Running repairs and Sea Searcher saves the day

Thursday 16^th July; Wombourne to Whittington

We had wanted to get on a bit further yesterday than we actually managed, so didn’t hang about too much this morning.  We were on our way at 8.30, in dull and chilly weather.  Once I started working us through Botterham Staircase I warmed up.

Botterham Staircase lock

The weather stayed cloudy but it got increasingly humid.  There are split bridges below some of the locks, where the tow-rope could pass through without having to be unhitched from the horse.  At Marsh Lock a strap has been welded over the top – is that ‘elf and safety, or was it needed to keep the steelwork together?

not quite split now

We stopped at Greensforge facilities and filled and emptied as necessary.  While the water was filling, Dave did a running repair on the hooks where the cratch cover is attached – we had got incautiously close to the wall when entering a lock and one hook was squashed while the other had been torn out. 

Meg in charge

Dave unbent the squashed one, then got up to get the drill to drill out the screws for the other.  As he turned round his best long-nosed pliers went plop! and disappeared.  Sea Searcher to the rescue! The Armco piling made it rather difficult as they had fallen in so close to the edge, but I got them in the end.

This canal has some really lovely stretches, and one of my favourites is halfway between Greensforge and Rocky locks – there is a beautiful garden attached to a nursery at Flatheridge Bridge, tantalisingly glimpsed between lovely shrubs and immaculately kept.

The bywash weirs have a characteristic design which I don’t think is used on any other canal … though I may well be wrong.

We stopped for lunch below Gothersley lock and were a bit annoyed to see the CRT workboat we had passed earlier coming along just as we were thinking of moving.  But they were engaged in grass-cutting round locks and bridges so stopped after a while and we went by.

I think the next few miles are just lovely.  I was too occupied in enjoying it all to take pictures of the Devil’s Den area, with its rocky cliffs, and at Stourton junction we were too busy avoiding a swimming dog (and asking the youthful owners if they realised boats didn’t have brakes! No they didn’t and I don’t think they were being sarcastic!).  No-one was coming at Dunsley tunnel, which was built by hacking out of the rock.

At Stewpony lock we met another boat and I learned that the best mooring for Kinver is above Hyde lock – it’s less likely to be crowded than the Kinver moorings, and there is a footpath across to the shops which avoids that long climb up the road.  Now we came to Whittington Horse Bridge with the impossibly pretty cottages round about

Whittington Horse Bridge

and followed by Whittington lock.  The cottages here are very neat and the hedges were being carefully trimmed.  There is a memorial bench to one Jim Robbins, a leading light in the canal world round here.  The bench was placed there in 1980 and rebuilt in 2003 by BW – zoom in to read the plaques.

The top balance beam also had a proud plaque screwed to it.

We toddled on a little further to moor completely by ourselves, birdsong loud in the trees, and rarely a passing boat to break the peace and quiet.  We are away from the walkers and cyclists – so many cyclists! – round Kinver, the towpath is wide and Meg can footle around to her heart’s content.

Our mooring the next morning

 8 miles, 12 locks including Botterham staircase, Dunsley tunnel