Monday 21st November - Oozell’s Loop Visitor Moorings
We have decided to stay here again today as it is non stop rain all day. We went for a walk to New Street Station to do some shopping, but apart from that we spent the day on the boat.
Tuesday 22nd November - Oozell’s Loop to Alvechurch
We woke to a much better morning and decided to move on and begin our journey down the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. Coming out of Oozell’s Loop we turned right and then right heading for The Cube.
This is the location of The Worcester Bar, as a result of a dispute between the two canal companies, it was decided that a physical barrier would be built preventing the boats getting any closer than 7 foot to the next canal. This meant that cargo needed to be unloaded, carried around the bar and reloaded onto the waiting boats, and an assessment made for the fees payable. This continued until 1815 when a stop lock was inserted meaning that fees would still be paid but goods could stay on the same boat. Today you can still see where the stop lock used to be and the buildings beside it were the toll offices.
Heading down towards the Cube where we take a sharp right turn and head out towards Alvechurch.
We passed through Wast Hills Tunnel and moored up just ahead of the village. We were quite surprised to see great clumps of Floating Pennywort on the water. Introduced to the UK in the 1980s by the aquatic nursery trade, this fleshy-stemmed plant grows into floating mats of lush foliage. This highly invasive plant is a real problem for our waterways. It grows very rapidly in late summer, up to 20cm per day, and is responsible for swamping waterways, blocking water flow, crowding out native plants and taking oxygen from fish and insects. It's becoming more and more of a problem across the country, blocking canals, rivers and other waterways.
11 miles, 0 locks, 3 hrs 48mins
Wednesday 23rd November - Alvechurch to Tardebigge Top Lock
A lovely start to the morning, cruising slowly past Alvechurch Marina, with all the new boats being finished off ready for the new season.
Unfortunately the rain soon set in and it was heavy enough to warrant an umbrella! Toby doesn’t appear to be bothered by the rain though!
Shortwood Tunnel, which has a very leaky lining, is 613 yards (560 metres) in length. It is wide enough for boats to pass each other. We were lucky and haven’t had to pass any boats in tunnels this trip.
We went down towards Tardebigge Top Lock and found that there was a boater setting the lock. He was very generous and let us go down before him, as he was towing a boat and it would take them ages to get both boats down the lock. We moored up below the lock and Dave took Toby for a walk and found Tardebigge Dry Dock now incorporated into Crafted Boats Ltd part of J.L. Pinder family, Jason Pinder runs the dry dock at Diglis and services and maintains our boat. The boat in the dock is NBGalene owned by our friends Dimitrios and Carine.
4 miles, 0 locks, 1hr 48mins
Thursday 24th November - Below Tardebigge Top Lock to Tardebigge Bottom Lock
So, we made an early start today, there are 29 locks downhill and a forecast of heavy rain by 12 noon, so we were aiming to be moored up before we got dreadfully wet. Dave had arranged for some help from the Tardebigge Volunteer Lockkeepers and we planned to meet them as they walked up from the carpark half way down the locks.
After 3 locks we came across the boat that was being towed, they had moored up for the night in one of the pounds. NBDaisy is the fourth boat donated to the charity Forces Vets Afloat project which restores donated boats and gives them to veterans of the armed forces in order to get them off the streets and into floating homes. She is currently on her way to Tewkesbury where she will be refitted at Tewkesbury Marina, work that will take about a year to complete.
Tardebigge Reservoir, with more water in it than we have ever seen. That’s good news! Tardebigge Reservoir was created in 1827. The 25 acre feeder reservoir supplies water to the Worcester to Birmingham canal and is part of the world famous Tardebigge Locks. The lake is up to 40-foot (12 m) deep at the dam end, shelving off to around 15 feet (4.6 m) at the inlet end.
This hidden gem of a lake is set in rural Worcestershire, near Tardebigge Village. It is stocked with genuine British Old School carp. This fishery is totally unique.
Our team of helpers after 3 hours and 20 minutes of lock filling, gate opening and closing and walking. Many thanks as always for their time and effort and for turning out to help us down this set of locks. Two of them were new recruits waiting to take their test to become fully fledged Volunteer Lock Keepers, in the meantime they need to work alongside an experienced lock keeper.
We moored at the bottom of the flight before the rain really set in and treated ourselves to an evening in the Queen’s Head with fish and chips and a pizza.
2.25 miles, 3 hrs 42 mins, 29 locks.
Friday 25th November - Tardebigge Bottom Lock to Hanbury Junction
Woke to a lovely dry day and sparkling sunshine, the wind had dropped and cruising was idyllic. Dave worked us down all the locks today, here I am waiting in the middle of the canal for a lock to be ready, just sitting still quietly in the middle of the canal.
Heading towards Stoke Prior at the Anglo Welsh hire base. Here we were able to use the Canal and River Trust facilities before descending the lock.
Our mooring for the night, Hanbury Wharf and the junction with the Droitwich Canal on the left under the bridge.
4.25 miles, 12 locks, 3hrs 42mins
Saturday 26th November - Hanbury Wharf to Perdiswell
A favourite mooring place opposite Oddingley Church and the farmhouse. Looks as though there is some work being done to the farm house at the moment.
Passing the Worcester Rugby Club grounds which are permanently closed now. All very quiet and sad.
Passing down through the Offerton Locks which are usually quite low of water, but today there is so much water, Dave had to wade through it to get over the gate.
Cadbury’s once had a large plant at Blackpole in Worcester, making cakes - the site had its own light railway, and was turned into a munitions factory in World War II The site is now a retail and industrial estate. This was where the chocolate crumb was loaded onto the barges.
We moored up for the night opposite the Leisure Centre at Perdiswell which meant we had a short cruise back to the Marina tomorrow and time during the rest of the day to unload and tidy the boat.
6.7 miles, 8 locks, 3hrs 24mins
Sunday 27th November - Bilford Top Lock to Diglis Marina
Woke to a dry, grey but very calm morning and began our last trip of this cruise. We passed Lowesmoor Marina where a lot of the hireboats come from. I always marvel at how novice boaters are expected to reverse their boats into this Marina, but that’s what they tell us they are expected to do!
Just before Blockhouse Lock Canal and River Trust are putting in new piling to the edge of the canal, that will make mooring up easier if you wish to stop and visit the city.Final lock of the day, Sidbury Lock with The Commandery at the side. The Commandery is most famous for being the Royalist Headquarters during the deciding battle of the English Civil War – the Battle of Worcester 1651.
We continued round to the Marina, in through the swing bridge and I was able to moor the boat in backwards as it is easier to get on and off the boat that way round.
2.25 miles, 6 locks, 2 hrs 6 mins.
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