Monday 6th March - Diglis Basin to Stourport
Today we have set off on our spring trip, we plan to be out until the beginning of June and our intention is to head north as far as we can go.
Gill turned up to help us down the two locks onto the River Severn, it makes it much easier as we don’t need to pick up crew from the lock pontoon on the river. Many thanks to Gill and Tim, their help was much appreciated.
A wonderful view of Worcester Cathedral, always a welcome sight as you are leaving and when you are returning. Worcester Cathedral is a magnificent sight as it rises majestically above the River Severn. Worcester has been the seat of a bishopric since the Seventh Century, and the Cathedral was served by monks until the Reformation. St Oswald and St Wulfstan were among the bishops. Since the Eighteenth Century, the Cathedral has been famous for its part in the annual Three Choirs Festival, the oldest choral festival in existence.
The river was very slow flowing today, quite benign and peaceful. Here we are passing the end of the Droitwich Canals, all very quiet at the moment.
We collected another boat at Holt Lock and we went through the last two locks side by side. We left the last lock on the river first which meant we were first up the two double staircase locks into Stourport Basin. We then went up through York Street lock and out to the moorings at The Bird in Hand. We moored up, lit the fire and settled down for the evening. An excellent first day!
14.25 miles, 10 locks, 5hrs 48mins
Tuesday 7th March - Bird in Hand PH to Wolverley Visitor Moorings
We woke to a bright sunny morning and were away from our mooring by 9am. This is the first lock of the day and all is going well.
Here we are approaching the Severn Valley Railway, one day we shall be lucky enough to pass beneath as a steam train goes over.
At Falling Sands Lock the sandstone is exposed and is fascinating to look at.
We stopped at Kidderminster to do some shopping and to check the weed hatch as the boat seems rather sluggish. Weed hatch was clear and we are now stocked up for the next week or so.
At Wolverley Court Lock I suddenly felt cold and very tired, so we abandoned our plans to go on to Kinver and stopped at Wolverley Visitor Moorings instead. We bought cake at the little Cafe and had a drink in the Lock Inn. Soon after we moored up we had a short snow shower and the sun was still shining, what very strange weather we are having!
5.5 miles, 5 locks, 3hrs
Wednesday 8th March - Wolverley Visitor Moorings to Kinver
We woke this morning to snow falling, quite cold but not windy, so we decided to move on to Kinver.
This is Debdale Lock with an artificial cave cut into the rock possibly used as a stable during the canal age.
Dave took this photo from inside the cave, as Ella rose up through the lock, it clearly shows the logo on the side of the boat “One Life…Live It”
We headed up through Willington Lock and then onto Willington village, very pretty. Toby and I walked the last part of the journey so we could choose a mooring once we got to Kinver. The snow became heavier so we stayed onboard for a while. Once it had eased up we went for a walk into Kinver itself. In the evening we met up with friends, Anne and Steve, in the Vine for a chat and catch up. The food was very good indeed and we had a super evening.
4 miles, 2 locks, 2hrs 6mins
Thursday 9th March - Kinver
Today we woke to a blanket of snow and snow still falling. Dave checked out the lock but it was thick with snow and we decided it would be too dangerous to be walking over slippery lock beams. Instead we moved the boat up towards the lock and onto the 14 day mooring, simply because the boat behind had a very noisy generator!
Early morning whilst taking Toby out for his first walk. The boat in the front has a very noisy generator and we didn’t want to be moored by him again today.
Our new mooring for the day, and it is still snowing so happy to stay put today. I decided to contact Wilsons of Kinver and see if we could get a PVC cover for pigeon roof to match our pram hood. Keith Wilson came down immediately, took measurements and will return tomorrow with a completed cover. Most impressive service!
After a walk along the canal and through the village we spent a quiet day on the boat.
Friday 10th March - Kinver
Today we again woke to a thick covering of snow and persistent snowfall. Once again we decided to stay put and wait for the snow to clear before continuing with our journey. At 9.30am Keith arrived with our new pigeon roof cover and fitted it for us. No more leaks or unsightly towel soaking up the water!
As we went through the morning the weather improved and we went for a walk along the other side of the canal down to Willington lock. It was quite a steep climb up, but the view from the top was well worth it, the canal and the village in the background.
We then walked down into the village and took this lovely photo of the church on the brow of the hill overlooking the village. It dates back to the early 14th century.
Later in the afternoon the sun was still shining so we walked up the canal to Hyde Lock and back round into the village. This lock cottage has a pair of miniature lock gates as their garden gates, very pretty.
We found a miniature model railway, similar to the one we have in Worcester, but much larger and on a grander scale.
Opposite where our boat is moored is a wooden garden shed, and we watched a pair of American Mink running around in front and under the shed. I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture, but I’ve looked them up and they are definitely mink, which is a shame as they are non-native invasive species, freed during the 1950/60’s from mink farms and are a threat to our native water vole populations.
Saturday 11th March - Kinver to Ashwood Marina
This morning it was cold but dry and no snow, so we decided to move on.
Here Ella is coming up through Kinver Lock with The Vine pub in the background. A very nice pub. We stopped at Kinver Services to fill up with water and dispose of any rubbish.
The next lock is Hyde Lock with the pretty lock cottage on it. Below the window is an old marker for the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal.
A super example of a circular weir on this canal, they are peculiar to this canal and could be something to do with the fact that this canal was James Brindley’s very first attempt at narrow lock construction.
The junction with the Stourbridge Canal, Stourton Junction, leading the canal up towards the Black Country and Birmingham. We then continued on through Rocky Lock and passed Ashwood Nurseries until we found a space opposite Ashwood Marina below Greensforge Lock, where we shall stay for the night.
4.25 miles, 5 locks, 3hrs 12 mins.
Sunday 12th March - Ashwood Marina to The Bratch
Sunshine! A lovely warm start to the day, so we prepared a stew in the slow cooker and then set off for the day.
NbSapphire passed us as we were preparing to set off so we were able to work the locks together, especially helpful as he was a solo boater. I am waiting below Hinksford Lock for the lock to empty.
Botterham locks is a double staircase with a climb of 20ft 3ins. A hire boat came down the locks ahead of us, they had left Gailey 2 days ago and by our calculations they must have been doing a good 8 hours a day!
The nose of Ella by the lock gates in the first lock, it is a long way down. The lock staircase design at Botterham appears to have been experimental. It is not known if the large overflow weir to the bottom lock was part of the original design or if was added retrospectively due to the potential for the lower lock to be overfilled.
I have never noticed this before, but in this lock the paddle mechanism is exposed and you can see the rod which lifts and drops the paddles to let the water out. These little things fascinate me!
We stopped off at the large Sainsburys in Wombourne and then continued on to moor for the night at the foot of The Bratch locks.
4 miles, 7 locks, 3hrs 24mins.
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