Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE YEARS BETWEEN BOATS

BRUM, STOURBRIDGE & LLANGOLLEN

August 1989

Part 4 : Burland to WIndmill End

We could afford a later start at 07:20 as we planned to shop again in Nantwich and knew there was no point getting there too early. In fact we tied up near the aqueduct at 08:55. We did the necessary shopping but were disappointed to find that Nantwich no longer had a launderette. Nor, we discovered later, had Audlem, but rumour had it that there was one at Market Drayton. We moored for the night above Adderley top lock at 17:49.

We saw no point in starting early, so set off at 09:02 to Market Drayton wharf to explore the town for the rumoured launderette, which we found in Shropshire Street. It opened 7 days per week but, unsurprisingly, didn't offer service washes on Sundays. We noted for future reference that market days here were Wednesday & Saturday. The washing done, we moved off again, taking on water at Tyrley wharf and going on to make our evening stop at 19:05 opposite The Boat at Gnosall, whose Marston's beer we sampled that evening.

We started at 07:41 making our first stop at Turner's Garage, Wheaton Aston to fill up with cheap diesel. At Autherley we took on water before turning south on the Staffs and Worcs to a stop for a pub lunch at the Newbridge Inn by Tettenhall bridge, where we were just in time to order food. (They served hot food until 14:15.) In the afternoon we went on to moor below Swindon lock at 19:52.

Another early start, at 05:39 meant that we could turn into the Stourbridge Canal at Stourton, go through to Wordsley and follow the arm to Stourbridge basin, still arriving there early in the morning. The Town arm has decent depth. We were very impressed with the restored warehouse. We found some good shopping: Safeway, a covered market & what looked like a good French delicatessen, although we didn't try the latter.

Then we went back to the main line, up the "sixteen" and reached the Old Bush at Farmer's bridge, Brierley Hill too late to eat there, so we had a drink in the pub and lunch on board. In the afternoon we continued up Delph locks, through Park Head and westwards to Windmill End, mooring in the Boshboil Arm at 19:12. I think I must have been on cooking duty, as the log records that it was Ian & Peter who went to the Little Dry Dock pub & brought back glowing reports.