Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE YEARS BETWEEN BOATS

BRUM, STOURBRIDGE & LLANGOLLEN

August 1989

Part 1 : Birmingham to Cheswardine

This was one of the hire-boat trips we made in our years between boats. The crew was our usual quartet who went together every summer. In those days we used to put in some fairly long days' cruising (by our subsequent standards), trying to get the maximum boating out of a necessary limited time afloat. This time we were on nb Beau II from Brummagem Boats. We planned to head for Llangollen, but because of stoppage had to go via the Stourbridge Cut rather than the direct route through Wolverhampton.

Click on any of the pictures to see a larger version with a caption.

We travelled up from home, left the luggage at the boatyard at Sherborne Street Wharf on the Oozells Street Loop of the BCN and went shopping in Tesco at Fiveways. We were away at 15:00, heading along the New Main Line, then turning off through Netherton Tunnel. At Windmill End we turned right for Park Head, turned left there and set off down the Dudley Canal, mooring at 19:29 past Dudley & Lye bridge in a fairly boring stretch because no pleasanter moorings offered themselves.

Merry Hill	Top of Delph Locks	Delph locks
²
Delph Junction	Buckpool			Dadford's Shed

We set off at 07:31 and soon found that Delph locks were as pleasant to work as they look. We passed onto the Stourbridge Canal, which was new to all of us, and stopped for breakfast at Farmer's Bridge, Brierley Hill. Down the Stourbridge 16 we were running behind wooden nb Victoria who was having problems sticking in locks. As former owners ourselves of an old wooden narrowboat that had spread with age, we were sympathetic with their problems. We felt a mixture of nostalgia for what we used to suffer with Felis Catus, and some gratitude for modern times. Victoria was crewed by a pleasant couple plus Harry the Labrador. Locks 8 & 9 at Buckpool are a not-quite-a-staircase, a bit like the Bratch.

Victoria tied up to visit the Glass Museum and we went past, to Wordsley and Stourton junctions, turning north on the Staffs & Worcs Canal. At 18:54 we moored for the night between Awbridge & Ebstree locks .

Anglers were abundant from our start at 06:46. Wendy almost stepped on one in a sleeping-bag at Dimmingsdale lock, where we also found three foolish ducklings who were eventually re-united with their mother, but who seemed at times determined to flatten themselves between the boat and the lock. There are some lovely locks on this stretch of the Staffs & Worcs. At Autherley junction we joined the Shropshire Union Canal (Birmingham & Liverpool Junction section), took on water at the junction and continued non-stop to Goldstone wharf, Cheswardine where we moored at 18:21. It had been a very good day with lots of quite huge peacock butterflies. We went for beer at the Wharf Tavern (very pleasant pub with a lot of seats in its canalside garden) then came back to the boat for a barbecue.

It appears I didn't take any photos on the Shroppie that trip (apart from the one shown for Monday), presumably because I thbought I'd already got adequate coverage of it.