Tickety Boo on Test

The December issue of Canal Boat is out, and includes my review of Tickety Boo, a narrowbeam Dutch barge by Wharf House in Braunston. I was surprised how much I liked this boat, and and the piece says, I can't remember being on a boat which attracted so many positive comments from other boaters and from the towpath. It certainly makes an impression.

The Bratch

The Bratch was the place I really wanted to have a look at on this trip. Again, we'd come through ten years ago, but all I could remember was that there was a long queue. It's such a photographed place, though, that you feel you know it even when you don't.

When we first arrived, there were no boats or people about at all, so we went for a walk down to beyond Bumblehole Lock before returning. I really wanted to see a boat going up or down, to fully understand where the water goes: there are three locks at Bratch, but they're not a staircase. They're a flight, but the pounds between the locks are only a few feet long; instead, they stretch out to the side. The paddles have to be opened in the right order, and then everything levels up. When we got back to Bratch, there was a boat about to go up, and another waiting to come down (a Viking Afloat with a Scandinavian crew. Viking must advertise over there, as almost every other of their boats has a Scandinavian crew, it seems).

And here's one for Halfie: the paddle which opens to the side pound between the top and middle locks creates the biggest, deepest vortex I've ever seen.

Stourton Junction

There's something special about junctions, even when you're on foot rather than afloat. There's the anticipation of deciding which way to go, and more often than not they're in attractive settings. Stourton Junction is just under the bridge, with the Stourbridge canal going off to the right, up four locks.

Naturally, we had to go and have a look at the locks. The first two are very close together, although the pound in between stretches off to the side.

The third lock is on the other side of the A449, and is approached under a bridge. There's a much more suburban feel.

The fourth lock is virtually in someone's (very well kept) garden.

This is another route we did ten years ago, and again neither of us could remember it at all. A return visit must be on the cards.

Stewpony Lock

There's some dispute about the spelling of Stewpony Lock, with the guidebooks adding an E in the pony part. However, the sign at the lock itself does without. The name is apparently thought to come from a local soldier who returned to the area with a Spanish wife from the town of Estepona. Anyway, it's another attractive setting with a cluster of buildings, including a little toll office. The large cottage has been sold, so I hope the new owners don't mind lots of activity because BW still have plenty going on at their little depot here.

The boat was a Countrywide Cruisers from Brewood. They could so with some new pictures on their website, as the boats are painted far more attractive colours these days.

Hyde Lock, Staffs and Worcs Canal

From Stourport we drove to Kinver and parked in one of the many free car parks just off the main street. We walked down to the canal at Kinver lock, and walked along the permanent moorings to Hyde Lock, which is in a very attractive setting.

The cottage next to the lock has unusual and appropriate garden gates.

From Hyde Lock we turned off the towpath and took a footpath along the River Stour back into Kinver, where we had lunch at the Kinfayre Coffee House.

Stourport

Last week we spent a couple of nights at a hotel in Stourport. The weather forecast for the whole trip had been dreadful, so we'd been quite pleased to have seen the Droitwich Canal and Holt Lock on the Severn without being rained on. By Wednesday morning, the forcast had changed from heavy rain to sunny intervals.

We started the day with a visit to Stourport Basins. As we approached the staircase locks up from the river, a Viking Afloat hire boat was approaching -- the same one we'd seen yesterday. They didn't seem to have much idea about the operation of the locks, so we lent a hand with the bottom pair and watched them make quite a good entry into the top pair.


We walked down over the barge locks. The old Tontine Hotel is still being converted (it seems to have taken ages), and the newly dug out far basin still has flats on only one side. The other two sides are still building sites, but without much evidence of building. The basin itself is still closed to boats. The Upper Basin and Clock Basin were as full as ever, and we chatted to a liveaboard couple on Catflap, who'd just filled with diesel at the chandlers and spun the boat onto the water point.

We walked up the canal past York Road Lock, where there are nice moorings, trying to work out where we'd stopped on our hire boat ten years ago. Our boat had been based in the Basins, and we'd spent the final night on these moorings and eaten at the pub just up the path.

Holt Lock, River Severn

Having seen the Droitwich Barge Canal, we drove up to Holt Fleet on the River Severn, and had lunch at the Holt Fleet Pub. It overlooks the River, and is right next to Holt Bridge, which is a Telford structure.

The river was very quiet and very still. While we were having lunch, just two narrowboats passed going south. Later, we crossed the bridge to walk up to Holt Lock.

There's a sign at the lock showing the flood level in the summer of 2007. It was a couple of feet above the lock. As we walked back we spotted a Viking Afloat boat heading towards the lock. The red traffic light began flashing, then the gates opened and the light turned green so the boat could go straight in.

Droitwich Barge Canal

We set off on Tuesday for a couple of days away, with our first target being the point where the Droitwich Barge Canal meets the River Severn. Having checked on Google Maps, we knew we were looking for Lock Lane off the A449 in Worcestershire. Fortunately Lock Lane has a huge sign and we parked on the verge of this dead-end lane. It took a few moments to find how to get down to the canal, as the nearby house is being rennovated and the footpath is still technically closed, with a fence across it. The entrance from the river was completed in August; the lock into the canal certainly looks ready for use.

The pound above the lock appears to need little more than some water.

Just around the corner there's another lock with a bridge to take the towpath to the other side.

Then a little further on is the major engineering feat which has just been completed: taking the canal under the A449. It's clearly been a big job, with large embankments and a reasonably long tunnel. The towpath inside the tunnel appears to be suspended over the water.

Beyond the tunnel, the canal peters out very rapidly, with plenty of dredging needed before boats can use it. However, the Droitwich Canals Trust says this will happen this winter, and the whole of the Barge Canal should be open for use next spring. When we eventually use this canal, it will mean even more because we've seen it before the work was complete.

Worcester

We're just back from a couple of nights away on a land-based break, during which time we managed to visit a number of boat related sites. This morning, on the way home, we stopped in Worcester. We parked near the River Severn, and walked past the Cathedral down to Diglis Locks, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal leaves the river.

We last came this way on a hire boat about ten years ago, and neither of us could remember much about it. It would have looked very different back then, as there's been lots of new building, with more to come. There are new flats everywhere, including right next to Diglis bottom lock.

Walking up towards Diglis basins, we realised that the pound between the two locks was completely empty -- and I mean completely empty.

This pound should have seven or eight feet of water in it. I rang the BW mobile number shown on the noticeboard next to the locks, to report the problem. The BW chap who answered said he was just up the canal at Lock 5, and would be down in a few minutes to sort it out. We saw him a little while later letting some water down. It would have been interesting to know how long it took. Meanwhile, we had a good look round Diglis basins. The inner one is particularly attractive, and full of boats of all shapes and sizes.

We walked up the canal past a couple more locks before making our way into the city centre, then for a look round the Cathedral, and back to the car to continue our journey home.