Autherley Junction to Hyde

Mon 27th Aug  Autherley Junction to Dimmingsdale

We had rain early on, so we had a wet hood to put away before we set off.

We soon noticed that the water was very clear here, and we could see fish swimming among the green river grass.  We discovered that fresh water flows into the canal from at least two places.

Water flowing into the canal

We headed south under a lot of bridges and then passed Aldersley Junction where the Birmingham Canal branches off up 21 locks to Wolverhampton. 

Railway bridges

The canal bridge at Aldersley Junction

Aldersley Lodging House ruins

The start of the Wolverhampton 21

Aldersley Junction signpost

Our first lock of the day was at Compton, where there was also the first of the circular weirs that adorn this canal.

Circular weir at Compton

Compton Lock

There were two more locks at Wightwick (pronounced Wittick), where we met a character on a boat called Sir T Fiable. He was below the lock on the bollards, but the lock was in his favour, but with only one gate open. He was in the bows apparently not doing anything about the lock, so we had to ask if he was coming through. He had to put his dog ashore, otherwise the dog would try to leap off the boat halfway up in the lock. He was on his own so we helped him through.

Wightwick Mill Lock

We decided not to visit the lovely National Trust property Wightwick Manor this time, having done that twice before.  We spotted a little grebe, or dabchick among the reeds.

We moored on some piling between Mops Farm Bridge and Dimmingsdale Bridge. This was a very peaceful mooring, with no traffic, cows, sheep, chickens, crows, geese or farm machinery. We had very few walkers or cyclists either.

BCF boat Parentis went past, with Jon at the helm, last seen in Market Drayton in 2014.

3 locks, 4 miles

Tue 28th Aug  Dimmingsdale to Greensforge

Dawn at Dimmingsdale

Our peaceful mooring

It started off beautifully sunny and fresh this morning as we went down through Dimmingsdale and Ebstree Locks.  Just before Dimmingsdale Lock there are some offside moorings with mooring rings and mown grass. Last time we were here, in 2015, the grass had not been cut and we had to hunt for the mooring rings among the vegetation.

Dimmingsdale Lock with the offside moorings in the foreground.

Weir at Ebstree Lock

Awbridge circular weir

Awbridge Lock is unusual, having a bridge across it with vertical slits in the brickwork on the parapet.

Awbridge Lock and bridge

A sign we chose not to obey

We passed a boat moored on the offside who was shouting about a speed limit of 4mph. We were on tickover doing about 1mph, as we usually do when passing moored boats. The next boat we passed asked if we were electrically powered as they couldn’t hear our engine!

We came to the Bratch Locks, and were able to go down straight away. Sometimes there is a long wait here. The locks are close together, with long side pounds off to the side, but they are not a staircase as each lock has its own top and bottom gates. The top gate and side pound paddles are blue, and the bottom ones are red, and you need to open the blue ones first before the red ones, or you will flood the tiny gap between the locks as the lock above empties.  Blue before red or else you’re dead, as opposed to the Foxton and Watford Locks: Red before white and you’re alright. It could confuse a stupid person. (Pete and Dud quote).

Arriving at the Bratch Locks

The Bratch

Side pound

Emerging from the Bratch

After the Bratch comes Bumblehole Lock, with a lock cottage and a steep angled bridge which goes nowhere. The Round Oak pub follows, where we once had a meal.

The weir at Bumblehole Lock

Bumblehole Lock

Round Oak pub

We stopped just before Wombourne Bridge and visited Sainsbury’s as you do. By now it was cloudy.

After a twenty minute shopping stop (a record?) we set off again, just before a hire boat did the same. When we arrived at the Botterham Staircase Locks we had to empty the bottom lock before we could descend in the top one, and the hire boat caught us up. After we left the bottom Lock we didn’t see them again that day.

Botterham Staircase Locks

Victorian buildings

Soon after this we came to the two Swindon Locks, where there is a split bridge, reminiscent of the Stratford Canal. It was designed for horse’s ropes to go through without unhitching.

Another weir at Swindon Locks

The split bridge (the iron strip on the top is a later addition)

Hinksford Lock was the final one of the day, and there was an interesting building soon afterwards, which apparently is Hinksford Pumping Station, built in 1900.  

Hinksford Pumping Station

We moored a little way before Greensforge. James went to empty a cassette, as we were running out of capacity, due to forgetting to empty one at Wheaton Aston. This time we WILL remember to empty the rest in the morning.

12 locks, 6 miles

Wed 29th Aug  Greensforge to Hyde

This morning James had a battle with technology. He wanted some paint for the gunwales and sides where we get scratches from locks and rough edges. He had phoned several chandleries on our route to see if they stocked Hempel Paints. They didn’t.  Arthur Page, one of our founder BCF members, lives in Stourport where we are heading, and James managed to phone him despite a low signal, and we agreed to meet up and he said he would take delivery of some paint.

When James tried to order the paint, the website wouldn’t allow his email address, saying “we have that already on our database”. So we must have used them before. So he tried going in as a returning customer, but they didn’t recognise any of our usual passwords. So he tried to phone them, but couldn’t get through as there was no signal.  Give up and try later, we thought.

We moved down past the line of “permit holder only” moorings, where there were large gaps, enough for eight boats, and pulled in to the one and only 48 hour visitor mooring to wait for the water point which was in use. CRT needs to move the marker post to allow a few more visitor moorings. We were soon filling up with water (good pressure) and emptying cassettes and rubbish.

Lots of gaps for permit holders only

Another gap

Water point

The next technology challenge was to set the time lapse camera. James got it worked out, he heard the camera working every second, and he placed the camera on the roof at the front.  We found later that it recorded everything until it was put in position, then it stopped. So we have pictures of James’s face, the sky, the adjacent pub at an angle, and some grass. You don’t want to see those.

Then he found that his phone battery was low, so he put it on charge and took one or two photos with Hazel’s phone. We didn’t have far to go, but there are some interesting sights on the route.

The first lock was Greensforge Lock, with its circular weir, and tunnel-like bridge for the footpath (and horse path)

Circular weir

Greensforge Lock

The horse tunnel

Looking back

We passed Ashwood Marina, where we sang in a folk club a few years ago. There are two more locks, and then the site of Gothersley Round House, which was on the loading bay for the ironworks on the Smestow Brook nearby.

Rocky Lock

Gothersley Lock

Living lock walls

Gothersley Round House

There were lots of red rocks on our route today

We passed the junction with the Stourbridge Canal, where a CRT work boat was turning round. This is followed by Stewponey Lock with a toll house and CRT maintenance yard.

Stourton Junction signpost

Stourbridge Canal

Stewponey Lock

Durnsley Tunnel follows soon after. It is only just over a boat length, but it is cut out of rock, so it is definitely a tunnel and not a bridge.

Durnsley Tunnel

Rocky roof

Looking back at Durnsley Tunnel

We moored in the lovely valley before Hyde Lock, where we have moored a few times before. There are scenic views here, and we were hoping there would be a space for us.

Mooring with a view

James tried to order the paint again, and requested a password reset. Success! The paint will be delivered to Arthur Page by the time we get there at the weekend.

4 locks, 4 miles.

Next: On to Kidderminster, where we will take a trip on the Severn Valley Railway. Then on to Stourport on Saturday.