Is Autumn on the way? Not yet, surely!

Friday 21^st August; Stoke Pound to below Astwood locks

The forecast wind arrived overnight.  We were moored on a slight bend so it banged us about just enough to wake us up, and although we weren’t particularly close to the trees the wind was plenty strong enough to scatter bits of twig all over the roof which tapped and knocked as they landed.  We were away well before 9, once again the first boat on the move.  Someone was filling the first lock – they would have loved to be in it but the pound below had dropped overnight and they were aground.  We went down with the water, which wasn’t quite enough to refloat them, but a short tow from Chuffed, along with the crew of another boat pushing with poles from the bank, soon sorted that out.  We were alone then as we descended the rest of Stoke locks, with few onlookers.

Then at Stoke bottom lock we paused in the lock to deal with a cassette and some rubbish at the sanitary station.  We didn’t take long, but the water level had dropped by a foot before we got around to opening the bottom paddles.  There wasn’t much wildlife about – it was much too windy for insects so no butterflies or dragonflies – but a swan family was relaxing on the bank.

In the strong wind we crabbed our way along through Stoke Works, where the house-building continues apace.  Some of the houses have mixed colours in the brickwork, which makes it look a bit less samey.  One house looked lived in – someone had colour-co-ordinated the flowers in the hanging basket with the accent bricks - but we think it must have been the show home as everywhere else was empty.

Time for a cuppa now before we reached the top of the Astwood flight.  Dave started emptying the top lock while I walked on to see to the second.  It was empty, but as there was a boat already coming up the one below I opened the gates for them and went back to the top.  Dave waited in the shelter of the empty lock and they passed without too much trouble from the wind.  We didn’t see another boat for the rest of the morning.  I always enjoy doing the lock by bridge 40, as there is plenty to see in the cottage garden on the offside.  A squash or pumpkin is ripening on top of the hedge, overlooked by giant sunflowers.

My Mum always used to say that when the top flowers of the hollyhocks start to open, that’s the end of summer. 

They are nearly there!  And the pink sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, beloved of bees and butterflies, is revving up for its show too.

There is a notice on one of the balance beams advising us to leave the lock empty to save water.  I don’t understand how that saves water if you are going up, and it’s irrelevant if you are going down – can anyone enlighten me? 

On we went and moored for the day below the bottom lock.  It’s a good edge there, so I grabbed the shears and trimmed the straggly bits of grass so Dave could touch up the rubbing strake.  There was a heavy shower while we had lunch, and then a steady stream of hire boats, mostly Black Princes, passed by on their way to the locks.  Whether they were just starting their holiday from Worcester, or on their way back to base at Stoke Bottom Lock, we didn’t know.  Perhaps it was some of each.  The hire companies can only deal with one boat at a time to allow sufficient time for cleaning and sanitising and to make social distancing work.  Here is Chuffed in the distance.

 

I left Dave touching up various bits of paintwork and took Meg for a walk – we had to cross over the lock as the field on the towpath side was full of sheep. No matter how much she pleaded, she didn’t get any ball play until we got to the railway bridge where there is no crop.

Then I picked a bowl of damsons at the lock.  Half of them were windfalls, and there were a lot on the tree not yet ripe enough to pick.  

 There was even a little late sunshine as the wind began to drop at last.

 Saturday 22^nd August; Astwood bottom lock to the marina

On Saturday we did some packing before we left for the marina.  We needed fuel, so there was no point in rushing to get there if the office wasn’t yet open.  At the top lock a time-share boat came by with an anchor much bigger than ours.  I think I would be worried about it being too heavy to deploy safely.

At the wharf we emptied a cassette and dumped the rubbish and recycling while we waited for fuel, then watched a narrowboat being returned to the water.  It had been stranded ashore for the period of lockdown – the owners couldn’t even visit to do the blacking.

We moored on our pontoon bow-first to make it easier to get out again for our next trip.  We didn’t leave the marina till mid-afternoon; it’s August Bank Holiday Saturday and we wanted the Devon-bound hordes to have reached their destinations before we got anywhere near!

Friday - 2½ miles, 12 locks.  Saturday – 2 miles, 3 locks

Trip stats 

Distance 112 miles and ¼ furlong, with 131 locks, 7 tunnels, 3 aqueducts and 1 swing bridge (at Barge Lock in Droitwich).     

From canalplanner - This is made up of 42 miles, 7¾ furlongs of narrow canals; 5 miles, 6½ furlongs of broad canals; 42 miles, 7¼ furlongs of small rivers; 20 miles, 3¼ furlongs of large rivers; 103 narrow locks; 26 broad locks; 2 large locks.

Tunnels; M5, Impney Way (more of a road bridge really), A449 tunnel, Brandwood, Wast Hill, Shortwood and Tardebigge.

Edstone, Wootton Wawen and Yarningale aqueducts. 

Waterways; Droitwich Junction and Barge canals; River Severn and River Avon; Stratford canal north and south, and Birmingham and Worcester canal.