ON THE BCN

Easter 1986

Part 3 : Rushall to Bumblehole

It was dry but cold & windy as we started at 08:00. We had an uneventful run to Horseley Fields junction and the BCN Main Line, stopping immediately afterwards for breakfast.

		The Black Country Museum

At Factory junction we turned onto the Old Main Line, then the Dudley no.1 Canal to moor in the Black Country Museum and spend some time visiting - it was much more developed than on my previous visit. We had beer in the museum pub then lunch on board.

In the afternoon we went back to Factory junction, down the locks with a slight delay by a dry pound, and along the New Main Line to Dudley Port junction where we turned into the Netherton Tunnel Branch. It was starting to snow as we turned into the tunnel, which latter proved very tedious.

At Windmill End junction the snow stopped. We turned west on the Dudley no.2 Canal. Parts of this stretch are very attractive indeed - especially Windmill End and Park Head junctions. At the latter we stopped at I walked up Park Head locks to the South entrance to Dudley tunnel, after which we turned back and found an overnight mooring at the end of the Bumblehole Branch. We moored at 18:35 by a "fun-pub", fortunately sound-proofed, and walked round the corner to the Boat Inn : a non-"fun" (i.e. much nicer) pub. There was heavy snow in the evening.